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Should pregnant women be allowed to use parent and child spaces? | Get Daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Parking. It's one thing that's guaranteed to cause a debate - particularly when it comes to parent and child spaces. We all understand why parents out shopping with their kids need a bit more space. After all, it's not easy getting in and out of the car with a baby bump. We asked followers on Hull Live's Family News Facebook page and there was definitely a mixed response. One said: "Yes and also should get temporary passes for disabled bays. I wish parent and child bays werent near shop doors and then people wouldnt park there to be lazy. "Id happily park at the other end of a car park in a parent and child bay to have the reassurance I could get my toddler/ baby in and out of the car easily." Another said: "100% yes. Asda Hessle road used to have two special parking bays for pregnant women, not sure if they are still there." Climbing through the boot Others said they really struggled to get into the car when they were pregnant. "Yes, I had to climb through the boot when I was nearing my due date because I was completely blocked in at both sides," one wrote. "YES!!! Im currently about to go into labour with my 3rd child and I can hardly walk," said another woman. "Gone are the days where pregnant people relax with their feet up for the last month of pregnancy. Reality is.....we all have stuff to do and families to look after. Its bloody hard to walk and drive but we have to get on with it. "I got tutted the other day for parking in a parent child space, clearly you can see my massive belly and my struggle to walk, also the two car seats in the back in my car. My husband was in Tesco with my children and I was meeting them there! "The day I went into labour with my son a few years ago, I had to climb through the boot also to get into my car and I was having labour pain. I had to do this because some a*******s parked an inch from my door at each side." 0+ VOTES SO FAR Yes, and disabled ones - they need the space It depends what stage of their pregnancy they're at - if they haven't got a big bump, then no No, it's hard enough to find a space as it is without more people using them "Yes pregnant ladies should be able to use parent and child," another said. "I seen plenty of people use them with no children and I'm there heavily pregnant with 3 kids and having to use a normal bay when u confront them u get abuse its disgusting." Others felt it depended on what stage of pregnancy a woman is at. 'What about obese people?' "Yes if they are clearly pregnant, not to be abused when theyve literally just found out and have no bump," one wrote, while another said they should only be allowed "if heavily pregnant". However, one man said that the same logic could apply to obese people. Watch: Punches and swearing in fight over parent and child parking space Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now "If pregnant people do then why not obese people. Before people jump on the band wagon saying they should lose weight, some are due to medical reasons," he said. The one thing everyone agreed on was that people who don't have children should not be allowed to use the spaces. One woman said: "I think you should have passes to use parent and toddler like you do disabled! "The amount of times I've parked there and people with no kids decide to park next to me I often ask wheres your child and they quickly run off its unfair if a parent with a new born needed that! Or better yet make all bays wider!" Follow Hull Live Our daily newsletter - To get the latest headlines direct to your email inbox every day, click here . Follow Hull Live on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the lively discussions in the comments. Click here to give it a like! Follow us on Twitter - For breaking news and the latest stories, click here to follow Hull Live on Twitter . Follow us on Instagram - On the Hull Live Instagram page we share gorgeous pictures of our stunning city - and if you tag us in your posts, we could repost your picture on our page! We also put the latest news in our Instagram Stories. Click here to follow Hull Live on Instagram. | https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/should-pregnant-women-allowed-use-2424159 |
Who is MacKenzie Bezos? | She was an integral part of its origin story, driving to Seattle in 1994 while Jeff Bezos sat in the passenger seat, working on the nascent companys business plan. She was Amazons first accountant and was involved in its transformation from a small online bookseller to the e-commerce behemoth it is today, the second company in American history to be valued at over $1 trillion. MacKenzie Bezos, 48, is a novelist. But Amazon has defined her public image almost wholly. The announcement this week that she and her husband would be getting a divorce may soon change that. A statement signed Jeff & MacKenzie, which was first posted to Jeff Bezos Twitter account, read: After a period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends. The couple, who have four children, wrote that they see wonderful futures ahead, as parents, friends, partners in ventures and projects, and as individuals pursuing ventures and adventures. Over the last few decades, as Amazon grew, MacKenzie Bezos appeared with her husband at some high-profile events, including Vanity Fairs Oscar parties and the Golden Globes; in 2012, she was a host of the Met Gala. (Amazon also underwrote the event.) But for the most part, Bezos has guarded her privacy, preferring to focus on writing and her children. She could not be reached for comment on this article. She has made infrequent forays into the public eye to promote her books and to defend her husbands company. In 2013, she posted a scathing one-star review on Amazon of The Everything Store, a book about Amazon by Brad Stone, to say it was plagued by numerous factual inaccuracies and full of techniques which stretch the boundaries of non-fiction. (Stone is a veteran technology reporter. Michiko Kakutani, reviewing his book for The New York Times, said he told this story of disruptive innovation with authority and verve, and lots of well-informed reporting.) Still, little is known about this private woman who may be awarded one of the largest divorce settlements to date. THE BOOK WORM MacKenzie Tuttle, an aspiring novelist, met her husband at DE Shaw, a New York hedge fund where Jeff Bezos, a computer scientist by training, had become a senior vice president. She told Vogue that she took the position of administrative assistant to pay the bills while she worked on her novels, but she soon found herself enamoured with the laugh of the man who worked in the next office over. As MacKenzie Bezos put it in a 2013 interview with Charlie Rose: It was love at first listen. Within three months of dating, the two were engaged; they married shortly thereafter at a resort in West Palm Beach, Florida. Jeff Bezos was 30; MacKenzie Bezos was 23. She often described herself as a bookish introvert, especially compared with Jeff Bezos, a swaggering, infinitely expansive businessman whose chief romantic desire, he told Wired in 1999, six years after his wedding, had been to meet someone resourceful. (That type of attraction seems to be mutual. In 2017, at a Summit panel, Bezos said that one of his wifes sayings is: I would much rather have a kid with nine fingers than a resource-less kid.) MacKenzie Bezos literary ambitions began early. According to interviews and her author biography on Amazon (where she coyly notes that she lives in Seattle with her husband and four children), she started writing seriously at age 6, when she finished a 142-page chapter book titled The Book Worm. It was later destroyed in a flood; Bezos has said that she now meticulously backs up her work. At Princeton, she studied creative writing under Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison, who hired her as a research assistant for the 1992 novel Jazz and introduced her to her high-powered literary agent, Amanda Urban. In Vogue, Morrison hailed Bezos as a rare talent, calling her one of the best students Ive ever had in my creative writing classes. In 2005 she gave Bezos a glowing blurb on her debut novel, The Testing of Luther Albright, calling it, a rarity: a sophisticated novel that breaks and swells the heart. After graduating from Princeton in 1992, six years after Jeff Bezos graduated from the same university, MacKenzie Bezos took the job that introduced her to the future e-commerce titan. The couple married in 1993 and moved to Seattle in 1994, the same year Amazon was incorporated. Quickly, Bezos identity became enfolded into her husbands company, even as she sought to make her mark in a publishing industry that he worked tirelessly to upend. AMAZON AMBASSADOR From the start, Jeff Bezos knew he wanted to disrupt traditional retail businesses using the internet. He quickly established Amazon as a successful internet bookstore and then began to diversify, selling music (when that was still viable), videos, medication and other consumer goods. His vision, as told to Chip Bayers and published in a 1999 Wired profile, was prescient. Bezos predicted that in 2020: The vast bulk of store-bought goods food staples, paper products, cleaning supplies, and the like you will order electronically. Some physical storefronts will survive, but theyll have to offer at least one of two things: entertainment value or immediate convenience. MacKenzie Bezos, who first lived with her husband in a rented home in an East Seattle suburb, was heavily involved in the business at the start: In addition to working as an accountant, she helped brainstorm names for the company and even shipped early orders through UPS, according to The Everything Store. She was clearly a voice in the room in those early years, Stone said in an interview for this article. In 1999, they moved into a $10 million mansion in Medina, Washington, and she became pregnant with their first child. As they rapidly accumulated wealth, the Bezos family took pains to preserve the trappings of normalcy. MacKenzie Bezos often drove the four children to school in a Honda, and would then drop Jeff Bezos at the office, Stone wrote. As the company flourished, MacKenzie Bezos stepped back and focused on her family and her literary ambitions. Business wasnt her passion, and when Amazon took off she wasnt as involved in the day-to-day business, Stone said. She spent a decade on her first novel, often getting up early to write, and signed with her mentors literary agent, Urban at ICM Partners, who also represents Cormac McCarthy, Haruki Murakami and Kazuo Ishiguro. The Testing of Luther Albright, which was published by Harper in 2005 and was widely embraced by critics, tells the story of an engineer whose professional and home lives begin to unravel in the 1980s. In a review in The New York Times, Kate Bolick called the novel quietly absorbing. The Los Angeles Times named it one of the best books of the year, and Publishers Weekly praised Bezos subtle imagination and a startling talent for naturalism. In 2013, Bezos published her second novel, Traps, which follows the journey of woman named Jessica Lessing, a reclusive film star, as she emerges from hiding to confront her father, a con man who has been selling her out to the paparazzi for years. Jessica drives to Las Vegas to meet him, and encounters three other women: a teen mother, a dog-shelter owner and a former military bodyguard, who become her allies. I would say the biggest theme in the book is the idea that the things that we worry over the most in life, the things that we feel trapped by, the mistakes weve made, the bad luck that we come across, the accidents that happen to us, the paradoxes in the end, oftentimes those things are the things that well look back and be the most grateful for, Bezos said of the novel during an interview with Charlie Rose. They take us where we need to go. Throughout their marriage, Jeff Bezos was an enthusiastic supporter of MacKenzie Bezos fiction, and would clear his schedule to read drafts of her novels, MacKenzie Bezos told Vogue. In the acknowledgments of Traps, she called him my most devoted reader. But Bezos literary career may have been complicated to some extent by her high-profile husband, who has done more than perhaps any individual in recent history to transform and sometimes destabilise the book-selling business. Many independent booksellers, publishers and agents blame Amazon for building a monopoly that has put independent stores out of business and poses a dire threat to once thriving chains like Barnes & Noble. Even though Amazon splashily introduced its own publishing imprints, Bezos still chose traditional houses for her books: Harper and Knopf. (When asked by an interviewer why Bezos wasnt publishing her books through Amazons fiction imprints, Jeff Bezos jokingly described his wife as the fish that got away.) Sales of her books have been modest: The novels have sold a few thousand print copies, according to NPD BookScan, which tracks some 85 percent of print sales. Some independent booksellers refused to stock Bezos novels, according to a publishing executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Urban, Bezos literary agent, declined to comment for this article. BILLION-DOLLAR DIVORCE The Bezoses were the richest couple in the world; their divorce exists at a level of wealth that is virtually unprecedented. There have been billion-dollar divorces, like that of Steve and Elaine Wynn who owned casinos together, and certainly, technology entrepreneurs have been in and out of divorce court most notably Larry Ellison, a co-founder of Oracle who has been wed and unwed four times. But there has never been a divorce with a couple worth an estimated $137 billion, as Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos are. Little is known about the couples financial arrangements. Divorces are governed by state law, and the Bezoses primary residence and business are in Washington state, a community property state where any income earned or wealth created during the marriage is to be divided equitably between spouses. But some lawyers think it is unlikely that Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos will adhere to that guideline in a predictable manner. If they were to split assets equally, Jeff Bezos could find the 16.1 percent of Amazon stock he owns halved. Id imagine they didnt fight at all over how much wealth each other gets, said William Zabel, a founding partner of the law firm Schulte Roth and Zabel, who has handled many high-profile divorce cases but not worked with the Bezoses. Probably, he said, they fought about control. Zabel represented Wendi Murdoch and Jane Welch in their separations, and said he thought the Bezoses would almost certainly negotiate a way to split the value of the Amazon shares while allowing Jeff Bezos the leverage he might need. The length of time such an agreement remains in place would be part of the negotiations. MacKenzie Bezos has kept a low profile in recent weeks, and has not been photographed since the divorce was announced. (Jeff Bezos, by contrast, has continued to appear publicly and was pictured this month at a Golden Globes after-party with Lauren Sanchez, a former television anchor he is reportedly seeing.) It is unknown what MacKenzie Bezos will do next, and how the divorce will play out. There will be inevitable questions, for instance, about her plans regarding philanthropy. The Bezoses charitable contributions have been modest in the past. In 2011, they donated $15 million to their alma mater to create a centre to study the brain. The following year, they gave $2.5 million to support a same-sex marriage referendum in Washington. In 2017, Jeff Bezos asked his followers on Twitter for ideas about how better to give, and in September he and MacKenzie announced a $2 billion fund to help homeless families and start a network of Montessori-inspired preschools. But MacKenzie could pave her own philanthropic path, like Laurene Powell Jobs, who started her own foundation, the Emerson Collective. And if MacKenzie Bezos continues to write and publish, perhaps she could find a more receptive audience among independent booksellers. Some publishing executives, who declined to be quoted on the record, spoke gleefully, at least, of the blockbuster potential if she decides to write a memoir. 2019 New York Times News Service | https://bdnews24.com/people/2019/01/13/who-is-mackenzie-bezos |
Who is in the running to succeed Jose Mourinho as Manchester United manager? | Gareth Southgate has emerged as a shock contender to become Manchester United manager as the club become increasingly concerned that Mauricio Pochettino will stay at Tottenham. After parting ways with Jose Mourinho in December, United have seen caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer win all five of his games in charge but they are no closer to appointing a permanent replacement. With Diego Simeone and Zinedine Zidane also in the frame, Sportsmail looks at the five main contenders to take over at Old Trafford this summer. Gareth Southgate has emerged as a shock contender to become Manchester United manager Gareth Southgate England boss Southgate penned a new contract to stay on as manager until after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following the Three Lions' success in Russia, where they reached the semi-finals. A chance to jump ship may prove difficult following his recent renewal and the future task of leading a vibrant and youthful England side to another major tournament is one he probably wouldn't turn down. United are also said to be wary of Southgate's lack of experience at club level. Prior to his success at national team level, he has only had one spell at club level where he managed Middlesbrough for three years between 2006 and 2009. He has only had one spell at club level where he managed Middlesbrough for three years Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Most managers would have buckled at the chance to walk into United after the dismal final few months of Mourinho's tenure. Solskjaer, though, has turned things around completely. The morale around the camp is higher than it has been for years and that is showing on the pitch with five wins from five under the club legend. If things continue in the same manner it would be a tough call to deny Solskjaer the chance to take the reigns permanently but his lack of experience at an elite club could go against him. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has won all five matches as caretaker and forced himself into the running Mauricio Pochettino Following the dismissal of Mourinho before Christmas, Pochettino was deemed the favourite to succeed the Portuguese at Old Trafford. He appeared the natural successor following his incredible work at Tottenham over the past five years, turning them from top-four hopefuls to genuine title contenders. The Argentine also has plenty of admirers at the club and he was even Sir Alex Ferguson's choice for the job back when Mourinho was appointed in 2016. United have already reportedly made moves for him to join at the end of the season, but may have to pay up to 40million in compensation. He remains the preferred candidate in the eyes of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward but the task of convincing him away from North London could force the club to look elsewhere. Mauricio Pochettino was the favourite to succeed Mourinho but there are fears he'll stay put Zinedine Zidane Zidane, who guided Real Madrid to three successive Champions League victories during his tenure, is another strong candidate to take over from Mourinho on a permanent basis. The Frenchman is currently out of work after opting to leave Los Blancos in May after securing his final European trophy against Liverpool in Kiev. He has the stature and proven experience to guide United back to the summit of English football. Critics will point out though that there wasn't much work to do when he took over at the Bernabeu and having Cristiano Ronaldo up front was a major factor in his success. Reports suggest Zidane has already spoken to the club and they have canvassed his ideas on new players. Zinedine Zidane is out of work after leaving Real Madrid following a third European title Diego Simeone Simeone has emerged as a candidate in recent days but the 48-year-old has 18 months left on his Atletico Madrid contract and is currently in negotiations over an extension. In seven years in charge of Los Rojiblancos, the feisty Argentine has led the club to the La Liga title, two Champions League finals and two Europa League trophies. He has often expressed a desire to leave in the past but remains in place at the Wanda Metropolitano. Simeone's dogged and defensive-minded approach could be his downfall in the race for the job with United keen to return to the offensive style that won so many trophies before Sir Alex departed. | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6586379/Who-running-succeed-Jose-Mourinho-Manchester-United-manager.html |
Is Brookfield Renewable Partners a Buy? | For a company with a stated goal to grow its distribution 5% to 9% per year and deliver long-term total returns (the stock performance plus distribution payments) averaging 12% to 15% per year, things didn't quite go according to plan for Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE: BEP) last year. Shares of the renewable energy leader fell 25.8% in 2018 -- the worst annual performance in the last decade -- and were down by double digits for much of the year. The stock posted a total return of negative 20.9% when distributions were included. That put shares neck-and-neck with the total return of the S&P 500 in the last three years, an unusual position for a stock with a solid track record of comfortably outperforming the index. A stack of colorful note cards with a question mark drawn on the top one. More Image source: Getty Images. By the numbers Brookfield Renewable Partners owns and manages renewable energy power assets in North America, Europe, and South America. It generates revenue and earnings by selling the electricity generated from its portfolio of hydroelectric dams, wind farms, and solar arrays to customers. Depending on market forces, it may sell assets in one location and reinvest the proceeds in a new geography capable of supporting higher rates of return and maximizing shareholder value. Rinse, repeat. It's a pretty straightforward business. The company turned in a solid year of operations through the first nine months of 2018. There was only one blemish: relatively weak hydroelectric dam output. Heavy rainfall in North America and Columbia made 2017 a banner year for hydroelectricity, which made year-over-year comparisons appear weak. In reality, U.S. hydroelectric dam output in the rolling-12-month period through October 2018 was the second-highest in the last decade -- second only to 2017. In other words, the financial comparisons could have been much worse. Nonetheless, lower year-over-year rainfall totals explain why the year-over-year comparison deteriorated in the first nine months of 2018. For its hydropower segment, Brookfield Renewable Partners reported an 8.2% drop in electricity output and an 8.5% drop in funds from operations (FFO). While hydro comprises nearly 80% of its portfolio, the business more than made up for that blemish with impressive growth in wind and solar assets. In the first nine months of 2018, total FFO increased 7.3% compared to the year-ago period. That's great news considering the business is gradually transitioning its portfolio to wind and solar for the long haul. | https://news.yahoo.com/brookfield-renewable-partners-buy-120400429.html |
Why Not Every Night? | Back-to-back. Youre supposed to be tired, especially if your arms are weak from raising them on seven goal celebrations. But the Penguins were anything but that way in the early going on Saturday night. They came out in Los Angeles pretty much as theyd left Anaheim 24 hours before, skating and pushing offensively from the get-go. Somehow, the Kings matched them play for creative play, and Jonathan Quick did his job in net to keep the LA team alive. When I asked Kopitar about the speed and skating, he had no answer for me. I mean its just moving the puck, taking care of the puck, and making plays when theyre there. No, not really. Its not being scared to go to the net with the puck. Its taking shots from all angles, and following them in for rebounds. Its being creative with the puck and quick with the skating. LA almost never does this, but on this night, they did. They beat the Penguins 4-2, then threw in an empty net goal to make the score 5-2 as the night ended. Kopitar had two goals, and Carter a goal and two assists. Quick faced 40 shots. Friday night in Anaheim, Sidney Crosby was not heard from offensively until the seventh goal, into an empty net. He assisted on it. Saturday, that changed. He and Guentzel stole a puck shorthanded and came in on Quick two-on-one. Quick made a save and Guentzel buried the rebound. It was five and a half minutes after the game started. The uh-oh factor was in full force. Then the Penguins made a mistake of their own. At their blueline, Marcus Pettersson was stripped of the puck by Jeff Carter, who went in alone on Casey DeSmith. Getting to the top of the circles, he let go a slapshot. It found a home on the long side of the net. Jack Johnson, way back a King, knocked Carter over after the shot, sending him spinning to the boards before he could get up and celebrate. The game was being called rather loosely, and Johnson didnt get penalized. Neither did a Kings defenseman for what might have, other contests, been called a trip shortly after. The Kings, like the Ducks a night ago, looked like they could play with the Penguins. They skated about even with them. The only two criticisms one could level against the home team were these: their power play has no idea how to get the puck to the net, and they are doing better with not passing up shots, but still doing not always firing away as they could and should. Witness Kovalchuk trying to get a puck across the slot to a teammate and seeing it broken up. He was way close enough to the net to shoot. The Kings recorded just 25 shots on the night. The second frame began with the shots at 9-7 Pittsburgh and, as noted, the score at one apiece. It ended with the Kings up 3-1. Perhaps the Force was with them (see notes). They even got a shorthanded tally to pay the Pens back for theirs. The scoring was the least of the action. Pittsburgh started hard, with Dominik Simon passing back against the grain to teammate Bryan Rust from behind the net. Shortly after, Riley Sheahan went to the net with Derek Brassard. Sheahan kept the puck and made a series of small dekes right to the crease. Quick made a glove save. Sheahan had faked a shot and fooled Quick, who just got an arm down. Brassard came out of the corner with a hard snap shot that hit Quick on the chest. Crosby went to the net and got his own rebound. Wave after wave it was. Quick was better than all of these chances. And then, suddenly, all over the ice, the Kings players were creative. Toffoli came out from going all the way around the net and took a wrister. Leipsic and Kempe went down two-on-one off a broken play. Other rushes by Kings players happened. The third period saw the Kings extend to 4-1 when a scrambly play that was about to see the puck out of the Pittsburgh zone suddenly turned into a wrister from the point with Leipsic in front to put it home. So lets say it again: shots, skating, creativity. All of this was LAs. All of it worked. You cant ask that, and funny enough, nobody did. It did seem like the elephant in the room during the coachs press conference, though. Heres some of what Willie Desjardins said: Its a good win. We had two good periods for sure. Thats a good team. He added, I think they were pretty disappointed with their last game . . . . I think the second thing is they knew they had a really good opposition coming in. If we werent ready, we wouldnt like the results. Both those things made us ready for the start of the game. I thought we had a really good start. There was nothing about what the team might do or why this is, for now, a singular occurrence. I just think we were playing well. We were playing better, Desjardins said about the team not getting puffed up about the shorthanded goal they got but just to keep playing. And after that, with the presser being just 2:20 long, it got quiet, and the coach said Thank you and took his leave. So much was left unsaid. Notes Tanner Pearson was visiting for the first time since his trade to the Penguins in mid-November. He was acknowledged with a video tribute including a replay of a playoff overtime goal in period one. He waved to the crowd. Last night in Anaheim, I had the chance to ask him about the transition to the Penguins. He said, It was definitely really weird, I think, the whole system change going from LA to Pittsburgh. They play a creative, fast game. It generates a lot of offense. When these guys get rolling, it doesnt seem to stop. He scored two goals versus the Ducks. Against the Kings he had two shots and no points. It was Star Warsnight, a theme endlessly played out for, one assumes, marketing purposes. Snoop Dogg was also there. What this has to do with Star Wars, or Star Wars with him, is yours to decipher. | https://insidehockey.com/why-not-every-night/ |
Does the market do well in the third year of a Presidential term? | Investors will think of the last quarter of 2018 for years to come, but they wont remember it fondly. The Economist described it like this, After a rotten October and limp November, the S&P 500 tumbled in value by 15 percent between November 30th and December 24th. Despite an astonishing bounce of 5 percent the day after Christmas, the index finished the year 6 percent below where it started... Last quarters volatility and the slide in share prices owed much to uncertainty about economic growth. Investors were concerned about a variety of issues, including: The Federal Reserve making a mistake. Many in financial markets worried the Fed would raise rates too high, too quickly and stifle economic growth. Last week, the Fed put those fears to rest when its Chair, Jerome Powell, suggested the Fed was willing to stop increasing rates during 2019 if there were signs of economic weakness. Investors rejoiced and the three major U.S. indices experienced significant gains on Friday. Weaker corporate profits. Companies were remarkably profitable during the first three quarters of 2018, in part because of the boost from tax reform. However, there were worries fourth quarter earnings would be weaker as the effects of the stimulus faded. Last week, John Butters of FactSet reported, after three quarters of 25 percent or higher earnings growth, the estimated earnings growth rate for fourth quarter 2018 is 11.4 percent. A slowdown in global economic growth. Trade wars and tariffs clouded the outlook for global growth throughout the year. The Economist reported there were signs of economic slowdown in China, and one American technology firm attributed a sharp downturn in its profitability to weaker economic growth in China. There were also signs of economic weakness in Europe. A slowdown in domestic economic growth. Investors have been worried that trade issues, the government shutdown, and other matters could negatively affect economic growth at home. If the government shutdown is resolved quickly, these worries may prove overblown. Last week, Taylor Telford of the Washington Post reported, According to interviews with several analysts: The economy is fundamentally strong, and the stock market has overreacted to concerns about a modest slowing. As anxiety rose during the fourth quarter of 2018, some investors rushed to the perceived safety of bonds. High demand pushed the yield on 10-year Treasury bonds lower. It dropped from 2.99 percent to 2.69 percent during December, according to Yahoo! Finance. While increasing bond exposure may have been a prudent portfolio adjustment for investors who were taking more risk than they could bear, those who moved out of stocks on fear missed out. The Standard & Poors 500 Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted their biggest one-day point gains on record on December 26, reported Emily McCormick for Yahoo! Finance. (Im not weighing in one way or the other on the odds of a second term). So, the S & P 500 has been positive 21 of the last 23 presidential third years dating back to 1927. That includes a run of 19 in a row dating back to 1927. The average performance for the S & P 500 during those last 23 third years has been a gain of 16.1% according to BTN Research. Thats a pretty compelling number. Visit us at www.williamsfa.com . Tommy Williams is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Professional with Williams Financial Advisors, LLC. Securities offered through Private Client Services, Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory Services offered through RFG Advisory, a Registered Investment Advisor. Williams Financial Advisors, LLC, RFG Advisory and Carson Group Coaching are separate entities from Private Client Services. Branch office is located at 6425 Youree Drive, Suite 180, Shreveport, LA 71105. Read or Share this story: https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/life/2019/01/13/market-third-year-presidential-term/38882627/ | https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/life/2019/01/13/market-third-year-presidential-term/38882627/?from=new-cookie |
How does Syracuse prepare for No. 1 Duke after disappointing loss to Georgia Tech? | Syracuse, N.Y. The good news for the Syracuse Orange players is they wont have to wallow in the misery of their 73-59 loss to Georgia Tech for long. As a basketball player, SU junior Tyus Battle said, after a loss like this, you want to play right away. Battle will get his wish. After a loss that the Syracuse players would like to forget, they have only one day before they take the court again for their next game. The bad news; however, is that Syracuses next game is against Duke. At Duke. At Cameron Indoor Stadium, where the nations No. 1-ranked team and their raucous fans await. Still, the Syracuse players seemed more concerned about playing, rather than who they might be playing against, following the loss to Georgia Tech that snapped Syracuses modest four-game winning streak and spoiled the Oranges shot at a 3-0 start to ACC play. We want to pick ourselves back up starting right now, Syracuse forward Oshae Brissett said. Not starting tomorrow, not starting Monday. We want to do it right now. Just forget about this. Whats in the past is in the past and move on down to Duke and play our best basketball. The spectre of playing Duke might be cause for concern following one of Syracuses worst performances of the season. Georgia Tech made 59 percent of its field goals, the highest percentage allowed by Syracuse all season. And the Oranges limited offense resulted in a season-high 33 shots from 3-point range -- with only seven makes. From that, Syracuse must recover in roughly 48 hours before facing Duke. Weve got to put it behind us, Syracuse sophomore Elijah Hughes said. Weve got to go to practice tomorrow and get mentally locked in. Duke isnt just the nations No. 1 team. The Blue Devils have three potential lottery picks in R.J. Barrett, Cameron Reddish and Zion Williamson, the 280-pound dunking phenomenon. Barrett and Williamson, both freshmen, rank first and second in the ACC in scoring. Were not like media or like little kids, and thats not a shot at anybody, SU senior point guard Frank Howard said, but were not in awe about that type of stuff. They have multiple great players. They have a great coach. We just gotta be prepared, much more prepared than we were tonight. Some teams can get caught up in the Duke mystique, especially in the not-so-friendly confines of Cameron Indoor. You cant think Oh, its the Duke Blue Devils, Brissett said. We dont want to get overwhelmed. Were Syracuse. Honestly, were one of the top schools in the country, and weve got to play like it. Weve got know that in our heart. Theyre basketball players just like us, so I dont find anything special about it, Battle said. Im a competitor. Theyre competitors. Well be ready to go. Syracuse and Duke last met in the 2018 NCAA tournament, with the Blue Devils ending the Oranges surprising run to the Sweet 16 with a 69-65 win in Omaha, Neb. Syracuse has every starter back from last years squad, while Duke had to replace all five of its starters. Still, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewskis band of one-and-doners are 14-1, and Syracuse is struggling along at 11-5. Failure to live up to preseason expectations can sometimes weigh on a team, but Battle said the Orange isnt losing focus. Teams lose, Battle said. Were in the ACC. Teams are going to lose. Hughes said the answer was simple and had nothing to do with strategy or game-planning. Effort. Thats it, Hughes said. It should be constant. That shouldnt be an issue, but it was tonight. Nothings easy in this league. Youve got to come ready to play every day and we just didnt tonight. Since joining the ACC, Syracuse is 3-5 against Duke. That includes a 64-62 win at Duke in the 2015-16 season. Howard, SUs lone senior, is the only Syracuse player who was around for that game. Im confident we can beat anyone, Battle said. Thats how I approach every game. I dont care who it is. Brissett said the one-day turnaround wont be a factor. Not at all, he said. Just thinking about playing them should pump everybody up. These are the games you come to the ACC for. Its the No. 1 team in the country. The best team right now. We just want to go down there and showcase our skills and play our best basketball. If anything, the Syracuse players might find motivation in their loss to Georgia Tech. We literally hate losing, Howard said. It messes up our mood. But this is not something thats going to drag on. In this league, if you do that, thats how you end up in NIT games." Of course, the NIT is exactly what Syracuse fans fear could be in store for the Orange, which lost four non-conference games, including two at home, and has now lost at home to a team expected to finish in the bottom half of the conference. The SU players, however, said they arent thinking like that. We want to take every game, play that game and then move on, Brissett said. Right now, we want to focus on Duke. Follow Syracuse basketball on Twitter and Facebook How Georgia Tech, the worst offense in the ACC, ran wild over Syracuse | https://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/2019/01/after-disappointing-loss-to-georgia-tech-syracuse-prepares-for-no-1-duke.html |
How long can O'Rourke wait as 2020 pace picks up around him? | AUSTIN, Texas You wont see Beto ORourke announce whether hes running for president in 2020 for a while. But you may see him do almost anything else in the meantime. So, Im here at the dentist, the former Democrat congressman said with a giggle during a teeth-cleaning seen live on Instagram last week, before quizzing the dental hygienist about life along the U.S.-Mexico border. Anyone grumbling about livestream overexposure can catch ORourke on more traditional airwaves next month in New York, when Oprah Winfrey interviews him. ORourke barged into last years Senate race almost laughably early, in March 2017, insisting he was a credible contender against the incumbent, Republican Ted Cruz, when almost no one nationally knew of ORourke. Now hes doing almost anything to keep people paying attention to him without formally starting a presidential campaign for 2020. Hes not expected to decide until next month at the earliest whether hes running. These days, that counts as playing hard to get. Influential activists in Iowa and elsewhere are clamouring for him to get in the race while some potential rivals move their timelines earlier. Theyre not going to wait forever, Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston, said of Democratic campaign operatives, donors, activists and fellow politicians looking to pick sides or offer endorsements. The more candidates who start to formally launch their candidacies, the greater the pressure will rise on Beto. Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren announced on New Years Eve that shed formed a presidential exploratory committee, hoping to get an early jump on people such as ORourke, former Vice-President Joe Biden and Sens. Corey Booker of New Jersey, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kamala Harris of California. Since then, Warren has seen enthusiasm rise, especially after a successful trip to Iowa, which kicks off presidential primary voting. Julian Castro, housing chief under President Barack Obama, kicked off his campaign Saturday and could appeal to the same Hispanic community that ORourke may count on as a bilingual native of the borderland city of El Paso. A string of announcements from top Democrats could come this month. While still deciding, ORourke plans to travel the country and meet voters beyond Texas, but avoid places such as Iowa and New Hampshire, home to the nations first presidential primary, even though Democrats there have invited him. My feeling is hes lost a little momentum and thats the downside of being a media product, said Norman Solomon, a Sanders delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from California. Solomon said questions remain about whether ORourkes voting record during his three terms in Congress is too centrist to excite the Democratic base. That anyone would ask if ORourke is waiting too long with the election 22 months away is unusual. But anger over President Donald Trump has created an outsized Democratic appetite to go on the political attack. And because impeachment seems unlikely, fast-forwarding 2020 campaigns may become necessary. American political campaigns have really become almost reality television programs, said Ray Sullivan, a veteran of the 2012 Republican presidential campaign of then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Perry waited until August 2011 to join an already months-old Republican presidential primary field and briefly became the front-runner something that seems impossible just two presidential campaigns later. The attention span of activists and voters and even the media has become so short, and the attention-grabbing events so vacuous and fleeting, that the candidates would be very smart, I think, to get in early and identify and carve out their niche, Sullivan said. For ORourke, a 46-year-old, ex-punk rocker, trying to project a down-to-earth image may be a major selling point to voters. But Sullivan raises this questions: What if another candidate gets in and captures the imagination of Twitter and the activists and there may not be room for the celebrity of Beto when hes ready? Still, ORourkes delays havent lessened the enthusiasm of operatives from past Democratic presidential campaigns who have formed Draft Beto 2020 groups. Were building an apparatus that we can hand off to an actual campaign should he run, said Boyd Brown, a prominent South Carolina Democrat and former member of the Democratic National Committee. He is among the leaders of the ORourke draft movement in the Souths first primary state. Were treating this like a presidential campaign until told otherwise. Working in ORourkes favour is a lack of a perceived 2020 heir-apparent candidate who can draw in donors and top operatives. That model may be evaporating anyway, though, because the two politicians who looked to take on that role heading into the 2016 campaign, Republican Jeb Bush and Democrat Hillary Clinton, fell short of the presidency. Everybody who has ever thought about running for president is threatening to do it this time, said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. The sheer size of the potential field throws out the rules of the game that have been created by years of campaigns. Associated Press writer Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report. | https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/how-long-can-orourke-wait-as-2020-pace-picks-up-around-him |
Does Amaechi read Daily Trust? | Dont get snookered. This is not about whether Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation, reads Daily Trust newspaper. It is about Amaechi and the show of shame by soldiers at three offices of Media Trust Limited, publishers of Daily Trust newspapers and other titles in Maiduguri, Abuja and Lagos. For those who still cant classify him, Amaechi is a big beneficiary of the lucrative Nigerian politics. Before his incursion into politics, he was the public relations officer of the private clinic (Pamo Clinics) of Dr. Peter Odili, a former governor of Rivers State. He was guided into politics by Odili, now his estranged political godfather. Beyond the avuncular hand of Odili, Amaechis involvement in student unionism at the University of Port Harcourt also helped his harvest of fortune in politics. For much of last week Amaechi and the military trended in the media space. Free-talking Amaechi is a reporters delight. Journalists like politicians who talk and talk. Amaechi is top on the bill. Hes a nice guy who loves to talk, sometimes foolishly. It was no surprise that an audio where he dismissed President Muhammadu Buhari as a dullard who does not read, where he dismissed Buhari as agent of pain whose three years reign has brought more tears to Nigerians and as the harbinger of hunger and poverty, grabbed the headlines. They were the unkindest things to say about a man you are selling to Nigerians to vote in again for another four years. It is colossal betrayal of the trust Buhari had in Amaechi. It is a stab in the back of a man you genuflect before him in vainglorious humility and conceited eye service. In one moment of public persuasion Amaechi says Buhari is the best man for the Presidency, a God-send, a man of messianic relevance and symbolism. He sells Buhari as a man without blemish. Yet, behind Buhari, Amaechi scoffs at the President as a promoter of pain and architect of Nigerias blooming poverty index. Thats betrayal. Thats chameleonic character. It is not to be associated with a leader. | https://www.sunnewsonline.com/does-amaechi-read-daily-trust/ |
What if all nations viewed refugees as invaders? | A girl from Salvador, part of the Central American migrants hoping to reach the United States, looks through the US-Mexico border fence in Playas de Tijuana, Baja California State, Mexico, on Dec. 29, 2018. (Photo: Guillermo Arias, AFP/Getty Images) Back in 1991, after the first Gulf War ended with a cease-fire and Saddam Hussein started his campaign against the Kurds in the north, numerous Chaldeans who lived in, or adjacent to, the Kurdish areas left, running on foot north towards Turkey. One of those families, who happened to be relatives of mine, fled, with their great-grandmother traveling on a donkeys back while the rest of her extended family walked on foot all the way to the Turkish-Iraqi border, where they were able to cross into Turkey. N. Peter Antone (Photo: Courtesy photo) Many of those Chaldean refugees had neither a passport nor a visa to enter Turkey, nor was Turkey aware of whether they would be able to travel elsewhere or would settle in Turkey. While some waited in Turkey, others continued their walk to Europe, reaching as far as Greece, Austria and the like, seeking places to find asylum. My own distant relatives were lucky to receive support from then-U.S. Senator Carl Levin, who helped them to relocate to the U.S. on a rather expedited humanitarian basis. More: Trump needs to give up quest for a wall, end government shutdown | Opinion More: Trump's support in Michigan cracking over his policies, personality Imagine, if at the time, the Turkish authorities had stopped the fleeing refugees because they did not have a visa to enter Turkey. Imagine, if the Turkish attitude was that their country was one of laws, not of emotions, and that everybody entering Turkey needed to have the proper papers ahead of time. Imagine, if a segment of the Turkish population had viewed the fleeing Chaldeans as criminals, because they were violating Turkish laws that require entry only at certain points recognized by their government, and only if they had secured proper documentation ahead of time. Imagine, if the president of Turkey had labeled the arriving Chaldeans as invaders and sent tens of thousands of the Turkish army to confront them. More: Michigan caravan meets immigrants in Texas More: There's reason to fear the people in that caravan | Thompson This came to mind as I learned of the caravan from Central America. The number of refugees in the caravan fleeing Central America and headed toward the U.S. is relatively small in comparison to those who fled to Turkey from Iraq back in 1991. When people travel thousands of miles on foot, carrying their kids, trying to reach a better life, that is a humanitarian crisis. Granted, the U.S. is not obligated to accommodate persons fleeing all humanitarian crises happening everywhere in the world, nor should we accept people just because they are undergoing hardships. But what we should do is view this situation for what it is, a humanitarian issue, not an invasion by people, many of whom our officials accuse of being criminals or bad individuals. If we view the matter in a more humane way, perhaps we can find a solution, such as reaching agreements with Mexico, Canada, and other countries to allocate the refugees among them, and perhaps we can find solutions that would balance our ideals of helping the unfortunate while at the same time making sure that we do not sacrifice our own security or the well-being of our nation. N. Peter Antone is an immigration attorney and a former adjunct professor of nationality and immigration law at Michigan State University College of Law. Read or Share this story: https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2019/01/13/opinion-what-if-we-had-always-viewed-refugees-invaders/2547894002/ | https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2019/01/13/opinion-what-if-we-had-always-viewed-refugees-invaders/2547894002/?from=new-cookie |
