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How well does a $40 camera work as a body cam and dash cam? | HOUSTON - From car accidents to burglaries to more serious crimes, surveillance video can be your best eyewitness. You don't have to spend thousands to get a camera that records good quality video. Consumer expert Amy Davis is testing the Cop Cam that she purchased at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $39.99. The Cop Cam is a small cube that is less than one square inch. It comes with a USB charging cable, an 8 gigabyte mini memory card and a couple of mounts that let you use the camera in different ways. Davis first attached it to her new puppy's collar to capture her dog's view of their morning walk; but the Cop Cam fell off the collar after a few seconds. Next, she tried the device as a body cam on her 7-year-old son. Since there is no screen on the camera, you can't see your angle or what you've captured until you remove the SD card and play it on a computer. The video was very shaky, so much so that it was hard to watch. To try the Cop Cam in a stationary position, Davis planted it on Channel 2 investigative reporter Mario Diaz's desk. The good news is the veteran investigative reporter never noticed the little camera on his desk. The bad news: The shot only captured his hands and part of his keyboard from 2 feet away. The camera angle is not very wide at all. To turn the camera on, the instructions say you just hold down the "Press Record" button at the top of the camera for 4 seconds. Unfortunately, the camera did not always record when Davis did that. She tried to use the Cop Cam as a dash cam three times, but each time the camera failed to record. Lastly, Davis used the camera in her child's bedroom at night to see how well the night vision works. With a lamp on, you can see some objects in the room, but when Davis switches the lamp off, the video goes almost pitch black, without the gray and white images night vision usually reveals. The Cop Cam failed in every scenario we set up. It's unreliable, and the camera needs a stabilizer so moving