How long can ORourke wait as 2020 pace picks up around him? | FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2018, file photo. Rep. Beto ORourke, D-El Paso, the 2018 Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, speaks during a campaign rally in El Paso, Texas. ORourke barged into last years Texas Senate race almost laughably early in March 2017. Now, as the onetime punk rocker mulls a much-hyped White House bid for 2020, hes doing anything he can to stay in the spotlight without formally starting a campaign. (Eric Gay, File/Associated Press) AUSTIN, Texas You wont see Beto ORourke announce whether hes running for president in 2020 for a while. But you may see him do almost anything else in the meantime. So, Im here at the dentist, the former Democrat congressman said with a giggle during a teeth-cleaning seen live on Instagram last week, before quizzing the dental hygienist about life along the U.S.-Mexico border. Anyone grumbling about livestream overexposure can catch ORourke on more traditional airwaves next month in New York, when Oprah Winfrey interviews him. ORourke barged into last years Senate race almost laughably early, in March 2017, insisting he was a credible contender against the incumbent, Republican Ted Cruz, when almost no one nationally knew of ORourke. Now hes doing almost anything to keep people paying attention to him without formally starting a presidential campaign for 2020. Hes not expected to decide until next month at the earliest whether hes running. These days, that counts as playing hard to get. Influential activists in Iowa and elsewhere are clamoring for him to get in the race while some potential rivals move their timelines earlier. Theyre not going to wait forever, Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston, said of Democratic campaign operatives, donors, activists and fellow politicians looking to pick sides or offer endorsements. The more candidates who start to formally launch their candidacies, the greater the pressure will rise on Beto. Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren announced on New Years Eve that shed formed a presidential exploratory committee, hoping to get an early jump on people such as ORourke, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Corey Booker of New Jersey, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kamala Harris of California. Since then, Warren has seen enthusiasm rise, especially after a successful trip to Iowa, which kicks off presidential primary voting. Julian Castro, housing chief under President Barack Obama, kicked off his campaign Saturday and could appeal to the same Hispanic community that ORourke may count on as a bilingual native of the borderland city of El Paso. A string of announcements from top Democrats could come this month. While still deciding, ORourke plans to travel the country and meet voters beyond Texas, but avoid places such as Iowa and New Hampshire, home to the nations first presidential primary, even though Democrats there have invited him. My feeling is hes lost a little momentum and thats the downside of being a media product, said Norman Solomon, a Sanders delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from California. Solomon said questions remain about whether ORourkes voting record during his three terms in Congress is too centrist to excite the Democratic base. That anyone would ask if ORourke is waiting too long with the election 22 months away is unusual. But anger over President Donald Trump has created an outsized Democratic appetite to go on the political attack. And because impeachment seems unlikely, fast-forwarding 2020 campaigns may become necessary. American political campaigns have really become almost reality television programs, said Ray Sullivan, a veteran of the 2012 Republican presidential campaign of then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Perry waited until August 2011 to join an already months-old Republican presidential primary field and briefly became the front-runner something that seems impossible just two presidential campaigns later. The attention span of activists and voters and even the media has become so short, and the attention-grabbing events so vacuous and fleeting, that the candidates would be very smart, I think, to get in early and identify and carve out their niche, Sullivan said. For ORourke, a 46-year-old, ex-punk rocker, trying to project a down-to-earth image may be a major selling point to voters. But Sullivan raises this questions: What if another candidate gets in and captures the imagination of Twitter and the activists and there may not be room for the celebrity of Beto when hes ready? Still, ORourkes delays havent lessened the enthusiasm of operatives from past Democratic presidential campaigns who have formed Draft Beto 2020 groups. Were building an apparatus that we can hand off to an actual campaign should he run, said Boyd Brown, a prominent South Carolina Democrat and former member of the Democratic National Committee. He is among the leaders of the ORourke draft movement in the Souths first primary state. Were treating this like a presidential campaign until told otherwise. Working in ORourkes favor is a lack of a perceived 2020 heir-apparent candidate who can draw in donors and top operatives. That model may be evaporating anyway, though, because the two politicians who looked to take on that role heading into the 2016 campaign, Republican Jeb Bush and Democrat Hillary Clinton, fell short of the presidency. Everybody who has ever thought about running for president is threatening to do it this time, said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. The sheer size of the potential field throws out the rules of the game that have been created by years of campaigns. ___ Associated Press writer Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-long-can-orourke-wait-as-2020-pace-picks-up-around-him/2019/01/13/24fe6e6e-1735-11e9-b8e6-567190c2fd08_story.html |
Why all the fuss about tennis balls? | We need to talk about balls. Tennis balls. Wed rather not talk about them, as there are few things more boring (apart from in-depth discussions about racquet strings), but the Australian Open starts today and balls are bound to generate much earnest debate. Several topics arise every Open. The heat, for one. (Today is tipped to be a scorcher, though organisers wont opt for an earlier start to play.) The absence of Australian players at the pointy end of the tournament is another, and the cue for annual soul-searching and angst. Both these subjects, however, will be bounced out of court this year by balls. For the Open has new balls, and not everyone is happy. Bernard Tomic, for one. Hes called them terrible and cheap. Bernie, of course, is an expert on anything terrible. Like most aspects of the Open, it gets back to money. Last August, it was announced that the tournament had a new official ball partner, which will not be named here as were not being sponsored. The new ball contract was surprising. First, because there were few complaints about the old balls (made by a different company). Second, because only debutantes give much thought to ball partners. New balls are a big deal. Around 50,000 of them will be used over the next fortnight. The new supplier also gets the right to sell Australian Open branded tennis balls globally, as the August announcement trumpeted. You might have thought a tennis ball is, well, just a ball. Round and fluffy. But apparently the Opens new balls incorporate the finest natural rubber, combined with (a) secret recipe of components and premium woven cloth to create an ultra-consistent ball for high performance play. Wow. I thought that only applied to fried chicken. | https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/tennis/why-all-the-fuss-about-tennis-balls-20190111-p50qty.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed |
How can I prevent an accident while carrying out building work on my farm? | The availability of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) and the expansion of the national dairy herd in recent years has led to an increase in construction work on farms across the country. The grant aid and expansion has paved the way for new sheds, extensions and milking parlours in existing farmyards and on greenfield sites. With this in mind, FBD Insurance, Teagasc and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) have produced a practical guidance booklet on safe farm building practices. In this article, we will examine just some of the measures or practices that farmers should put in place to prevent an accident. Firstly, many children have been killed by moving construction vehicles, falls from heights and in excavations on farms; it is essential that children are kept away from the construction site. Therefore, secure fencing and appropriate warning signs must be placed around the site. In addition, personal protective equipment (PPE) should be worn at all times. This includes: a hard hat; steel toe-cap boots; and a high visibility vest. They must also wear: eye protection; ear protection; safety gloves; dust masks; respiratory equipment; face protection; and a safety harness where appropriate. Many farmers are installing new slatted tanks on their farms. Therefore, deep excavation is required. Excavation can cause serious accidents from the collapse of their sides, resulting in the burial or crushing of workers inside the excavation. When excavations are being carried out, the sides must be battered back. The ground area surrounding the excavation should be inspected to ensure that it is capable of taking the weight of any load; for example plant or equipment which may be used. Advertisement Furthermore, it is a legal requirement that plant is tested and examined on a regular basis in particular all lifting appliances and lifting gear; the operators of these machines must be certified operators. Falls from heights are the main cause of fatalities and serious injury on construction sites. Every precaution must be taken to ensure all work at heights is adequately planned and carried out in a safe manner. Work at heights must never be carried out in icy, rainy or windy conditions. Roof workers need the appropriate knowledge, skill and experience to work safely. Scaffold platforms should be used where possible as working platforms for all work at heights in particular for all work where there is a high risk of falling. The scaffold must be designed, planned and subsequently erected by fully trained personnel, in accordance with all relevant legislation, codes of practice, and manufacturers instructions. Mobile elevated work platforms booms or scissor lifts can also be used for carrying out work at heights. Again, only competent and trained operators should be allowed control the movement of mobile elevated platforms. Getting on and off roofs is a major risk. A secure means of entry and exit is essential; a properly secured ladder is a minimum. In general, ladders should only be used for accessing areas at height and not for doing work at heights. All ladders should be of sound construction and maintained in good condition. | https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/how-can-i-prevent-an-accident-while-carrying-out-building-work-on-my-farm/ |
Will Christmas come early for local community projects? | Buy Photo A tri-colored heron wades in an algal bloom along the wall at the Franklin Locks in Alva on Monday 6/25/2018. An algal bloom has pushed up against the lock. Reports of algae on the river have been reported since last week. Most reports are east of the Franklin Locks. Some are worried that it might move west towards the estuary. The DEP is testing the algae later this week to see if it is toxic. Many who will gather next week to make their best pitches before the Lee County Legislative delegation hope so. Each year, representatives from local governments, the Lee County School District, FGCU, FSW, Lee Health, non-profits and many others get two minutes before our state representatives and senators to ask them for money for crucial projects, to plead with them to expedite their investments in water quality projects so that what happened last year with toxic algae blooms and red tide doesnt happen again, and to aid them in reducing healthcare costs. The meeting is ahead of the March 5 start of the Florida Legislative session, where money is officially appropriated. Tuesday is the Lee County delegation meeting. It starts at 9 a.m. in the nursing building at Florida SouthWestern State College and is scheduled until 5 p.m. About 44 speakers will go before state senators Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, and Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, as well as state representatives Spencer Roach, R-North Fort Myers; Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero; Dane Eagle, R-Cape Coral; and Heather Fitzenhagen, R-Fort Myers. A strong Florida economy resulted in many local agencies getting what they asked for last year. From the legislative agendas gathered by The News-Press editorial board this week, this years asks are necessary and important for the quality of life in Southwest Florida. They focus on water quality, infrastructure and system improvements. A look at what they are asking for: A Fort Myers police officer exits Lee Memorial Hospital where doctors are operating on an officer who was shot Saturday evening, July 21, 2018. (Photo: Melissa Montoya/The News-Press) Lee Health The countys major healthcare system still wants expanded Medicaid funding, claiming it spends more than the federal government annually on local Medicaid patients or about $243 million. It is a problem for the system, especially in emergency rooms where patients must be treated and many of those are uninsured. Lee Health says Medicaid funding was reduced in last years legislative session by $130 million and the system wants its services fully funded by Medicaid. Lee Health also wants the state and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to live up to a 2017 agreement to increase Low Income Pool funding to $1.5 billion. Lee Health says it is not seeing that money that helps cover public hospitals with high volumes of Medicaid and uninsured patients. It wants the state to find ways to insure more patients. In 2017, Florida ranked fourth in the highest number of uninsured residents in the state (2.5 million), with Collier County at 21.6 percent and Lee at 17.2 percent. Lee Health says only one in five patients admitted to a Lee Health facility has insurance. Lee Health also wants more services devoted to the behavioral health crisis, supporting the use of federal, state and local resources to address substance abuse and mental health issues, with a focus on the opioid and funding mental health treatment programs, especially for 46,000 Southwest Florida children impacted by a mental or behavioral health disorder. Buy Photo Cape Coral is asking the state for money to build a gun range for its officers. (Photo: Ricardo Rolon / The News-Press) Cape Coral Southwest Florida's largest city has a big wish list. It wants $15 million for its Caloosahatchee River Cross Project, needing help with construction of a pipeline from the city to Fort Myers to transmit treated wastewater for Capes irrigation system and to minimize Fort Myers dumping treated wastewater into the Caloosahatchee. The city seeks $5.5 million for a public safety training facility, specifically a gun range for its officers. It wants $650,000 for design and permitting of the Sirenia Vista Environmental Park. The city also supports legislation that authorizes a 1 percent local option sales tax on alcohol in places licensed to sell alcohol or at special events within the city. The tax money would go to public safety. Lee County The county is focusing on water quality projects. It wants $900,00 to support $1.6 million in funding for rehabilitation and restoration efforts for the L-3 canal and Wild Turkey Strand Preserve Hydrological Restoration project. It supports $5.3 in state funding for the East Mulloch Water Control District for drainage improvements. The county is spending $4 million on remediation projects. It supports a $3 million funding request for flood losses along the Ten Mile Canal. It supports $14.8 million in state funding to improve disaster response and routine operations. The county is requesting $8 million for its multi-jurisdictional communication system used by 64 agencies. It wants $6.7 million to expand its emergency operations campus. The county joins the school district in requesting the state fully fund school resource officers to free up funds for other countywide projects. It also believes it is entitled to more tax revenues from SHIP funds for affordable housing programs. Town of Fort Myers Beach The town wants $500,000 from the state to help with the Estero Boulevard infrastructure renewal and replacement projects. In a joint agreement with the county, the town has committed $60 million to the project, according to mayor Tracey Gore, for new water and wastewater lines, storm water transmission and treatment, as well as road and sidewalk improvements. Fort Myers Among its legislative priorities are $17 million to expand and transform the STARS Complex into a community disaster shelter. In its deal with Cape Coral for a pipeline to transmit treated wastewater, the city wants $19 million for the construction of the reclaimed water project. The city also seeks $3 million for Community Oriented Policing Services and the Police Athletic Leagues for STARS and Billy Bowlegs Park to help with at-risk youth. The city also wants $1.5 million for Centennial Park equipment replacement. Another ask is $900,000 for pedestrian walkways from the Riverside Community Center to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates as part of the Riverwalk Design. Similar to other cities, it supports water quality improvement efforts, improved statewide funding for community health services and preservation of the Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Bonita Springs The city is seeking $750,000 in state funds for projects that will help reduce residential flooding in neighborhoods during big storms. The ask will help offset $891,440 worth of project costs for 2019-2020. The city also supports funding efforts for statewide water quality projects. It supports state funding to buy land for preservation within the Density Reduction Groundwater Resource Areas of the City. It opposes any effort to allow fracking in Southwest Florida. It opposes any legislation that raises flood insurance rates. FSW The state has not been kind to FSW in the past, cutting the colleges funding proposals. This year, FSW wants about $30 million for various projects. The college says it needs $10.4 million to bring the school up to the state average for full-time student funding. The college says it has faced a $38 million shortfall over the previous five years that would have improved adviser-student ratios and increased full-time faculty positions. It wants $9.8 million for renovations to its Collier County campus and $9.4 million for renovations to the technology building at its Fort Myers campus. FGCU celebrates their winter graduates. (Photo: Andrea Melendez/The News-Press/USA Today) FGCU A year ago, the state rewarded FGCU for its performance with over $14 million. This year, the school wants the $25 million remaining from Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) funds for its Integrated Watershed and Coastal Studies Academic building. Its a $56 million project that previously received about $30.5 million. It wants an additional $12.4 million in operational/student success funding because of progress made in graduating students in four years and student retention. FGCU is focusing its student success on its adult completion program and graduate certificate program, advancing its water resource management programs and expanding undergraduate and doctorate nursing programs. Buy Photo Danielle Zakett, the Healthy Living Lab Manager for the Lee County School District asks questions in Jeopardy game format to students from left, Aryana Polanco,10, left, Samantha Jean-Marie, 10,and Isaias Alvarado, 11, at Mirror Lake Elementary School on Thursday 9/27/2018. (Photo: Andrew West/The News-Press, ) Lee County School District The district is requesting $356,832 for its Grow Your Own Teacher scholarship program. The district partners with FGCU and FSW to allow high school seniors and college juniors and seniors to switch majors and commit to employment within the school district. It also wants the state to fully fund the school resource officer program, rather than the district, Lee County Sheriffs Office, Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Sanibel police departments sharing in the cost. It wants a 3 percent increase in the base student allocation to help fund rising costs of teacher salaries, benefits and pensions. It wants the state to eliminate the best and brightest scholarship program and redirect the $233 million in funds to the student allocation or teacher salaries. Best and brightest is an extremely flawed program that only rewards a certain number of qualified teachers for high college entrance exam scores they received in high school. Senior Engagement Editor Tom Hayden wrote this editorial on behalf of The News-Press editorial board. Lee Delegation Meeting When: 9 a.m. to about 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15 Where: Nursing Building (Room AA-177) at Florida Southwestern State College. On agenda: Local legislative bills sponsored by the Lee delegation; speakers from various government, healthcare, school, healthcare and non-profit organizations. On website: More information on the meeting available at leedelegation.com Read or Share this story: https://www.news-press.com/story/opinion/2019/01/13/christmas-come-early-local-community-projects/2539901002/ | https://www.news-press.com/story/opinion/2019/01/13/christmas-come-early-local-community-projects/2539901002/ |
Could pomegranates offer the key to new IBD treatments? | Studies of pomegranates, "the fruit of the gods," are increasingly revealing why they are so beneficial. Urolithin A, derived from pomegranates, and its synthetic equivalent could help treat inflammatory bowel disease, according to a new study. Pomegranates may contain the secret to better gut health. Pomegranates may contain the secret to better gut health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that around 3 million adults in the United States had a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in 2015. IBD refers to two different conditions Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis that are characterized by the long-term inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. In a new study, researchers from the University of Louisville in Kentucky identified a natural compound that could help improve IBD treatments. The researchers also explain the mechanisms through which it most likely fights IBD symptoms. The compound, called urolithin A (UroA), is a metabolite produced as a result of the interaction of gut bacteria and certain polyphhenols present in pomegranates and some other fruits particularly berries. Specifically, ellagic acid which is present in pomegranates and berries, such as blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries interacts with the INIA P815 strain of Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum in the gut, thereby releasing UroA. This compound also has a synthetic equivalent called UAS03, which has the same, if not a stronger, therapeutic effect in the case of IBD. The researchers report their recent findings in a study paper in the journal Nature Communications. How this substance protects gut health Previous research indicating that UroA has multiple health benefits made the researchers keen to look into the substance's potential in the context of IBD treatments. "Previous studies demonstrated inhibitory activities of urolithins in inflammation, proliferation, and aging in various models," the researchers write. In this new study, they used a mouse model to study the way in which UroA and UAS03 could help with IBD. Their investigation revealed that both compound versions reduce inflammation in the gut by acting on the "bridges" between the cells that make up the tissue lining the gut. UroA and UAS03 tighten these cell junctions, thus preventing toxins from passing through and causing inflammation. "The general belief thus far in the field is that urolithins exert beneficial effects through their anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative properties," says first study author Rajbir Singh. "We have," he explains, "for the first time discovered that their mode of function also includes repairing the gut barrier dysfunction and maintaining barrier integrity." Nutrient and gut bacteria interaction is key Still, though the researchers encourage the consumption of pomegranates and other fruit that may lead to the release of UroA in the gut, they explain that this is no guarantee that IBD symptoms will not appear or that they will lessen. This is most likely because the bacteria that assist in the production of this metabolite may not be present at the same level or sometimes may not be present at all in some people's gut microbiota. So, partly for this reason, the researchers suggest that synthetic UAS03 may be more reliable and effective in the treatment of certain forms of IBD, such as acute colitis. UAS03 also has a more stable form compared with UroA. According to the lead researcher Venkatakrishna Rao Jala, "Microbes in our gut have evolved to generate beneficial microbial metabolites in the vicinity of the gut barrier." "However, this requires that we protect and harbor the appropriate gut microbiota and consume a healthy diet. This study shows that direct consumption of UroA or its analog can compensate for a lack of the specific bacteria responsible for production of UroA and continuous consumption of pomegranates and berries." Venkatakrishna Rao Jala In the future, the team aims to conduct further studies confirming the mechanisms accessed by UroA and UAS03, as well as their protective role in IBD. | https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324164.php |
What time is the Brexit vote for Theresa Mays deal? | (Photo: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg via Getty Images) MPs will finally vote this upcoming week on whether they accept Theresa Mays proposed Brexit deal. Husband visits wife who tried to kill him to celebrate their anniversary in prison A vote was originally set to take place over a month ago on 11 December but it was then delayed by the Prime Minister. This was followed by a vote of no confidence which was submitted by members of the Conservative Party, but she later won the vote with a majority of 83. The outcome of the vote for her deal will have huge consequences for how the UK will leave the EU on the scheduled Brexit date of Friday 29 March 2019. Advertisement Advertisement The Brexit vote is currently scheduled to take place on Tuesday 15 January at around 7pm. The vote is scheduled to be held after the final day of debating has concluded and the amendments have been done. There is the chance for delays to the voting depending on how many amendments need to be made, but the vote should be concluded by the end of the day. A result can be expected at any time from around 8/8.30pm, but delays could see it announced later. BBC 2 is set to air a Politics Live Special from 7pm that day with all of the latest news from the vote. If the Brexit deal manages to secure enough support from MPs then it will be put forward as the new EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill. This would see it pass into law various pieces of legislation that will address some of the key issues of the withdrawal such as the rights of EU citizens rights and managing payments that will be made under the financial settlement. The UK would then leave the EU on 29 March with the new legislation in place while a two-year transition process would then see further negotiations take place. If enough members of Parliament vote against this Brexit deal, then a number of things could happen that could spell disaster for the Prime Minister. Advertisement Advertisement An amendment passed by Parliament means that the Government must come back with their Plan B three days following the vote. Theresa May could attempt to renegotiate various aspects of the deal the with EU and then bringing the amended deal back to Parliament for another vote. This could prove difficult as the EU has previously said that it has no plans to renegotiate a deal before the current MP vote, and it is hard to say whether things would change if her proposed deal is rejected on Tuesday. A renegotiation could also Theresa May her need an extension to the Article 50 so that there is enough time to discuss the terms and make the necessary amendments, as the current Brexit date is just over 2 months away on 29 March. The only way for her to delay the process would be to revoke Article 50, even if she planned to trigger it again at a later date. Another option is a potential second referendum, which would see the public vote once again on whether they want to leave or remain in the EU. Advertisement This is something that the Prime Minister has ruled out on numerous occasions. Writing in the Sunday Express, May said: You, the British people, voted to leave. And then, in the 2017 General Election, 80% of you voted for MPs who stood on manifestos to respect that referendum result. You have delivered your instructions. Now it is our turn to deliver for you. This could instead see the UK face leaving the EU with a no deal Brexit arrangement, which is an outcome that companies and members of the government are preparing for. A no deal Brexit would see the UK leave the EU without any agreements in place, which would mean working under World Trade Organisation trading rules and with uncertainty over the future of EU citizens living in the country. The public are set to be given more details on how to prepare for a no-deal Brexit if the government votes against Theresa Mays Brexit deal. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has said that a no-deal Brexit would enable the UK to fully take back control of its borders. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Another alternative is a general election which could be held if the Labour party triggers a vote of no-confidence in the Conservative government. Advertisement If this happens then parliament must try to form a new government and then win a a motion of confidence within 14 days, but if this isnt achieved then a general election would be held. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said that his party will trigger a vote of no confidence in the government soon. Postman stole 5,000 from people's mail to fund his gambling habit Whether the deal is agreed or not by parliament, the UK is still set to leave the European Union at 11pm on 29 March, 2019. However, The European Court of Justice ruled in December that the UK can unilaterally revoke its withdrawal from the EU. In a statement, the ECJ said that when a member state has notified the European Council of its intention to withdraw from the European Union, as the UK has done, that member state is free to revoke unilaterally that notification. It is a stance that various politicians and members of the public have supported, including former Prime Minister John Major. MORE: Vote of no confidence to trigger general election will be soon says Jeremy Corbyn MORE: I built a life for myself in the UK, now Brexit has unravelled it | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/13/time-brexit-vote-theresa-mays-deal-8339507/ |
Could Verizon Communications Be a Millionaire-Maker Stock? | Shares of telecom giant Verizon (NYSE: VZ) were a relatively safe place to be in 2018. The stock posted a reasonable gain over the year -- nearly 4.7% -- and, on top of that, paid out respectable quarterly dividends. By contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average actually had a negative total return over the course of 2018. I'll cut right to the chase and answer the question that I posed in the headline: No, Verizon stock probably isn't going to make you a millionaire over the long term unless your up-front investment in the shares is already quite substantial and/or your time horizon is quite long. Verizon logo. More Image source: Verizon. What it is likely to do, though, is -- over the long haul -- give you meaningful capital gains as well as a robust dividend. (And, if you reinvest those dividends, that could serve to amplify your total return.) Here's why. A lot of people use cellphones Verizon is a relatively safe way to benefit from the popularity of smartphones because the company's revenue is fairly independent of the rate at which consumers buy new smartphones. What does impact Verizon's core wireless business is how much data those smartphone buyers use (Verizon charges more for smartphone plans that allow users to consume more data per month), as well as how successful it is at retaining customers. Verizon, clearly, isn't the only game in town, but it's one of the biggest and most successful -- and the barriers to entry in telecom are significant. This is in stark contrast to a company like Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), which depends on being able to sell a bunch of new iPhones each year to profit from the smartphone market. There are numerous risks there, such as slowing smartphone upgrade cycles and increasingly intense competition. That stability is what allows Verizon to profit in both good times and in bad (the company actually posted revenue increases in both 2008 and 2009) and to reliably pay a significant dividend that has been growing consistently. VZ Revenue (Annual) Chart More VZ Revenue (Annual) data by YCharts. About that dividend... Telecom companies often pay substantial dividends to help make their shares more appealing (since, after all, telecom companies generally aren't known for delivering explosive revenue growth). As of this writing, the company's dividend on an annualized basis stands at $2.41 per share, translating into a dividend yield of 4.28%. That's not the biggest dividend you can find in the broader sphere of technology and telecom stocks, but it's certainly more than respectable. | https://news.yahoo.com/could-verizon-communications-millionaire-maker-140200643.html |
Is Self-Driving Car Evolution Hitting an Inflection Point? | Over the past several years, there have been plenty of headlines concerning autonomous vehicles, and the inevitable self-driving future hurdling toward us. The race is on to determine the winners in this fast-emerging industry. Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG), has long been considered the front-runner, being the first to have a working model on the highways and byways of America. Competition is beginning to loom, however, as evidenced by the increasing number of test drives by well-heeled competitors. Let's look at recent announcements by Waymo, General Motors (NYSE: GM), and Ford Motor (NYSE: F) that give insight into the fast-approaching future of self-driving cars. A woman and children sitting in a Waymo-branded minivan, smiling More Image source: Waymo. Cruise Automation, the self-driving start-up acquired by GM in 2016, just announced a partnership with food delivery service DoorDash to begin testing driverless deliveries. The service will be tested in San Francisco, Cruise's home base. A human "safety driver" will be located in each vehicle to take the wheel in the case of an emergency. A select number of DoorDash merchants will participate in the test, which is looking into the challenges of driverless food delivery and how they can be overcome. Ford, which pumped $1 billion into Argo AI in 2017, announced in October 2018 that it would expand its autonomous testing program to Washington, D.C. early this year, joining ongoing tests in Detroit, Miami, and Pittsburgh. This is part of a two-pronged strategy for the company -- testing self-driving vehicles on the roads, while also testing the business model and public perception of the technology. Ford turned heads early last year when it partnered with Domino's Pizza to test self-driving pizza deliveries. Unlike at GM, the car will still be driven by a human driver, while researchers on board will be working to understand how customers respond to and interact with what they believe is a self-driving car. Ford expanded these tests in mid-2018 to include urban delivery start-up Postmates. Walmart joined Ford's delivery tests in November. Waymo launched its commercial ride-hailing service in four Phoenix suburbs in December, after an extensive testing program. The service, called Waymo One, is currently only available to customers who participated in the company's Early Rider program. Human backup drivers will initially accompany the vehicles, though Waymo hasn't provided a timeline for eliminating them. The company plans to expand the program in the coming months and years. All that glitters is not gold It's important to note that the self-driving technology is far from perfect, and improvements to the technology will be ongoing for the foreseeable future. Early last year, Uber was forced to temporarily pull its self-driving cars off the road, after causing the first fatality involving a pedestrian being struck by an autonomous vehicle. A number of residents in suburbs around Phoenix have complained about Waymo vehicles, saying the self-driving cars are overly cautious. For example, the cars tend to give other vehicles a wide berth, and stop for three full seconds at stop signs, causing frustration among human drivers. Some residents of Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix and one of Waymo's first test cities, typify the fears among some of the population about the rise of autonomous driving and artificial intelligence. A few have attacked the company's autonomous vehicles, throwing stones, threatening test drivers with guns, and even running the cars off the road. | https://news.yahoo.com/self-driving-car-evolution-hitting-140200144.html |
What time is the BDO World Darts Championship final? | Glen Durrant is into his third successive world final (Picture: Getty) The 2019 BDO World Championship comes to a close on Sunday evening as Glen Durrant and Scott Waites both look for a third Lakeside title. Durrant is the defending champion having won the last two BDO titles, while Waites lifted the trophy in 2013 and 16. Mikuru Suzuki smashes Lorraine Winstanley to win BDO Womens World Championship Undoubtedly the two best players of the tournament, Duzza and Scotty Too Hotty have each seen off four opponents to reach the showpiece event in Frimley Green. They meet with 100,000 going to the winner and the runner-up taking 35,000. The match is on at 5pm on Sunday 13 January. The final will be shown live on both Eurosport UK and on Quest which is available on Freeview, and which you can watch online. (Courtesy of Betfair) Advertisement Advertisement 11/4 Waites 1/4 Durrant Waites last won the title in 2016 (Picture: Getty Images) Durrant vs Waites head-to-head record The two men have met 10 times on the BDO circuit with Durrant winning seven and Waites just three. They played as recently as last month at the Finder Masters, which Duzza won 5-4. The pair have faced each other twice on the Lakeside stage with Waites winning their quarter-final meeting in 2016 and Durrant winning the semi-final in 2018. Routes to the final Durrant R1: 3-0 vs Mark McGrath R2: 4-3 vs Scott Baker QF: 5-2 vs Kyle McKinstry SF: 6-3 vs Jim Williams Waites R1: 3-1 vs Jeffrey Van Egdom R2: 4-1 vs Richard Veenstra QF: 5-3 vs Conan Whitehead SF: 6-1 vs Michael Unterbuchner MORE: BDO World Championship 2019 draw, schedule, results and prize money MORE: No cap set on 2019 PDC Q School entry numbers as BDO stars line up to compete | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/13/time-bdo-world-darts-championship-final-glen-durrant-meets-scott-waites-lakeside-showpiece-8339855/ |
What time is SAS Who Dares Wins on Channel 4 and who are the contestants? | This years hopefuls (Picture: Channel 4) SAS: Who Dares Wins has already hit the headlines since its return to Channel 4 last week. The first episode aired on Sunday night, and saw the recruits being put through hell in the Andes. This time around, there are women contestants allowed on the show for the first time, mirroring the decision of the SAS to allow females to participate. Ex Special Forces soldiers Ant Middleton and Jason Fox put this years crop to the test and have confirmed there was no special treatment involved. The ex-special Forces soldiers are putting the recruits through their paces (Picture: Channel 4) It doesnt matter if youre male or female, you need to prove yourself to me, Middleton explained. You come on my course and enter my world, I dont care who you are or where youre from, youre a number until you prove yourself otherwise. Advertisement Advertisement Things are set to get even tougher on Sunday night, as the contestants tackle abseiling and the shows infamous boxing challenge. Heres what you need to know. SAS: Who Dares Wins is on Channel on Sunday nights at 9pm. The series is four episodes long, with the second instalment airing tonight. Contestants will brave the elements in the Andes Mountains (Picture: Channel 4) This year the series was filmed in Chile, with contestants having to battle against freezing conditions in the Andes Mountains. Channel 4 explained: The DS and recruits will be based in an abandoned ex-military forward operating base in the brutal and spectacular Andes mountains and will be tested to the extremes of winter warfare in the most deadly environment of them all. Advertisement Advertisement Its a contrast to last years series which was filmed in Moroccos Atlas Mountains. MORE: How to watch James Bulger short film Detainment | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/13/time-sas-dares-wins-contestants-8339685/ |
How long can Beto ORourke wait as 2020 pace picks up around him? | By WILL WEISSERT AUSTIN, Texas (AP) You wont see Beto ORourke announce whether hes running for president in 2020 for a while. But you may see him do almost anything else in the meantime. So, Im here at the dentist, the former Democrat congressman said with a giggle during a teeth-cleaning seen live on Instagram last week, before quizzing the dental hygienist about life along the U.S.-Mexico border. Anyone grumbling about livestream overexposure can catch ORourke on more traditional airwaves next month in New York, when Oprah Winfrey interviews him. ORourke barged into last years Senate race almost laughably early, in March 2017, insisting he was a credible contender against the incumbent, Republican Ted Cruz, when almost no one nationally knew of ORourke. Now hes doing almost anything to keep people paying attention to him without formally starting a presidential campaign for 2020. Hes not expected to decide until next month at the earliest whether hes running. These days, that counts as playing hard to get. Influential activists in Iowa and elsewhere are clamoring for him to get in the race while some potential rivals move their timelines earlier. Theyre not going to wait forever, Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston, said of Democratic campaign operatives, donors, activists and fellow politicians looking to pick sides or offer endorsements. The more candidates who start to formally launch their candidacies, the greater the pressure will rise on Beto. Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren announced on New Years Eve that shed formed a presidential exploratory committee, hoping to get an early jump on people such as ORourke, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Corey Booker of New Jersey, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kamala Harris of California. Since then, Warren has seen enthusiasm rise, especially after a successful trip to Iowa, which kicks off presidential primary voting. Julian Castro, housing chief under President Barack Obama, kicked off his campaign Saturday and could appeal to the same Hispanic community that ORourke may count on as a bilingual native of the borderland city of El Paso. A string of announcements from top Democrats could come this month. While still deciding, ORourke plans to travel the country and meet voters beyond Texas, but avoid places such as Iowa and New Hampshire, home to the nations first presidential primary, even though Democrats there have invited him. My feeling is hes lost a little momentum and thats the downside of being a media product, said Norman Solomon, a Sanders delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from California. Solomon said questions remain about whether ORourkes voting record during his three terms in Congress is too centrist to excite the Democratic base. That anyone would ask if ORourke is waiting too long with the election 22 months away is unusual. But anger over President Donald Trump has created an outsized Democratic appetite to go on the political attack. And because impeachment seems unlikely, fast-forwarding 2020 campaigns may become necessary. American political campaigns have really become almost reality television programs, said Ray Sullivan, a veteran of the 2012 Republican presidential campaign of then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Perry waited until August 2011 to join an already months-old Republican presidential primary field and briefly became the front-runner something that seems impossible just two presidential campaigns later. The attention span of activists and voters and even the media has become so short, and the attention-grabbing events so vacuous and fleeting, that the candidates would be very smart, I think, to get in early and identify and carve out their niche, Sullivan said. For ORourke, a 46-year-old, ex-punk rocker, trying to project a down-to-earth image may be a major selling point to voters. But Sullivan raises this questions: What if another candidate gets in and captures the imagination of Twitter and the activists and there may not be room for the celebrity of Beto when hes ready? Still, ORourkes delays havent lessened the enthusiasm of operatives from past Democratic presidential campaigns who have formed Draft Beto 2020 groups. Were building an apparatus that we can hand off to an actual campaign should he run, said Boyd Brown, a prominent South Carolina Democrat and former member of the Democratic National Committee. He is among the leaders of the ORourke draft movement in the Souths first primary state. Were treating this like a presidential campaign until told otherwise. Working in ORourkes favor is a lack of a perceived 2020 heir-apparent candidate who can draw in donors and top operatives. That model may be evaporating anyway, though, because the two politicians who looked to take on that role heading into the 2016 campaign, Republican Jeb Bush and Democrat Hillary Clinton, fell short of the presidency. Everybody who has ever thought about running for president is threatening to do it this time, said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. The sheer size of the potential field throws out the rules of the game that have been created by years of campaigns. ___ Associated Press writer Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/01/13/how-long-can-orourke-wait-as-2020-pace-picks-up-around-him/ |
How Can We Understand a Chesapeake We've Never Seen? | Oliver Wendell Holmes, chiding Baltimore in an 1860 essay Nowadays, around 350 million to 450 million blue crabs inhabit Chesapeake Bay, according to accurate surveys. That's not harvests, mind you, but all crabssoft and hard, from thumbnail size up. Should we expect more in our quest to restore the estuary's health?Consider: In 1883, W. K. Brooks, a Johns Hopkins scientist who studied the Chesapeake closely, found Virginia hard crabbers routinely making up to two dollars a day, selling their catch for a penny a dozen. That translates to around 20 bushelsand they were using sail power or rowing only, running trotlines, working only the Bay's shallow fringes. Crab pots, which would have let them harvest deeper water, hadn't been invented.And they were knocking off work by around 10 a.m.noon at the latest.Hard crabs, Brooks wrote, had so little value that fish netters shook them from their meshes, leaving thousands crushed and dying on the shorelines.As for soft crabs, which had begun to fetch a decent price, the town of Crisfield in high harvest would ship 180,000 of them a day in 1909, with Deal Island adding another 50,000 a week. In 1916, as many as seven railroad cars of fresh softies rolled out of Crisfield some days.These crab stories are told by retired University of Maryland scientist Victor S. Kennedy in his new book, Shifting Baselines in the Chesapeake Bay: An Environmental History (Johns Hopkins Press).Kennedy has examined the Bay's past abundances of seafood, from terrapins and sturgeon to oysters and shad and waterfowl, sifting through anecdotal evidence and early surveys to arrive at a sense of just how full of life the Chesapeake was as Europeans began to settle it.His book also pulls together an accounting of how thoroughly we squandered the "immense protein factory" praised by Baltimore journalist H. L. Mencken.Kennedy says "generational amnesia" relating to historical abundances risks setting the bar too low for restoration goals.Such forgetfulness can happen quickly. In the 1980s, the late Martin O'Berrywho for decades captained research vessels for the University of Marylandhad tears in his eyes when he told me how frustratingly impossible it was during fish surveys to make politicians, environmental managers and young scientists understand just how enormously abundant the Bay had once been.They were thrilled with the marine life that came up in O'Berry's trawls. He'd explain how it paled in comparison to what similar trawls yielded just 25 or 30 years beforebefore the big declines in seagrasses and oxygen hit the Chesapeake. "But they just didn't get it," the old captain said. "You [can't] know what you never saw. "So Kennedy's fine and readable effort, released in late November, does a real service as modest upturns in Bay water quality have us daring to think about what a "saved" Chesapeake might look like. It's not just about quantity. The book describes oysters stretching almost continuously for 140 miles along the Eastern Shore from Kent Island to Cape Henry in 1869.But that was grossly unlike the original state of oysters in the Chesapeake, Kennedy writes; rather it represented the efforts of 1,700 dredge boats and 3,000 tongers working at the time in Maryland alonebreaking apart the dense but widely separated reefs in which oysters naturally occurredand scattering the mollusks far and wide.For a time, this scattering must have seemed an improvement, as oysters, freed from their reefs, grew fuller and fatter and easier to harvest. Now we know it also made them more vulnerable to covering by sediment, and it destroyed the massive capacity of the reefs, themselves, to harbor myriad other Bay life.Perhaps though, it explains the belief, deeply held to this day by oystermen, that "working" the bottom is vital to healthy oysters, even as science guides us toward establishing sanctuaries where reefs can once again form.A provocative final chapter examines how the pre-European Chesapeake may have been different ecologically as a consequence of its bounty. Shoals of spawning fish, so vast they created waves coming upriver that were visible at a distance, were bringing into the estuary massive amounts of nutritional energy harvested from the oceans, in their flesh, feces, urine, mucus.Likewise for the sky-darkening flights of waterfowl, whose nightly noise likely kept native humans awake, and whose taking flight could be heard miles away. From across the continent they brought in their bodies and their wastes, significant energies to fuel Bay food webs.Perhaps a lot of the nitrogen that now fuels too much algae in the modern Bay was tied up then in the living tissues of all of those fish and birds. "You cannot manage what you do not understand," the author says; and this book moves us toward understanding better the great gift that was Chesapeake Bay. | https://somd.com/news/headlines/2019/23142.php |
Where does recruiting go from here? | THE WEST ZONE message board | SHOP NOW: DEALS on CLEMSON apparel Its sort of funny that we all assume Clemson's recruiting will change with another national championship under its belt. Because while the outside world sees it as a chance for the Tigers to get even better in some areas, we should recognize by now that Dabo Swinney sees things differently. If anything, this curve could justify to Swinney that what theyre doing is working just fine. That how theyve gone about their business -- with scholarship management, offensive line recruiting, you name it -- doesnt need to be tweaked. ALSO VIEW: Clemson's junior (2020) verbal commitments The proof was in the putting it on Bama. | https://clemson.rivals.com/news/where-does-recruiting-go-from-here- |
Whats next for embattled Alabama HS basketball star Maori Davenport? | Maori Davenport plans to help Charles Henderson chase as second straight AHSAA Class 5A girls basketball title. Davenport, a senior girls basketball star at Charles Henderson in Troy and a Rutgers signee, scored 25 points Friday night in a 72-17 victory over Carroll after Pike County Circuit Court Judge Sonny Reagan intervened and temporarily overturned her AHSAA suspension. She was on the court less than 12 hours after Reagans decision. "I think I won't miss another game this year," Davenport said after Friday's win. Added Charles Henderson coach Dynisha Jones, We were hoping and praying. Never gave up hope. This is the result right here. Shes here with us, and shes not going anywhere. I know there is comradery & commonality in sports; this is evident by the support @maori_andreece has received. I trust Maori will be able to finish her senior year playing high school basketball. Anything short of that will add insult to injury & will be a travesty to justice. https://t.co/XF0FZrZfio C. Vivian Stringer (@cvivianstringer) January 12, 2019 The court battle, though, likely isnt finished. The AHSAA has not yet responded to the lawsuit Davenports family filed last week, which asks the court to permanently nullify the AHSAAs suspension of Davenport. Reagan's temporary restraining order last 10 days, and the AHSAA will surely appeal his ruling. RELATED: See 60-plus photos from Maori Davenports return Alabama courts have consistently ruled in the AHSAA's favor, and a judge wrote in a 1984 court ruling [t]he law in the State of Alabama is clear that courts should not interfere with the internal operations of the [AHSAA] unless its actions are the result of fraud, lack of jurisdiction, collusion or arbitrariness." The Davenports lawsuit claims the AHSAA's suspension of Maori Davenport was "arbitrary," but Reagan's temporary order doesn't specifically address that claim. We received the Courts ruling entering a temporary restraining order this morning, AHSAA attorney Jim Williams wrote in an email to AL.com on Friday. We will honor and follow the Order of the Court. At the same time, we believe that the ruling by the Central Board of Control was an appropriate interpretation of the rules adopted by the schools and was applied accordingly. The AHSAA found Davenport in violation of the governing bodys amateurism rule after receiving $857.20 from USA Basketball for playing in a summer international tournament. AHSAA officials have pointed to the 91-day delay between Davenport receiving the money and paying it back as justification for the suspension. Payment for play violates the AHSAAs amateur rule listed on pages 29-30 of the AHSAA online handbook. The punishment for breaking the rule is a one-year suspension from play, and the rule gives AHSAA officials no alternative punishment. Davenport appealed her suspension through the AHSAA's appeals process, but was denied. That led to her family filing its lawsuit last week. It's rare for high school players to run afoul of amateurism rules, but not unprecedented. Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays was ruled ineligible by high school officials back in the 1940s after he signed to play for the Birmingham Black Barons while still a high school student. Charles Henderson is scheduled to play again Tuesday at Greenville. Im just happy to see her out there, said Tara Davenport, Maoris mom. Josh Bean covers high school sports for AL.com. | https://www.al.com/sports/2019/01/whats-next-for-embattled-alabama-hs-basketball-star-maori-davenport.html |
Who is stealing all that gasoline in Mexico? | As you know, he won a big election in Mexico last July and assumed the presidency on December 1. Down in Mexico, he is AMLO, or President Andrs Manuel Lpez-Obrador. So far, President Lpez-Obrador cannot be happy with the items on his agenda. My good guess is that he did not plan to spend the early days of his presidency enhancing security on the Guatemala border or chasing down criminals stealing gasoline. Down on their southern border, Mexico will get proactive to prevent the entry of illegal aliens. I wonder what will happen when that other caravan from Honduras reaches the Guatemala-Mexico border! According to my contacts in Mexico, public opinion is against allowing these people into the country. Around Mexico City, a metropolitan area of more than 20 million people and God only knows how many millions of automobiles, there is a shortage of gasoline. This is from news reports: A major fuel pipeline that supplies Mexico City remained closed after two ruptures in a single day, the president said on Friday, as the government works to stem shortages that have frustrated motorists and triggered economic risks. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's offensive against fuel robbers marks the leftist's first attempt to tackle entrenched corruption since taking office on Dec. 1. Criminal groups have tapped pipelines and stolen tanker trucks carrying diesel and gasoline in the oil-producing country for years, costing the government billions of dollars. The government will assign 8,300 police and 1,400 security vehicles over the next 48 hours to safeguard fuel trucks so they can deliver to gas stations, said Mexico's National Chamber of Freight Transport (CANACAR). The economy is an issue, but there are bigger questions. It has to be a major criminal enterprise, or cartels. It's hard for me to believe that these are teenagers pulling off a Friday night prank. The operation has all of the makings of a disciplined project, or people who know where the pipelines are and own the tools to steal the gasoline. Maybe they should question El Chapo about this! Second, this is not new. Criminals have been running a "side business" for years stealing gasoline and then selling it on the black market. It appears to be happening on a larger scale now. It's complicated, as everything in Mexico always is. In the meantime, get ready for some long gas lines if you are driving down to Mexico. Not the way that LO had figured his presidency would start off! PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. | https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/01/who_is_stealing_all_that_gasoline_in_mexico.html |
Should parents be allowed to use bus lanes on the school run? | Get Bristol Parents Club 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 A controversial campaign has been launched which is calling for the councils to allow parents on the school run to use bus lanes. Many would argue the lanes should be used by buses only, and if parents are running late they should leave earlier. However, LeaseCar.UK says busy mums and dads should be able to skip the morning jams like taxis and cyclists. The company argues this could help some children being 'consistently disadvantaged. The average distance children aged 11 to 16 live from their school in the UK is over three miles - and less than 40% can travel on foot, according to Devon Live . Gareth Roberts of LeaseCar.uk said: Busy mums and dads just dont have time to be sat in traffic on the way to school. Picture the scene: your children are arguing, have got breakfast everywhere and forgotten their P.E., so now youre stuck in traffic and running late. The last thing you should then have to do is sit in a jam for half an hour, inching between sets of lights, while an empty taxi or motorcycle sails by. The red paint on the road should part traffic like the red sea for parents and allow children to get their education without early-morning stress. Many pupils dont have the luxury of living a walkable distance around the corner from school and public transport is too unreliable for many. So, something like opening bus lanes to parents on the school run must be done, to stop some children being consistently delayed and therefore disadvantaged. | https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/should-parents-allowed-use-bus-2417103 |
Why Do We Blame Women For Prohibition? | One hundred years ago this monthon January 16, 1919the 18th Amendment was ratified, enshrining alcohol prohibition in the U.S. Constitution. And for the past hundred years, weve largely blamed women for that. With the obvious exception of the womens rights movementfrom suffragism to #MeTooperhaps no other social movement in American history is as synonymous with women as temperance, and none is as vilified. Histories dismiss prohibition derisively as a pseudo-reform ... carried about America by the rural-evangelical virus, and a wrongheaded social policy waged by puritanical zealots of a bygone Victorian era. We describe prohibitionists in the same way we talk about Al Qaeda or ISIS: They were ruthless extremists, deeply antidemocratic fanatics and fools, who posed a threat to individual freedoms. These evildoers are almost universally understood to be women. Story Continued Below The standard trope back in the 1920s, when prohibition was in full force, was that the policy was put over while the boys were away fighting World War Iif only the men had been home, prohibition would have been avoided. Surprisingly, this gendered conspiracy theory has endured, despite being completely unfounded. There was no popular referendum on 18th Amendment, and most women couldnt vote anyway since, chronologically, the 18th Amendment came before the suffragist 19th Amendment. (A handful of western states granted women full voting rights before the 19th Amendment.) The only woman who voted for the 18th Amendment was Jeannette Rankin of Montana, the countrys firstand at that time, onlycongresswoman. In 1918, hers was but one of the bipartisan supermajority of 282 yeas (to 128 nays) in the House that passed the prohibition amendment. In the all-male Senate, the vote to submit the amendment to the states for ratification was even more lopsided: 65-20. In January 1919, the 18th Amendment was the first order of business for many state legislatures elected in the 1918 midterms. With unprecedented speed, 46 of the 48 states voted for prohibition, in some cases unanimously. With 80.5 percent of state legislators in favor (5,033 to 1,219), support for prohibition was even greater at the state level, where 99.8 percent of representatives were men. Think of the Womens Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)or one of its greatest celebrities, Carrie A. Nation. She famously led bands of women into Kansas saloons, smashing them with hatchets, singing Bible hymns and quoting scripture! As her celebrity rose, she even trademarked the name Carry, in order to coin the phrase Carry A. Nation for prohibition. Anecdotally, Ive long asked colleagues, students and historians: Whos the most famous prohibitionist? The answer is Carrie Nation, every time. Little wonder: Today, she plays a starring role in virtually every temperance history, features prominently in Ken Burns documentary Prohibition and was the first personality youd meet at the prohibition exhibition at the National Constitution Center. Carrie Nation embodies everything we think we know about prohibitionists: a scorned, white, protestant, evangelical, Midwestern woman. She was imposing in stature, prone to violence andclaiming God spoke to her, urging her to attack saloonsslightly unhinged. In sum: the perfect Maleficent for American historians. The only problem is that Carrie Nation died in 1911, almost a full decade before the 18th Amendment was ratified. Based on Googles Ngram dataset of over 500 billion words from some 15 million digitized books, we can chart the notoriety of individuals over time. The data suggests that, since prohibitions repeal in 1933, the men responsible for prohibition have begun largely to vanish from history, while the image of Carrie Nation endures. The Forgotten Prohibitionists Yearly frequency of names mentioned in Googles corpus of digitized books, 1900-2000. If you asked me, I would say progressive stalwart William Jennings Bryan was the most famous American prohibitionist. He fought vehemently against the liquor traffic where rich capitalists got richer by getting workers addicted to booze. The Great Commoner had far more political clout than Carrie Nation. Or consider Frederick Douglassperhaps the most famous orator of the 19th century, back when abolitionism was virtually synonymous with temperance. On his temperance tour of Britain in 1845, Douglass, who, like Nation, died well before nationwide prohibition was passed, claimed, If we could but make the world sober, we would have no slavery. Mankind has been drunk. In his autobiographical Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: American Slave, he explained that keeping slaves stupefied with liquor was the most effective means in the hands of the slaveholder in keeping down the spirit of insurrection on the plantations. Such details largely disappear from contemporary biographies, perhaps because they dont fit our image of temperance as an angry, white, female, Bible-thumping crusade against individual liberty. While their political legacies are obviously variegated, Frederick Douglass, William Jennings Bryan and Carrie Nation all held the exact same positions on abolition, suffragism and prohibition. Yet even the titles of their biographies belie their differential treatment by historians: Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom. William Jennings Bryan: A Godly Hero, or Champion of Democracy. Vessel of Wrath. Historians give William and Fredrick a free pass for their role in prohibition along with Neal, Wayne and Andrew; were told that Carrie is the real villain. Misogyny is the easy answer; but more fundamentally, we need to better understand not just who the prohibitionists were, but what motivated them in the first place. Perhaps they werent the deeply antidemocratic monsters that we now make them out to be. Contrary to popular description, prohibitionists werent hellbent on taking away the individuals right to drink. From its very inception, the temperance movement targeted not the drink, or the drinker, but the drink seller. Just as abolitionists objected to the slave trader who profited from subjugating others, prohibitionists aimed at a predatory liquor traffic of wealthy capitalists and saloonkeepers whotogether with a state that, before the income tax, relied disproportionately on liquor revenuesgot rich from the drunken misery of the poor. The 18th Amendment doesnt even outlaw alcohol or drinking. It prohibits the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors. This wasnt some oversight; the target was the traffic, not the booze. Wikimedia Commons Prohibitionists were very clear about this. The 18th Amendment was very clear, too. That we have a hard time believing it todayscoffing that outlawing booze or booze sales has the same practical outcome of restricting the rights of the individualsays more about our changing understandings of liberty than theirs. It is only in more recent generations (with the rise of Hayekian neoliberalism after World War II) that any interference with the free market is deemed a constraint on our citizenship rights. For most of American history, political liberty and economic liberty were understood to be distinct from each other. There is no right to buy anywhere in the constitution. Ultimately, we need to stop vilifying prohibitionists as antidemocratic simply because our understanding of liberty has changed. In fact, prohibitionists championed the right of self-determination, and the right of the community to defend itself against extortionate businesses and government corruption. Prohibitionists encouraged grassroots powerespecially for communities, counties and states to vote themselves dry at the ballot box. Such Jeffersonian commitments made prohibitionists natural allies of abolitionists and suffragists from the very beginning. (Prohibitionists who cheered the 18th Amendments ratification in 1919 also cheered when the 19th Amendment gave women the vote the following year.) At its core, prohibition was a populist attack against predatory capitalism and its corrupt ties to government power. It was no fluke that the ultimate victory of prohibition came at the high point of the Progressive Era: like other reforms of its day, prohibition was fundamentally progressive. Prohibition protected consumers from unscrupulous sellers of potentially dangerous substances, just like the progressive Pure Food and Drug Act, and Federal Meat Inspection Acts of 1906. Prohibition targeted the corrupting power of big business, just like the Federal Trade Commission Act and Clayton Anti-Trust Acts of 1914. Moralizing Bible-thumpers like Carrie Nation were only one part of a broad prohibitionist coalition. Focusing only on activists like her, though, produces a wildly incomplete picture, which our brains try to make whole by filling in the gaps with deeply rootedand misogynistsocial biases. Centennials are a time for reassessmentand since prohibitions centennial comes in the #MeToo era, it is high time to unpack our highly gendered received wisdom. Mark Lawrence Schrad is assistant professor of political science at Villanova University and author of the new book Vodka Politics: Alcohol, Autocracy, and the Secret History of the Russian State. | https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/01/13/prohibition-women-blame-history-223972 |
Was Comeys FDR Trump tweet linked to Obama 2012 insider threat memo? | Comey tweets enemies line that Trump tweeted on day of memo on policy for employees who may threaten national security Reacting to Donald Trumps fury over a New York Times report that said the FBI investigated whether the president was working for Russia after he fired James Comey, Comey himself tweeted a quote by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Trump vents fury over Russia stories and again threatens national emergency Read more I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made, the former FBI director wrote on Saturday, adding an attribution: FDR. It soon became clear the tweet almost exactly matched one by Trump, issued on 21 November 2012, when the then reality TV star was digesting the re-election of Barack Obama. I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made, Trump wrote, adding a slightly longer attribution: Franklin D Roosevelt. The quote is from a speech in Portland, Oregon, on 21 September 1932, in which Roosevelt, then a candidate for the White House, attacked the behaviour of owners of public utilities. According to documents made available online by the 32nd presidents library, he told his audience: My friends, judge me by the enemies I have made, and was greeted with cheers, prolonged applause. The Times article, published on Friday night was greeted with a mass intake of breath. It concerned FBI attempts to determine whether the president was a Russian asset. The presidents reaction to the report included a failure in a Fox News interview to deny he had ever worked for Russia and familiar abuse of the FBI director he fired in May 2017. It all made the congruence in their tweets seem amusing. But it seems Comey might have been making a sharper point. 21 November 2012, the date of Trumps FDR tweet, was also the date of a presidential memorandum issued by Obama. Its subject: National Insider Threat Policy and Minimum Standards for Executive Branch Insider Threat Programs. In the memo, Obama defined its purpose as to provide direction and guidance to promote the development of effective insider threat programs within departments and agencies to deter, detect, and mitigate actions by employees who may represent a threat to national security. These threats encompass potential espionage, violent acts against the Government or the Nation, and unauthorized disclosure of classified information. Sign up for the new US morning briefing According to White House practice, the memo followed a 2011 executive order on Structural Reforms to Improve the Security of Classified Networks and the Responsible Sharing and Safeguarding of Classified Information. The Times report said the FBI was worried about Trumps behavior, including repeatedly linking the firing of Comey to investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election and links between Trump aides and Moscow, and in an infamous Oval Office meeting with Russias foreign minister shortly after the firing. Trump attacked the report again in his Saturday night interview with Fox News, saying it was a great insult and the New York Times is a disaster of a paper. Its a very horrible thing they said. Comey book likens Trump to a mafia boss 'untethered to truth' Read more Also on Saturday, the Washington Post reported that Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal details of his conversations with Vladimir Putin, including on at least one occasion taking possession of the notes of his own interpreter and instructing the linguist not to discuss what had transpired. In the 2012 memo, Obama wrote that he wanted to reinforce our defenses against both adversaries and insiders who misuse their access and endanger our national security. Obama appointed Comey director of the FBI in 2013. At the time of the order and memorandum, he was out of government. Since his firing by Trump, he has published an explosive and bestselling memoir and stringently criticised the president. The memo and Trumps tweet being issued on the same day could of course be a coincidence. But on Sunday, a source who worked in the first Bush justice department told the Guardian that either way, Comey is making a point: Trumps my enemy. That says plenty about me. Comey did not immediately comment further on Saturday but he did tweet about a trip to see a Broadway show: The perfect day to see To Kill a Mockingbird Amazing cast and vital message: All rise. | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/13/comey-fdr-trump-tweet-obama-2012-memo-insider-threat |
Will Congress join hands with Shivpal Yadav in UP? | Snubbed by the SP and BSP who have joined hands in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress on Sunday said it will contest all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state but insisted that its doors were open for secular parties willing to defeat the BJP. A day after arch rivals Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) announced an alliance, Congress General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said his party not being a part of the alliance was a blessing in disguise as it will get to contest all the seats in the state. It is also believed that Congress is eying smaller parties in the state. | https://www.indiatoday.in/india/video/will-congress-join-hands-with-shivpal-yadav-in-up-1430121-2019-01-13 |
How Does the NCAA Transfer Portal Work? | In 2018, the NCAA instituted a new rule allowing Division I athletes to add their names to a "transfer portal" without permission from the program. Entering the NCAA transfer portal is a necessary first step for any athlete who wishes to transfer to another institution. Once an athlete decides to transfer and is added to the database, any coach can contact the athlete. The process is now in the hands of athletespast situations where universities blocked talented players from leaving are no longer permissible. However, schools are now allowed to cancel the scholarships of players at the end of the semester in which they expressed their intent to transfer. With the college football season over, many athletes will be adding their names to the NCAA transfer portal. Some players, like former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant, have already entered the portal and transferred, in this case to Missouri. Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts added his name on Wednesday. Ohio States Tate Martell and Oklahomas Austin Kendall followed suit. Scroll to continue with content Ad RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Jalen Hurts's Potential Transfer From Alabama Making big splashes in the transfer market could pay dividends, particularly at quarterback. For example, Washington State won 11 games last year behind the play of graduate transfer Gardner Minshew. The last two Heisman winners, Oklahoma quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, both transferred to the Sooners. Story continues The transfer rules still require players to sit out for a full academic year before they can begin playing, but athletes can file for waivers on the basis of any number of possible exceptions, as several Ole Miss players successfully did last offseason in the wake of the schools NCAA sanctions. Ohio States Justin Fields, the No. 2-ranked quarterback in the class of 2018, plans to seek immediate eligibility following his departure from Georgia, where he spent the 2018 season. However, players like Hurts and Minshew who have graduated from their original school but still have eligibility are allowed to play immediately. | https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/does-ncaa-transfer-portal-191126373.html?src=rss |
Are chicken feathers tomorrow's protein bars? | It's a weird suggestion, but one backed by a study just published by New Zealand researchers. The Massey University paper found these feathers could have potential as a protein supplement for people wanting to build or maintain lean body mass. Keratins are structural, thiol-rich proteins which comprise 90 per cent of total poultry feather weight. Advertisement "Normally we don't eat feathers because we can't digest them, even though they are full of protein," said Professor Steve Stannard, who, with Dr Matthew Barnes, supervised the study by Dr Emma Crum and Dr Yanita McLeay. "But for our study the feathers went through a process called acid hydrolysis which vastly improved solubility." The mixture was then cooled and a base was added to raise the pH of the solution to form a neutral pH edible protein mix. That solution was dried and milled, and flavouring added to form a protein powder. The supplement was consumed as two protein bars, of two different flavours, and the remainder of the protein requirement, in powder form, mixed with water to make a drink. Fifteen trained male cyclists, aged between 18 and 50, were recruited for the Manawatu-based study. They were then given four-weeks of soluble keratin supplementary to their diet to see if it would have effects on body composition, blood and cardiorespiratory variables and cycling performance, compared to casein protein, or dairy. Stannard said while the total body mass and percentage body fat did not change significantly, the study unearthed an interesting finding. "Our data showed that while keratin consumption is not useful as a performance enhancing aid, it was associated with significant increases in lean body mass during the four weeks of exercise training." Professor Steve Stannard of Massey University's School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition. Photo / Supplied The dairy-based supplement didn't have the same effect. "Despite not inducing any significant changes in cycling performance, the keratin was well-tolerated by the study participants," Stannard said. "It perhaps has the potential to be used as a supplement for people who want to improve their lean body mass such as the elderly or some sports-people." The study was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12178311&ref=rss |
Will McDonald's Raise Its Dividend in 2019? | McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) has a solid year in 2018, posting a modest gain in a year in which the Dow Jones Industrials lost ground. That might have been a bit of a letdown following its 40% jump in 2017, but the fast-food giant remained on course to sustain its impressive long-term performance in providing good returns to shareholders. One way in which McDonald's has contributed to its shareholders' success has been in the growing dividends it's paid over time. Since the 1970s, the company has boosted payouts on an annual basis, and with its fundamentals looking stronger than ever, many investors hope that McDonald's will be even more generous on the dividend front. Here, we'll look more closely to see whether McDonald's is going to raise its dividend in 2018. Dividend stats on McDonald's Current Quarterly Dividend Per Share $1.16 Current Yield 2.6% Number of Consecutive Years With Dividend Increases 43 years Payout Ratio 70% Last Increase November 2018 Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Last increase refers to ex-dividend date. Tasty dividends at McDonald's With 43 years of consecutive dividend increases, McDonald's has been part of the prestigious Dividend Aristocrats group of stocks for a long time. Moreover, the fast-food giant has never been content to get away with just making tiny increases for the sake of extending its streak. During the 1990s, the company commonly gave increases of high single-digit to double-digit percentages. In the 2000s, when McDonald's moved to an annual dividend for a brief period, the rate of growth skyrocketed. Boosts of as much as 70% lifted the fast-food giant's dividend to impressive proportions. In the span of just seven years, McDonald's saw its total annual payouts rise nearly ninefold. MCD Dividend Chart More MCD Dividend data by YCharts. Since then, McDonald's has been a bit more conservative in sharing its success through higher dividends. Single-digit percentage increases have been a lot more common, but the company under the Golden Arches did deliver a strong boost of nearly 15% in 2018, reigniting healthier dividend growth. There's a lot of optimism among investors about the fundamental business right now. The company saw its comparable restaurant sales across the globe rise 4.2% during the most recent quarter, and that helped to boost its overall market share in the highly competitive industry. McDonald's has worked hard to keep up with the times, introducing popular concepts such as delivery and digital ordering, as well as offering enhanced features at its restaurant locations. A partnership with ride-sharing service Uber could help spark greater utilization of its delivery option, and self-ordering kiosks promise to make it easier for customers to get in and out of McDonald's locations at the speed they want. McDonald's golden arches hanging above a convention center floor, with lots of people around. More | https://news.yahoo.com/mcdonald-apos-raise-dividend-2019-141600906.html |
Who is the referee for Tottenham vs Manchester United? | Mike Dean is the referee for todays game (Photo by James Williamson AMA/Getty Images) Tottenham host Manchester United this afternoon in one of the big matches of the Premier League season. How Mike Phelan has restored Sir Alex Ferguson's philosophy at Manchester United Both teams will be keen to secure a victory today as they both try to secure a spot in the top four. Manchester United have been in good form since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stepped in as interim manager, but this could be one of his toughest challenges so far. Mauricio Pochettino will be keen to see his side secure a win today after Chelsea closed the gap on them to just one point following their victory against Newcastle on Saturday. Here is everything that you need to know about the referee of todays match. Advertisement Advertisement Mike Dean will be the referee for the todays fixture and he will be joined by assistant referees Darren Cann and Dan Robathan, as well as fourth official Andre Marriner. Why Alexis Sanchez was left out of Man Utd's squad to face Tottenham The 50-year-old has been a regular official in the league since 2000 and he has taken charge of over 450 matches. During his time as a Premier League referee Mike has given out 99 red cards and 1695 yellow cards. MIke was promoted to the FIFA international referees list in 2003 and in 2008 he officiated one of his biggest matches when he took charge of the FA Cup final between Portsmouth and Cardiff City. He has officiated in numerous international competitions, including Euro and World Cup qualifiers as well as Europa League and Champions League fixtures. He stepped down from the FIFA international list in 2013 once he reached the mandatory retirement age of 45. The Premier League announced in November that it has agreed in principle to introduce VAR from the 2019-2020 season. The technology is already being used in FA Cup and Carabao Cup fixtures and non-live testing has been underway throughout this season. A formal request has now been made to the International Football Association Board and FIFA which should see Video Assistant Referees officially introduced to the Premier League later this year. Advertisement Advertisement MORE: Manchester United make contact with Diego Simeone over managers job MORE: Alexis Sanchez missing from Manchester United squad ahead of Tottenham clash | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/13/who-is-the-referee-for-tottenham-vs-manchester-united-8339294/ |
Is Big Bang Theory's Sheldon about to betray Amy for a Nobel Prize? | Sheldon is given the nerdiest version of a Sophies Choice on this weeks Big Bang Theory and is forced to choose between wife Amy and the chance of a Nobel Prize. In a teaser clip for this weeks episode, The Confirmation Polarization, Sheldon and Amys success is thrown into jeopardy when their super asymmetry theory is proven by two rival physicists. As a result, their chances of a Nobel Prize is thrown out of the window but Dr Pemberton and Dr Campbell give Sheldon a proposition. Sean Astin guest stars in the episode with a proposition for Sheldon (Picture: CBS) After saying that all four of them cant be named for the prize, they recommend throwing Amy off of the paper meaning Sheldon can join them by being named on the nomination with them. We dont want to, but were going to, Pemberton warns. (Picture: CBS) While it might sound like an easy thing, Sheldon has been dreaming of this moment ever since he was a child. More: The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory shakes up two couples as finale gets way too close for comfort The Big Bang Theory's Kunal Nayyar shares poignant BTS photo from final season The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco slams claims she snubbed Carol Burnett at Golden Globes Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin is guest-starring on the episode as Dr Pemberton, with Kal Penn appearing as his partner-in-crime, Dr Campbell. The Big Bang Theory airs Thursdays on CBS in the US and on E4 in the UK. If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Big Bang Theorys cast as babies could be the cutest thing on the internet MORE: The Big Bang Theory stir things up for two couples as the finale gets way too close for comfort | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/13/big-bang-theorys-sheldon-betray-amy-nobel-peace-prize-8339866/ |
When Does True Detective Season 3 Premiere? | Mahershala Ali enters the True Detective universe as HBOs hit anthology series finally returns for Season 3! The third season of True Detective centers on the disappearance of a young Arkansas boy and his sister in 1980. The case triggers vivid memories for retried detective Wayne Hays (Ali), who previously worked the case. Also starring Carmen Ejogo, Stephen Dorff, Scoot McNairy, and Ray Fisher, the new season of True Detective currently has a 75% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. Heres everything you need to know. Season 3 of True Detective premieres Sunday, January 13 at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO. An encore showing of the episode will air at 11:00 p.m. on HBO. According to HBOs website, the True Detective Season 3 premiere will be available on HBO GO and HBO NOW at 9:00 p.m. ET. The True Detective Season 3 premiere will be available on demand beginning Monday, January 14. If you have an HBO subscription, you can watch True Detective on HBO GO or via HBO NOW. You might want to try signing up for the one-week free trial of HBO NOW, which will allow you to stream True Detective for free. You can enjoy a one-week free preview of HBO via Hulu, but be advised youll be charged $14.99 a month after your free trial if you dont cancel your subscription. Yes. You can add HBO to your Amazon Prime account for $14.99 a month. You can sample HBO on Prime with a 7-day free trial. The first two seasons are available for free on HBO GO. You can also purchase individual episodes of True Detective on Prime Video. Nope! RELATED: True Detective Season 3 Is Great If You Forget Its True Detective Where to stream True Detective | https://decider.com/2019/01/13/true-detective-season-3-premiere/ |
How many suckler and dairy calves were registered in 2018? | The number of calves registered to beef cows suckler calf registrations in other words has continued to fall, figures released by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) show. This will be unsurprising to most, as many suckler farmers have struggled to just break-even in recent years, while some have moved away from suckler beef farming in search of more lucrative pastures. In 2014, beef calf registrations stood at just over 928,000 head. While the abolition of the milk quotas in 2015 paved the way for an expansion of the national dairy herd, the number of beef calves registered in 2015 actually increased by 20,302 head and stood at just under 948,700 in 2015. However, this was last year in which beef calf births witnessed an increase. Looking at beef registration figures for 2016, beef calf numbers stood at 940,845 head. This number fell to 929,911 head in 2017. And, ICBF figures indicate that in 2018, total beef calf registrations fell by 45,397 head and amounted to 884,514 head a drop of 5%. This figure is well below the five-year average of 926,470 head. Dairy calf registration On the other hand, the national dairy herd has recorded significant, successive growth. In 2014, dairy calf registrations stood at just over 1,170,935 head. Advertisement In 2015, this figure jumped by 99,417 head and the number of dairy calves registered to dairy dams amounted to 1,270,352 head. According to ICBF figures, further growth was witnessed in 2016 and 2017 when the number of calves registered reached 1,347,520 and 1,393,758 head respectively. The number of dairy calves registered in 2018 amounted 1,434,332 head. This is a jump of 40,574 head the highest figure over the last five years. Overall calf registrations From 2014 to 2017, the total number of calves registered increased successively mainly driven by the increase in the dairy industry. However, looking at overall calf registrations (both beef and dairy) in 2018, some 2,318,846 calves have been registered an 4,853 head decrease on 2017 levels. Calf birth changes 2018 V 2017: | https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/how-many-suckler-and-dairy-calves-were-registered-in-2018/ |
What defines patriotism? | To the Editor: There seems to be little unanimity among Americans as to what constitutes patriotism. And yet we all, as a rule, hold the concept in the highest regard. Recently, friends volunteered that they rarely watch professional football anymore because of the players who were kneeling during the national anthem. For my friends, static traditions seem to be the gold standard of patriotism. I suspect many agree with them. That is not how I see it. Standing for the anthem, saying the Pledge, and similar traditions, require no sacrifice or anything of us. Neither is the country moved forward in any meaningful way. While nothing is inherently wrong with these actions, they do appear superficial when compared to players calling attention to injustice something I communicated to my friends. And by the way, Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying, Dissent is the highest form of patriotism. Patriotism needs to incorporate more than symbols if we define it as devotion to the common good. Embracing this more expansive definition would likely see citizens aspire to a number of actions such as: civic engagement, standing up for justice, extending kindness and empathy for all, dealing honestly with others, avoiding reckless and wasteful use of resources including the way we drive, making life easier for others when it is in our power, and informing ourselves to enable us to think critically about issues, to name a few. At this time, we could certainly use a national conversation about patriotism. We should also never concede that our patriotic duty has been fulfilled as soon as we salute the flag, stand for the national anthem, or say the Pledge. Larry Brown Tipp City | https://www.dailycall.com/opinion/letters/52057/what-defines-patriotism |
What can the FBI do if the security threat is the President himself? | The FBI can neutralise a counterintelligence threat several ways. One is to simply monitor the activity under the radar and, in the process, collect intelligence on what our foreign adversaries are interested in and able to do. An example of this tactic is the FBI's operation 'Ghost Stories,' which allowed 10 Russian spies to believe they were operating undetected for 10 years. During this time, the FBI gained important data on Russia's tradecraft and targets, thereby allowing the United States to enhance its own intelligence techniques and foreign policy objectives. US President Donald Trump. Credit:AP Another avenue to neutralise a target who might be acting on behalf of foreign power is to remove their access to information that could help our adversary. In the case of someone sharing classified information with foreign intelligence, for example, the FBI could surreptitiously ensure that they are no longer able to obtain sensitive information, or to replace the information with fake documents, throwing adversaries off the trail. Loading Under certain circumstances, the FBI can also take more aggressive steps. If the target is in a position to provide direct foreign intelligence about an adversary and appears to have wavering loyalties, intelligence services can offer financial and other incentives to "flip" the target turning him or her into a double agent who provides information to the United States while pretending to cooperate with their foreign handlers. And in the case of a foreign national or spy who is working under diplomatic cover who poses an egregious threat to national security, the FBI can force the target to leave the country as the Obama administration did when it declared 35 Russian spies persona non grata in December 2016 in retaliation for Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. Unfortunately, none of these is a feasible option if the national security threat is the President of the United States. Protesters outside the White House on Saturday. Credit:Bloomberg Naturally, the President, as a US citizen, cannot be removed from the country. Nor can the President, who is the country's chief executive, be restricted from access to classified information or provided with falsified information. It also makes no sense to "flip" someone who has already in a position of public trust and has taken an oath to protect and defend the United States from foreign enemies. And merely monitoring the threat to collect intelligence on what foreign adversaries are doing is not an option, since the ultimate consumer of such intelligence is the President himself which means whatever intelligence is collected could eventually be passed on to the President, who is also the target. At the same time, the possibility that the President is compromised by a foreign power is the ultimate national security threat: the awesome powers of the presidency, which include almost unfettered discretion in the realm of foreign affairs and intelligence operations, leaves open the potential for him to use those powers to advance the interests of a foreign adversary over those of the United States. This leaves only one option for neutralisation: exposure. Loading Exposing the activities of a foreign intelligence service renders them ineffective, since it removes plausible deniability, which is the hallmark of covert intelligence operations. It also reveals the sources and methods a foreign power is using, forcing them to abandon the operation. Special Counsel Robert Mueller III has already utilised this avenue by bringing criminal charges against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies for a disinformation campaign on social media, and against 12 GRU officers for hacking the Democratic National Committee's emails. This alternative has its downsides: it allows adversaries to know what investigators know, enabling them to up their game. But where the national security threat is severe, the need to stop the activity immediately can outweigh the costs. This is where Mueller's report comes in. Until now, the American public has seen only snippets of Mueller's investigation those that he has chosen to make public through criminal charges. But since not all activities uncovered by a counterintelligence investigation, even those that pose a significant threat to national security, are necessarily criminal, they do not reveal the full breadth of what Mueller may have discovered. Only by laying out all of his counterintelligence findings including what role, if any, Trump played in Russia's intelligence operation against the United States can the criminal charges be placed in context and the full scope of the threat be assessed. | https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/north-america/what-can-the-fbi-do-if-the-security-threat-is-the-president-himself-20190114-p50r5l.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed |
Is Trump afraid of being assassinated by Putin Russia? | It has been whispered for years that Russian President Vladimir Putin holds incriminating materials over the head of United States President Donald Trump. It has never been confirmed if this is true or not but the whispers are growing louder. Jon Cooper, Chairman of the Democratic Coalition, was bold enough to tweet out the following this week. "I can't confirm this directly, but a knowledgeable friend of mine just told me a Russian oligarch and Putin own Trump," Cooper wrote. "He owes them millions and has not paid. Trump is fearful of the pee tapes being released, does not want to lose Melania, and is afraid of being assassinated." Things are obviously heating up in the New Year when it comes to the Mueller investigation and U.S. - Russia relations in general. NBC News ran an op-ed this past week that speculated that former Marine Paul Whelan was simply a "pawn in a Russian spy swap attempt between Putin and Trump." "Count me among those who think Putin may be seeking to swap [Whelan] for Maria Butina, who has already pleaded guilty to infiltrating America's conservative political movement as a Russian agent," Ned Price wrote. "The Russians may calculate that Whelan, a military veteran who has said positive things about President Donald Trump on Russian social media, constitutes the perfect quo for their quid - both in their eyes and in Trump's That's why we may see the Whelan case resolved in fairly short order with a swap for Butina. But what we know today suggests that such an outcome would equate a confessed Russian agent who has been afforded due process with an apparent American businessman detained and imprisoned without evidence (that we know of)." | https://www.metro.us/news/the-big-stories/trump-afraid-being-assassinated-putin-russia |
How did bright and bubbly young mum Aimee Teese end up living and dying on the streets? | Get Weekly Politics 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 "She was always lost to be honest. Aimee was full of life - she was bubbly and full of life, but she could never settle." In the early hours of a freezing cold January morning, Aimee Jacqueline Teese collapsed and died after sleeping rough in a tent on the streets of Liverpool. She was just 30 years old. Just five years before her death, Aimee was living in her own house with her young daughter - she was clean, stable and enjoying being a mum after a long custody battle to get her child back. We spoke to Aimee's family, friends and the homelessness campaigners who knew her to try and piece together a promising life that unravelled in the most tragic way. "She was quite a troubled girl" Aimee didn't have what many people would consider an easy start in life - she spent a brief spell in foster care and lost her mum at a very young age. Her first home was in Netherton, but she moved around a lot and lived with various family members. When Aimee was 12, her mum Jacquelin "Jackie" Brady died at just 29. She was buried alongside Aimee's brother Mickey, who had died when he was 14 months old. After spending some time in the care system, Aimee moved in with her aunty Cathy Teese when she was 11. Cathy raised her like her own daughter throughout her teen years. Speaking to the ECHO about Aimee's early life, Cathy said: "I was her aunty - her dads sister. She came to live with me from the age of 11. Shes from Netherton originally. She lived everywhere to be honest. What to do if you see a rough sleeper in the cold Liverpool - Labre House In Liverpool, the advice is quite simple - contact the team at the city councils dedicated rough sleeper facility, Labre House. The new centre - which was launched late last year and is run in conjunction with homeless charity Whitechapel - offers a safe, warm space at its Camden Road hub for anyone who finds themselves on the streets or in trouble. So if you are out and about in Liverpool and spot someone sleeping on the cold streets, the advice is to contact Labre House on 0300 123 2041 and provide specific information about where the rough sleepers is. Elsewhere in Merseyside - contact StreetLink While Labre House is the go to number to call for anyone in Liverpool, there is also a number that people elsewhere in Merseyside can call to report a homeless person sleeping on dangerously cold streets. The Street Link organisation works to send alerts to local councils across the country about concerns raised regarding rough sleepers. If you are worried about someone, you can either use the website streetlink.org.uk to fill in an online form. This will let the Street Link team know exactly when and where someone has been spotted rough and this information can then be passed on to the relevant team at the council in question. If a person has been spotted during the day rather than at night - users will be offered a list of nearby services that can be accessed straight away. This can often prove to be a better option for the individual than waiting for the outreach team to come out to them at night. A Streetlink app can also be downloaded on mobile phones to make this process easier for those who are out and about on the streets. Using the app - an alert can be sent straight to StreetLink and passed on to the council who can take action to help a person in need. "She was quite a troubled girl. We had a bond, me and Aimee - were were just so close. She spent a few years in foster care before coming to me and I maintained the contact. "From 11 then she came to me and through her teen years she lived with me before she went to live with her nan." Cathy said: "She was always lost to be honest. Aimee was full of life - she was bubbly, full of life, could never settle. I suppose losing her mum was the last straw for her. "I know how it feels and its hard to cope - everyone copes in their own way." As she got older, Aimee turned to drugs to help her cope with the pain of losing her mum and other demons from her past. Her drug addiction would come to dominate much of her life and ultimately lead to her losing her little girl and ending up living on the streets. Aimee would try to battle her addiction and repeatedly entered into rehab programmes to try and kick her drug habit. Sometimes this was successful and she stay clean for long periods - other times she didn't have the strength. Cathy said: "She did have moments where would go to rehab and get herself sorted and clean and was doing fantastic. Then there were moments where she was losing the battle. "She had so much love and so much of it to give. I dont know what she was taking. It could be anything. I suppose its anything to numb the pain." "She had a lovely house - she was stable and we were so proud" When she was 23 years old, Aimee gave birth to her daughter - who the ECHO has chosen not to name to protect her privacy. Despite becoming a mum, Aimee continued to struggle with drug addiction and ended up losing custody of her daughter as a consequence. Losing her daughter came as a wake-up call for Aimee, who got herself into rehab and worked hard to get clean so she could try to get her child back. While Aimee undoubtedly had her problems and was "no angel", the one thing she seemed to be made for was being a mum. Cathy said: "She was a fantastic, fantastic mother - she was. She was a natural. She did get clean before she got [her daughter] and did brilliantly getting her back because she had been quite low before and in a dark place. She got herself into rehab." After getting custody of her daughter again, it seemed like Aimee was back on her feet. She had a three-bedroom house near The Mons in Bootle and was taking her daughter to school every day. But Aimee would soon relapse into her addiction and fall into the downward cycle that would ultimately end in her death. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now "So many people tried to help her" The last time Cathy saw Aimee was in 2014, after she had given birth to her own son. Aimee was excited - her aunty having a boy felt important to her after her own brother had died as a baby. But Aimee wasn't doing well. She had relapsed and already lost custody of her daughter. Cathy said: "That was massive for Aimee because it took her a long time to get herself clean and get [her daughter] back. She had a lovely house - she was stable, we were so proud. But she also fought with her demons." When the news of Aimee's death was first reported, total strangers rushed to ask: "Where were her family to protect her?" The truth is that Aimee's family had repeatedly tried to get her help - plenty of people had. But they say that for whatever reason, Aimee just wasn't in the right place to take that support. Cathy said: "So many people and agencies tried to get her help. All those agencies have given her so much help but youve got to want it. "She was probably let down a lot at the same time but so many people did love her and try to help her. She wasnt able to cope sometimes with things from her past and the demons of her addiction." It's not that Aimee's family didn't try to do right by her. Cathy raised her like her own daughter and tried to get her the help she needed - but in the end she had to protect her own children. She said: "Youve got to protect your own family and your little ones. My whole life has been brought up around drugs from when I left my dad. Ive never touched them but I was surrounded by drugs and I know the impact it has." Telling the stories that matter to Liverpool Stories matter - and the ECHO has told more of Liverpool's stories than anyone else. Since 1877 we have given voice to people in our city and Merseyside as a whole. We've celebrated the best of our communities - and been there during their darkest times too. Liverpool is changing, but the true fabric of our city is its people. We want to tell more of their stories - but we need you. Share the issues YOU think we should be telling - from triumphs which show Liverpool at its best to problems that need sorting out. Let us know what you'd like to see us look in to by emailing us a [email protected], and help us keep telling the stories that make Liverpool Despite trying everything she could to save her niece, Cathy still blames herself and carries the guilt of Aimee's death. She said: "Its just so hard - its a guilt I will carry. I didnt expect her to be dead at the age of 30. I just kept thinking she would get clean and come back to us." Shorn hair, trouble with the law and sleeping in a tent - life on the streets Aimee's life on the streets was brutal and unforgiving. It's believed she spend around three years sleeping rough - and her family first heard she had become homeless at some point in 2015. During this time it is understood Aimee did move in and out of different housing situations, but that her final years were dominated by homelessness. Michelle Langan is a tireless homeless campaigner who organises outreach work through her charity the Papercup Project. (Image: Liverpool Echo) The first time the outreach teams met Aimee she had collapsed on the steps of St Luke's Church in the city centre and had an ambulance called for her. The next minute, she stood up and walked away like nothing had happened. Michelle would joke that she had nine lives. Michelle had a soft spot for Aimee - her bubbly, cheeky personality and her sense of life were hard not to get taken in by. She agreed that plenty of people tried to help Aimee when she was on the streets - unfortunately no one was ever able to save her. Speaking to the ECHO, Michelle said: "Everyone on the streets knew her and everyone on the street teams knew her - she would tell us about other homeless people who needed food and clothes. "We found her crying a few times about her daughter." Michelle was one of the last people to see Aimee alive on one of the Papercup Projects rounds of the city the night before her death. She said: "When we saw her on Monday she was ravaged - she used to have long hair but a few months ago we saw her and it had all been hacked off. "I asked her what happened and she didnt want to talk about it." Telling the stories that matter to you - more original journalism by the Liverpool ECHO A hidden crisis killing sons, fathers and husbands - the reality of male suicide We spoke to the families who had their lives torn apart by suicide, the men who tried to take their own lives, and the healthcare experts trying to tackle the crisis to try and understand the scale of the problem - and what we can do to try and solve it. Read it here. Inside the secretive world of Merseyside's swinging community One couple at the centre of the Merseyside's secretive swinging scene agreed to open up and let the ECHO inside their Wirral sex club. The ECHO was granted a rare window to the local swinging community and spoke to the people inside it about couple swapping, fetish rooms and private sex parties. Read it here. The true cost of football If you speak to Liverpool FC fans outside Anfield on match day, or in pubs across the city before kick-off, a lot of them will tell you that going to the match is more expensive than ever. This special feature asked fans, supporters' unions and the club whether the beautiful game has become too expensive. Read it here. Inside the dark world of 'sex for rent' landlords In this exclusive undercover investigation, an ECHO reporter uncovered the dark world of rogue landlords offering a place to live in exchange for sex. This report exposes the sinister reality of men trying to rent their homes out for sex on Merseyside - arrangements which the government says are illegal and could lead to prosecutions. Read our exclusive investigation here. Aimee's name appeared on the Liverpool Magistrate's Court list a number of times in her final years, for offences relating to breached community orders as well as charges of assault and possessing a weapon. Her addresses are either given as the Whitechapel Centre or Ann Fowler House, before eventually being listed as "no fixed abode". She also lived at a property in Walton for a short time, with Michelle saying she believed Aimee briefly had a house with a friend that didn't last long. Aimee's years on the streets were interspersed with brief spells in prison at HMP Styal. She spent the days leading up to her last Christmas in prison, as well as a short spell in the summer of 2018. "A heart of gold and a true friend" When you ask friends to describe Aimee, the same words keep coming up over and over again - she was happy, bubbly and always had a smile on her face. One friend, Kimmie Kelly, knew Aimee from their schooldays when she attended Litherland High. She said Aimee had "a heart of gold" and was "a true friend to me and others." Ultimately, her aunty Cathy seems to capture her best: "Everyone had a soft spot for her. She was her own person. You couldnt control her - she was in and out, she came and she went." In the end, Aimee slipped through the cracks. She was loved and had a family who tried to get her help - but no one ever found the right opportunity to save her from her demons. In the end, Aimee's addiction won and her short life came to a tragic end in a tent on the cold streets of Liverpool. No one should ever die like that. It may have been too hard or too late to save Aimee, but it is vital we remember her as a a loving mother, a cherished niece and a kind person - not as another tragic statistic of homelessness on Liverpool's streets. | https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/how-bright-bubbly-young-mum-15658295 |
Are Zodiacs The Future Of Luxury Cruising? | Historically, there has been a distinction between luxury cruising and what the travel industry describes as adventure or expedition cruising. Luxury cruising was just thata cruising experience with luxury amenities on a small ship that typically held from 200 to 900 or so passengers. Like the larger, mid-market cruise lines, the itineraries focused on popular destinations in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Baltic or Alaska. The smaller ships did have the advantage of being able to call on smaller ports; ones that couldnt handle the 2,000 passenger and up cruise liners. Expedition cruising was much more adventurous with a strong focus on the natural world. Many itineraries focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic, venues that, until quite recently, were avoided by the commercial cruise industry. Additional venues included more exotic destinations like the Galapagos, the Amazon or the South Pacific. Ships were typically older and lacked the amenities associated with luxury cruises. Ships destined for Arctic and Antarctic waters were usually older icebreakers that had been refurbished for adventure cruising. The most important distinction between adventure cruising and luxury cruising, however, was that the former was much more interactive. While luxury cruise ship passengers simply sailed by exotic locations, adventurer cruisers often times landed on these remote shores to observe the wildlife and to see the area up close. Zodiacs, a type of rigid inflatable boat (RIB), were the vessel of choice for landing on remote, inhospitable shores that lacked docking facilities. The sales and marketing brochures of adventure cruise companies invariably contained up-close photos of eager passengers making their way in a RIB to a remote beach. There are two trade organizations for the adventure cruising industry: Association for Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and International Association Antarctic Cruise Operators (IAACO). Both organizations have about 40 members. Not surprisingly, many adventure cruise companies belong to both groups. Notwithstanding the polar references, many of the expedition companies that are members also organize adventure cruisers to other parts of the globe. Not all members of the organizations offer shore excursions on polar cruises, although most do. Membership includes such well-known tour operators as Oceanwide Expeditions, Linblad/National Geographic, Hurtigruten, and Abercrombie & Kent. It also includes, however, luxury cruise lines like Silversea, Seabourn and Ponant. The World, which bills itself as the largest private residential ship on the planet, is also a member. Viking Cruises, another trendsetter in the luxury cruising sector, has also just joined. In addition, both Celebrity Cruises and Holland America operate cruises along the Antarctic peninsula and are members of IAACO. According to IAACO, approximately 50,000 tourists visited Antarctica during the 2017-2018 season. About 10,000 of those visitors were cruise only, while the balance were on expedition cruises that made landfall on the Antarctic continent. Tourist visits in the Arctic are the mirror image of the Antarctic. According to AECO, there were around 100,000 cruise visitors in the Arctic region. About 30,000 of which were expedition cruisers. About 60% of the expedition cruisers went to the Svalbard Archipelago, about halfway between Norways North Cape and the North Pole, and another 30% went to Greenland. Polar cruisers currently represent less than 1% of the cruising market. Lately, luxury cruise lines have begun expanding their polar cruise offerings. Partly that expansion is driven by a warming Arctic creating more possible itineraries, heightened consumer interest in the region, and in part it is driven by the need of luxury cruise companies to differentiate themselves in what is becoming an increasingly crowded market segment. Ponant has ordered a specialty-built icebreaker cruise ship, Le Commandant Charcot, which it describes as the first luxury ice breaker. The ship is scheduled for deployment in 2021. Silversea Cruises has announced that during its scheduled 2020 drydock, the Silver Wind will receive a strengthened ice-class hull as well as new-state of the art equipment for cruising in remote regions. In addition, the ship will be outfitted with a fleet of Zodiacs and kayaks. According to Roberto Martinoli, Silversea's CEO: Evolving the ship into an ice-class vessel, complete with Zodiacs and kayaks, will diversify her offering for our guests: she will be capable of unlocking deep travel experiences in both classic and expedition destinations, from the Caribbean to Antarctica, and everywhere in between. There have also been persistent rumors that Viking Cruises will soon introduce Zodiac based excursions on three of its ships: Viking Star, Viking Sky and Viking Sea. Polar cruising is rapidly becoming the latest frontier of luxury cruising. With more than 40 companies now offering cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic, there are literally hundreds of cruise itineraries to choose from. See the membership roster of the AECO and the IAACO for a listing of their members and links to the cruise itineraries that each offer. Bon Voyage | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemicallef/2019/01/13/are-zodiacs-the-future-of-luxury-cruising/ |
Will Trump speak out on Rep. King's controversial comments? | Here are the stories our panel of top political reporters will be watching for in the year ahead, in this week's "Inside Politics" forecast. 1. Steve King's future 2020 Presidential election Society Civil rights Government and public administration Government bodies and offices US federal government White House Public finance Government budgets US federal government shutdowns Political Figures - US Steve King (Politician) Donald Trump Joe Biden Mike Pence Political organizations Political advocacy groups Congress Watch Discrimination Elections (by type) Elections and campaigns Federal budget Government organizations - US John King Misc people Political candidates Politics Racism and racial discrimination Societal issues US Congress US Federal elections US House of Representatives US political parties US Presidential elections US Republican Party Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa has a history of making racially inflammatory remarks. But his fellow Republicans may finally have had enough. In an interview last week with The New York Times, King said, "white nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization -- how did that language become offensive?" "Steve King has been in Congress for 15 years. He's been making comments like this for quite some time," New York Times congressional correspondent Julie Hirschfeld Davis said. "But Republicans now are coming forward and saying this is unacceptable. You have Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader. Steve Scalise, the Republican whip, saying he has to apologize for this." Several other GOP lawmakers have spoken out as well. But King's future in Congress could rest in President Donald Trump's hands. "President Trump was very close with Steve King from the very beginning, before he declared his candidacy," Davis said. "Steve King was talking about a border wall long before Donald Trump was talking about a border wall. And obviously President Trump has faced some of the same questions about his rhetoric. So it will be very interesting to see how the President deals with this. There's going to be mounting pressure for the president to say something." 2. Before we know the answer, the Republican National Committee may officially endorse his re-nomination. "The fact that the RNC could be considering this really shows that there's real nervousness among Republicans about the prospect of a primary challenge," said Associated Press Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace. "If the RNC does come out and formally endorse him, it would make it all the more difficult for a Republican challenger to use any kind of party apparatus, to get on the stage with Trump in a debate in the primary." The last president to face a serious primary challenge: George H.W. Bush in 1992. Many say it contributed to his re-election loss to Bill Clinton. "It would be almost impossible for a Republican primary challenger to defeat Trump in 2020," Pace said. "But there is real worry that they could at least beat him up, damage him and weaken him going into the general election." 3. Joe Biden & the black vote Meanwhile on the Democratic side, former Vice President Joe Biden is still weighing whether to run. And his indecision may cost him in a key early primary state. "Joe Biden is beloved in South Carolina, particularly by African-American Democrats, but they had some pretty harsh words to say about him," CNN senior political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson said. "He isn't showing any sense of urgency. He hasn't really reached out to many folks in South Carolina. They have no idea what he's going to do," Henderson said. Other candidates are taking advantage of Biden's absence. "They've heard from Elizabeth Warren, they've heard from Cory Booker. They've even heard from (Democratic Oregon Sen.) Jeff Merkley," Henderson said. "So there is a lot of frustration on the ground in a state like South Carolina, where black Democrats are going to be so important. Many say if you are Joe Biden, that might be the first state you actually want to compete in and could actually win. But so far they feel like he's letting a little grass grow under his feet as others really work hard and show a sense of urgency." 4. Trump's "acting" Cabinet Back in Washington, Trump is slowly shaking up his Cabinet. But while many top officials have left, few have actually been replaced. "At the only Cabinet meeting so far of 2019, President Trump was seated next to an acting secretary of defense and an acting secretary of interior," Wall Street Journal White House reporter Michael Bender said. "Across from him is the acting attorney general. To the right is the acting head of the White House Budget Office. And he's acting because the former White House budget chief is now acting chief of staff." Bender said Trump is in no rush to name permanent replacements. "There's a thought in the Oval Office that these acting chiefs are more beholden to the President," Bender said. 5. VP shutdown shade And from CNN's chief national correspondent John King: Most of the Republican frustration about a shutdown without a clear exit strategy is directed at Trump. But among Republicans on Capitol Hill and at GOP-leaning organizations across Washington, there is also a good deal of grumbling about Vice President Mike Pence. On the Hill, the biggest beef is that Pence was apparently clueless to the fact the President would pull a last-minute about-face and refuse to sign a government spending bill that did not include funding for his border wall. Both House and Senate GOP leaders had made clear they viewed a shutdown as a major political mistake, and the vice president was a constant presence at the Capitol as Congress put together the pre-shutdown spending plan. The VP and his office are also a frequent point of contact for GOP establishment groups that do not like the President or are viewed suspiciously by him. Many of those groups feel blindsided, too, and see it as proof the vice president has limited influence and isn't afforded much respect by the boss. "He may be permanently damaged by this two-week period," said one veteran GOP strategist who advises a number of lawmakers and organizations. Some of this grumbling is without a doubt unfair or exaggerated and comes amid a broader GOP bad mood about the shutdown and the Democrats' rise to power in the House of Representatives. Plus, the VP takes some of the hits for the grumbling over the decision by his former chief of staff, Nick Ayers, to leave the White House instead of stepping in as the President's new chief of staff. Still, several GOP operatives mentioned Pence unfavorably in exchanges about the shutdown and GOP anxiety with the White House. Their view, at a minimum, is that a vice president very conscious about his standing in the party and his own political future should realize this is a low moment. | https://www.waaytv.com/content/national/504290022.html?ref=022 |
What does the week ahead hold for the Brexit debate? | Monday The European Union is expected to publish a letter of clarification emphasising that any use of the Northern Ireland backstop designed to keep the land border open would only ever be temporary, although it will be a surprise if it makes much difference to the Commons arithmetic. The prime minister will also make a public appeal for support in a speech in Stoke-on-Trent in the morning, while MPs move on to day four of the Brexit debate, with Philip Hammond, the chancellor, closing proceedings. Monday night is the deadline for submitting amendments to the Brexit motion. Tuesday If May allows it, MPs will finally get to vote on her Brexit deal, although few believe the prime minister can get it approved, given that over 100 Tory MPs have said they will vote against. John Bercow, the speaker, will select which amendments to vote on. The one to watch is the Hilary Benn amendment, which rejects both Mays deal and no deal, and gives MPs a say in what happens next. The prime minister will conclude proceedings, speaking just before voting starts at 7pm. A result on the Benn amendment could come around 7.30pm. If that falls, the all-important vote on Mays final deal is expected between 8 and 9pm. Jeremy Corbyn could immediately demand to hold a vote of no confidence in the prime minister, if May is defeated. A heavy loss, and May will face immediate calls to resign. Wednesday If May were to prevail, business as usual will commence, starting with prime ministers questions. But the DUP have threatened to abandon their confidence-and-supply agreement with the government if Mays deal goes through, leaving the Conservatives without an overall majority. A confidence vote could be held on Wednesday, if Corbyn calls for one. It will be hard for Labour to win, because in this scenario, if Mays deal is voted down, the DUP have said they will support the Conservatives in an attempt to get the Brexit deal renegotiated. If May suffers a heavy defeat perhaps with 80 rebels or more she may find she is not able to stay on. A more narrow defeat 40 rebels or less could encourage her to try and ask MPs to vote on the deal again, although it will almost certainly need to be revised first. Thursday and beyond May could make a dash to Brussels to see if there is any hope of renegotiating. The prime minister, if defeated, has until the close of business on Monday 21 January to tell MPs what her plan B is; the Commons would then debate and vote on that later that week. The prime minister could seek a general election, which Labour would support, but her own party may not. Soft Brexiters in the Conservatives could break ranks to see if there is majority support for the UK remaining in the customs union, and even the single market. Campaigners for a second referendum see this as their moment to strike: believing that their idea needs to be the last one standing the only option that could achieve a majority in the house amid a crisis atmosphere. Except that there would then be argument about what options should be on the ballot paper. | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/13/what-does-the-week-ahead-hold-for-the-brexit-debate |
Are Republicans Abusing Their Power in Congress? | This is a partial transcript of "The Big Story With John Gibson," May 11, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. JOHN GIBSON, HOST: Democrats are in the minority in both the House and the Senate, a position that severely limits their power. And to make matters worse, they're now charging that Republicans are abusing their power in an attempt to rubber-stamp the president's agenda. Joining me now is former campaign manager for John McCain (search), Republican strategist Rick Davis, and the author of "Bush Must Go," Bill Press. BILL PRESS, AUTHOR, "BUSH MUST GO": Hey, John. GIBSON: Bill, that didn't work out too good. PRESS: Still a good idea. GIBSON: I'm going to go to Rick first. RICK DAVIS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Hi. DAVIS: Well, I hope they're using their power in Congress. The people gave it to them. I mean, elections have consequences. And, in the last election, the Republicans won the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. And the only people who seem to have a hard time dealing with that is the leadership of the Democratic Party. GIBSON: You know, Bill, a lot of people think that filibuster is an abuse of power. PRESS: Well, first of all, I've got to say, I met Davis in New Hampshire in 2000, when he was working with John McCain. I wish he would listen to John McCain. John McCain, among other Republicans, says, this nuclear option getting rid of the filibuster is not a good idea. The House should not rubber-stamp any president's decision. Look at the numbers, John. George Bush got 208 out of 218 judges, 95 percent. If I got 95 if I got 55 percent of anything I wanted I would be a happy man. I think the Republicans ought to stop whining and get back to work. DAVIS: The issue isn't all about the nuclear option. That's one aspect. But look at what has happened in this session of Congress already. Every proposal that's been made out of the leadership or the White House has been ballyhooed against it by the Democratic leadership. A real solid effort was made by the president of the United States to bring one of the most important issues of our time onto the forefront, which was Social Security. And the only thing that the Democratic leadership has given him is lip service. That was long before anybody started talking about the nuclear option. If the Democrats want to cooperate and get something done for the country, they should not focus on the negative. They ought to try and come across the aisle. PRESS: John, John, Rick, Rick, come on. There is an opposition party. I mean, I'm not that old, but I'm old enough to remember that Republicans weren't exactly rolling over for everything that Bill Clinton sent up to the Congress. Deal with it. Democrats may not support something George Bush wants, especially if it's a bad idea. It's called democracy. That's democracy. DAVIS: The first 100 days of both of Bill Clinton's terms of office were seen as a lot more productive by both sides of the aisle than this one has been. This is the continuous campaign. The Democrats have basically said, look, we refuse to accept the consequences of an election. And if they're going to take that tack, you're never going to get anything done. (CROSSTALK) GIBSON: They're in negotiations, Bill. Go ahead, John. I'm sorry. (CROSSTALK) GIBSON: Yes, he does. (LAUGHTER) GIBSON: Bill, of course he wants 100 percent. Look, there are negotiations going on, so that there will be something given the president gets something out of this. And if the Democrats promise to not use the filibuster, maybe the Republicans won't blow it up. After all, they can. PRESS: My recommendation would be to stand up for what you believe. If you believe these judges are extreme judges and not good for the American republic, then they ought to stand up for them and use... (CROSSTALK) GIBSON: But, Bill. (CROSSTALK) GIBSON: If Rick takes your advice, if he stands up for what he believes, the filibuster goes away. PRESS: Fine, and use any tools that are available, including the filibuster. Just like Republicans used the filibuster against Bill Clinton, Democrats ought to use it against George Bush. DAVIS: No. (CROSSTALK) GIBSON: Fine. I stand up for what I believe. I'm going to blow up this filibuster. DAVIS: Americans are all about fair play. And, in fair play, you count up the votes. You see who is ahead. And the winner and the majority always rules. (CROSSTALK) DAVIS: And what the Democrats are using is a parliamentary technique that has never been historically accepted as the way to keep federal judges from the bench either Supreme Court justices, second court judges or anything else. (CROSSTALK) GIBSON: Rick Davis and Bill Press, they will fight to the end of their breath. Thank you, both. I have got to run. Appreciate it, guys. Content and Programming Copyright 2005 Fox News Network, L.L.C. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2005 eMediaMillWorks, Inc. (f/k/a Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.), which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon Fox News Network, L.L.C. 's and eMediaMillWorks, Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation. | https://www.foxnews.com/story/are-republicans-abusing-their-power-in-congress |
What brings a new sponsor into NASCAR? | Earlier this week, Youngs Motorsports announced it would field a fulltime entry in the Gander Outdoors NASCAR Cup Series this season with up-and-coming driver Gus Dean, who has competed in ARCA the past two seasons. Sponsoring Dean for a significant portion of the 2019 season is LG Air Conditioning Technologies, a division of LG Corp., a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation that manufacturers cell phones, appliances, TVs, computers and even solar technology. Its LGs first foray into sponsorship in NASCAR. A lot goes into it. We have lots of opportunities to sponsor things and I think the biggest thing for me is when Charlie (Dean, Gus father) and Gus were sitting around talking and getting to learn about Gus and his history and what hes done and their passion for this sport, said Kevin McNamara, senior vice president and general manager, Air Conditioning Technologies, LG Electronics USA. Being a dad, and my son is kind of in the same age range, I was like, Heres a great young guy. Heres a guy thats committed to what he does. He works real hard. He wants to be a winner, he is a winner. We just thought it was the opportunity to associate with a really good group of folks and somebody who is going to do real well and be a part of a winning team. It was a very easy decision to make, quite frankly, with all the other decisions we have. Companies like LG are pitched sponsorship opportunities daily but McNamara said personal relationships with those involved is probably the biggest deciding factor on completing a deal. Story continues We could sponsor anything we wanted to, any sport, any activity. Its about people. Its a business of course but if youre not associated with the right kind of folks then there is no point in doing it. Then with NASCAR, and with as big as NASCAR is, it is still very personal. People relate to the drivers, people relate to the teams and its a good thing for us. For LG to be part if it is a big plus. Gus Dean LG-sponsored NASCAR Truck Motorsport.com Gus Dean LG-sponsored NASCAR Truck Photo by: Grace Krenrich LG is already cashing in on its NASCAR sponsorship even though Deans No. 12 Chevrolet hasnt yet hit the track. One of Deans LG-sponsored trucks will be on display during the upcoming International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition in Atlanta, site of LGs air conditioning technologies headquarters. Weve kept it off the radar screen a little bit but as part of one of our events at the expo, were going to have a truck there, McNamara said. Our employees, our partners, our customers are all going to see this at the same time. We think its a great opportunity to blow up the excitement to a whole new level. Dean said the faith and trust from LG is very humbling. Like they said, they could take their money and put it anywhere they want to. They could put it on billboards, but they chose to use me as their marketing platform, he said. Obviously, they feel I can represent the company well which is an enormous honor. And in doing so, they are allowing me to live out my dream. Ive been racing my entire life and now Im going to be in one of the big three NASCAR series. Thats possible because of them and their faith in me to represent them both on and off the track. Its a little bit of added pressure but I like pressure. Im really excited and I cant wait to represent them and get them out front. | https://sports.yahoo.com/brings-sponsor-nascar-212932974.html?src=rss |
Does California Need a $1 Million 'Fish Ladder'? | This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," June 4, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) AINSLEY EARHARDT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Malibu. Sun, surf, sand and million-dollar homes. But there's something missing from this coastal paradise: steel-head trout. (on camera) For centuries here in Malibu, California, the fish used to travel back and forth between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica mountains. But that all changed when humans moved in. RON KOSINSKI, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: In 1949 they built the Pacific Coast Highway and blocked the passage ability for the trout to pass and go up dream from the ocean and spawn. EARHARDT: So 60 years after the people got their highway, California wants the trout to get theirs. KOSINSKI: Currently, if you're a fish and you're swimming in from the ocean, you're going to come to this and it's it's like a dam, right, so you're going to have to jump up into this shallow concrete channel and then skedaddle up through the culvert until you get to the natural stream on the other side of Pacific Coast Highway. EARHARDT: And the fish can't do that, so the California Department of Transportation will be spending a million dollars building a fish ladder to help them. MARK ABRAMSON, SANTA MONICA BAY RESTORATION: We're going to put steps every 20 feet. They'll be a foot and a half high, and it will create a ladder, which is why we call it a fish ladder, so fish could jump a foot and a half. There will be a little pool there so it can rest for a second. It will swim up a little further, jump another foot and a half, a little pool there so it can rest and continue until it can get upstream through the Pacific Coast Highway. ROSI DAGIT, CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST: If we restore passage in places throughout the Santa Monica mountains, throughout the range of the southern steelhead trout, then we open opportunities for them to spawn again. It's one of those rare opportunities where you can create suitable habitat and connect again and potentially have the fish go back. KOSINSKI: It's an endangered species. What we're trying to do is bring back steelhead trout to this area and we create that. Certainly, these are tough economic times, and we understand that, and so it is a balance, no doubt. EARHARDT: A balance not everyone agrees with. CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE ROBERT FLUTIE, R-CALIF.: We're in difficult times. I mean, I think that the fact that we have the highest unemployment rate in the nation and that we are continuing to see jobs leave the state... EARHARDT: Robert Flutie is a Republican running for Congress in the district that contains Malibu. FLUTIE: People are sympathetic to being able to conserve the beauty of the landscape of a wonderful state like California. But it's hard to reconcile that against the backdrop of people who are having difficult times paying their mortgage, putting food on the table, and putting gas in their car. EARHARDT: In fact, California is broke, worse than broke. The state is facing a more than $19 billion budget deficit. So Governor Schwarzenegger just demanded $12.4 billion in cuts to programs like welfare, childcare and mental health services. GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER , R-CALIF: California no longer has low-hanging fruits. We don't have any medium-hanging fruits. We also don't have any high-hanging fruits. We literally have to take the ladder from the tree and shake the whole tree. EARHARDT (on camera): This happens to be one of many projects funded by bonds voted on by the voters here in the state of California before this state fell into a deep financial mess. DAGIT: There was a proposition that was to fund specifically projects to improve water quality and to improve habitat for aquatic organisms. And so that money can only be spent on projects that achieve those two goals. FLUTIE: At the time that that those bonds were voted upon, the state was in a completely different set of circumstances. KOSINSKI: Certainly there's there are some that individuals that, you know, would rather we take that money and pay the state employees what they were paid with before these furloughs came in. But you know, I think that the vast majority of people support the concept of re-introducing this endangered species into this area. Some environmentalists say no. ABRAMSON: All the people that are dealing with fish passage projects consider a fish ladder the worst and last possible option. You look for many other options before you would ever even consider a fish ladder. Two thousand tons is a lot of boulders to make sure that it goes out to the ocean, and then they can put their little steps in there to get the fish up into our culvert. It's certainly not going to be a sandy beach. It's a 60-foot wide, 120-foot long, 2,000 tons of rock channel. EARHARDT: Abramson would rather knock out the culvert and put in a bridge for both fish and people to use. ABRAMSON: And even if a fish never showed up, that's still is a good project. You give us a bridge, we'll get at least another 50 years of life out of it. EARHARDT: And the million-dollar price tag might be just the beginning. This is a picture of a fish ladder built for a million dollars eight years ago in Santa Paulo, about an hour away. It no longer works, and the federal government is considering spending 7 1/2 million more to redo it. JOE BLAINE, FORGE PROPERTY CARETAKER: I call it the great Malibu steelhead trout pork, because there's a whole lot of pork, but I haven't seen any trout. EARHARDT: Joe Blaine lives on the Malibu property belonging to Daniel Forge, whose restaurant butts up to the Solstice Canyon Creek. BLAINE: Unfortunately, the system is set up so that nobody says, "No, we don't want any more money." Everybody says, "Sacramento, send us more money. Federal government, send us more money." EARHARDT: When Mr. Forge refused to let Caltrans use part of his property for the project, he was threatened with having it seized by eminent domain. DANIEL FORGE, MALIBU RESTAURANT OWNER: There's no fish. There's never been any fish. I've never seen one in 35 years here. FORGE: Just think for a second that you're a trout or a fish. FORGE: No, never. EARHARDT (voice-over): But advocates say that could soon change. DAGIT: The great thing about these fish is that they're like the Field of Dreams fish: if you build it, they will come. They're opportunistic in the way they go to their spawning grounds. And if the creek is suitable and if they can get up it, they will do so. DAGIT: I don't think we're putting fish before families. I actually think that that's an incorrect way to state it. The fish are part of our world. And when we start removing and taking out pieces of our world, we pay for it, one way or another. (END VIDEOTAPE) SEAN HANNITY, HOST: And joining us now, our own Ainsley Earhardt. Listen, I'm all in favor. We should I'm a conservationist. Good stewards of the gifts God gave us. Here's the problem we have: Unemployment now in California is 12.6 percent. California has a $20 billion budget deficit. EARHARDT: Well, that's the problem. The state of California voted for this. They said they wanted this money to go to efforts to save fish and this type of thing. HANNITY: Fish ladder. EARHARDT: Now they're saying, at least the people that we talked to are saying, "Hold on a minute. We're spending a lot of money, almost a million dollars to save these fish. Is this really the right time to do that?" That's the controversy there in California. We don't look, I'd love to do wonderful projects, worthy projects, you know, to help people, but right now California, by the way, has slashed childcare programs, mental health programs, California's welfare program. That's 1.4 million people that will be impacted by this. HANNITY: Right. Well, you heard in the story, I said the I asked the environmentalists, I said, "Are you choosing fish over families?" And she said, "You can't even ask that because we need the fish to be part of the ecosystem." So she makes a good point, and I definitely see both sides. But there's also that issue of spending a lot of money when people are out of work. HANNITY: Ainsley, $19.1 billion budget deficit. EARHARDT: I agree, but I'm a journalist. I have to see both sides. HANNITY: You have to see both sides. I have to see one side, the right side. We can start a ferry service for fish. Anything but, you know, a ladder, fish ladders. Your taxpayer dollars at work. Ainsley great report, appreciate it. EARHARDT: Sure. (END VIDEOTAPE) Watch "Hannity" weeknights at 9 p.m. ET! Content and Programming Copyright 2010 Fox News Network, Inc. Copyright 2010 Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. | https://www.foxnews.com/story/does-california-need-a-1-million-fish-ladder |
Is NASCAR considering a change to the current Watkins Glen layout? | With Watkins Glen International repaving the entire racing surface after this weekend's Sprint Cup Series event, many have called on NASCAR to run 'the boot' section of the track utilized by many of the sports car series that also run the facility. The current layout run by NASCAR does not utilize the nearly one-mile section of track between Turns 6 through 9. The stock cars have never used the boot section of the track. Talking with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Tuesday morning, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O'Donnell said he believes running the boot is something the sanctioning body is looking to do in the future, but it may not happen next season. "It's one of those ideas that's been out there. We've kicked it around with (track president) Michael Printup," O'Donnell told "The Morning Drive." "It's never come to that final conclusion, but I think as you look forward that is certainly something we can consider. For those that have been up there, you know it's a challenge with sight lines and being able to see that area (of the track), but the way Michael is bringing folks in and what TV is able to do now, I think there's the opportunity to work together and maybe make that a reality down the road." In terms of repaving the entire facility, O'Donnell said the sanctioning body works very closely with tracks when a repave is considered. While drivers often bemoan track repaves, this will be the first time Watkins Glen has updating the racing surface since 1998. "Any time a surface is going to be repaved we've got to know almost at least a year in advance -- and we will," said O'Donnell. "We've got to work with Goodyear on the tires that will be prepared for that race, they may be different. Obviously the track surfaces change -- when you look at a Darlington before and after, Talladega is the same. We'll work closely with Goodyear. You'll certainly hear from the industry, particularly the drivers. When the word 'repave' comes up, it's not usually a good word. "We feel like a worn-in racetrack puts on the best racing, for the most part, so what we've got to do then is match the tire from a wear standpoint based on the newness of the facility's asphalt,' he said. "It's really a balance for us to kind of almost put new asphalt on and get it where it's 10 years in, and that's tough to do, but that's the goal." | https://www.foxnews.com/sports/is-nascar-considering-a-change-to-the-current-watkins-glen-layout |
Could Oil Prices Rise By $25 Per Barrel In 2019? | As we begin 2019, the energy markets and the stock markets are experiencing incredible volatility. Both underwent steep declines during the latter part of last year, but both are off to a fast start in the new year. Below are my predictions for some of the significant energy trends I expect this year. As I often point out, the discussion behind the predictions is more important than the predictions themselves. Thats why I provide extensive background and reasoning behind the predictions. I also provide predictions that are specific and measurable. At years end, there are specific metrics that will indicate whether a prediction was right or wrong. Oil prices will rise at least $25/bbl in 2019 Six months ago, when oil prices were pushing above $70/bbl, I was preparing to make a more conservative oil price prediction for 2019. I thought the price rise would slow heading into 2019, but what I didnt foresee was the collapse in prices that took place in the second half of 2018. That collapse in oil prices makes this prediction a lot easier. The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) closed the last day of 2018 at $45.15/bbl, after falling $30/bbl in the last three months of the year. Oil closed $15/bbl lower than it opened the year. Meanwhile, U.S. crude oil inventories are almost exactly where they were a year ago. The difference is in the perception of where the oil market is going. Market bears foresee electric vehicles taking a larger bite out of oil consumption, and they see continued growth of U.S. oil production contributing to an oversupply of crude oil globally. They are also concerned about an economic slowdown. OPEC is the wild card here. A big reason oil prices collapsed is that President Trump convinced Saudi Arabia to increase production to make up for oil that would be lost as a result of Iranian sanctions. But at the last minute, the Trump Administration granted generous exemptions to allow countries to continue importing Iranian oil. These exemptions are supposed to be for 180 days, but they suddenly created too much oil in the market. Saudi Arabia was furious, and they immediately cut oil production. At the next OPEC meeting, the cartel agreed to cut production to balance the market. I expect they will have success with this strategy in 2019, the same way they did the last time they went down this path. OPEC hasnt lost its pricing power yet, as long as they maintain discipline. I expect their previous success will be repeated this year. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that WTI will average $54/bbl in 2019. I think thats too conservative. Its hard to project an average price, because I dont know how long it will be before sentiment shifts. And there are still going to be those who think electric vehicles are soon going to put oil out of business. Those sentiments will impact prices. But I expect that by the end of the year, OPECs strategy will be working, and you will see oil prices get back to the $70/bbl level. U.S. oil production growth will slow in 2019 versus 2018 Except for an OPEC-induced dip in production in 2016, U.S. oil production has risen like a rocket since 2011. None of those years was bigger than 2018, when domestic oil production rose by 1.5 million barrels per day (BPD). In the six of seven years since 2011 when production did increase, it rose by an average of one million BPD. While I do expect U.S. oil production to grow again in 2019, I think the combination of lower oil prices to begin the year and a potential economic slowdown stemming from trade tensions will result in a slowing of production growth for 2019. Related: The Natural Gas Crash Isnt Over However, average production for all of 2018 was 10.9 million BPD. By the end of the year this level had reached 11.7 million BPD. Thus, it wont take much of a rise to add another average of one million BPD to 2018 levels. I believe this will happen, but I dont believe we will add a million BPD from the year-end level of 11.7 million BPD (as we did in 2018). All we need to do is sustain another 300,000 BPD in 2019 to year-end 2018 levels to average a million BPD over 2018. I can see that happening, but I dont see a repeat of 2018s huge growth. Despite President Trumps best efforts, gasoline prices will end the year at least $0.30/gallon higher than they began the year. I typically make a natural gas prediction, but the fundamental picture is mixed. Inventories are still extremely low, which should call for higher prices. But natural gas prices are quite low to start the year. If the inventory picture improves, they will stay low. If not, we will see a lot of volatility. Its a coin flip, so I am going to forego a natural gas price prediction this year. | https://news.yahoo.com/could-oil-prices-rise-25-160000052.html |
What happens if PG&E goes bankrupt? | Californias largest power company faces an existential crisis as it confronts the looming possibility of tens of billions of dollars in wildfire liability. Shares of PG&E Corp. which owns Pacific Gas & Electric Co. sank 22.3 percent Monday before falling more than 7 percent Tuesday after reports the utility could face at least $30 billion in liability related to fires and has considered filing for bankruptcy protection or unloading its natural gas operations. The consequences of bankruptcy or an asset sale could ripple far beyond the utilitys shareholders, some experts say, affecting 16 million Californians who depend on PG&E for energy and potentially threatening the states ability to meet its climate-change goals. The utility has faced tremendous scrutiny over the past decade, starting with a 2010 gas explosion that killed eight people in San Bruno and continuing with among the deadliest and most destructive fires in state history, some of which may have been sparked by PG&Es infrastructure. The California Public Utilities Commission is considering breaking up the company as part of an investigation into PG&Es safety culture. Some PG&E critics have called for a government takeover or for the massive company to be replaced by smaller, municipal utilities. But its far from clear that local governments across Northern and Central California have the ability or the desire to take control of PG&Es infrastructure, and to assume the huge liabilities that running the power grid entails. And state officials arent likely to support a takeover because then the utilitys problems would become Sacramentos problems instead. For the state to take over every bit of the wildfire liabilities is just insane, said Mike Gatto, a former state lawmaker who led the Assemblys utilities committee. PG&E declined to comment on specific steps it may be considering. In an emailed statement, spokesman Andy Castagnola said the company is reviewing structural options to best position PG&E to implement necessary changes. Safety is and will continue to be our top priority as we work to determine the best path forward for all of our stakeholders. PG&E remains fully committed to helping our customers and the affected communities recover and rebuild and to doing everything we can to reduce the risk of future wildfires, Castagnola said. Separately, three of the utilitys top executives responsible for electric operations, assets and transmissions are retiring this month, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday. No comment was made on the timing of the departures, and the utility declined to make the executives available for interview, the Chronicle reported. North Coast state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, who co-authored a law to help the company cover wildfire-related costs, called for systematic change on the board of directors and in the executive suite late last year. The fundamental challenge in navigating a potential PG&E bankruptcy or reshuffling is that PG&E isnt like most private companies. Its the only entity authorized to deliver electricity to 5.4 million homes and businesses, and gas for home heating and cooking to 4.3 million customers. The companys geographic reach spans nearly half the state, from Eureka to Bakersfield. The Public Utilities Commission is eager to avoid a Bankruptcy Court proceeding, in which a federal judge would control the companys fate and the interests of creditors would be placed above those of ratepayers. Commission President Michael Picker has said California wont let PG&E go bankrupt. He compared the process of reforming the troubled company to repairing a jetliner while its in flight. | https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/9149576-181/what-happens-if-pge-goes |
Who is Sex Education star Emma Mackey and what has she starred in before? | Emma Mackey takes on her first major role in Sex Education (Picture: Netflix) Netflixs newest show Sex Education is proving a hit with viewers since it was released on Friday. The candid comedy stars Asa Butterfield as teenager Otis, attempting to navigate the world of high school after being left sexually repressed by his sex therapist mum, played by Gillian Anderson. Things change for Otis when he begins a sex counselling business with fellow student Maeve played by Emma Mackey. Emma was born in 1999, which means shell be celebrating her 20th birthday this year. Shes appeared in one other movie called Summit Fever but Maeve in Sex Education is her first major role. While the character may appear tough on the outside, Emma has revealed that she has a softer side also. Advertisement Advertisement She is an extremely selfless person, and she cares about people, she explained. Like Emma, many of the young cast in the show are newcomers but there are a few familiar faces also. Asa Butterfield, who plays Otis, has appeared in a string of movies after beginning his acting career in childhood with roles in The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, Son Of Rambow, Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang, Enders Game and Hugo, among others as well as playing young Mordred in Merlin. Connor Swindells. who stars as headmasters son Adam Groff, has previously appeared in the likes of Harlots and Jamestown. And Mimi Keene, who plays Ruby, is known to EastEnders viewers as Cindy Williams, appearing from 2013-2015. Sex Education is available to watch now on Netflix UK. If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you. | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/13/sex-education-star-emma-mackey-starred-8340034/ |
How well is Obama handling the racial divide? | This is a rush transcript from "Special Report," July 12, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS) PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The overwhelming majority of police officers do an incredibly hard and dangerous job fairly and professionally. They are deserving of our respect and not our scorn. When anyone, no matter how good their intentions may be, paints all police as biased or bigoted, we undermine those officers we depend on for our safety. We ask the police to do too much and we ask too little of ourselves. (END VIDEO CLIPS) SHANNON BREAM, GUEST ANCHOR: Let's bring in our panel. That was the president today speaking at the memorial service for the five murdered Dallas police officers. We're joined now by syndicated columnist George Will, editor in chief of Lifezette, Laura Ingraham, and Charles Lane, opinion writer for The Washington Post. George, I felt like it was the most full throated defense I've heard the president speaking on behalf of law enforcement and really talking about their bravery and their dedication and the respect that they're due. GEORGE WILL, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: He got off to a bad start as president on this subject when six months into his term, there was that episode in Cambridge, Massachusetts, between the Cambridge policeman and Henry Gates, a friend of his, an African-American professor of Harvard, and the president immediately said the police had acted stupidly. Presidents -- all presidents, I guess, feel obliged to weigh in on almost everything that happens in America. Sometimes they overdo it and do it without information. However, in this case, the president, as he ruefully said, has had a lot of practice at this. And practice, if not making perfect, makes him very skillful at it. I thought he did a good job today. He had the difficult task of following Chief Brown, who is a perfect master. This says something wonderful about the social soil of this country that we produce people like that on occasions like this. BREAM: He actually -- Chief Brown brought a smile to a lot of people's faces, sort of in a fun way talking about his own efforts trying to get dates as a teenager and using lyrics of songs that he thought was important, which he did today, Laura, in a very moving way today. LAURA INGRAHAM, EDITOR IN CHIEF, LIFEZETTE.COM: I think George is absolutely right. Out of the carnage and utter despair that we've seen really I think in race relations in the last five or six years in this country, it seems to have gotten worse in many ways, to see someone like Chief Brown come out of this -- he is in deep pain. These are men he knew personally. He knows their wives, knows their kids. And then he gets up there before the entire nation and acts -- and conducts himself with such grace and such poise, a man of deep faith, a man of great discernment. And yet we kind of separate ourselves, all of us, from those men and women who are doing these tasks every day that keep the order in society. And he said this yesterday, the day before. People are getting like $40,000 a year. They're having trouble retaining police and recruiting police in Dallas. I don't know if this is all, you know, going to help all that much. But I agree. We have to focus on the really bright lights in our society today that are making a difference day in, day out. I agree that President Obama's speech was quite moving. It would be nice if we heard some of that earlier on in this this big controversy about the police. But I think he's almost like a preacher in these moments. He has that pastoral effect. BREAM: We also heard from former president George W. Bush today. And he -- of course, he does a lot of speaking privately and that kind of thing. But he has really tried to stay out of the limelight, let the next president be the president he is. But that being his own community, his home state and his home city today, his remarks very moving as well today. CHARLES LANE, THE WASHINGTON POST: He had to, I think, step forward, it being the state of Texas. And I think he, like the president, basically rose to the occasion. Just going back to the points people were making about Chief Brown. It's a reminder that even as there's great loss of faith across the board in this country, and all the polls show it -- in federal leadership, in the Congress, the president, and so forth, there's actually good evidence of people admire their state and local leadership more. Gallup just produced a poll showing people have almost twice as much faith in the state leadership where they live as they do in the federal. And looking at the performance of that police chief, not just today but over the last few days, is perhaps one reason why. It's also true, if I may add, the police remain, after the military, the one institution in this country that enjoys a majority of popular support. Obviously there's a racial divide on that. But I think that's another reason the president, you know, is constrained to speak as strongly as he did today. WILL: I would add with regard to state and local officials, the state in this union that has the most African-American elected officials -- not the most per capita, the most -- is Mississippi. BREAM: That's an interesting fact. The president starting out today with lauding each of these officers, telling very personal stories of each of their lives, he did also veer into the political. We want to play a little bit of what he had to say, something we see him repeatedly do when these incidents happen to talk then about issues involving guns. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book. WILL: That's an exaggeration, but the president has a metabolic urge to talk about gun control. And I sort of forgive him that on an occasion like this. But I don't think that kind of hyperbole is helpful. INGRAHAM: First of all, verifiably it's untrue. He says something that is verifiably untrue, and it has no relation at all to what happened. This was a military-trained expert at combat. And he went in there knowing what he was going to do. He wasn't a teenager. It wasn't some kid who was kicking around, decides I'm going to go get a 9 millimeter or something. That ruined much of the speech for me, because you don't have to get political. This is not a day really to be political if you're up there on that stage. So I'm glad he quoted Chief Brown and said we're asking police to do way too much in this country. They're not parents and spiritual counselors and finding the stray dogs. There's too many dogs now that are stray dogs. So that was good. But the gun control thing, I think it's like a Pavlovian response. He has to go there. LANE: Honestly, I agree with both of you that that was a strange exaggeration and not true what he said. But the broader point, speaking of things we ask the police to do too much of, we ask them to go into situations where everybody is armed too often. Indeed what happened in Dallas could have been much worse given that some of the people in the protest were parading carrying weapons, which is, strangely, legal in Texas. LANE: Because it shouldn't be. LANE: According to me and a lot of other people. It could have made that situation catastrophically worse. Yet another reason to praise the Dallas police. BREAM: Important to note, though, that there were no other incidents other than the sniper taking the officers' lives. And, yes, there were a lot of guns in Texas. That's how they roll. But everybody else was peaceable. Content and Programming Copyright 2016 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2016 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. | https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/how-well-is-obama-handling-the-racial-divide |
Did a Queens podiatrist help Donald Trump avoid Vietnam? | In the fall of 1968, Donald Trump received a timely diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels that led to his medical exemption from the military during Vietnam. For 50 years, the details of how the exemption came about, and who made the diagnosis, have remained a mystery, with Trump himself saying during the presidential campaign that he could not recall who had signed off on the medical documentation. Now a possible explanation has emerged about the documentation. It involves a foot doctor in Queens, New York, who rented his office from Trumps father, Fred Trump, and a suggestion that the diagnosis was granted as a courtesy to the elder Trump. The podiatrist, Dr. Larry Braunstein, died in 2007. But his daughters say their father often told the story of coming to the aid of a young Trump during the Vietnam War as a favor to his father. I know it was a favor, said one daughter, Dr. Elysa Braunstein, 56, who along with her sister, Sharon Kessel, 53, shared the familys account for the first time publicly when contacted by The New York Times. Elysa Braunstein said the implication from her father was that Donald Trump did not have a disqualifying foot ailment. I dont know, she said. For decades, Larry Braunstein saw patients in a congested ground-floor office below Edgerton Apartments in Jamaica, Queens, one of dozens of buildings owned by the Trumps in the 1960s. The family sold the building in 2004, records show. What he got was access to Fred Trump, Elysa Braunstein said. If there was anything wrong in the building, my dad would call and Trump would take care of it immediately. That was the small favor that he got. No paper evidence has been found to help corroborate the version of events described by the Braunstein family, who also suggested there was some involvement by a second podiatrist, Dr. Manny Weinstein. Weinstein, who died in 1995, lived in two apartments in Brooklyn owned by Fred Trump; city directories show he moved into the first during the year Donald Trump received his exemption. Braunsteins daughters said their father left no medical records with the family, and a doctor who purchased his practice said he was unaware of any documents related to Trump. Most detailed government medical records related to the draft no longer exist, according to the National Archives. In an interview with The Times in 2016, Trump said that a doctor provided a very strong letter about the bone spurs in his heels, which he then presented to draft officials. He said he could not remember the doctors name. You are talking a lot of years, Trump said. But he suggested he still had some paperwork related to the exemption, which he did not provide. Trump did not mention in that interview any connection between his father and the doctor. The White House did not make Trump available for a follow-up interview and did not respond to written questions about his service record. An investigation by The Times in October showed the extent to which Fred Trump had assisted his son over the years, despite Donald Trumps insistence to the contrary. The investigation revealed that Donald Trump received the equivalent today of at least $413 million from his fathers real estate empire, including the equivalent of $200,000 a year by age 3. | https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/9111550-181/trump-received-bone-spurs-diagnosis |
Did NASA Mars Rover find a signature of past life? | During its wheeled treks on the Red Planet, NASA's Spirit rover may have encountered a potential signature of past life on Mars, report scientists at Arizona State University (ASU). To help make their case, the researchers have contrasted Spirit's study of "Home Plate" a plateau of layered rocks that the robot explored during the early part of its third year on Mars with features found within active hot spring/geyser discharge channels at a site in northern Chile called El Tatio. The work has resulted in a provocative paper: "Silica deposits on Mars with features resembling hot spring biosignatures at El Tatio in Chile." [5 Bold Claims of Alien Life] Field work As reported online last week in the journal Nature Communications, field work in Chile by the ASU team Steven Ruff and Jack Farmer of the university's School of Earth and Space Exploration shows that the nodular and digitate silica structures at El Tatio that most closely resemble those on Mars include complex sedimentary structures produced by a combination of biotic and abiotic processes. "Although fully abiotic processes are not ruled out for the Martian silica structures, they satisfy an a priori definition of potential biosignatures," the researchers wrote in the study. Ancient setting Spirit landed on Mars in January 2004, a few weeks before its twin, Opportunity, touched down in a different part of the Red Planet. Both golf-cart-size rovers were tasked with looking for signs of past water activity during their missions, which were originally planned to last three months. Spirit encountered outcrops and regolith composed of opaline silica (amorphous SiO2nH2O) in an ancient volcanic hydrothermal setting in Gusev crater. An origin via either fumarole-related acid-sulfate leaching or precipitation from hot spring fluids was considered possible. "However, the potential significance of the characteristic nodular and [millimeter]-scale digitate opaline silica structures was not recognized," Ruff and Farmer noted in the new study. El Tatio: Mars-like conditions The physical environment of El Tatio offers a rare combination of high elevation, low precipitation rate, high mean annual evaporation rate, common diurnal freeze-thaw and extremely high ultraviolet irradiance. "Such conditions provide a better environmental analog for Mars than those of Yellowstone National Park (USA) and other well-known geothermal sites on Earth," suggested Ruff and Farmer. "Our results demonstrate that the more Mars-like conditions of El Tatio produce unique deposits, including biomediated silica structures, with characteristics that compare favorably with the Home Plate silica outcrops. The similarities raise the possibility that the Martian silica structures formed in a comparable manner." Biosignature definition Previously, a NASA science team defined a potential biosignature as "an object, substance and/or pattern that might have a biological origin and thus compels investigators to gather more data before reaching a conclusion as to the presence or absence of life." "Because we can neither prove nor disprove a biological origin for the microstromatolite-like digitate silica structures at Home Plate, they constitute a potential biosignature according to this definition," Ruff and Farmer wrote. Spirit of future exploration Spirit bogged down on Mars in May 2009, becoming stuck in soft soil. In late January 2010, after months of attempts to free the rover, NASA dubbed the wheeled robot a stationary research platform. The lack of mobility and the harsh climes of Mars conspired to seal Spirit's fate, with attempts to regain contact with the robot ending in May 2011. Subsequently, NASA announced the end of contact efforts and the completion of Spirits mission. (Opportunity is still going strong today.) The ASU researchers suggested that a future and specially instrumented rover mission could perhaps provide a more definitive assessment of possible biogenicity of Home Plate silica structures. "However, because of the challenges in obtaining unambiguous evidence in situ, coordinated microscopic and compositional analyses of samples returned to laboratories on Earth may be required to reach a robust conclusion as to the presence or absence of past Martian life in these rocks," Ruff and Farmer stated. The new study can be viewed here. | https://www.foxnews.com/science/did-nasa-mars-rover-find-a-signature-of-past-life |
Who has the edge in today's Patriots-Chargers contest? | FOXBORO This hasnt been your prototypical Patriots season. For the first time since 2009, the Patriots failed to win 12 regular-season games, finishing 11-5. For the first time since 2009, the Patriots were under .500 when playing on the road. If the Patriots want to avoid the same fate of that 2009 squad, the last Pats team to lose in the divisional round, theyll have to get by a tough opponent in the Los Angeles Chargers. Theres no sugarcoating it, the Chargers have a phenomenal roster. Their offense, defense and special-teams units are littered with Pro Bowl and All-Pro players. Los Angeles is the first 12-win wildcard team (seven wins were on the road) to visit Gillette Stadium since 2012, earning the trip after beating the Ravens, 23-17, in Baltimore. This Patriots season has been strange. They never went on a dominant run as their five losses were spread out over the beginning, middle and end of the season. Maybe theyre saving their best for last. When the Patriots run Sony Michel had a solid rookie season, leading the Patriots with 931 rushing yards and six touchdowns. The first-round pick missed a handful of games due to a knee injury, so the Patriots began leaning on James White more. White had a career-high 425 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. Rex Burkhead (186 yards) and Cordarrelle Patterson (228 rushing yards) also pitched in. Overall, the Patriots finished fifth in the NFL with 2,037 total rushing yards. The Chargers were ninth overall in rush defense, allowing 105.8 yards per game. They also have Pro Bowl pass rushers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa. Edge: Patriots When the Patriots pass Brady was off this season, but he wasnt horrible. He finished seventh in passing yards, eighth in completions and 10th in touchdowns. The problems arent truly Brady. After losing Josh Gordon (suspension), theres more pressure on Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, who hasnt looked the same. Chris Hogan had a disappointing year. Phillip Dorsett has been solid when called upon. The Patriots were eighth in passing offense this season. The Chargers are ninth in passing defense, but have a secondary with All-Pro safety Derwin James, All-Pro slot corner Desmond King and two-time Pro Bowler Casey Hayward. Edge: Chargers When the Chargers run Melvin Gordons one of the best running backs in the NFL. The biggest question is his health after suffering a knee injury this season. In 12 games, Gordon ran for 885 yards and scored 10 rushing touchdowns. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry, which was eighth in the NFL. Backup Austin Ekeler ran for 554 yards while averaging 5.2 yards per carry (fifth in the NFL). He scored four rushing touchdowns. The Patriots have had some issues this season when defending the run. They finished 11th overall in run defense, but were inconstant in the second half. Edge: Chargers When the Chargers pass Philip Rivers finished fifth in NFL in passer rating, sixth in passing touchdowns and eighth in passing yards. Keenan Allen (6-foot-2) led the Chargers with 97 receptions, 1,196 yards and six touchdowns. Mike Williams (6-foot-4) had 43 catches for 664 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns. Tyrell Williams (6-foot-4) had 41 catches for 653 yards and five scores. The Patriots are led by first-team All-Pro Stephon Gilmore. J.C. Jackson and Jason McCourty will need to be on their game. Edge: Even Special Teams Stephen Gostkowski connected on 84.4 percent of his field goals this season (32 attempts). Chargers kicker Mike Badgley hit 93.8 percent of his field goals, but had just 16 attempts. Cordarrelle Patterson was named a second-team All-Pro as a kickoff returner, averaging 28.8 yards per return. Julian Edelman averaged 7.7 yards per punt return. Desmond King is an All-Pro punt returner, averaging 13.8 yards per punt return. He also averaged 23.7 yards per kickoff return. The Chargers allowed fewer yards per kickoff return (21.7) and punt returner (9.2) than the Patriots this season (24.6 and 10.2). Edge: Chargers Coaching Bill Belichick is the best coach of all-time. On Sunday, Belichick will coach in his 40th postseason game. That's an NFL record breaking his own mark. Belichick's five Super Bowl titles as a head coach are second all-time behind George Halas and Curly Lambeau, who both have six league championships. He's also been to more Super Bowls (11) in his career as a coach than anyone in NFL history. Chargers coach Anthony Lynn, meanwhile, has one career win in the postseason as a head coach. Edge: Patriots PREDICTION: PATRIOTS 23, CHARGERS 20 | https://www.providencejournal.com/sports/20190113/who-has-edge-in-todays-patriots-chargers-contest |
Was the fatal shooting of a Houston 7-year-old girl racially motivated? | HOUSTON The sister of a 7-year-old Houston girl shot to death in her family car said she locked eyes with the killer before he started firing into the vehicle holding a mother and four daughters. Investigators are trying to determine a motive for the attack that killed Jazmine Barnes. The girls mother, who was shot in the arm, said she believed the attack on her black family was motivated by race. This is something I believe was a hate crime, LaPorsha Washington said Thursday. Jazmine was killed Sunday as she sat behind the drivers seat on a grocery shopping trip. The unidentified white attacker remains at large. Were not ruling anything out, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at a Wednesday news conference. Were not tone-deaf to some of the concerns in our community, where these could be potentially race-related. Were not going to ignore that issue. Jazmines slaying has gained national attention at a time when white nationalists have become more outspoken and videos documenting attacks on blacks have gone viral, including a recent incident in which a man leans over a McDonalds counter and grabs a female employee. Investigators have little to go on beyond the familys account and grainy surveillance video showing the gunmans red pickup just before the attack. On Thursday, the Harris County Sheriffs Office released the video and a composite sketch of the gunman based on the familys accounts. The man, described as in his 40s and wearing a hooded sweatshirt, fired from the truck into the car Jazmine was riding in with her mother and three sisters, striking the second-grader in the head, according to officials. Two of the other girls were injured by broken glass and had to be hospitalized. The family said the man had stopped next to their car at a red light before the attack. On Thursday, at a news conference held by the family, Jazmines 15-year-old sister Alxis Dilbert said she looked directly into the killers eyes just before the shooting. It was like that, Alxis said. He was white and he had blue eyes and that was it, because he had a hoodie on. I couldnt see his hair. Washington has said her 6-year-old was the first to notice Jazmine was unresponsive. She said, Momma, Jazmines not moving. Shes not talking. I turned around and my 7-year-old was shot in the head. Washington said she worried about her daughters, especially the 13-year-old, who was sitting next to Jazmine during the attack. She hasnt dropped a tear. And it scares me because I dont know whats going on in her head. She saw it all, and shes got to remember that. Gonzalez said officers were pursuing tips in the case and reviewing a similar unsolved shooting from 2017. On Aug. 30, 2017, a white man in a pickup opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle at a group of black people in a car about six miles from where Jazmine was shot, injuring two people, according to the sheriffs office. No one was killed, and the shooting, which occurred soon after Hurricane Harvey struck the city, remains unsolved. Gonzalez said that investigators were reviewing the case to see if we may have missed anything. He cautioned at a news briefing Thursday that he didnt want to alarm people into thinking there is a serial shooter out there but understood that people of color may fear being targeted. Its a reality that it does happen, he said. He promised to increase patrols. | https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/9134488-181/was-the-fatal-shooting-of |
Will star Betelgeuse explode? | On some January or February evening, come to know the red star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion. Its not only one of Orions brightest stars. Its also a star that astronomers know will one day explode as a supernova. And by one estimate, its only 430 light-years away! Follow the links below to learn more about Betelgeuse and its explosive destiny. Betelgeuse will explode someday. How to see the star Betelgeuse in the night sky. Betelgeuse in pop culture, history and mythology. Betelgeuse will explode someday Betelgeuse lies some 430 light-years from Earth. (Note: determining distances, especially to red supergiant stars, is a vexing problem in astronomy. Estimates vary and are often revised, with some as high as 650 light-years.) Yet its already one of the brightest stars in Earths sky. The reason is that Betelgeuse is a supergiant star. It is intrinsically very brilliant. Such brilliance comes at a price, however. Betelgeuse is one of the most famous stars in the sky because its due to explode someday. Betelgeuses enormous energy requires that the fuel be expended quickly (relatively speaking), and in fact Betelgeuse is now near the end of its lifetime. Someday soon (astronomically speaking), it will run out of fuel, collapse under its own weight, and then rebound in a spectacular supernova explosion. When this happens, Betelgeuse will brighten enormously for a few weeks or months, perhaps as bright as the full moon and visible in broad daylight. Probably not in our lifetimes. But, in fact, no one really knows. It could be tomorrow or a million years in the future. Short answer: no. That rumor was flying around in 2012. Anyway, when it does go supernova, Betelgeuse wont be bright enough to appear as a second sun in our sky. Instead, anyone alive on Earth when it happens will be treated to an amazingly beautiful sight in the night sky a very, very, very bright star. When Betelgeuse does blow up, our planet Earth is too far away for this explosion to harm, much less destroy, life on Earth. Astrophysicists say wed have to be within 50 light-years of a supernova for it to harm us. Betelgeuse is nearly 10 times this distance. So were safe from Betelgeuse. And, in fact, if there are any astronomers around when it does blow, they will be extremely thrilled to have a relatively nearby supernova to study. Fortunately for us, it appears that there will be few, if any, adverse affects to Earth when Betelgeuse goes supernova. If Betelgeuse were side by side with our sun, youd find it 10,000 times brighter than the sun in visible light. It might be surprising then to learn that the surface temperature of Betelgeuse is only about 6,000 degrees F (3,315 C) in contrast to the suns 10,000 degrees F (5,538 C). In terms of mass, Betelgeuse is thought to be about 15 times the mass of the sun, but 600 times wider and more than 200 million times its volume! When you consider its size, as well as the infrared and other radiations it pumps out, Betelgeuse probably outshines our sun by at least 50,000 times. How to see the star Betelgeuse in the night sky. At mid-northern latitudes, around the first of every year, Betelgeuse rises around sunset. The star is very well placed for viewing on January and February evenings. By the beginning of March, this star is due south in early evening. By mid-May, it can be glimpsed briefly in the west after sunset. Betelgeuse is traveling behind the sun in early summer, but it returns to the east before dawn by about mid-July. Betelgeuse in the famous constellation Orion is easy to spot. See our sky chart to learn the pattern of the constellation Orion the Hunter. Orion itself is noticeable for the short, straight row of three medium-bright stars in its mid-section. Betelgeuse is in the upper left corner of the large rectangle forming Orion. The star Betelgeuse has a distinctive color: somber orange-red. Its ideal for convincing non-believers that stars do, in fact, come in colors. Stars designated as Alpha are typically brightest in their constellations. But Betelgeuse is Alpha Orionis, despite the fact that its fainter than Orions other bright star, Rigel. Betelgeuse is the 10th brightest star in the sky overall, and its the 7th brightest star visible from most of the U.S., Canada, Europe and the majority of the Northern Hemisphere. Betelgeuse in pop culture, history and mythology. This stars name is similar. The proper names of many bright stars are Arabic in origin. This fact reflects the dominance of Arabic astronomers and astrologers during Europes Dark Ages. The name Betelgeuse apparently is derived from an Arabic phrase that is usually translated as The Armpit of the Giant. Of course the Giant refers to Orion, but rather than an armpit some authors see Betelgeuse as representing a hand or sometimes a shoulder. While it is not entirely clear what the name means, in any event, Betelgeuse marks the right shoulder of Orion in many old star maps. In the ancient myths, Orion is most often associated with a giant, a warrior, a hunter, a god or some other anthropomorphic or animal figure, so it is not surprising that most depictions of Betelgeuse have an anatomical connection. The Sanskrit name signified an arm, too, for example, although it likely was really the leg of a stag. In parts of Brazil Betelgeuse was seen as the hind leg of a cayman (crocodilian) or the foreleg of a turtle. On the other hand, in ancient Japan, Betelgeuse was considered to be part of the rim of a ceremonial drum. In Peru, it was one of four vultures about to devour a criminal. The position of Betelgeuse is RA 05h 55m 10.3053s, dec +07 24 25.4. Bottom line: The star Betelgeuse is destined to explode someday as a supernova. EarthSky lunar calendars are cool! They make great gifts. Order now. Going fast! | https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/betelgeuse-will-explode-someday |
Where else would 'Saturday Night Live' begin this week than with Kanye West's Oval Office visit? | If there was one moment from last weeks typically turbulent news cycle that stood out as one in which you could imagine the Saturday Night Live writers room leaning forward in attention, it was Kanye Wests White House visit with President Trump. It was a frequently surreal moment that befitted the administrations oft-repeated reputation for providing a meeting point between reality TV and politics, and Saturday Night Live indeed could not resist. As expected, Alec Baldwin donned the presidential power tie and comb-over wig for the first time this season for a sit-down with Chris Redds MAGA-hat wearing West. Thank you for joining us all today for this important discussion. Its in no way a publicity stunt. First let me begin with the idea that time is a myth, Redd began, and Im a prisoner in another dimension. Have I lost anyone so far? Baldwins Trump for his part retreated to an internal monologue. Ive been in a room with Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong-Un and they made a lot more sense than him. Redds West was undeterred, which led to Trump thinking: He doesnt stop. He doesnt listen to anyone but himself. Who does he remind me of? Later, a bit more flattered by the unhinged antics, he took comfort in lyrics from Wests song Lift Yourself (maybe better known as the poopity scoop song). While the real-life meeting this week had no shortage of moments bizarre enough to defy parody, one cant blame SNL for trying. The episode was hosted by former SNL head writer turned Late Night host Seth Meyers, who was also in this news this week after a former castmate, Taran Killam, appeared on a podcast to talk about his time on the show. In it he cited Meyers tenure the last time the show took a more collaborative approach with creator Lorne Michaels rather than doing whatever he said, and said Michaels encouraged the show to go easier on Trump. While the show didnt seem to show any more than its usual bite, Meyers did return to the Weekend Update desk to reprise his Really? segment with Colin Jost and Michael Che. Kanye West in the Oval Office, of course. Dont you have better things to do? Meyers asked. And, by the way, when I say that Im really not sure which of you Im talking to. See it below: | https://www.pressdemocrat.com/entertainment/8843481-181/where-else-would-saturday-night |
Can artists be separated from their art when they drop the ball? | Some artists including Lady Gaga, who has worked with Kelly in the past have apologized for the projects he partnered on. B2K, an American boy band that was active from 1998 to 2004, has reportedly disclosed that they won't be performing any of the songs he wrote for them. Buzz Feed News published an article containing the list of songs that have been "tainted" by R Kelly because of the scandal on Saturday, January 12, 2019, and B2K's 'Bump Bump Bump' and 'Girlfriend' made part of the list. Many of the reactions that have welcomed a recent documentary about R Kelly have been of disapproval. In a six-part feature "Surviving R. Kelly" that aired in the United States of America last week, the interviews with women claimed to have been assaulted by the singer are compiled. The documentary has inspired a protest calling for a boycott of his music. Despite this, his lawyer Steve Greenberg has confirmed that R Kelly is doing well in his music. "His millions of fans love him and they're listening to him," the attorney told reporters while responding the unpleasant rumours about his client. One of the gossips about Kelly includes being part of a sex cult. A charge Steve Greenberg strongly denies on his behalf. "The allegations arent true because he never knowingly had sex with an underage woman, he never forced anyone to do anything, he never held anyone captive, he never abused anyone," the lawyer said in a report published by the Irish Independent on Sunday, January 13, 2019. R Kelly's Spring Break Jam a doubt The pressure from widespread protests against R Kelly has affected the possibility of performing at the Spring Break Jam earlier fixed to hold in April 2019. According to ABC News, the singer is the headliner of the event meant to happen at the Exposition Building at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on the sixth day of the month. But the organizers' submission for a permit to hold the concert was denied. This developed on Thursday, January 10, 2019, ABC confirms. The request to use the venue was reportedly denied due to security concerns. Greenberg's claim that his client is doing well might only be temporary. Best to avoid dropping the ball The brush-off with the facility managers is the hard consequence of a paedophile image gradually causing R Kelly to be sidelined. Perhaps, a proof that one's craft no matter how much exciting experience it has brought, can easily become thrash when your image as an artist has been tarnished. At R Kelly's residence at the Trump Towers in Chicago, the police have already made a visit in response to a report that two women were being held there against their will. This happened on Friday morning according to the Daily Mail UK. When interviewed by police officers, the women were confirmed to be in "good health and spirits" and are not being made to stay at the apartment without consent says a report by the Daily Mail. R Kelly has maintained innocence since the allegation accusing him of sexually abusing teenage girls but the world has failed to believe him. His experience is a reason for artists, especially the ones with so much to lose, to be proactive about the image they project. This might mean holding themselves to a high moral standard. As it appears in R Kelly's case, the world is not ready to forgive any flop. It is simply best to avoid dropping the ball. | https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/can-artists-be-separated-from-their-art-when-they-drop-the-ball/lxsl5yn |
Is the BJP really concerned about India's poor? | On January 9, the upper house of India's parliament - the Rajya Sabha - passed a constitutional amendment to lift the cap on reservations in education and public sector jobs from 50 to 60 percent. The next step is for the bill to receive presidential assent, but its fate is still somewhat uncertain, given the possibility that it might not withstand judicial scrutiny and be struck down by the country's Supreme Court. What is certain is that this initiative has proven deeply controversial. Opposition parties have criticised its legality, intent, and practicability, while public intellectuals such as Pratap Bhanu Mehta has labelled it cynical politics and cynical policy. Reservations are what passes for affirmative action in the Indian context, and entail, simply put, a percentage of state and central government jobs and seats in higher educational institutions being reserved for Dalits and other lower caste groups. This form of affirmative action has colonial antecedents, and was written into the constitutional backbone of India's political system after the coming of independence as a means of improving the condition of groups who were thought to be suffering from social and educational backwardness. Reservations were initially limited to Dalits (Scheduled Castes) and Adivasis (Scheduled Tribes). However, in the early 1990s, in accordance with the recommendations of the Mandal Committee Report, reservations were expanded to encompass other lower caste groups (Other Backward Classes) as well. In 1992, the Supreme Court imposed the 50 percent cap on reservations, which is currently in the process of being overturned, avowedly to avoid compromising the constitutional principle of equal access. What is crucial about the constitutional amendment that has now successfully made it through parliament is the fact that it is delinked from caste. The additional 10 percent of reserved jobs and seats in higher educational institutions that is to be introduced by removing the current 50 percent cap is intended to benefit what the Modi government refers to as "economically weaker sections" that do not fall under the categories Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, or Other Backward Classes - that is, so-called general category poor. Economically weaker sections are defined as households with an annual family income of less than $11,345 (800,000 rupees) a year, who do not own more than two hectares of agricultural land or a house that is larger than 1,000 square feet. However, as commentator Ajaz Ashraf has pointed out, upper caste groups are expected to benefit disproportionately from this policy measure, as their high levels of education, as well as their accumulated social capital, will most likely enable them to corner most of the benefits. This is why Modi's scheme has come to be scorned as "upper caste reservations" that erase the fact that, in India, affirmative action was introduced specifically to remedy the indignity of caste-based discrimination. In this regard, it is also significant, of course, that the economic criteria for eligibility have been defined in such a way that nearly all Indian households qualify - a fact that, according to Supreme Court lawyer Karuna Nundy, renders the constitutional amendment nothing less than ridiculous. Modi is making this move in no small part due to an electoral imbroglio that is emerging from his project of authoritarian populism. His electoral success in 2014 was based on the fact that he and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to extend their base of support from the urban upper caste and middle class groups that have been the main supporters of Hindu nationalism in electoral politics to incorporate Other Backward Classes, Dalits, and Adivasis. From 2016 onwards, this bloc began to crumble. Dalit and lower caste voters began to abandon the party, and Modi was the target of large-scale protests both by Dalits and farmers. Modi has attempted to stem this tide - for example by reversing the Supreme Court's decision to relax the provisions of laws aimed to prevent violence and atrocities against Dalits - but this seems in turn to have resulted in the alienation of upper caste voters. As the 2019 general elections are looming on the horizon, Modi is now attempting to shore up the support of the BJP's main vote base. In doing so, he is appealing to upper caste and middle class groups who resent caste-based reservations due to the profoundly mistaken belief that affirmative action prevents social mobility based on merit. He is also attempting to appease Hindu nationalist hardliners who have recently called for caste-based reservations to be abandoned in favour of reservations based on economic criteria. "Poverty does not see caste," argues Desh Ratan Nigam - a leading activist with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sang, the BJP's ideological parent-body - and therefore reservations should be based on economic criteria. A good starting place is to point out that Nigam is as wildly incorrect in his assertion that poverty does not see caste as he was in his ludicrous claim that the Taj Mahal - which was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan - was in fact a Hindu temple. According to the Oxford Poverty and Development Initiative, 65.8 percent of India's Dalits, who predominantly earn a living as wage labourers, and 58.3 percent of the country's lower castes are poor. By contrast, 33 percent of the rest of the Indian population are poor. The fact that poverty in India is structured in this way testifies to the truth of the claim made by Dalit intellectual Anand Teltumbde that "beneath the veneer of a modern developing superpower, India remains a republic of caste." Closely linked to this must be the argument that reservations were never intended to be an anti-poverty measure, and that it is therefore disingenuous when the BJP speaks of it as such. However, this point in turn needs to be connected to a progressive critique of the limitations of reservations for the politics of social justice. Again, Anand Teltumbde's reflections are instructive. Reservations, he argues in a recent interview, were never about rooting out caste - if that had been the intention, the caste system as such would have been abolished, which it was not. Moreover, the persistence of dramatically low social development indicators among Dalits suggests that reservations have done little to achieve progressive change even on their own terms. Advancing social justice for Dalits, he suggests, has to be linked to a struggle for universal social citizenship, which can grant access to healthcare, education, and secure livelihoods. This perspective provides a way in which to link struggles against the injustice of caste with the political economy of inequality in India - a political economy that is writ large in the fact that in a country which has grown at an average rate of 7.3 percent since 2007, 57 billionaires own as much wealth as the bottom 70 percent of the country's population, while at the same time India's social development indicators are much weaker than those found in far poorer neighbouring countries. Importantly, that link is already being forged by Dalit activists who couple claims for dignity and recognition with demands for social justice and redistribution, and it is quite possible that it is struggles such as this that can consign the republic of caste to the dust heap of history where it belongs. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance. | https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/bjp-concerned-india-poor-190110145940822.html |
What happens to the Irish border without a deal on Brexit? | "No one," according to the DUP's deputy leader, Nigel Dodds MP. "It was very significant when the Irish prime minister outlined his no-deal preparations, that there was no mention of any border infrastructure whatsoever," he said. "So many of us believe this whole backstop arrangement is totally unnecessary and is a political device." Image: The border has become the defining issue of Brexit But David Phinnemore, a professor in European Studies at Queens University Belfast, says London and Dublin could face the demand for a border from elsewhere. "Precedent suggests that the EU will insist that its internal market is protected and that will normally involve the external border existing so yes, I would imagine Ireland would come under pressure," he said. "As far as the UK is concerned, it may not necessarily be the World Trade Organisation that brings the pressure but it's going to be a member of the WTO. "They will want to ensure that the market they are sending goods to - the UK market - is a market which, if they have preferential access, that access is genuinely preferential," he explained. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has insisted on the backstop, despite the risk a no-deal Brexit poses for Ireland. Irish Independent columnist Dearbhail McDonald, who grew up on the border, says this is about much more than customs. "It's maybe hard for people outside of Ireland to imagine," she said. "It's not just about trade or goods and services or inspections like security for immigration. "This is fundamentally about people. It's about peace and it's about identity." :: May warns MPs against 'breach of trust in our democracy' Ireland could not accept any deal that risked a return to a hard border, but the DUP could not accept one that risked Northern Ireland's position in the UK. While the DUP holds the balance of power at Westminster, it was always going to be difficult for the prime minister to win enough support for the backstop. It was barely mentioned during the referendum campaign but the border on the island of Ireland has become the defining issue. The line on the tarmac, where Northern Ireland meets the Republic, could be the place where the prime minister's withdrawal agreement reaches the end of the road. | https://news.sky.com/story/what-happens-to-the-irish-border-without-a-deal-on-brexit-11606577 |
Why isnt Gemma Collins performing on Dancing on Ice this week? | Gemma Collins was every inch as amazing as we expected her to be in the opening episode of Dancing on Ice 2019. Advertisement The 37-year-old TOWIE star and infamous diva promised ahead of her DoI debut that she wasnt there to take part, but to take over and that she did with a simply unforgettable performance to Beyonces Crazy in Love. The Geyonce shimmied, strutted and did the splits (sort of) as she sashayed her way on the ice with dance partner Matt Evers. Despite nearly taking a tumble and only getting a measly score of 16, it was the GCs performance that got everyone talking last Sunday night, whether you thought it was comedy genius or took Jason Gardiners view that it was more like a French and Saunders parody. However, the GC wont be taking to the floor for this Sunday (13th January). The first six celebrity skaters took to the ice for the shows debut last Sunday; this week its the turn of the remaining six celebs. Instead of seeing Gemma perform another routine, we will be treated to seeing Wes Nelson, Brian McFadden, Saira Khan, Richard Blackwood, Melody Thornton and Ryan Sidebottom make their DoI debut. But for those wanting to get another slice of the GC, fear not; the six celebs who performed solo last week will be returning to the slippery dancefloor for a group routine. Gemma will be back to dance another day alongside her partner with another solo routine on Sunday 20th January. For now, Neighbours actor Mark Little is in the danger zone, after receiving the fewest numbers of votes from the viewers. He will face another celebrity hopeful performing this week in the skate-off. Advertisement Dancing on Ice 2019 continues Sunday at 6pm on ITV | https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-01-13/dancing-on-ice-2019-why-is-gemma-collins-not-performing-this-week-itv/ |
Is Salman Khan Angry over Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Aroras Romance? | Salman Khan is reportedly not too happy with Arjun Kapoor dating Malaika Arora, who was previously married to his younger brother, actor-producer Arbaaz Khan.According to a Deccan Chronicle report , the superstar has banned Arjun from visiting his home. Not just this, he has also opted out of two high-profile sequels backed by Arjuns father Boney Kapoor. Salman has reportedly quit Boneys Wanted 2 and No Entry Mein Entry without giving any reason.Arjun first dated Salmans youngest sister Arpita. He broke up with her and became friends with Malaika Arora who was married to Salmans brother Arbaaz. That was when Salman began to get annoyed with Arjun. But the latter convinced Bhai that he would never do anything to hurt the Khan family.But after Malaikas divorce from Arbaaz, her public appearances with Arjun and whispers all around of their impending marriage, Salman is livid, the report quoted an unnamed source.Notably, ever since her divorce with Arbaaz in 2017, Malaika has been going strong with Arjun. The two have lately been making several public appearances together.On the professional front, Arjun will next be seen in Dibakar Banerjees Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, Raj Kumar Guptas Indias Most Wanted and Ashutosh Gowarikars Panipat. Salman, meanwhile, will next star opposite Katrina Kaif in Ali Abbas Zafars Bharat. | https://www.news18.com/news/movies/is-salman-khan-angry-over-arjun-kapoor-and-malaika-aroras-romance-2000775.html |
Who is Call The Midwife's newest character Sister Mildred? | Sister Mildred has already made her mark among the midwives (Picture: BBC) Call The Midwife is playing host to a few new characters this year, who we first welcomed into the show at Christmas Among those set to make their mark on Nonnatus House is Sister Mildred played by actress Miriam Margolyes. Expect to see more of the character when the series returns in 2019 (Picture: BBC) The character appeared at Nonnatus House for the first time in this years Christmas special having come from Hong Kong and bringing with her four Chinese orphans who were abandoned there and are now being adopted in the UK. Having arrived on the scene, she will take up her place at the Orders Mother House and Margolyes has revealed that the character will certainly shake things up. Advertisement Advertisement Shes a larger than life character who brings joy and chaos in equal measure, she explained. The actress is best known to younger viewers for her role in the Harry Potter movies (Picture: Getty Images) The 77-year-old actress is a veteran of stage and screen, probably best known to younger viewers as Professor Sprout from the Harry Potter series. Shes also been in the likes of The Age Of Innocence, James and the Giant Peach, Romeo and Juliet and Ladies In Lavender, as well as voicing characters in such hits as Babe, Happy Feet, Mulan, Flushed Away and Rugrats. Margolyes has admitted she has been wanting to appear on Call the Midwife for some time, as she revealed in 2016: I love that programme, I think they are all majestically brilliant, fine actresses so I want to be there. There is no end to what I would do to get on that programme, she added. The series kicks off on BBC One on Sunday night at 8pm. If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you. | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/13/who-is-call-the-midwifes-newest-character-sister-mildred-played-by-miriam-margolyes-8339731/ |
What happened to Call The Midwifes Nurse Barbara Hereward? | Nurse Barbara came to very sad end in Call The Midwife (Picture: BBC) Call The Midwife is heading back to screens tonight for its eighth series with one notable absence. Because while the new season may be replete with new characters, viewers may recall that weve bid farewell to Nurse Barbara Hereward played by actress Charlotte Ritchie. The character was struck down by septacaemia caused by meningitis (Picture: BBC) Barbaras time on the show came to a tragic end after the character succumbed to septicaemia caused by meningitis, with the characters death airing on March 4 last year. The heartbreaking scenes saw Barbaras husband Tom (Jack Ashton) and friend Phyllis Crane (Linda Bassett) by her bedside as she passed away, after they were told there was nothing more than could be done for her. Advertisement Advertisement It was made all the more tragic by the fact that the character had returned to Nonnatus House from Birmingham just two weeks before she fell ill. The character was taken to hospital and initially seemed to be recovering before taking a turn for the worse as the illness took its toll and ultimately proved fatal. Charlotte spent four years on the show before bowing out and said at the time it felt like the right time to leave. Barbaras had such a good journey, this feels like a good time to go before I become too complacent, she told the Mirror. That was my biggest fear of getting so comfortable that I was taking the job for granted, the actress explained, saying there was no negative reason behind her decision to leave. Charlotte was most recently seen in the Doctor Who New Years Day special Resolution, and is set to appear in the new series of Death In Paradise which began on BBC One on Thursday night. The new series kicks off on BBC One on Sunday night at 8pm. If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you. | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/13/what-happened-to-call-the-midwifes-nurse-barbara-hereward-8339350/ |
What is Plymouth's Barbican Prawn and why is it there? | Get Daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email The Barbican Prawn is one of Plymouths best-known landmarks. But its not a prawn. Yesterday Plymouth Live's Erin Black exposed the little-known truth and beautiful flaws of perhaps our city's most iconic sculpture - the Sundial (or should that be The Armada Dial?). Check out the video below to discover about its glorious imperfections and strange history. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now Anyway, all that talk of the Sundial got us thinking about another of Plymouth's strange but utterly perfect monuments - The so-called Giant Prawn. We realised we couldnt really remember, given almost two decades have passed since it was controversially put up beside the historic Mayflower Steps in Sutton Harbour , what it was doing there. So weve delved into the history books to remind everyone what it is and why it was erected there in the first place. The idea behind the sculpture was conceived in the mid-1990s. (Image: Martin Whitham) At the time there was an 8million regeneration plan for the Barbican and a huge council-led consultation process got under way. Unfortunately, of that 8million, only a paltry 133,000 had been put aside for public art. City chiefs wanted to transform the Mayflower Steps into a modernist viewing platform as part of a plan to radically change the face of the Barbican. One of the ideas which did eventually come to fruition was for a deck at the gateway to the steps. Another was for an amphitheatre-type creation that was supposed to replicate conditions below-deck on The Mayflower. That one never happened. But also included in the plans was a giant prawn sculpture first imagined by the Barbican Theatre and its Rent-a-Role and Partnership Art projects. (Image: John Allen) The giant prawn, as previously mentioned, is not in fact a prawn at all. It was designed by metalworker Brian Fell, from Glossop in Derbyshire, and ended up being part-funded by the Arts Council. The quango was keen to see the city install public art which touched on various fish and marine life. So Mr Fells 33-foot invention, which was unveiled in 1996, seemingly amalgamated as many kind of sea creatures as it could, as part of an effort to represent the variety fish and shell fish landed on the Barbican. It has a cormorants feet, a plesiosauruss tail, the fin of a John Dory, a lobsters claws and the head of an angler fish. So in actual fact, it is no-parts prawn. Sometimes known at the time as The Plymouth Sea Monster, the sculptures official name is The Leviathan. The Leviathan is a sea monster referenced in the Tanakh, or the Old Testament, and which crops up in various works of literature. (Image: Library image) The pole supporting the creature, which is manufactured from mild steel coated with copper paint, is decorated with plaques describing other sea creatures. It is now one of the waterfronts most iconic sights. But that wasnt always the way. In fact, as soon as the plans went on display there was a backlash. Artists and architects did not like the prawn. Oh no. A group of 17 of them including Robert Lenkiewicz branded it tacky, daft, and an insult to modern art. Plymouth Arts Centre hated it so much its then chairman, Francis Mallet, said: The Great Prawn is most offensive and should be scrapped. It's totally tacky and looks like it has come out of a garden centre. It isn't art. The late Robert Lenkiewicz said: It distracts the eye from something that is infinitely enjoyable. And the Goundwork Trust executive director in Plymouth, Sue Blacker, added: We would call it ironmongery - if we put enough of it around it will look like a junk yard. Meanwhile, architect Mark Pearson claimed the prawn trivialised the importance of the Barbican. One Herald reader even wrote a letter to the newspaper arguing it should be replaced with a Giant Pasty. But it also had its fans from day one with anther reader penning a poem in tribute to the work of art. Now, it's so well affectionately thought-of that it even has its own Twitter account, followed by hundreds of people. Email us at [email protected] | https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/history/what-plymouths-barbican-prawn-there-2421955 |
Is it time for the Government to get more involved in protecting retirement savings of workers? | Posted However the superannuation industry wants to gloss over it, the Productivity Commission's inquiry into the sector is a damning indictment. A $3.8 billion-a-year indictment. That's how much Australians are missing out on because of a superannuation industry that appears to be more interested in its own wellbeing, rather than the retirements of the Australian workers it's meant to be providing for. Former federal treasurer, now Future Fund chairman, Peter Costello nailed the industry's self-interest in a speech in Sydney a few years ago when he said: "The superannuation industry is not about me the provider; it's not about me as a trustee; it not about me as a fund manager. "It's about the people for whom this industry exists." That was before the Productivity Commission inquiry and, as both it and the banking royal commission have shown, self-interest still appears to be the number one game in town. Thanks to government-mandated contributions, currently 9.5 per cent of all our wages, the superannuation pot of gold is now worth $2.7 trillion. Nearly $30 billion a year is collected in fees from that government-guaranteed revenue, which has made many, many people within the super industry very rich. According to the Productivity Commission, people entering the workforce and finding themselves in an underperforming default fund can lose $502,000 from their retirement income. To put some context around that, it's widely accepted that a couple needs around $55,000 to $60,000 a year for a comfortable retirement, where they can afford to run a car, have a regular holiday, eat out and so on. So that $502,000 is about eight years of retirement income. The Productivity Commission says high fees can take $100,000 from retirement, junk insurance premiums $85,000, while paying multiple fees from having more than one super fund claims another $51,000. Then there's the perennial battle between industry super funds and the for-profit funds run by banks, AMP, IOOF and others. The Productivity Commission highlights that industry funds, on average, earn nearly two percentage points more every year 7 per cent versus 5.12 per cent. It doesn't sound much when it's written that way, but seven is 39 per cent higher than 5.12. In other words, people in the for-profit funds are getting returns nearly 40 per cent lower than those in industry funds. And that's not to mention other serious issues highlighted by the Productivity Commission, such as widespread conflicts of interest in the for-profit funds, and the continued existence of trailing commissions, to name just two. In unveiling the super report, current Treasurer Josh Frydenberg observed: "This report is all about putting the interests of members first and ensuring that they keep more money at retirement." The superannuation industry effectively lives off government-mandated welfare in the form of the 9.5 per cent superannuation guarantee contribution. Just ask the recipients of other forms of transfer payments, such as those on Newstart, or pensioners, how much the Government makes its presence felt. Peter Costello was slammed by parts of the funds management community a few months ago when he suggested the Future Fund could manage default superannuation. According to the Future Fund's latest annual report, its cost ratio is less than a quarter of a per cent. The Swedish example In Sweden, for example, government-controlled funds play a prominent role in that country's retirement system. Over the last two decades, Sweden has completely overhauled what was a very generous system, to stop an ageing population sending it broke. Swedes compulsorily contribute a total of 18.5 per cent of their income to superannuation nearly double that in Australia! Sixteen per cent is to a mandatory universal program, which pays the bulk of the country's pensions, and consists of three government-run funds. Swedes are free to do what they like with the other 2.5 per cent of their contribution, but there is a government-controlled default fund for those who make no choice. Despite the fact the Swedish Government allows, and encourages, the use of the many hundreds of private sector funds, the population is increasingly voting with its feet and sticking this 2.5 per cent with the Government's fund. It's cheaper and returns are better. Back in Australia, only governments have the power to tackle the self-interest and poor performance that bedevils the superannuation industry. Every year either the Coalition or Labor procrastinates is another $3.8 billion of real people's retirements down the drain. Topics: superannuation, business-economics-and-finance, government-and-politics, australia | https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-14/should-government-do-more-to-protect-australians-retirement/10709804 |
Is Tangipahoa Parish poised to finally resolve decades old school desegregation suit? | AMITE A decade after the long-standing school desegregation case in Tangipahoa Parish was reopened, people on both sides say they believe they are on the right path to finally resolve a lawsuit that dates back to President Lyndon Johnsons administration. Central to the turnaround is Melissa Stilley, the new school superintendent appointed last summer. The first woman in the job, she was a longtime teacher and administrator in the parish. She returned in June 2018 after a stint with the Louisiana Department of Education, and says she's committed to working with the parties to ensure the parish school system affords an equitable educational opportunity for all of its students. Your zip code shouldn't determine the quality of education you get, and that's a foundational belief I have," Stilley said in an interview. "For me, its not so much any more about 'deseg' as it is about equity for all kids. To be sure, obstacles remain to closing out the desegregation case. Attorneys for the black families say the schools arent adequately funded, and more progress needs to be made on racial balance in the schools. One also questions if the school system is making fundamental changes or just surface-level ones. Tangipahoa school superintendent disappointed in tax failure, cites anti-tax mindset of voters The Tangipahoa Parish school system's top administrator says he's disappointed that voters rejected three tax measures on the ballot Saturday But even the judge overseeing the case acknowledged things are at last moving forward. "I have hope," U.S. District Judge Ivan L. R. Lemelle told The Advocate. A long road The school system's desegregation case was first filed in 1965, a decade after the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision. Under court orders, the school system closed many of its black schools and moved those students into what were once all-white schools. Then, the case fell dormant until the mid-2000s when the black community raised concerns about a once again segregated system. Schools in Ponchatoula, Loranger and Sumner were predominantly white, while schools in Hammond, Independence, Amite and Kentwood had become predominantly black. Members of the black community complained that their kids were stuck in inferior facilities one of which was said to have a major sewer issue and were provided outdated textbooks. In addition, the percentage of black teachers in the systeme had fallen from 40 percent to 20 percent, said Nelson Taylor, a civil rights attorney for the plaintiffs. "You still had proliferation of one-race schools and the school board was not looking at changes, Taylor said. By October 2007, although the 19,500-student system was 48 percent black and 52 percent white, just 12 percent of students were attending desegregated schools, defined as schools with student populations that fall within 15 percentage points of the school system's composition, according to court documents. In fact, a quarter of the system's 36 schools were more than 90 percent one-race. Just six schools met the metrics to be called desegregated with respect to student assignment. "It's very difficult when you look at the way it all transpired, it is very difficult to make an argument there was not some intention behind it," said Hammond-area School Board Member Brett Duncan. In in the mid-2000s, the Tangipahoa Parish branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People filed a petition to reopen the long dormant suit, using a controversial hiring call on an Amite High School football coach as their test case. For years after this, school officials and plaintiffs fought each other in court about how to desegregate the schools. In 2010, the judge ordered a plan that included building three new schools. But that never happened, because voters rejected tax proposals meant to fund it. Towards the future School officials see ending the desegregation case as a priority. As long as it remains an open case, the superintendent's hiring decisions are subject to restrictions, and the court has to approve new construction even, in a recent instance, a new walkway for a school. One factor that is giving people on all sides of the case new optimism towards the closure of the case is the appointment of the Stilley upon last year's retirement of Mark Kolwe. Stilley is a longtime classroom teacher and former school principal in Tangipahoa Parish. She served as the chief academic officer under Kolwe before joining the state Department of Education as a network leader supporting schools around the state. There, she assisted schools, including ones in the midst of desegregation cases. "My approach is that we have to come to the table with an open mind and we have to be able to do some things, be creative in some solutions," she said. In an interview last fall with the Advocate, Stilley ranked the desegregation case third on her list of priorities, following safety and academics. Stilley said shes eager to put the case to bed due to the strict requirements that come with it and the legal fees. "That is an expense I would like to see going towards our children, she said. In fact, attorney fees have totaled $4.4 million since the case was reopened in 2006, but that is less than .3 percent of the school district's general fund spending, according to figures provided by the school system. The legal expenses aside, closing the case should be the result of the school system creating a more equitable educational environment for all its students, Stilley said. "I think there have been some really good things that have come from the deseg case," she said. "I think it has put the light on some inequities across our parish that we have fixed and will continue to fix." Agreement reached in Tangipahoa Parish student assignment plan, effective in 2016-17 school year if judge approves Attorneys for both sides of Tangipahoa Parishs desegregation case agreed Wednesday on a student assignment plan for desegregating the parish There are six categories areas that a school district must prove to the court have been desegregated in order to get a final order of unitary status. The Tangipahoa Parish School System has achieved full unitary status in the areas of transportation and extracurriculars and has provisional unitary status in the areas of facilities and staff assignment. The two remaining factors are student and teacher assignment essentially the racial makeup of teachers and students at the schools. Stilley said she will first address the issue of teacher assignment and then turn back to student assignment, an area the school system has made major changes in the past couple years. The court has set the school system a goal of hiring 40 percent black teachers. But the system currently employs just 25 percent, according to a report filed in the court record in August. Stilley has developed a plan to recruit more black teachers by stepping up its efforts to recruit them directly from colleges to Tangipahoa Parish. She also wants to implement a program to certify teachers in-house. She said the school system has a large number of black teachers who are not certified. Gideon Carter III, lead settlement counsel for the plaintiffs, said hes encouraged by Stilleys efforts. One specific area of improvement, he said, is in hiring administrators. She has shown a willingness to make permanent appointments instead of interim ones, a long-time grievance against her predecessor. "We have new leadership. Now things are different, Carter said. "I think at this point, were moving in the right direction in Tangipahoa Parish. One year ago, I wouldve said we were moving backwards. Today The most significant change the school system has made in the past couple years is implementing a student assignment plan that avoids new construction, and new taxes. The effort, led by Duncan, adjusted some boundary lines to improve the racial breakdowns at the schools, allowed for more transfers and added magnet and STEM offerings in the hopes of attracting families to send their children to public schools. Duncan, who opposes what he calls "forced busing," said the plan was designed to avoid "white flight" while increasing the number of students in desegregated schools. The student assignment plan has received mixed reviews. Shortly after it was implemented in Fall 2016, the court compliance officer issued a report saying the plan desegregated some schools while it made others more segregated. One particular issue involved the schools in Hammond. White students were bused to an International Baccalaureate school there from Robert, displacing black students, who were moved to a nearly all-black school. Representatives for the school and the black community worked on these issues last summer and implemented changes at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year that have yet to be formally evaluated for the court. Overall, as of October 2018, 64 percent of students attended desegregated schools, while 36 percent do not, according to a document provided by Duncan. That is more than twice the number of students attending desegregated schools in 2013, according to court documents. Twenty-one of 33 schools meet the parameters for desegregation in student assignment. About 49 percent of the system's 19,100 kids are black. Therese Domiano, the school board's most recent past chairwoman, who retired from the board this year, predicted the case could end within two years. "Were on a fast track to unitary status, Domiano said in an interview. "I'm excited." But attorneys on the side of the plaintiffs and leaders in the black community say the end is not so near. Taylor, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said some schools may be nominally desegregated in student assignment, but more changes and new schools would be needed to dismantle the old system. If they had moved so dramatically, they would be trying to get unitary status in student assignment. They don't dare file that motion, he said. One big outstanding issue: The school system still relies heavily on temporary buildings, which could be removed once the school system achieves unitary status. If the system wants to build new schools now, it must get the court to agree on a way to build them that would "best promote a unitary system." "Everybody knows what temporary buildings are for, to maintain the status quo which keeps the system segregated," Taylor said. Ultimately, there is no fix unless there is more money to improve the schools, said Carter, the other attorney for the plaintiffs. You pass the tax to support the school system first, and that tends to end the case," Carter said. "I can't end the case until there is equity, (and there is) no equity without money. | https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/livingston_tangipahoa/article_570886e8-e6d3-11e8-938c-4b657fc0a686.html |
What if Mueller proves Trump collusion and no one cares? | The astonishing and entirely new fact revealed last week is that, according to Mueller, Manafort, while chairman of the Trump campaign, sent polling data to a Russian associate with close ties to Russian intelligence. The White House in winter. Credit:Bloomberg Until now, Mueller's investigation and reporting by the news media have established two things: that Russian intelligence actively tried to influence the outcome of the election, and that Russian intelligence used numerous pathways to reach out to members of the Trump campaign and inner circle. Lacking so far is any direct proof that the Trump campaign took up these overtures in a way that actively constituted cooperation or collusion. If it can be substantiated - and Mueller almost certainly wouldn't be alleging it if it couldn't - the Manafort revelation is that proof. This cooperation with Russia didn't come from some minor figure in the campaign, but from the chairman himself. This is a hugely significant development. Sharing campaign research in the form of proprietary polling data has one obvious explanation: Manafort was giving the Russians data they could use to try to influence the campaign. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Proof that the Trump campaign cooperated with the Russians would close the evidentiary circle by connecting Russian outreach with Russian efforts to use social media to affect the vote. Proof that Manafort sent data to the Russians would not be just a step toward proof of collusion. It would itself be proof of collusion. Yet this development, which should have dominated the news cycle, fell distantly behind the topics of the government shutdown, Trump's prime-time address on border security, and the president's threat to invoke emergency powers to build the Mexican border wall that Congress has denied him. Several factors probably contributed. One explanation is that the revelation didn't come from prosecutors or from leaks to a news organisation. Instead, the information was unintentionally revealed by Manafort's lawyers when they failed to successfully redact a document they submitted to court in connection with Manafort's sentencing. Loading This strange mechanism of hitting the news made the original story one about cutting and pasting a word-processing document, not about the content of what was revealed. A second explanation is that the news media and the public had already given up on Manafort as a source of meaningful Trump-related revelations. After all, Manafort pleaded guilty to a series of crimes that long predated his involvement with the Trump campaign. And based on the length of the sentence Manafort got and prosecutors' insistence that he was still lying even after agreeing to cooperate, many of us had begun to think that Manafort wasn't going to be the subject of any major campaign-related breakthroughs. In retrospect, that conclusion seems to have been premature - maybe even spectacularly wrong. Mueller, it would seem, can prove that Manafort brought the Trump campaign into cooperation with Russia. The third and most troubling possibility is that, as the Mueller investigation has proceeded, fatigue and acceptance have set in. Trump's supporters and opponents alike may have more or less come to think that there was some sort of collusion with Russia. The supporters, arguably, don't much care. The opponents increasingly think that no matter what Mueller finds, it won't be enough to convict and remove Trump from office in impeachment proceedings. Loading The upshot would be that Mueller's report could turn out to be a kind of historical afterthought - even if Mueller is able to demonstrate collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, the central component of his mission. Sure, the Democratic House would hold hearings. Some members of Congress would call for impeachment. But if Republicans held firm, many Democrats would probably decide not to impeach because of the unlikelihood of success. In that scenario, it's possible to imagine that even if Trump was aware of the Russian collusion, his supporters would maintain that the Russian efforts had no impact, and that Trump had no idea the cooperation with Russia was irregular, let alone illegal. Let me be clear that I consider this scenario a disaster for democracy. If one candidate for office colludes with a foreign power to affect an election, that is an existential crisis for the principle of popular self-determination. I would much rather that Mueller find no evidence of collusion than that he prove his case in the face of an uncaring public and an inactive Congress. But given reaction to the Manafort news, the disaster scenario is no longer unthinkable. I'm not even sure it's unlikely. Bloomberg | https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/what-if-mueller-proves-trump-collusion-and-no-one-cares-20190114-p50r61.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed |
What's realistic for Clemson in 2019? | THE WEST ZONE message board | SHOP NOW: DEALS on CLEMSON apparel You hate to cast anything short of a national title as a disappointment. That might sound strange coming from me, a card-carrying member of the "appreciate the moment" camp. It has long been the view from this corner that every year you get to the playoff is an achievement. But boy, it feels like the expectations and standards were somehow ratcheted even higher with that pimp slap of the Crimson Tide. There's just no way around it: When you do whatever you want to a highly regarded Alabama defense, and most of the players who orchestrated it are returning, the baseline from everywhere and everyone is going to be complete pillaging from beginning to end. From the ROY Bus to the Destroy Bus, if you will. | https://clemson.rivals.com/news/what-s-realistic-for-clemson-in-2019- |
Where is Call the Midwife filmed? | It certainly isnt shot on the streets of 21st century Poplar, which have changed rapidly since the late 1950s and early 60s. Advertisement Instead, the production team has cleverly combined studio sets with location shoots and preserved historic exteriors to create the world of Call the Midwife, from Nonnatus House to the streets of east London. Call the Midwife has made its home at Longcross Film Studios in Surrey, close to Chertsey and not far from London. Here, the production team has created an extremely impressive exterior set which is left standing year-round. Stepping onto set is like being transported back in time and straight into the Call the Midwife universe. Taking pride of place is Nonnatus House, but the set also includes the Hendy Street allotments where Fred Buckle (Cliff Parisi) spends his time, the famous bridge, Violets shop, the square outside Nonnatus, nearby houses, and local shopfronts. Interior scenes are also filmed at Longcross. The Manor Houses grand central staircase is a recognisable the midwives headquarters, while locations such as the Turners house and the nuns dining room are filmed using a closed studio set. See you soon! Behind the scenes on Call the Midwife Series 8: Nearly done!Today we bring you an exclusive video clip from behind the scenes at our film studios in Longcross, Surrey, UK, where the final episodes of Call the Midwife series 8 are now in progress! We take you on a quick walk through the working studio environment to our Turner set, where our trusty crew are setting up for a major scene :-)There is little more than a month of filming left in our long shooting season. After which.the countdown to Christmas begins! !We can't WAIT to be back in your living rooms. xxxxCall the MIdwife returns with a new Christmas Special, and Series 8 in 2019. Posted by Call the Midwife on Friday, September 7, 2018 Longcross Studios was once a Ministry of Defence site, but is now a major filming location having been used for movies including Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, Skyfall, Fast & Furious 6, and Doctor Strange. Unfortunately for Call the Midwife fans, the studio is not open to the public. The BBC drama arrived at Longcross in 2013, when the production team was forced to leave Nonnatus Houses previous location at St Josephs Missionary College in Mill Hill, North London so it could be sold and converted into luxury flats. The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent has been used to film exteriors and outdoor scenes since the shows very beginning. In fact, it now runs an Official Call the Midwife Tour, which features a walk through key filming locations as well as an exhibition of props, sets and costumes. It may be 30 miles from Poplar, but the Dockyard doubles as Londons East End, with its old-fashioned cobbled streets and building exteriors that work perfectly for the show as it heads into the 1960s. For example, the entrance to Doctor Turners surgery is filmed at Chatham as are plenty of scenes where our midwives zoom through their streets on their bicycles. And, of course, if the storylines demand a ship, theres the nearby HMS Cavalier which has appeared multiple times in Call the Midwife throughout the years. Dating back to the mid-16th century and used by the Royal Navy for hundreds of years, the Dockyard closed in 1984. It is now run as a visitor attraction, but its 100 100 original Victorian and Georgian buildings also make it a popular filming location. In the 2018 Call the Midwife Christmas special, Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) and the nuns of Nonnatus House are summoned to the Orders Mother House to elect a new Mother Superior, with Shelagh Turner (Laura Main) coming along for the ride. The Mother House is officially based near Chichester, so cast and crew took a trip to West Wittering in Sussex to film key scenes for the Christmas special. This quiet village is situated on the Manhood Peninsula, and is close to both the sandy West Wittering beach and the stony East Wittering beach. Advertisement Call the Midwife airs on Sundays at 8pm on BBC1 | https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-01-13/where-is-the-call-the-midwife-christmas-special-filmed/ |
How Much Credit Card Debt Is Too Much? | Credit card debt is on the rise. According to data released by the New York Federal Reserve in November 2018, credit card debt is up by $36 billion in the last year. And you may Credit card debt is on the rise. According to data released by the New York Federal Reserve in November 2018, credit card debt is up by $36 billion in the last year. And you may be paying the costs. Heres a look at the warning signs. Here are six indications that you might have too much credit card debt: Your credit utilization ratio is high. Youre paying off credit cards with other credit cards. Youre only making minimum payments on your balance. You have a high debt-to-income ratio. Youre maxing out credit cards. Card debt payments are high compared with other bills. [Read: Best Zero Percent APR Credit Cards.] Your credit utilization ratio is high. When you use a lot of your available credit, it can indicate you have too much debt and possibly deter lenders. An important judge of this is your credit utilization ratio, the proportion of the credit you use versus what you have available. Its assessed by card and in total. While theres no set standard on what is considered too high for a credit utilization ratio, many financial experts say you should aim for 30 percent or below. There is a difference between using more than 30 percent of your available credit and paying it off before the end of your statement period, and regularly having a credit utilization over 30 percent. The former isnt much of a problem if you can pay off most, if not all, of your debt before your issuer reports your balance to the credit bureaus, youre in good shape. The latter having a high credit utilization ratio month to month may be an indication that you have too much debt. Reducing your credit utilization ratio to 30 percent or less wont necessarily rid you of your debt woes, but it can indicate that youre getting your debt under control and potentially nearing debt freedom. Youre paying off credit cards with other credit cards. If you find yourself trying to pay off a credit card with another card, you may have too much debt on your hands. Most credit card issuers wont allow you to do this directly. Its not impossible, but it will probably cost more than its worth. But not having enough cash on hand to make even the minimum payment on your credit card may signal that youre spending beyond your means. Use the situation as an opportunity to examine the source of your debt and try to correct it. Youre only making minimum payments on your balance. Only making minimum payments means youre barely making a dent in your debt load, as your minimum payment may only cover interest, fees and a small percentage of your balance. Making minimum payments is like treading water; theres a limit to how long you can do it before its too much to handle. You have a high debt-to-income ratio. A high debt-to-income ratio is usually as indication that you have more debt than you can afford. Your debt-to-income ratio is the amount of your monthly debt payments compared with your monthly income. When your debt payments take up a significant portion of your budget each month, that puts pressure on other parts of your budget. For people who want to make a big purchase in the future, such as a car or house, they should be aware that lenders typically want a total debt-to-income level between 30 and 40 percent, says Dean Kaplan, president of The Kaplan Group, a debt collection agency. You may not qualify for some mortgage programs if your debt-to-income ratio exceeds 43 percent. If your debt-to-income ratio is mostly made up of credit card debt and threatens your ability to be approved for credit products, you probably have too much credit card debt. Youre maxing out credit cards. If youre spending enough on your credit cards to regularly hit your spending limit, it may be an indication that your debt has gotten out of control. Card debt payments are high compared with other bills. Add all of your individual card payments together. If that number is nearing what you spend on your mortgage and auto loan payments, you may have too much debt. Consequences of Too Much Credit Card Debt If debt payments are putting pressure on your budget, you may need to use your credit card to buy necessities, perpetuating the cycle of debt. Other factors like reductions in credit score come into play, too. Your debt could increase quickly. Credit card interest accumulates as a percentage of your balance. The higher your balance, the more interest youll incur. And the more your interest charges grow, the more your balance grows. This cycle can dig a debt hole thats hard to escape. Your credit score could suffer. Holding too much credit card debt can increase your credit utilization ratio and hurt your credit score. The same goes for holding so much debt that you cant make your credit card payments. Payment history is the most important component of your FICO credit score, so missing payments can result in even larger credit score reductions. It may be hard to qualify for other financial products. If your credit score is poor and your debt-to-income ratio high, it can be difficult to qualify for auto loans, mortgages and credit cards. The consequences of bad credit can range from inconvenient to life-altering. You could go into collections. If you have so much credit card debt that you cant make minimum payments, your issuer may sell your debt to a collections agency after a few months of missed payments. Going into collections will typically have a substantial negative impact on your credit score and can result in regular calls from debt collectors seeking payment. You could have wages garnished. The owner of your debt could get a court order to garnish your wages until the debt is repaid. There are limitations on how much can be garnished, but having money automatically deducted from your paycheck whatever the amount is a tough situation to be in. How to Get Out of Credit Card Debt Realizing and accepting you have too much debt is the first step to paying it off. With some strategic planning and commitment, eliminating even a large amount of debt is possible. Create a budget. If youve realized youre in over your head in debt, a good course of action is to figure out how you got there in the first place. Plan out how youll afford credit card payments and recurring and upcoming expenses, comparing your expenses with your income. Your income should exceed your expenses, allowing you to make savings contributions or at least have some wiggle room in your budget. If your expenses exceed your income, youll need to make cuts. Take a look at your recent statements. You might find a number of ways to cut excess spending and put that savings toward your credit card payments. For example, you might discover youve been wasting money on things you dont need: a forgotten streaming service, an old app subscription, monthly payments for magazines that remain unread. Services like Truebill and Trim automatically scan your credit and debit card statements for recurring bills, making it easier to determine which services you really need and which you can cut out. In some cases, these apps will even negotiate on your behalf to get you a lower rate on bills for things like cable or cellphone service. The apps may take a cut of your savings as payment. Its possible to spot savings yourself and negotiate directly, but using these apps can make it easier, especially if youre likely to put off calling to lower your bills. All of the savings you get from reducing bills can go toward debt payments. Transfer your balance to another card. A balance transfer card allows you to move a balance from one credit card to another. Usually, these cards offer a zero percent APR on balance transfers for an introductory period, often 12 to 18 months. Transferring your balance to another card wont instantly eliminate your debt. But it can pause interest accrual, making it easier to pay down your cards balance. [Read: Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards.] The main factors to consider during a balance transfer are the new cards transfer fee, the length of its promotional annual percentage rate and its regular APR. Compare all of these factors side by side before you decide. Balance transfer fees usually range from 3 to 5 percent of the balance. If youre transferring a $4,000 balance at 3 percent, thats $120 tacked on to what you owe. While that may seem like a lot of money, it might be pretty small compared with what you might pay in interest on your existing card. For example, if youre paying off the same balance over 12 months on a card with a rate of 16 percent, youd pay about $355 in interest. In this case, the balance transfer becomes a good deal. In addition to the promotional APR, youll also want to look at the cards regular APR, which sets in after the promotional APR expires. It could be substantially higher than the APR on the card you plan to transfer your debt from. And if you cant pay off your balance during the promotion, youll be paying the new cards regular interest rate. Get a debt consolidation loan. Many lenders offer loans to pay off multiple debts at once. If youre holding balances on multiple credit cards, getting a debt consolidation loan can save you money while reducing many payments to one, making your payment more manageable. Try to shop around for the best rate. Even if your credit score is less than perfect, you may still qualify for a debt consolidation loan. Just be sure to factor in interest rates, fees and other costs when comparing the costs of a loan to the interest you pay on your credit card debt. [Read: Best Low-Interest Credit Cards.] Negotiate a repayment plan. You may be able to call your credit card issuer and negotiate a repayment plan, especially if youre at risk of default. One type of plan is called a workout agreement. Under that type of plan, your credit card issuer may waive or reduce your minimum monthly payment, lower your interest rate and remove past late fees. However, your account may be closed to new charges under the agreement, which caps your credit line at your balance and can increase your credit utilization ratio. Creditors want consumers to make their monthly payments. When a borrower is unable to make the payments and the account goes to collections, they get pennies on the dollar, if they get paid at all, says Randall Yates, founder and CEO of The Lenders Network, an online mortgage marketplace. A good first step is to provide your card issuer with as much detail on your situation as possible. Contact your creditors and let them know youre not able to make the minimum payments, says Yates. originally appeared on usnews.com | https://wtop.com/news/2019/01/how-much-credit-card-debt-is-too-much/ |
Why Do Patients Lie to Their Doctors? | Despite our best intentions, humans arent always the most honest of species. From little white lies to selective reporting and glossing over of details, there are a lot of ways that we skirt the truth. Despite our best intentions, humans arent always the most honest of species. From little white lies to selective reporting and glossing over of details, there are a lot of ways that we skirt the truth. And were more likely to do so when the topic is sensitive or makes us uncomfortable in some way. It probably shouldnt come as a surprise then that people arent always completely honest with their doctors. A recent study published in the journal JAMA Network Open found that 60 to 80 percent of patients have been less than fully forthright with their doctors at some point. Thats a lot of untruths told for a wide variety of reasons. Lead author Angela Fagerlin, professor and chair of population health sciences at University of Utah Health and a research scientist with the VA Salt Lake City Health Systems Informatics Decision-Enhancement and Analytic Sciences Center for Innovation, says the team conducted the study because we wanted to see and to understand how many people misled their physicians about different components of their health care. [See: 10 Questions Doctors Wish Their Patients Would Ask.] To do that, the study surveyed two groups of people: The first consisted of 2,011 people ranging in age from 19 to 79 (mean age 36) and the second had 2,499 people age 50 and older (mean age 61). Both surveys, administered as online questionnaires, asked participants if theyd ever avoided telling a health care provider the truth for one of several reasons including: Not understanding the providers instructions Disagreeing with the doctors recommendation Not exercising at all or not exercising regularly Eating an unhealthy diet Taking a certain medication Taking a certain medication incorrectly or counter to its instructions Taking someone elses prescription We found a lot of people admitted to not telling their physician everything that they could have, Fagerlin says, and this is problematic because withholding relevant information could lead to dangerous outcomes. Any one of the reasons for lying listed above could potentially have negative consequences, Fagerlin says. Many of these cases of fibbing or omitting details are completely understandable when you look a little closer at whats happening in individual scenarios. Fagerlin points to the example of a patient whos already taking four medications to manage several conditions and is being prescribed a fifth drug. The doctor could say, we need to put you on blood pressure medication, but the patient thinks, I cant afford another medication, or I dont want the hassle, but theyll nod their head and the physician will write the prescription. But the patient wont fill it. They act like they agree, but they dont. In some instances, it could be that another medication the patient is taking would be the better one to stop taking or substitute a cheaper alternative for, and the patient would then be able to afford the fifth drug. But the only way such a resolution can come about is if the patient speaks up and tells the doctor about whichever barrier he or she is experiencing thats preventing taking the prescribed medication. If they had talked to the physician about this, the doctor might have said, if you can only afford four, its drug number two you should drop. That one probably has the least impact. But this can only happen if they voice the concern. Similarly, Fagerlin says another concerning finding was that about a quarter to a third of study respondents (32 percent in the younger survey and 24 percent in the older survey) said they didnt understand the clinicians instructions. This can result from a doctor being hurried or not realizing that medical jargon has elbowed into the conversation. Sometimes they say things so fast with so many words that can overwhelm even the most educated and intelligent of patients. Im in the health care system and even I have no idea what (the doctor says) sometimes, she says. But people are often reluctant to speak up in these situations because of the innate power dynamic that can sometimes arise in the doctor-patient relationship. People dont want to look stupid. Its hard to admit not understanding in that power dynamic, where the doctor has knowledge and understanding that the patient is often excluded from. But its very obvious where that can go very bad, especially with medications, she says, as miscommunication can lead to dangerous drug interactions or incorrect prescriptions. The fact that 20 to 25 percent of respondents said they werent honest about their eating and exercise habits wasnt shocking, but the percentage who admitted to this deception was somewhat surprising, and likely just the tip of the iceberg, Fagerlin says. Were asking people to admit to being dishonest. Thats a hard thing to do. She says the actual incidence of lying could actually be quite a bit higher for many of the reasons cited in the study because some patients might not realize theyre doing it, have forgotten they did it or because they wont admit to misleading a health care provider. [See: HIPAA: Protecting Your Health Information.] Another surprising finding was that younger people tended to be more dishonest or at least more likely to admit to being less than fully honest with a doctor than older patients, Fagerlin says. The first sample group that had the mean age of 36 had higher percentages of fibs reported. Given that as you age you often have more comorbidities and visit the doctor more, that amounts to more opportunities to mislead a health care provider, so the researchers thought theyd get a higher number in the older group. But the results suggest that younger people were more likely to lie. The reason why seemed more to be because younger people didnt want to be judged or hear how bad my behavior is,' she says. Women and people who reported being in poorer health also seemed more likely to lie to their providers, the survey found. After all, with good health and safety at stake it seems that complete openness and honesty should be an important goal for any doctor-patient relationship. I think theres room on both sides to improve communications, Fagerlin says. Dr. Gary LeRoy, a family physician at East Dayton Health Clinic in Dayton, Ohio and president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians, agrees that both patients and providers have a duty to communicate openly and honestly. He notes that providers may have to dig a little to get the full story from certain patients but it can be done successfully with careful, nonjudgmental probing. Its taking the time to have the conversation. I know in this fast-paced world. we want instant gratification for whatever were seeking. Its difficult for people to stop for a moment and talk. But the first thing that I remember one of my mentors teaching me in medical school when we were talking about interviewing patients was to look them in the eye. Sit down at their level and have a meaningful conversation with them. I think that disengages the individual who wants to not be as forthcoming as you would like. Sometimes hell ask the same question in multiple contexts and seek clarification if it seems a patient isnt being fully truthful. You ask them open-ended questions but you keep tightening up the questions as you get answers. In addition, he looks for non-verbal clues such as fidgeting, long pauses before answering and anxiety not in an effort to expose a lie for the sake of exposing the liar, but in the pursuit of whats actually going on so he can help the patient to the best of his ability. Offering a very direct assurance that the doctor is there to help, not to judge, can go a long way toward helping many patients open up and feel more comfortable sharing everything, he says, and Fagerlin adds that providers want to help patients and give them the best care possible. Theyre not going to judge you for the most part. They want to help you, but they cant serve you well and protect your health if they dont know everything. It all comes back to good interpersonal communication. Patients have to speak up and doctors need to listen. Still, it can be difficult for patients to fully engage in honest dialog with a doctor sometimes because of simple social reasons. People tend to want other people to think highly of them. It can be hard to admit a failing or mistakes or things that put you in a less positive light, Fagerlin says. Getting more comfortable with a particular provider may help some patients open up, but for others, this closeness can actually make it more difficult to tell-all. It can cut both ways, LeRoy says, and some patients who would benefit from consistent care might avoid doing that because theyre uncomfortable being honest with a family physician or primary care provider. In this day and age of convenience medicine where you see whomever is available or you go to one of these places at the drugstores and see somebody you dont know them and they dont know you. And so you tell them what you want to tell them to get what you want to get, and then you want to move on. Sometimes that can be detrimental to the patients health outcome as opposed to someone thats been seeing them on a regular basis. Particularly when it comes to delicate questions around lifestyle or behavior, such as sexual practices or drug use, societal taboos can make it even more difficult for patients to tell a provider the full extent of whats going on. It might be easier for some patients to talk to a doctor theyll never see again about erectile dysfunction or a sexually transmitted infection, for example, but then you lose continuity of care and the benefits that can provide in ongoing support and treatment. [See: 14 Things You Didnt Know About Nurses.] In other situations, LeRoy says patients will broach particularly difficult topic with so-called doorknob comments, where a patient will mention something potentially very important just as the appointment is concluding because theyve been too scared or uncomfortable to tell the doctor upfront that this issue was the reason for the appointment to begin with. To help reduce the chances of these doorknob comments, LeRoy uses an intake form that asks patient why they scheduled the appointment and to list their concerns in order of perceived priority. This exercise gives patients the opportunity to think about why theyre really there and remind them what the goal of the appointment should be. For some patients, its easier to share whats going on in writing, rather than saying it out loud. It also shows me what they think their priority is because sometimes theres a disconnect between what the doctor thinks is a priority and what the patients priorities are. LeRoy adds that often, lies or half-truths uttered in the doctors office are misguided attempts at just being liked. The vast majority of our patients want to be good patients. And in the process of wanting to be a good patient they may omit certain things such as I have not been taking my medications the appropriate way because I cant afford them, or I forget them, or I dont want to share that with a trusted physician or caregiver. ' He says this can present a challenge for the family physician, who has the benefit of knowing a patient well, which may make the relationship more complex. Ive been taking care of some of my patients for a decade or more, and so I often refer to them as part of my extended family. And so they want to please me in that sense. Sometimes its very important to tell the patient how important the truth is to the appropriate care for them. Other patients say they dont want their provider to think theyre difficult or they want the provider to like them. People in general we dont want to be broken, LeRoy says. No matter whats driving a patient to be less than 100 percent truthful, the bottom line, Fagerlin says, is that withholding details from your provider can have consequences, so its best to fess up, no matter how hard it is. originally appeared on usnews.com | https://wtop.com/news/2019/01/why-do-patients-lie-to-their-doctors/ |
Did publicity lead to tiger poisoning? | Meera Bhardwaj By Express News Service BENGALURU: The deaths of two adult tigers at Umblebailu village near Bhadravati, which were often sighted in the Bhadra Tiger Reserve and popular on the social media, has shocked wildlife experts across the state. Blaming the forest department for popularising the sightings and putting its pictures on WhatsApp frequently, they say this had triggered fear and panic in the villages and so the tigers were poisoned. In fact, 15 days back, a tiger had killed a cow in this village limits. With cases of cattle being killed by them, some locals had poisoned the cattle carcass, experts say. The highly decomposed bodies of these two tigers (gender yet to be identified) were found at 11 am on December 8 by a patrol party at Umblebailu at Bhadravati division adjacent to Bhadra Tiger Reserve. Wildlife experts say these two tigers were part of a group of four animals and were sighted some four or five times and were even videographed and publicised by forest officials. On December 7, in fact, two to three tigers were captured on camera at Chowdikatte in the Bhadra Tiger Reserve. Last year, a mother with three cubs was sighted by the department at Umblebailu. They add, Putting their pictures and video on social media created fear and panic in this area and this has actually led to the poisoning of these two tigers. In January this year, a mother with her cubs was seen by forest officials and was recorded on mobiles and in cameras. This was circulated all over the social media and unnecessarily attracted the attention of people. Questionable Postmortem procedure Raising objections to the way postmortem was carried out by officials and veterinarians, wildlife experts stress the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines have not been followed. Unfortunately, local villagers and experts add that the veterinary professors from Shimoga Veterinary Science College were allowed to take away two legs with paw and nails, head bone, canines, and a few other parts. This is completely illegal. Vets or professors or experts cannot collect body parts even for investigation. This is in violation of the National Tiger Conservation Authoritys postmortem guidelines, the standard operating procedure (SOP) and also Wildlife Protection Act 1972, the expert said. As per NTCA guidelines and SOP, the carcass of a dead tiger should be disposed off in a transparent manner so that it does not result in pilferage for illegal trading. Further, when postmortem is done, samples from the spot collected may include blood, fluids, tissue, hair, fur and bone pieces. A senior forest official told Express in view of the prevailing circumstances leading to the tiger deaths, the case needs complete investigation and a thorough inquiry from NTCA or well known tiger experts. | http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2016/dec/10/did-publicity-lead-to-tiger-poisoning-1547564.html |
How well has Raiders GM Mike Mayock evaluated linebackers? | One of the great things about the Raiders hiring former NFL Network star Mike Mayock is that we have access to all of his player rankings since the 2006 NFL Draft. With all of that information, we may be able to find trends and make educated guesses throughout the draft process as to who Mayock may like, but also, what positions he knows bests. While we have all offseason to run through the tape and his draft boards, this piece is going to be a little less comprehensive. Instead, this simply a list of Mayocks top five for each draft class since 2008. In the first several parts of this series, we reviewed all of Mayocks rankings on the offensive side of the ball. Today, we are looking at how well Mayock has done grading linebackers. Here is the full list of linebacker rankings since 2008, via the NFL.com archives: 2008 Inside linebackers 1. Jerod Mayo, Tennessee 2. Dan Connor, Penn State 3. Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma 4. Jordan Dizon, Colorado 5. Beau Bell, UNLV Outside linebackers 1. Keith Rivers, USC 2. Xavier Adibi, Virginia Tech 3. Tavares Gooden, Miami (Fla.) 4. Stanford Keglar, Purdue 5. Wesley Woodyard, Kentucky 2009 Inside linebackers 1. Rey Maualuga, USC 2. James Laurinaitis, Ohio State 3. Jasper Brinkley, South Carolina 4. Darry Beckwith, LSU 5. Jason Phillips, TCU Outside linebackers 1. Aaron Curry, Wake Forest 2. Brian Orakpo, Texas 3. Brian Cushing, USC 4. Clay Matthews, USC T-5th. Larry English, Northern Illinois T-5th. Aaron Maybin, Penn State 2010 Inside linebackers 1. Rolando McClain, Alabama 2. Sean Lee, Penn State 3. Brandon Spikes, Florida 4. Donald Butler, Washington 5. Pat Angerer, Iowa Outside linebackers 1. Sergio Kindle, Texas 2. Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri 3. Daryl Washington, TCU 4. Jerry Hughes, TCU 5. Navorro Bowman, Penn State 2011 Outside Linebacker: 1. Von Miller, Texas A&M 2. Akeem Ayers, UCLA 3. Justin Houston, Georgia 4. Bruce Carter, North Carolina 5. Chris Carter, Fresno State Inside Linebacker: 1. Martez Wilson, Illinois 2. Colin McCarthy, Miami (Fla.) 3. Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina 4. Casey Matthews, Oregon 5. Kelvin Sheppard, LSU 2012 Outside Linebacker 1. Shea McClellin, Boise State 2. Melvin Ingram, South Carolina 3. Whitney Mercilus, Illinois 4. Lavonte David, Nebraska 5. Andre Branch, Clemson Inside Linebacker 1. Luke Kuechly, Boston College 2. Donta Hightower, Alabama 3. Mychal Kendricks, California 4. James-Michael Johnson, Nevada 5. Tank Carder, TCU 2013 4-3 Outside Linebacker 1. Jarvis Jones, Georgia 2. Arthur Brown, Kansas State 3. Sio Moore, Connecticut 4. Khaseem Greene, Rutgers 5. John Simon, Ohio State Inside Linebacker 1. Manti Teo, Notre Dame 2. Kevin Minter, LSU 3. Alec Ogletree, Georgia 4. Jon Bostic, Florida 5. Kiko Alonso, Oregon 2014 Outside linebacker 1. Khalil Mack, Buffalo 2. Anthony Barr, UCLA 3. Ryan Shazier, Ohio State 4. Demarcus Lawrence, Boise St. 5. Kyle Van Noy, BYU Inside linebacker 1. C.J. Mosley, Alabama 2. Chris Borland, Wisconsin 3. Preston Brown, Louisville 4. Max Bullough, Michigan State 5. Shayne Skov, Stanford 2015 1. Paul Dawson, TCU 2. Eric Kendricks, UCLA 3. Stephone Anthony, Clemson 4. Denzel Perryman, Miami (Fla.) 5. Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State 2016 1. Myles Jack, UCLA 2. Reggie Ragland, Alabama 3. Darron Lee, Ohio State 4. Sua Cravens, USC 5. Deion Jones, LSU 2017 1. Reuben Foster, Alabama 2. Haason Reddick, Temple 3. Jarrad Davis, Florida 4. Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt 5. Alex Anzalone, Florida 2018 1. Roquan Smith, Georgia 2. Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech 3. Rashaan Evans, Alabama 4. Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State 5. Feel free to comment below. | https://raiderswire.usatoday.com/2019/01/13/how-well-has-raiders-gm-mike-mayock-evaluated-linebackers/ |
When does lack of Bible reading become sinful? | (Photo: Unsplash.com/Rod Long) Theologian John Piper listed several circumstances in which failure to read the Bible becomes sinful for Christians. "Diminishing Bible reading and meditation is becoming sinful when it is owing to a loss of desperation for what the Bible alone can give," he warned. Piper, the former pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, was responding to a question asked on Ask Pastor John by someone who was concerned that his friends and other Christians, particularly in the West, are spending little to no time reading the Bible. "When does a lack of Bible reading become sin?" The theologian explained, "Wherever diminishing Bible reading is owing to a loss of desperation for seeing God, trusting God, rejoicing in God, and holiness as if those these things don't matter or can be found without the word sin is taking hold." He said that even those who read the Bible not due to faith, but because they are trying to win God's favor, are committing sin. "Reading by faith means reading with a reliance on the great reality that in Christ God is one hundred percent for us. He will incline our hearts to his word (Psalm 119:36). He'll open our eyes (Psalm 119:18). He'll satisfy our souls (Psalm 90:14)," he explained. "If we don't read by faith, we will be disillusioned. And if diminishing Bible reading is owing to that disillusionment, it is sin." Not reading your Bible also becomes sinful "when the activities that replace it are not experienced as the fruit of it," Piper said, adding that it is right to stop reading the Bible in the morning and go to work "if your work is experienced as a fruit of what you saw of God and savored of God in the word." God, he stressed, "designed the Bible as a tree that produces delicious fruit of living for the glory of God and the good of others." And when people stop reading the Bible, they should be "gladly experiencing its replacement as the fruit of it." Continue reading about the Bible on The Christian Post. | https://www.christianexaminer.com/article/when-does-lack-of-bible-reading-become-sinful/52534.htm |
What? Cervical exams for men who identify as women? | Michael Brown holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a professor at a number of seminaries. He is the author of 25 books and hosts the nationally syndicated, daily talk radio show, the Line of Fire. One of my colleagues has been confronting LGBT activism for more than 20 years, and they have been thankless, difficult, sacrificial years. I asked him once on my radio show, "Why don't you stop?" He replied, "I'll stop when they stop." Exactly so. We did not start this ideological battle. We are simply responding to it. And that's why I can't (and won't) stop addressing the rising tide of transanity in our society. As long as the social madness continues, I'll keep addressing it. By now, we've heard about boys competing in girls' sporting events (and winning handily). And we've heard about men competing in women's sporting events (and winning handily). We've heard about teachers telling 8-year-olds that "boys get periods too." And we've heard about tampons being put in men's bathrooms on campuses because "men menstruate too." We've heard about all-female colleges now accepting men who identify as women(although a woman who identifies as a man will not be accepted at some of these same campuses). We've heard about websites selling genital prosthetics for prepubescent, trans-identifying children (so, a 9-year-old girl who identifies as a boy can wear this to look more boy-like). We've heard about "Rapid Onset Gender Disorder," through which an increasing number of young people are suddenly concluding they are trans, based primarily on social influences. We've even heard about a biological male and female conceiving a child, but it's newsworthy because the man identifies as gay and his partner is a woman who identifies as a man (this is becoming increasingly common). So, in their minds, it's a same-sex relationship (male and male), but in reality, it's a man and a woman, which is why they can conceive a child. But perhaps the craziest thing yet is this report from the UK's The Sun: "Men who identify as women are being invited for cervical smear tests even though they don't have a cervix. However, women who identify as male are not being offered crucial routine breast screenings or cervical cancer checks." (The report is actually one-year old but it just came to my attention this week.) According to the article, "Women who identify as male are not being offered vital routine breast screenings and cervical cancer checks in case it offends them." Forget about health concerns. Forget about screening out cancer. Forget about protecting the lives of these women. We don't want to hurt their feelings! Let them get breast cancer or cervical cancer. Just don't make them feel bad. The guidelines come "from a 24-page booklet published by Public Health England called 'Information for trans people'." The simple upshot of the booklet is this: Your biological sex doesn't matter (even though the issue is with health, which correlates directly with biology). What matters is how you identify. Thus, "If a transman, born female, registers as male he won't be invited for routine breast screenings at 50, or cervical screening. However, if a transwoman registers as female they will be routinely invited for cervical screening." Put another way, if you're a biological male who identifies as a female, you'll be treated as if you were a female, including be invited for cervical screening. The fact that you have no cervix is not the issue. The fact that you cannot get cervical cancer (again, because you have no cervix) is not important. What's important is that you identify as a female and therefore you will be treated as such. This is madness, not sensitivity. It's like screening women who identify as men for testicular cancer or men who identify as women for ovarian cancer. Or like asking males who identify as females to conceive children or females who identify as males to father children. Or like asking a biological male who identifies as a female to breastfeed or suggesting that he has a hysterectomy to relieve his health problems (even though he doesn't have a uterus). To repeat: This is madness. Cervical exams for men who identify as women?" on The Christian Post. | https://www.christianexaminer.com/article/what-cervical-exams-for-men-who-identify-as-women/52535.htm |
Why blame unions for the offences committed by councils? | Nurse and midwifery union members walked from the Royal Hobart Hospital to Parliament Lawns to rally against the Governments pay offer. Picture: MATT THOMPSON Nurse and midwifery union members walked from the Royal Hobart Hospital to Parliament Lawns to rally against the Governments pay offer. Picture: MATT THOMPSON REGARDING a letter by John Friend (TC01/19). You are drawing a long bow. I am a public servant at local government level, and a proud member of the Services Union, and I absolutely take offence to your remarks regarding public servants and unions, inferring that a majority of their members are corrupt. You know as well as I do, that unions didn't make the banks greedy; they did that all by themselves, (I'm quite sure that Bank CEOs are not union members) with the aid of various governments, particularly this current one. Perhaps you should revisit Justice Hayne's comments. Once again it was their arrogance and greed which led them down that path, not the workers leading them there. As for the airbag comments; cars are built by manufacturers, they pass safety standards, they go on the roads. Nothing was said about airbags until accidents occurred in the US, then it transpired that many major companies had been using airbags made in Mexico. It was later established that these were failing prematurely due to component failure. Yes every organisation has members who are imperfect, thankfully they are in the minority. Perhaps you should look at the "unions" on the right of politics, their members are certainly not all blameless, just look at the antics of some of the pollies who belong to those "unions". ELLEN SMITH, Roma | https://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/why-blame-unions-offences-committed-councils/3621432/ |
Was crash victim killed in stone-throwing attack? | Police examining claims that Israeli woman killed in Samaria crash had been attacked by stone-throwers while driving, causing the accident. An Israeli woman who died in a car accident Sunday afternoon may have been the victim of an Arab terror attack, residents of Ateret say. Police are investigating claims raised by relatives and neighbors of an Israeli woman killed in a car accident in Samaria Sunday that the fatal crash was caused by stones thrown at the victims car as she drive near her hometown of Ateret. Thirty-year-old Hadas Tapuhi was killed Sunday afternoon when her car collided with a truck in a head-on collision. The accident occurred on Route 465, near the Israeli town of Ateret in the Binyamin district of Samaria. Tapuhi is survived by her husband and four children. A second person was lightly injured in the accident. Residents of Ateret say IDF soldiers who responded to the accident found signs that stones had been thrown just before the fatal crash, raising the possibility that the accident was caused by the stone-throwers, with Tapuhi either losing control of her vehicle, or swerving to avoid the stones being thrown. The stretch of Route 465 where the accident occurred is frequently targeted by Arab stone-throwers from the nearby village of Umm Safa. | http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257556 |
How do art handlers and museum registrars do their jobs? | Get More Working Slate Plus members get extended, ad-free versions of our podcastsand much more. Sign up today and try it free for two weeks. Join Slate Plus Subscribe to Working Copy this link and add it in your podcast app. copy link copied! For detailed instructions, see our Slate Plus podcasts page. Listen to Working via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. Of all the people who work at MOMA, very few who get as up close and personal with the artwork as the museums art handlers and registrars. Registrars are the people responsible for keeping track of every inch of every piece of art that belongs to the museum. They thoroughly inspect and catalog each detail and always know where everything is at all times. Meanwhile, art handlers are the ones trusted with physically moving the pieces. Theyre the only department outside of conservation that is actually allowed to touch the artwork. Jordan talks to Steven Wheeler and Sarah Wood about the special privileges and particular pet peeves of working in these two departments at MOMA. You can email us at [email protected]. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. | https://slate.com/business/2019/01/how-do-art-handlers-and-museum-registrars-do-their-jobs.html |
Is Swinney one of the top 10 coaches of all time? | That was the question asked Sunday morning on ESPNU Radios College Sports Sunday Show with Barrett Sallee and Tom Luginbill. With last weeks win over the Tide, Swinney already owns two national championships and he is just 49 years old. His Tigers have played for the national championship in three of the last four years and have won two of the last three in college football. Lets not forget who we have to talk about, Luginbill said. We have to talk about Woody Hayes, John McKay, Bear Bryant, (Joe) Paterno, (Bobby) Bowden, Steve Spurrier. Sallee pointed out Swinney now has more titles than Spurrier. In his 10-plus seasons at Clemson, Swinney is 116-30 all-time and this year the Tigers became the first team in the modern era of major college football to go 15-0. The last time it happened was in 1897 by Penn. He is only 49 years old, Luginbill said. He is the second-best coach in college football without a doubt. No, said Sallee. | https://theclemsoninsider.com/2019/01/13/is-swinney-one-of-the-top-10-coaches-of-all-time/ |
Is presumption of innocence overstretched in graft cases? | The doctrine of separation of powers presupposes an ecosystem where the three arms of government Executive, Legislature and Judiciary work independently but complement each other. The current not too subtle standoff between the Executive and the Judiciary over graft and other criminal cases over acquittals and bail conditions threatens to degenerate into mutual antipathy. Both the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji and his Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) colleague George Kinoti who in the court of public opinion get flying colours in the fight against corruption are sending more than just anger as courts stick to demand higher evidential threshold to convict. Chief Justice David Maraga has insisted the Judiciary, in a complementarity role, is also in the trenches in the battle to break the back of graft but never tires of reminding that for conviction evidence is non-negotiable. However, the exasperation by the DPP and DCI has more subtly been expressed by the President and last Thursday echoed by Opposition chief Raila Odinga. They are probably not meant as stunts to ratchet up pressure on courts. But if destabilising or pressuring the Judiciary is antithetical to the dispensation of justice, there are nonetheless creeping apprehensions over court rulings with regard to graft. It is also true that the Judiciary will loathe being perceived as if it has an axe to grind with the Executive or the Legislature for whatever reason (remember the Judiciary revisit threat following Supreme Court ruling overturning presidential poll in 2017, the Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu arraignment saga and the sliced allocations by Parliament to the judiciary). But most Kenyans are alive to the trend by the Executive to frequently fret or find some court rulings irritating, not just those with political reverberations but also those dealing with suspects indicted on national security matters. True, the law is the law and we are constantly reminded that the Judiciary acts as an anchor to constitutionalism and democracy. Our Judiciary has, since the 2003 radical surgery, been recovering from broadly negative perception, only gradually gaining a measure of public trust and confidence. Previously, a cynical perspective was that it was an epitome of deficiency in integrity and often got likened to an auction house where justice went to the highest bidder. Which is why court clerks through manipulative and conniving lawyers to date tinker with case files to derail justice. In the past, the Judiciary was also seen as lacking the backbone to stand up to political machinations. Those days are clearly behind us. In 2017, it shocked the world by nullifying presidential election results. But as much as courts must adjudicate impartially and are not in the habit of allowing whims and retributive impulses to distort dispensation of justice, its also crucial that it becomes sensitive to the accusations and emerging perception of it being the weak link in the fight against corruption. Ordinary Kenyans are clearly not schooled in jurisprudence, legal fundamental and processes and the broad underpinnings of justice. Nonetheless, in Wanjikus anxiety to see the graft tide stemmed, she must be forgiven for finding inexplicable and incomprehensible, court rulings where powerful individuals facing grave charges, including murder, are granted bail and return to occupy influential offices. Graft cases, at best, take an eternity to conclude but more accurately, just fade away. High-profile murders are committed and victims buried and following initial flurry of investigations, the trail invariably goes cold. There is a compelling need for introspection on whether prosecution agencies are so hopelessly inept and hamstrung in the light of court rulings. Without convictions or more stringent bail terms, the agencies leading the fight against graft are bound to feel disincentivised and ultimately their efforts bound to falter. That is why the Judiciary is finding itself in the eye of the storm. | http://www.mediamaxnetwork.co.ke/497374/is-presumption-of-innocence-overstretched-in-graft-cases/ |
Will Chaminade's Eli Canion join teammates in Coral Gables? | With the Early Signing Period for 2019 prospects over with, some college coaches are starting to turn their focus to 2020 players. Chaminade-Madonna wide receiver Eli Canion is one player whos garnering attention from major schools. Now that the contact period is now open, its been getting a little bit more heavy, Canion said at the Florida Fire 7-on-7 open run in Royal Palm Beach on Saturday. Canion, a three-star prospect in 247Sports composite ranking, holds offers from Florida, Miami, Notre Dame and more, and now hes beginning to look closer at his potential future teams. The Lions had three seniors sign with Miami during the Early Signing Period: defensive backs Tecory Couch and Keontra Smith and defensive lineman Cameron Williams. Two more players, 2020 offensive and defensive lineman Willie Moise and 2021 running back Thad Franklin, are committed to the Hurricanes. Canion could become the sixth player from the 2018 state champions to head to Coral Gables if new coach Manny Diaz can keep that pipeline flowing. Well see, Canion said. I like what theyre doing so far. [Five] of my teammates committed. They bug me about it every day, coming down there. Thats cool because if I do go there, Im already comfortable, I already know everybody. Its a family environment. The rising senior wide receiver is rated the No. 376 overall player and No. 79 wide receiver in the 2020 class. He was a South Florida Sun Sentinel first-team All-County pick after racking up 649 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, including a 71-yard score in the state title game. Canion, whos won two straight Class 3A state titles with the Lions, said the responsibility of living up to those teams motivates him to keep getting better. Weve got to carry on the legacy of just winning every year, Canion said. When you win two years in a row, youre expected to win every year. Pipers Powell taking last few visits Cecil Powell, a Sun Sentinel first-team All-County pick, is narrowing down his college picks. The Bengals senior said at the Florida Fire open run that he is looking at Baylor, Temple and Texas Tech. He said he has visits scheduled for Baylor and Texas Tech and may try to visit Temple before National Signing Day on Feb. 6. Powells search has been made more complicated lately, as both Temple and Texas Tech have had coaching changes, while Baylors Matt Rhule considered the New York Jets head coach position. I just wait and see whats going to happen, Powell said. Powell had 45 tackles and eight interceptions last year. He is rated a three-star prospect and the No. 100 safety in the nation by 247Sports composite ranking. CAPTION Oklahoma star wide receiver Marquise Hollywood Brown on returning to South Florida for Orange Bowl. Oklahoma star wide receiver Marquise Hollywood Brown on returning to South Florida for Orange Bowl. CAPTION Oklahoma star wide receiver Marquise Hollywood Brown on returning to South Florida for Orange Bowl. Oklahoma star wide receiver Marquise Hollywood Brown on returning to South Florida for Orange Bowl. CAPTION Alabama wide receiver and Deerfield Beach grad Jerry Jeudy on winning the Biletnikoff Award this season and coming home for the Orange Bowl and College Football Playoff semifinal. Alabama wide receiver and Deerfield Beach grad Jerry Jeudy on winning the Biletnikoff Award this season and coming home for the Orange Bowl and College Football Playoff semifinal. CAPTION Nations top-ranked team Archbishop McCarthy downs American Heritage Delray, 1-0 in girls soccer Nations top-ranked team Archbishop McCarthy downs American Heritage Delray, 1-0 in girls soccer CAPTION Deerfield Beach High School football players Ge'mon Eaford and Brandon Dorlus sign with the University of Oregon. Deerfield Beach High School football players Ge'mon Eaford and Brandon Dorlus sign with the University of Oregon. CAPTION St. Thomas safety Jordan Battle nixes Ohio State for Alabama. St. Thomas safety Jordan Battle nixes Ohio State for Alabama. [email protected] | https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/highschool/fl-sp-canion-recruitment-20190113-story.html |
Should I abandon my mean pregnant girlfriend? | Hi Achokis. I have been in a relationship for the last three years. Things were okay between us until sometime last year when we started arguing a lot and couldnt just seem to agree on anything. By this time, my girlfriend was expectant and initially, I thought it was because of the pregnancy. We grew further apart and in December, we separated. We havent talked for more than a month and for me, I feel like its over. Shes about to give birth. I fear being accused of walking out on her and the baby. Our take When some women are pregnant, they tend to get fussy over anything and everything. When we were expecting our first born, she craved for tripe (matumbo). Anything that didnt smell like matumbo found its way to the trash bin, including my aftershaves and roll-ons. A lot of understanding is needed during your girlfriends current state and walking away now might just be making a permanent decision based on a temporary situation. She probably needs your support but doesnt know how to ask for it. So, make yourself available and if she says she needs some space, then give it to her. After birth, dont expect immediate results as changes in sleep patterns, postnatal depression coupled with the stress of being a first-time mum might just be overwhelming for her. Other factors However, there could be other factors at play. Theres a possibility that you had relational issues that had not been fully resolved and the pregnancy might have just augmented things. When the reality of what this means hits home, you both reacted and this affected your relationship. Both of you were going through this unexpected transition and so could not look at things objectively. Child involved It is, therefore, important not to make a hasty decision. We suggest you seek counselling for yourself and encourage her to seek one as well. You might want to give it a second chance before calling it quits. On the other hand, a lot also still depends on her. If after some time she is still acting the way she is, then you might be left with no option but to move on. Whatever you do, remember theres a child involved, so you need to have mature discussions on how you can together co-parent this child. | http://www.mediamaxnetwork.co.ke/497416/should-i-abandon-my-mean-pregnant-girlfriend/ |
When will the Moto G6 receive the Android Pie update? | Best answer: The Moto G6 is in line to receive Android 9.0 Pie at some point in the first half of 2019, however, Motorola has not yet set a specific date or month yet. Motorola has officially announced the Android 9.0 Pie update for the Moto G6. When Motorola originally announced support for Pie on its budget devices, the company noted the rollout would begin in the fall. Unfortunately, it seems Motorola began with its older devices, while Moto G6 owners will have to wait for rounds of soak testing to be done with a group of select beta testers. Thankfully, it seems we could be nearing an impasse. Motorola has already released the soak test for Moto G6 Plus owners, and the beta firmware for the base Moto G6 model has already leaked. That said, it's hard to tell when, exactly, Motorola will be ready to start shipping Pie. We know the company's updated deadline is a simple "mid-2019" declaration, but there's no exact rollout date to look forward to right now. We'd imagine the rollout will happen sooner rather than later, if the timing of the beta release is anything to go by. This timeline is only guaranteed for unlocked versions of the Moto G6, including the Amazon Prime-exclusive model. Carrier-branded models of the Moto G6 will receive the update pending carrier approval and testing processes. You can keep tabs on Motorola's progress yourself by heading to its Software Upgrade page. If you wanted to, you could install Android Pie on your Moto G6 today. This is because the beta firmware has leaked and can be flashed on your device. We wouldn't recommend this option to beginners or for those who aren't too tech savvy. If you're willing to take the chance, XDA user aaryon1596 has provided the beta file for you to download and install manually. The firmware is only compatible with the Moto G6 "Ali" model, and you'll need to make sure you're on the latest official Android Oreo firmware as a prerequisite. Head to the Settings > About Device menu on your phone to ensure you have the proper model and firmware. But before you proceed, know that you're advancing at your own risk. We generally advise most users to wait for official, stable updates. Motorola, Android Central, nor anyone else bears no responsibility for what may happen to your device as a result of attempting to manually install any update, stable or otherwise. Make your decision and proceed with care and caution. A Great Value Moto G6 Sacrifice bells and whistles for unmatched value. When you don't have a lot of dollars to spend, you don't have a whole lot of great options, but the Moto G6 offers a nice value for those in that boat. $300 at Amazon | https://www.androidcentral.com/when-will-moto-g6-receive-android-pie-update?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+androidcentral+%28Android+Central%29 |
Does Andrew Luck Have a Wife? Is Colts QB Married? | Andrew Luck does not have a wife, but has been in a long-term relationship with girlfriend Nicole Pechanac. The couple met when they were student-athletes at Stanford. Pechanac is from Phillipsburg, New Jersey but competed in gymnastics at Stanford. Pechanac is still involved in sports and now works on the television side. Pechanac is a field producer for both NBC Sports and ESPN. Pechanac provided an overview of her work on her Linkedin profile. Nicole puts great emphasis on learning each and every day. She built upon her design and analytical skills by working in the architecture industry and later earning a MBA at the Kelley School of Business, allowing her to further her interest in finance and entrepreneurship and how the intersection of the two through impact investing can create sustainable benefits to communities. Learn more about Lucks girlfriend. Lucks Girlfriend Provided Encouragement During His Journey to Get Back on the Football Field Luck missed all of the 2017 season as he recovered from a shoulder injury. There was a time when many wondered if the Colts quarterback could return to his prior form. Luck led the Colts to the 2019 NFL playoffs and is enjoying the journey with Pechanac. If youve played five, six, seven years, youve overcome something in a sense, Luck explained to ESPN. I was talking to my folks about this and [girlfriend] Nicole about, man, its hard to sort of when youre in the weeds to sort of flip that switch and zoom out a little bit and get a little different perspective and appreciate or understand what happens. Because youre in it and its like youre on and you dont want to get out of it. Again, I am having fun and to me thats the most important thing. The fact that we get to go play another game in the playoffs and see what we can do, thats stinking awesome. I feel this season in a sense every game has been fulfilling. No, not at all. Pechanac Graduated from Stanford With an Engineering Degree & a Masters Degrees at Indiana University Pechanac graduated from Stanford with an Engineering degree with a special focus in Architectural Design in 2012. She also earned an MBA from Indianas Kelley School of Business in 2017. Pechanac specialized in Business Analytics with the Entrepreneurship and Innovation track. Luck also graduated from Stanford in 2012 with an Architectural Design degree. Luck spoke with Stanfords website about why he chose the major. Architectural Design [major] and I chose it because of my longtime interest in buildings, both their aesthetic value and structureI think the idea of angles, space, and processing information helps immensely on the field. I believe the first two ideas mentioned come from having a decent engineering background and are definitely honed in engineering classes. Pechanac Is Also Involved in Social Entreprenurship Have spent my birthday with this crew for 5 years now, different cities (and countries), same amazing people. #nbcsports @superherosthree pic.twitter.com/misHqUInpw Nicole Pechanec (@gymniko) August 18, 2018 Pechanac is passionate about social entrepreneurship and is a member of Nests board of trustees. Here is an overview of Nests work per Linkedin. Nest is nonprofit committed social and economic advancement of global artisans through supply chain transparency, sustainable business development, and widespread industry advocacy. Pechanac listed a few of her community involvement goals on Linkedin. Nicole aspires to grow in her two-pronged career as a social entrepreneur and through her involvement in the gymnastics community as a field producer for NBC and ESPN. She enjoys being an advocate for healthier, ethically-conscious products through her work with the non-profit, Nest, and being an active member of the Indianapolis community. She embraces lifes opportunities and is grateful for the people that have led her along the way. Her hope is to be able to pass forward that same support and guidance to others. READ NEXT: Nicole Pechanac, Andrew Lucks Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | https://heavy.com/sports/2019/01/andrew-luck-wife-girlfriend-nicole-pechanac/ |
Is Credlin eyeing another safe Coalition seat? | The talk of any half-decent Liberal function over the holiday break was the will-she, wont-she suggestion Peta Credlin was lining up for Andrew Broads seat of Mallee, the ultra-safe Nationals electorate in Victoria long considered Coalition heartland. It was, as this column revealed back in December, a suggestion that sat particularly well with Credlins previous employer, former prime minister Tony Abbott. The Liberal Party has been abuzz with rumours about Peta Credlinn returning to politics. Credit:Matt Golding But under a different scenario that was being discussed even before 007 Broads Hong Kong-based implosion, Credlin was rumoured to be eyeing another safe Coalition electorate in Menzies, where Kevin Andrews has been the long-serving Liberal MP for 27 years. In August, the Liberal Party endorsed all sitting members to go around again at the next federal election due in May saving Andrews from a serious challenge by barrister Keith Wolahan. | https://www.smh.com.au/national/is-credlin-eyeing-another-safe-coalition-seat-20190113-p50r4b.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_national |
What Really Happened To Zak Kostopoulos? | The photo above is a painting of Greek LGBTQ & HIV Activist Zak Kostopoulos in the Exarcheia neighborhood in Athens. Kostopolous was murdered in September. The Athens police have been charged with his death. Taken today by Perry N. Halkitis. Over four months ago the first reports came out of Greek and Greek-American news outlets a brave store owner had killed a heroin addict and an illegal immigrant in self defense of the robbery of his jewelry store. This narrative played well in the Hellenic Republic which has been decimated by a de facto economic war waged by the central bank and the Eurozone for the crime of being born Greek a decade of austerity has led to one of the highest suicide rate spikes in the world (nearly 50 percent spike in 2017). Its also a place that has seen a sharp shift to the right and even the rise of a Nazi party called Golden Dawn in the Hellenic parliament. Four months later and despite internal findings that found the police liable for his death we are no closer to the truth to what actually transpired that day. No one has come forward and told Zaks story. Back in September the first outlet to identify the burglar as Kostopoulos was Pink News. According to PinkNews, video footage was released, showing Kostopoulos trapped in a jewelry shop on Gladstonos Street. He attempted to break out of the shops front door with a fire extinguisher as a crowd gathered outside, including the shops owner. When he failed to break through the door, Kostopoulos crawled through a window, which required him to get on his hands and knees on broken glass. Out magazine reported that, As he [Kostopoulos] gets outside, the shop owner and another man can be seen kicking Kostopoulos repeatedly, with a final kick to the head that knocked him unconscious. Passersby attempted to intervene, and although police were in the vicinity, they failed to stop the attack. The mob can still be seen kicking him while he lies unconscious. The footage ends with police and emergency responders putting Kostopoulos sideways on a stretcher, as his hands appear to be cuffed behind his back. He died before reaching the hospital. What was particularly troublesome to me was the reluctance of the local media to sway from the drug addict narrative to the extent that some asked if Kostopoulos did indeed have a heroin problem it was the ultimate pile on of stigma as if that wasnt enough he was also HIV-positive. He also grew up in the United Statesanother thing that stayed with me as that was often a fear I had as a childhaving to return to the largely homophobic country. The National Herald reported that Kostopoulos lived in the U.S. until he was 8 years old when his parents decided to move the family back, permanently, to their village of Itea Fokidas. In an earlier online interview Kostopoulos said that his parents choice to return to Greece had cost him his childhood. Being eight years old and going from America, not just to Greece, but to a village in Greece, its a huge change, a cultural shock, the late Kostopoulos said. I can imagine. I can also imagine the fear he felt in a place where were told to trust in God and our countrymen while they proceed to beat you to deathwhere a humanitarian crisis goes largely un-noticed by the rest of the worldZaks death writ large is the story of Greeces importance in the international spotlight. So although I am happy as The Greek Reporter relayed in November that the, Police officers involved in the Athens beating death of 33-year-old LGBTQ activist Zak Kostopoulos now face charges of inflicting fatal bodily harm and will appear in front of the examining magistrate on Monday. And that, An autopsy released in November revealed the cause of death, showing the thirty-three-year-old had died of a heart attack as a result of the beatings. He was not under the influence of any drugs at the time. Ill never forget the early reporters or the passersbys who watched the assault unfold in front of them and recorded it on their devicesor the fact that it happened at all in the city that once gave birth to democracy. Maybe well never know Zaks version of how these events culminated in his murder. | http://www.towleroad.com/2019/01/what-really-happened-to-zak-kostopoulos/ |
Has Zimbabwe fallen off the edge of the precipice? | Economic analysts now sound like stuck records advising the powers-that-be to slash government expenditure, trim government employees, adopt a firm currency, dismember the tentacles of corruption, sell off unviable state-owned enterprises (SOEs), create an enabling environment for businesses and social enterprises to go as some of the fundamental issues that must be dealt with if the economy is to grow. by Ndoro-Mukombachoto Without tackling these and many other issues within many facets of the economy, like, growing low hanging fruit sectors such as tourism, agriculture and manufacturing, the prospects of new job creation are dismal and unemployment will continue unabated. Poverty will remain the hallmark associated with Zimbabwe. Educationists are clear that if the decline in education quality and the high drop-out rates continue, schools and universities will fail to produce the expertise required to rebuild the battered economy. Political scientists warn that the continued increase in corruption and general chicanery and lawlessness, coupled with the loss of trust in public institutions, will continue to threaten the long-term viability of Zimbabwe. As we chart new paths with the dawn of a new year, it appears as if the Zimbabwe has fallen off the edge of the precipice and here is why it is my rebuttable presumption. Indicators that we have fallen off the edge of the precipice include but are not restricted to the following: We do not have unifying images or doctrines Perhaps it is because of our general disenfranchisement that we have become a fragmented and fractured lot. Absolutely nothing right now unifies us a nation except the fact that we live in one country. The flag is probably all we are left with now and yet in certain quarters within the country, celebrating the flag is discouraged because there is a jaundiced belief that, that flag belongs to a single political party, the ruling party. The Banyarwanda people of Rwanda, 24 years after the genocide, where up to a million people were murdered in cold blood by their fellow countrymen, are more united today than Zimbabweans. That history unifies them as they choose, never again! Rwandas national cleanup day, Umuganda, on the last Saturday of every month, is another rallying point for unity to remind each other of shared values. Writing for The Telegraph inMay 2002, former British prime minister, John Major, argued that, the Monarchy unites the British nation as a president never could. He continued, the Monarchy stands above the partisanship of politics in a way that no elected Head of State could ever hope to do. The Monarchy is an enduring edifice at a time when many ancient certainties seem to have gone. He defended his arguments further by stating that, the Monarchy reminds us of more positive elements of the British nature: service, duty, self-restraint, all of them the essential underpinning of a civilised society. It upholds tradition, stability and, most reassuringly, continuity. We have lost our capacity for self-correction Zimbabwe has not had a viable currency of its own since 2009. The last few years has seen the country going through an acute cash shortage that has been deliberately, gradually and systematically strangling the economy, which is now about 40% the size it was at the turn of the millennium. Yet, at the time of writing this paper, there is no solution in sight to have Zimbabwe have its own legitimate and convertible currency. There seems to be confusion in the Finance ministry and at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Forbes 2018 indicated that corruption in Zimbabwe has become endemic within its political, private, civil sectors and all other spheres of society. Forbes also mentioned that Zimbabwe is rumoured to have the highest number of unlisted billionaires. Corruption has been a major dent on economic growth in the country for decades. Matthew Davies, BBC News, Africa Business Report Editor, writing in November 2017 on Five ways to revive Zimbabwes economy, suggested that, not that corruption is confined to Zimbabwe in the African context, but it is one of those places that it seems to trickle down (and sanctioned) from the top. If Zimbabwe is going to arise and shine, corruption, the worst reputational baggage it is carrying, [should] be stamped out without fear or favour. Unfortunately the composition of the current Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission precludes it from achieving desired objectives. That said, there also seems to be no political will to tackle serious corruption at the top. We have lost our moral compass and empathy for each other We no longer know how to relate as decent members of the human race. The intolerance and hate speech in many platforms on social media, within and amongst political parties and even at familial level leaves a lot to be desired. We call each other names when we disagree, women being usually the survivors at the receiving end of the kvetching. Recently, I vehemently disagreed with a close family member on an issue I hold dear and still disagree with him on. He called me a hure (meaning bitch) because I refused to be persuaded to view the issue from his point of view. What happens in political corridors of power, when opposition women politicians are called mahure in the Zimbabwean Parliament, mirrors to a large extent, what is happening at societal level. It seems that many of us are not coming out unscathed during this taxing and heart-wrenching season we are going through. Times are hard. Difficult choices have to be made in a situation where most households are bankrupt or facing dwindling disposable incomes. But there is no justification whatsoever, to disrespect our elderly in fuel, western union and bank queues. Neither do we respect and affirm pregnant women wherever they need to be ushered to the front of the queue in order to make it easier for them to transact. We have become a highly-strung, unfeeling, anxious and a bitter lot, choosing instead to be inconsiderate, spiteful and inhumane. It is indeed a choice we are making. At our disposal is another different choice to be gracious, kind-hearted, compassionate and tolerant. When you are repeatedly acrimonious and abusive to others, you become unthinking and unkind. It is a conscious choice and in the fullness of time, this is the heritage older generations are passing on to the younger generations. We over-joke and over-laugh at ourselves in a crisis A good number of Zimbabweans across the world compete with Noah in the genre of comedy. The difference is, Noah gets paid for it as a professional and the rest do not. When faced with real crises, Zimbabweans take on to social media with jokes, and very well crafted and often intelligent humorous jokes. We spend valuable time laughing at our helpless selves for allowing horrible things to be meted on us by the government, instead of setting up think tanks to help government understand how things work. We have accepted victimhood status instead of regrouping in order to reclaim that which used to make us masters and mistresses of our own destinies. We are now an unforgiving lot A great development happened when Operation Restore Legacy was actioned in November 2017. Former president Robert Mugabe was removed and allowed to continue in retirement as former head of state with all the decency benefitting his former position. That kind of goodwill ought to be extended to all and sundry so that the citizens forgive and forget the ghosts that haunted them and stop licking the drying wounds of the past and focus only on the now and the future. The witch-hunting ought to stop, lest it compromises our ability to develop and sharpen our competencies for a now never mind a future which we are already lagging far behind on. We are no longer futuristic in our thinking The world around us is moving in leaps and bounds. No one is waiting for household Zimbabwe to get its act together. Whist other countries are making advances in many areas, in particular technology; we seem to be regressing with the yoke of corruption being a noose around our necks. When accountability, service delivery to the citizenry and performance are perceived unnecessary by the governing party, then everything else becomes that peripheral! Through a new company, Amaya Space, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), made history in 2013 by the launching of ZACUBE-1 (which was renamed as Tshepiso), South Africas and Africas first nanosatellite. According to the CPUT website, CPUT vice-chancellor Prof Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga says the university has made history on the African continent for being the first to develop and launch a nanosatellite. ZACUBE-2, which is the most advanced South African CubeSat to date, was launched in December 2018. According to thesouthafrican.com, this satellite will help us monitor our ocean traffic as part of our oceans economy and also monitor veld fires and provide near real-time fire information ensuring a quick response time by disaster management teams. Radio systems and other technologies developed at CPUT, already established as a regional leader in the field of nanosatellites, are also used in many satellites from around the world. According to geospacialworld.net, nanosatellites are those satellites that are just about the size of your shoe box. But they can do almost everything a conventional satellite does, and that too, at a fraction of the cost, a reason why everybody from government organisations and start-ups to educational institutions are scrambling to get a piece of the small-satellite pie. Research firm, Markets and Markets is predicting a bullish future for the small satellite industry. The nano and micro-satellite market is estimated to grow from $702,4 million in 2014 to $1,9 billion in 2019. A study by Northern Sky Research predicts earth observation as the primary driver behind this growth. This is because earth observation market suffers from data poverty in many industry verticals, like agriculture, disaster management, forestry and wildlife. The research firm believes that a staggering 40% of the nano and micro-satellites, which are to be launched by the end of year 2024, will be for earth observation applications. The point being I am making here is, when Zimbabwes young and fertile minds continue to be crowded out by daily survivalist issues, thinking futuristically gets compromised and as a result, Zimbabwe lags behind in all facets of innovation, creativity and thought leadership. Here we have a formerly unknown, under-resourced, Technikon type institution, which in a matter of a two decades, has succeeded in catapulting itself to greater heights. These are the kinds of inventions universities and other technology institutions in Zimbabwe should be championing. The Standard | https://www.thezimbabwemail.com/opinion/has-zimbabwe-fallen-off-the-edge-of-the-precipice/ |
Why the sudden closure of the Mid-Bay? Here's why? | On Tuesday, the Mid-Bay Bridge was suddenly closed for emergency repairs and residents werent the only ones who received short notice. Van Fuller, president of the Mid-Bay Bridge Authority said he found out the bridge was being closed at the same time every one else did. According to Fuller, the Florida Department of Transportation is in charge of all repairs and maintenance for the Mid-Bay Bridge and theyre the ones who decided on the sudden closure. They were doing some additional testing in one of the spans that had a deteriorated tendon and found an additional tendon that needed to be replaced, Fuller said. That drove the decision to close the bridge. In addition to the inconvenience and increase in traffic on other roads in and out of Destin, many have questioned if the sudden repairs will affect the toll rate to go over the bridge. Its not gonna affect the toll rates at all, Fuller said. In addition to going toward paying off the bridges debt, Fuller said the money made from tolls also goes towards maintenance, operations and for unexpected situations like this. Weve got enough cash in the bank to make the payments for the repairs, he said. Some residents who have to use the bridge daily for work or school are irritated that they wont get their monthly discount now. Unfortunately, Fuller said theres nothing the Authority can do about that. Fuller said repairs like this are typical and FDOT was already scheduled to perform the repairs sometime this month. Throughout this process, the Authority has continued to stress their key concerns to FDOT to make sure theyre on the same page. Its imperative we provide a safe transportation system, Fuller said. We need to make sure we get this thing repaired properly, understand why this suddenly came to be and do whatever needs to be done to make sure this doesnt happen again. | https://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20190113/why-sudden-closure-of-mid-bay-heres-why |
What does Rahaf's case say about social reform in Saudi Arabia? | Canada has granted asylum to Rahaf al-Qunun, who fled Saudi Arabia to escape alleged abuse. Teenager Rahaf al-Qunun has grabbed the worlds attention for defying a strict social code in Saudi Arabia. She said she feared for her life if she was returned home and launched a twitter campaign from her hotel room in Thailand pleading for help. The United Nations granted her refugee status and Canada offered her asylum and a new home. Her case may complicate already strained relations with Saudi Arabia. Canada had previously angered Riyadh by calling for the release of womens rights activists from Saudi jails. Presenter: Nick Clark Guests: Noha Abou-el-dahab - Visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center. Bessma Momani - Professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo Omaima Al Najjar - A Saudi political refugee who fled the country in 2013. Source: Al Jazeera News | https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2019/01/rahaf-case-social-reform-saudi-arabia-190113194527058.html |
What If Mueller Proves Trump Collusion and No One Cares? | (Bloomberg Opinion) -- This past week, we saw the first concrete evidence that Donald Trumps 2016 campaign colluded with Russia and it seemed as if no one cared. That would mark a radical transformation in the nature of contemporary U.S. politics. Of course, its far from certain that Democratic efforts to draw attention to the shocking facts would fail. But the fizzle outcome now looks genuinely possible, not because Mueller wont get the goods, but because of a combination of Trumps talent at changing the subject, his Republican supporters ho-hum attitude toward campaign wrongdoing, and public fatigue at the duration of the investigation. To understand this potential scenario in which Mueller strikes pay dirt and Trump nevertheless emerges unscathed, the place to start is with the latest revelation about Paul Manafort. The astonishing and entirely new fact revealed last week is that, according to Mueller, Manafort, while chairman of the Trump campaign, sent polling data to a Russian associate with close ties to Russian intelligence. Until now, Muellers investigation and reporting by the news media have established two things: that Russian intelligence actively tried to influence the outcome of the election, and that Russian intelligence used numerous pathways to reach out to members of the Trump campaign and inner circle. Lacking so far is any direct proof that the Trump campaign took up these overtures in a way that actively constituted cooperation or collusion. If it can be substantiated and Mueller almost certainly wouldnt be alleging it if it couldnt the Manafort revelation is that proof. This cooperation with Russia didnt come from some minor figure in the campaign, but from the chairman himself. This is a hugely significant development. Sharing campaign research in the form of proprietary polling data has one obvious explanation: Manafort was giving the Russians data they could use to try to influence the campaign. Proof that the Trump campaign cooperated with the Russians would close the evidentiary circle by connecting Russian outreach with Russian efforts to use social media to affect the vote. Proof that Manafort sent data to the Russians would not be just a step toward proof of collusion. It would itself be proof of collusion. Yet this development, which should have dominated the news cycle, fell distantly behind the topics of the government shutdown, Trumps prime-time address on border security, and the presidents threat to invoke emergency powers to build the Mexican border wall that Congress has denied him. Several factors probably contributed. One explanation is that the revelation didnt come from prosecutors or from leaks to a news organization. Instead, the information was unintentionally revealed by Manaforts lawyers when they failed to successfully redact a document they submitted to court in connection with Manaforts sentencing. This strange mechanism of hitting the news made the original story one about cutting and pasting a word-processing document, not about the content of what was revealed. A second explanation is that the news media and the public had already given up on Manafort as a source of meaningful Trump-related revelations. After all, Manafort pleaded guilty to a series of crimes that long predated his involvement with the Trump campaign. And based on the length of the sentence Manafort got and prosecutors insistence that he was still lying even after agreeing to cooperate, many of us had begun to think that Manafort wasnt going to be the subject of any major campaign-related breakthroughs. In retrospect, that conclusion seems to have been premature maybe even spectacularly wrong. Mueller, it would seem, can prove that Manafort brought the Trump campaign into cooperation with Russia. The third and most troubling possibility is that, as the Mueller investigation has proceeded, fatigue and acceptance have set in. Trumps supporters and opponents alike may have more or less come to think that there was some sort of collusion with Russia. The supporters, arguably, dont much care. The opponents increasingly think that no matter what Mueller finds, it wont be enough to convict and remove Trump from office in impeachment proceedings. | https://news.yahoo.com/mueller-proves-trump-collusion-no-133022943.html |
Who Helped Patriots Most In Divisional-Round Thrashing Of Chargers? | FOXBORO, Mass. Apparently, the New England Patriots wanted to save their most impressive win for the postseason. Smart move. Lay low on the way to an 11-5 finish and catch teams off guard when the games really count. The Patriots walloped the Los Angeles Chargers 41-28 to advance to the AFC Championship Game. Really, every Patriots player shined in Sundays dominant win over a very, very good team that wasnt intimidated to play on the road all season. Heres who played best: QB TOM BRADY Brady hasnt quite fallen off that cliff yet. Sorry, Max Kellerman. If you keep predicting it, its bound to happen at some point. Brady was 34-of-44 for 343 yards with a touchdown. It was pretty clearly one of his best performances of the season. RB SONY MICHEL Do you think Michel had a big game: I'm running out of these gifs pic.twitter.com/VYzzICGgK4 Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) January 13, 2019 He carried the ball 24 times for 129 yards with three touchdowns. When Michel is on, the Patriots have a dangerously balanced offense. Running back James White was insanely productive, catching 15 passes on 17 targets for 97 yards. WR JULIAN EDELMAN Edelman is now second in all-time postseason receptions behind Jerry Rice with 98. He passed Reggie Wayne on Sunday with nine catches. Hes seventh in postseason receiving yards with 1,175 after picking up 151 against the Chargers. He began the game 13th all-time in postseason receiving yards. Pretty good for a former quarterback. He needs 140 more postseason receiving yards to tie Michael Irvin for second all time. He only needs 1,070 more to tie Rice. Wide receiver Philip Dorsett caught four passes for 41 yards with a touchdown. S DEVIN MCCOURTY The Patriots defensive leader didnt allow a catch on three targets. He had two pass breakups. Fellow safety Patrick Chung let up just four catches on six targets for 29 yards. LB DONTA HIGHTOWER Hightower brought pressure all game, including on incompletions to wide receiver Mike Williams and running back Melvin Gordon. He also didnt allow a catch in coverage. Linebacker Elandon Roberts also had a strong game with two run stuffs. Kyle Van Noy allowed three catches on seven targets for 22 yards with a pass breakup. He also had a run stuff. DE TREY FLOWERS Flowers racked up a sack, quarterback hit and numerous pressures. He should have had a second sack, but he was wrongly flagged for roughing the passer. He brought Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers down with a hit to the quarterbacks thighs. The officials thought he hit Rivers below the knees. Flowers also drew a fourth-down offensive holding penalty. Fellow defensive end John Simon also shined with multiple pressures and two run stuffs. Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images | https://nesn.com/2019/01/who-helped-patriots-most-in-divisional-round-thrashing-of-chargers/ |
Are two Woodstock events going to fight for big acts? | This issue has arisen after news came that the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock music festival, one of the watersheds of the 1960s counter-culture movement, would be celebrated in August with two competing events. Mr Michael Lang, co-producer of the 1969 Woodstock bash, announced last week that the official Woodstock Music and Arts Fair would take place from Aug 16 to 18 at a motor-racing venue in upstate New York. Last month, the Bethel Woods Centre for the Arts, the current owner of the field where the 1969 celebration took place, revealed that it would mark the 50th anniversary with a "pan-generational event" on the same dates. "The original festival in 1969 was a reaction by the youth of the time to the causes we felt compelled to fight for - civil rights, women's rights and the anti-war movement, and it gave way to our mission to share peace, love and music," Mr Lang said in a statement. "Today, we're experiencing similar disconnects in our country and one thing we've learnt is that music has the power to bring people together. So, it's time to bring the Woodstock spirit back, get involved and make our voices heard." The 1969 edition, billed as "three days of peace and music", is regarded as one of the pivotal moments in music history. Over three sometimes-rainy days, more than 30 acts - including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, The Band and Grateful Dead - performed around the clock to a 400,000-strong audience, most of whom watched for free and camped on site in the mud. The festival was documented in the 1970 film Woodstock, which won an Oscar. Mr Lang did not announce this year's performer line-up, but said more than 60 musicians would take part on three main stages at Watkins Glen International, the site of car-racing events. "It will be primarily contemporary talent, but the legacy acts will be represented and honoured," said Mr Lang, referring to the surviving musicians, now in their 70s, who continue to perform. Although it was known as Woodstock, the 1969 festival actually took place in Bethel, some 110km south of the village of Woodstock and 144km north of New York City. Watkins Glen, which has a larger crowd capacity, is about 320km north of New York City. REUTERS | https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/are-two-woodstock-events-going-to-fight-for-big-acts |
What comes next after VPNs? | For many years decades even enterprise and consumer users alike have looked to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to add security to their applications across networks and Internet. But the advent of the cloud, including multi-cloud and hybrid cloud arrangements, is changing all of that. A recent Futuriom survey of IT Managers regarding their view on applications networking trends reveals the need for a new kind of applications specific networking (ASN) that includes integrated security and cloud connectivity. These ASNs, or AppWANs, would be able to connect and secure cloud applications without the need for specific hardware configurations of VPN servers. We've also highlighted the best VPNs The cloud shift As applications move from on premises applications to hybrid-cloud environments, its causing challenges for IT and networking managers looking to efficiently and securely connect applications. Futuriom surveyed 200 IT managers in application development, networking, security and DevOps to find out what they view as these primary challenges and how they might be solved. One of the main conclusions of the survey is that VPNs are not seen as a cloud networking solution. VPNs have significant security and performance drawbacks for use in networking cloud applications, with 63.5% of users survey citing issues with VPN performance and 47.5% citing issues with security. Select all that supply In addition, 75% of VPN users said they are seeking a better solution for cloud networks. They also dont see private lines or MPLS as fully secure networking solutions for cloud applications. Most use an additional security overlay. Comments from end users Futuriom has spoken with indicate that VPNs often generate network and/or processing overhead as users connect to VPN servers. In some cases this can generate significant latency and delays for networking resources. Additionally, VPNs introduce management complexity because they typically require their own servers with authentication. This primary research reflects the fact that cloud-based applications and virtualization has shifted networking needs away from devices and boxes and toward native applications-based networking solutions. The data shows that IT departments are looking for a way to build automated networking functionality directly into applications. One of the important themes addressed by the survey is how IT staff view the use of VPNs in cloud networks and how they are likely to evolve. Data gathered indicates that while many respondents use VPNs for extranets, B2B networks, and connected supply chain, 75% of them are seeking a better solution. True or False: I use VPNs for extranets, B2B or connect supply-chain use cases, but I am seeking a better solution. With the trend known as software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) taking firm grip , you might think this could serve as the new VPN. After all, SD-WANs can add significant security features, including an encrypted overlay to the network. But our research findings reveal that enterprise users dont see SD-WANs as a solution for all networking security challenges. For example, SD-WANs may be appropriate for branch connectivity, but they dont always support applications beyond the network including IOT devices. A large number of IT managers surveyed did not see SD-WAN IoT solution, with 43.5% of users agreeing with the statement SD-WAN is not an ideal solution for networking Industrial IoT devices. 33.5% disagreed with this statement and 23% said they don't know. AppWans to the rescue The answer may lie in new AppWANs and ASNs that can connect IoT devices using techniques such hardware root-of-trust, creating Zero Trust network. When asked if Zero Trust network architectures are a significant improvement in networking security, 55.5% agreed this was true, while only 15% disagreed (29.5% said they don't know). ASNs are powerful because they can create logical networks across the Internet and WAN to connect applications, whether thats a cloud endpoint, an applications, a branch device, or an IoT device. These AppWANs are sell positioned to replace legacy technologies like VPNs and MPLS, which are tied to specific hardware devices but arent nearly as flexible. Based on the results of the Futuriom survey, its clear to IT managers are looking for a more flexible and secure software-based networking solution for the cloud. ASNs are likely to serve the future need to connect distributed applications in SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS environments, whether its single cloud, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud environments. R. Scott Raynovich, Principal Analyst at Futuriom | https://www.techradar.com/news/what-comes-next-after-vpns |
Where have these Patriots been all year? | The New England Patriots went 11-5 during the 2018 season. Thats an incredible year for almost every team in the NFL, but it was subpar by the Patriots lofty standards. It was their first five-loss season since 2009 and there just didnt seem to be much that was special about New England this time around. But January started and the Patriots looked like a brand new team Sunday. In a 41-28 destruction of the Los Angeles Chargers, the Patriots dominated the line of scrimmage on offense and defense. They racked up 499 yards of total offense, and held the Chargers to just 335 many of which was racked up in garbage time. Tom Brady who looked more like a good quarterback than an elite one in 2018 was spectacular with 343 passing yards, one touchdown, and a 106.5 passer rating. The Patriots are headed to an eighth consecutive AFC Championship for a chance to go to the Super Bowl for the third time in a row, and the fourth time in five years. But even after that kind of consistency, it was surprising to see the Patriots turn the dial to blowout the Chargers. Philip Rivers never had much of a chance The Chargers 15-year quarterback has never been to a Super Bowl and hes running out of time to change that. It appears likely at this point that hell finish his career as arguably the best passer to never get further than a conference championship game. Thats a shame, because for the most part Rivers hasnt been bad in his postseason appearances. And on Sunday, he was on his own. Melvin Gordon managed just 15 rushing yards on nine attempts, forcing the entire Chargers offense to survive through the air. And when Rivers dropped back to pass, he was consistently harassed. During the Patriots 35-7 run in the first half, Rivers faced pressure like no quarterback has all season: The Patriots pressure on Philip Rivers has been the key to the first half. No QB has faced a higher rate of pressure than Rivers in a game this season (71%). The Patriots defense finished the year with 30 sacks the second-lowest total in the NFL. It only sacked Rivers twice Sunday, but the amount of pressure it put on the quarterback was something New England hasnt managed to do all year. Rivers still finished with 331 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. But the pressure allowed him to complete just 49 percent his passes, and it forced enough third down stops to keep the Chargers off the field. Itll probably need to do the same next week if it hopes to keep likely MVP Patrick Mahomes in check during the AFC Championship. The Patriots offense bullied the Chargers Last week, the Chargers took an innovative approach to slowing down the powerful rushing attack of the Ravens. For all but one play, Los Angeles had seven defensive backs and zero linebackers on the field. It worked perfectly, but when the Patriots opened the Divisional Round by running over the Chargers it seemed like the game plan was backfiring on defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. But the reality is that it didnt really matter if it was linebackers or safeties in the box for the Chargers. The Patriots offensive line was bulldozing the Chargers defensive line from the jump. When the Chargers would put a linebacker in the game, it didnt matter they got steamrolled too. Tight end Rob Gronkowski did plenty of the mauling on the second level: Pats just moving dudes out the way pic.twitter.com/wp1thdVMpZ The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) January 13, 2019 The Patriots averaged 4.3 rushing yards per attempt during the regular season 20th best in the NFL. But New England had no problem leaning on rookie Sony Michel for 129 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 24 attempts. The Chiefs were surprisingly stout on defense against the Colts on Saturday, and allowed only 87 rushing yards. Indianapolis couldnt get much going offensively, and couldnt off the field on defense. When the Patriots and Chiefs met in Week 6, running backs Michel and James White combined for 145 rushing yards for New England. If the Patriots do that again and bring the same kind of physicality that allowed them to run over the Chargers the AFC Championship may end up being a repeat of New Englands 43-40 win against Kansas City in October. | https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2019/1/13/18181173/new-england-patriots-los-angeles-chargers-2019-nfl-playoffs |
Who are the contestants in the US version of Celebrity Big Brother? | Olympic swimming champion Ryan Lochte and Lindsay Lohans mother are among the contestants due to take part in the US version of Celebrity Big Brother. Olympic swimming champion Ryan Lochte and Lindsay Lohans mother are among the contestants due to take part in the US version of Celebrity Big Brother. Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, also known as The Mooch, who grabbed headlines during his 10-day stint in Donald Trumps administration in 2017, is also participating. Other house members announced for Big Brother: Celebrity Edition, which airs on US television station CBS, include Dina Lohan, mother of the child-star turned troubled Hollywood tearaway and former WWE wrestler Natalie Eva Marie. Lochte has said he is training for a shot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 12-time Olympic medallist was undergoing alcohol counselling in October. He recently announced his wife is expecting their second child. The rest of the cast is actor Jonathan Bennett, singers and reality TV personalities Tamar Braxton and Kandi Burruss, comedian Tom Green, actor and former OJ Simpson houseguest Kato Kaelin, actor Joey Lawrence, former NFL star Ricky Williams and Olympian Lolo Jones. The show follows a group of celebrities living together in a house outfitted with over 80 HD cameras and 100 microphones recording their every move 24 hours a day while they have no contact with the outside world. Each week one or more is voted out and the last one standing wins the 250,000 US dollar (194,000) prize. The second season begins with a two-night premiere on January 21-22. Julie Chen Moonves returns as host. Press Association | https://www.independent.ie/style/celebrity/celebrity-news/who-are-the-contestants-in-the-us-version-of-celebrity-big-brother-37707556.html |
Why is my keyboard connected to the cloud? | (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto) Everything is becoming a thing connected to the internet, but some things really shouldn't be. That maniac is called Razer, and it has been connecting keyboards to its Synapse software for years. At last week's CES, Razer took it a step further when it announced it is adding support for users to use Alexa to control their peripherals. "Alexa, ask Chroma to change my lighting profile to FPS mode," Razer cheerily proclaims as an example of its upcoming functionality. More from CES: CES 2019 Las Vegas (CNET) | CES 2019: A first look at the cool tech (TechRepublic) For this to work, the software that usually controls keyboard and mice settings needs to be connected to Amazon Alexa. It's a 2-for-1 cloud connection, because once you embrace the idea of Razer's servers being secure, then you've already accepted a more risky proposition than using just Amazon. Last month, Razer faced blowback when it launched a cryptocurrency mining application called Cortex, where users would be rewarded with its Silver funny money. "The new app to put[s] snoozing machines to work, solving blockchain puzzles in the background in exchange for sweet, sweet Silver," Razer said at the time. Enter Tavis Ormandy, security researcher for Google Project Zero and scourge of buggy software makers, who took a look at the software and was stunned. "Holy moly, I just installed this. WHY IS CEF (chromium embedded) REMOTE DEBUGGING ENABLED AND LISTENING BY DEFAULT (!?!?!?! )," Ormandy tweeted. "I don't have any razer hardware to test, but they probably (like, *right now*) need to fix that." To Razer's credit, the company fixed the issue within 24 hours; on the other hand, it allowed remote command execution in the first place. Also in Razer's favour is that it acknowledged it was responsible, which is more than can be said for Gigabyte. On December 18, SecureAuth detailed an exchange of when it discovered that software utilities for Gigabyte and Aorus motherboards had privilege escalation vulnerabilities. "There is ring0 memcpy-like functionality ... allowing a local attacker to take complete control of the affected system," SecureAuth said. In trying to resolve what was clearly a serious issue, the security company could not locate a proper contact within Gigabyte, and headed over to its technical support team. "Gigabyte is a hardware company and they are not specialized in software," Gigabyte told SecureAuth on two different occasions in May. In the end, SecureAuth said Gigabyte eventually responded by saying its products did not have any issues. If a vendor with the experience and sales of Gigabyte responds by denying responsibility for its software, it doesn't bode well for smaller players. Gigabyte should stop distributing software as long as it keeps on throwing out the excuse that it is a hardware company. And it is no small matter, because the utilities that the Taiwanese manufacturer puts out are built to manipulate hardware settings, and flash BIOSes. If a bad actor was looking for a shortcut into a modern Windows system, trying to find your way in via Microsoft's code will be time wasting when the camembert-like underbelly of a modern system is likely to be crap software from peripheral makers. That tactic is not new, but with connectivity exploding, things are likely to get worse before it gets better, as with most things in the cyber realm. ZDNET'S MONDAY MORNING OPENER: The Monday Morning Opener is our opening salvo for the week in tech. Since we run a global site, this editorial publishes on Monday at 8:00am AEST in Sydney, Australia, which is 6:00pm Eastern Time on Sunday in the US. It is written by a member of ZDNet's global editorial board, which is comprised of our lead editors across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. PREVIOUSLY ON MONDAY MORNING OPENER: | https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-is-my-keyboard-connected-to-the-cloud/ |
Was bringen drei Kameras am iPhone 11? | 13.01.2019 - 19:40 Uhr Geschrieben von Andreas Donath 13.01.2019 - 19:40 Uhr Geschrieben von Andreas Donath (Bild: OnLeaks & Digit.in) Vermutlich wird Apple drei Kameras im nchsten iPhone einbauen. Ein Blick auf die Smartphones von Samsung und Huawei zeigt, dass die fotografischen Mglichkeiten deutlich verbessert werden knnen. Apple soll gerchteweise mindestens ein neues iPhone-Modell mit einer Dreifach-Objektiv-Kombination planen. Zu den Vorteilen einer dritten Kamera wre zunchst einmal ein weiterer Zoombereich. Aber auch bei schlechten Lichtverhltnissen sollen hochwertigere Fotos mglich sein. Der Grund ist, dass drei Kameras mehr Licht- und Farbdaten sammeln knnen. Auerdem lsst sich mit drei Kameras mehr bei Augmented Reality machen. So liee sich der Raum genauer erfassen als mit zwei Kameras. So lieen sich vermutlich auch hochwertige stereoskopische Aufnahmen machen und per Triangulationsverfahren knnte noch der Abstand zwischen dem iPhone und dem Objekt berechnet werden. Das knnte auch die Grundlage fr die geplante AR-Brille von Apple bilden. Ein grerer Zoombereich und eine hhere Fotoauflsung knnten weitere Vorteile von drei Kameras sein. Wie das geht, zeigt beispielsweise das Huawei P20 Pro, das Maclife.de vorliegt. Hier gibt es eine Kamera mit 40 Megapixeln, eine Monochromkamera mit 20 Megapixeln und eine 8-Megapixel-Fotofunktion mit dreifach-optischem Zoom. Die Monochromkamera wird nicht etwa fr Schwarzwei-Fotos sondern fr bessere Fotos bei schlechtem Licht genutzt. Das wrde auch dem iPhone-XS-Nachfolger gut zu Gesicht stehen, denn gegenber Huawei ist unserer Meinung nach Apple in Hinsicht auf die Bildqualitt deutlich zurckgefallen. Wir sind gespannt auf eure Kommentare. Anzeige | https://www.maclife.de/news/was-bringen-drei-kameras-am-iphone-11-100111271.html |
Will the PM become champion of no-deal Brexit? | Theresa May will soon find out if her Brexit deal has been accepted. Credit: PA The prime minister will make a powerful speech on Monday - in the heart of Brexit UK, Stoke-on-Trent - that MPs "all have a duty to implement the result of the referendum", because failure to do so would wreak "catastrophic harm" on "people's faith in the democratic process and their politicians". Coming as it does from the most important and powerfully elected politician in the UK, this dramatic claim is worthy of careful consideration. Well it is founded on the premise, in her words, that "on the rare occasions when Parliament puts a question to the British people directly we have always understood that their response carries a profound significance". That is an uncontroversial statement - though it is worth adding the rider that under the UK's unwritten constitution, referendums have "advisory" status, they do not mandate governments or Parliament in a binding way. But May also points out that when her predecessor David Cameron wrote to voters just before the referendum campaigns began, he said "this is your decision; the government will implement what you decide". It is on those foundations that she argues that a vote against her Brexit plan on Tuesday night would be a betrayal of the British people. The meaningful vote is set to take place on Tuesday. Credit: PA The PM marshals as further evidence that "as we have seen over the last few weeks, there are some in Westminster who would wish to delay or even stop Brexit and who will use every device available to them to do so". That is where many MPs would see her as being mischievously disingenuous - because although there are MPs who hate Brexit in any shape or form, the Parliamentary action over the past few weeks has had a much narrower aim - namely to prevent a so-called no-deal Brexit. The assorted forays by the likes of the senior Tories Sir Oliver Letwin and Dominic Grieve, and Labour's Yvette Cooper, have been shaped not to blow up all or any Brexit, but simply the version by which the UK would leave the EU in a possibly chaotic way and at alleged great economic cost on 29 March this year. Tory MP Dominic Grieve is anti-Brexit. Credit: PA It is in May's conflation of her Brexit with any Brexit that she will anger and alienate both purist Brexiters and those who would rather the UK stays in the EU. The important point is that there are many Brexiters who regard her own Brexit plan as betraying those who voted for Brexit. And there are Remainers who argue that if the British people had known that Brexit would be her iteration they would never have voted for it. Also, both sets of critics would point out something fundamental which is often overlooked - that in leaving on 29 March, we would be out of the EU without having much of a clue what kind of future trading relationship we would have with the EU, or how much commercial and lawmaking independence we would in practice enjoy. All of that is yet to be negotiated. Tempers have flared over Brexit in recent weeks. Credit: PA To put it another way, on May's version of Brexit, what for many is the whole point of Brexit would be undecided for years to come. That is why both Brexiters and Remainers would argue that a vote against May's deal would not remotely dishonour the referendum, since so much of what the referendum was all about is yet to be decided. And they add that in voting for what they see as in the country's interest, they are honouring Britain's constitutional and democratic traditions, which could not - they would say - be the "catastrophic" blow to democracy that May avers it to be. Quite the contrary, they would say - which is why I don't expect many of them to be swayed by May's speech. Here is what one senior Tory said to me, after seeing the attack by May on MPs who have been employing Parliamentary devices to avoid a no-deal Brexit: "We are descending into banana republic status", adding that Tory rebels are "taking steps to protect the UK from a minority government gone mad". As for the Brexiters, one of their number, who supports a no-deal Brexit, told me: "This is the most important vote in the Commons since the Norway debate [in 1940, which led to Churchill becoming prime minister] and the government and the EU are trying to stitch it up between them. It reeks to high heaven". If her words are to be taken at face value, they imply a no-deal Brexit - however economically costly that may be - is what she would prefer over a referendum and no Brexit at all. There must be a significant probability that a no-deal Brexit will become the Cabinet's official policy and not just the default option - albeit that several ministers would quit in protest. Britain is set to leave the EU on 29 March 2019. Credit: PA Truthfully I am surprised to be writing this about the PM. I always thought that for May a no-deal Brexit was a bogeyman that would never be let out of the Downing Street cupboard. But her statement that it is her "duty" to implement the referendum result allows for no other conclusion. Many in her own party openly disagree with her that a no-deal Brexit should be contemplated in any circumstances. In words whose import were widely under-appreciated, Letwin - one of the more senior and respected backbenchers - said last week, when voting against what he called "my government" for only the second time in his life, he would continue to rebel against her as often as necessary, "right up to the end of March", to prevent no deal. He and the former attorney general, Grieve, are seriously fed up with being accused by Downing Street of being traitors, when they feel that for years they have been more loyal to May than most of the Brexiters. Anna Soubry found herself harassed over Brexit last week. Credit: PA | https://www.itv.com/news/2019-01-13/will-the-pm-become-champion-of-no-deal-brexit/ |
Have Barcelona Sacrificed Their World Famous La Masia Academy for Short Term Success? | Before Barcelona's 3-1 victory against Real Betis in 2013, a banner produced by their supporters was emblazoned with the words 'La Masia no es toca' which translates to 'hands off our academy.' Originally displayed as a protest towards FIFA's decision to give the Blaugrana a transfer ban for illegally signing players, the sentiment behind it could ironically be linked to the club's current situation. Since this statement of defiance, only one academy graduate has managed to secure a permanent place in Barcelona's starting eleven with Sergi Roberto establishing himself as the club's first choice right back following Dani Alves' departure to Juventus. Quality Sport Images/GettyImages When Barcelona completed one of the greatest Champions League comebacks of all time against PSG in 2017, the clinching goal from Roberto was celebrated with an exuberance rarely seen at the Camp Nou. For the clubs Cules, the Masia graduate's classy strike symbolised much more than a goal to send them through to yet another European quarter final. In a team full of stars purchased for premium prices such as Neymar and Luis Suarez, it was one of their own who had made history, a player who they could relate to as he was living their dream of representing the Blaugrana on the biggest of occasions. Yet nearly two years on from that remarkable night, Roberto remains the club's most recent academy success with fellow graduates Sergi Samper and Rafinha failing to make a lasting impression for manager Ernesto Valverde. VI-Images/GettyImages Last season saw the club respond to the sudden 198m departure of Neymar to PSG by spending extortionate amounts of money on Ousmane Dembele (135.5m) from Borussia Dortmund and Phillipe Coutinho (105m) from Liverpool. Neither player has come close to justifying their fees with both only showing glimpses of their undeniable talent. Coutinho in particular has been lambasted by the Catalan press this season for his poor form with many supporters questioning just why their club didn't just focus on developing some of the youth academy's brightest prospects instead. The summer arrivals of Arturo Vidal, Arthur, Malcom and Clement Lenglet have had a mixed impact on the club's fortunes yet Barcelona once again are leading La Liga and have comfortably progressed into the last sixteen of the Champions League. Quality Sport Images/GettyImages By making these signings, the message sent to the Blaugrana's youth players is incredibly alarming as their goal of representing the club grows ever harder. Even Barcelona's greatest prospects such as midfielder Carles Alena have been shunted in favour of statement transfers ordered by president Josep Bartomeu, who is a figure that divides opinion amongst shareholders at the Camp Nou. Once tipped to be the heart of the first team's midfield for years to come, Alena's only appearances for the club have come primarily as a substitute as Valverde is unwilling to put his faith in the youngster. Rumours circling that the Blaugrana could be about to sign Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong will certainly do nothing to help the 21-year-old's quest to become a regular first team starter and could even cast a doubt over the youngster's future. Quality Sport Images/GettyImages Unfortunately the promising playmaker is far from the only example of Barcelona's recent disregard for their academy graduates as striker Munir El Haddadi was also given limited chances to establish himself as part of a traditional front three. The 23-year-old's immense frustration of only being a sporadic member of the squad drove him to seek an alternative future at Sevilla, joining the Los Rojiblancos on Saturday for just 1m and becoming yet another member of La Masia to fail to make a lasting impact for the club. As of January 2019, only four members of their typical starting eleven graduated from the club's world famous academy with three of those (Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique) entering the latter stages of their career. Whereas this generational talent will be undoubtedly tough to replace and in the case of Messi almost impossible, there are still a host of promising young talent coming through the ranks at La Masia. GLYN KIRK/GettyImages Creative midfielder Riqui Puig caught the attention of supporters when he impressed on the club's pre-season tour whilst Oriol Busquets and Abel Ruiz have both stood out for Barcelona B during this year's campaign. Yet given the current situation at Barcelona, if one of the three eventually find their way into the starting eleven in Catalunya, it would be somewhat of a miracle. In what was a club that was once championed for their promotion of the youth, Barcelona have transformed in recent years into something that the majority of their supporters despise, a 'Galactico'-style team who rely solely on expensive transfer after expensive transfer. Alex Caparros/GettyImages Indeed in this modern era it is irresponsible to think that you can achieve long term success through not spending money yet in the case of the Catalan giants, a limit was set during the tenure's of Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola who got the best out of the local talent. The height of Barcelona's success was their 3-1 Champions League Final victory over Manchester United in 2011 which was built on the foundations of La Masia with seven out of the starting eleven coming through its system. LLUIS GENE/GettyImages A golden generation of players that included the imperial Carles Puyol and the mercurial figures of Xavi and Iniesta, brought a pride to their supporters that the current side with its numerous imports from around the world will probably never reproduce. The board at Barcelona are playing a dangerous game by continuously selling their best Masia graduates and could pay a long-term price if they continue to ignore a youth academy that helped produce what has arguably been the club's best era of football in their 119-year history. | https://www.si.com/soccer/2019/01/13/have-barcelona-sacrificed-their-world-famous-la-masia-academy-short-term-success |
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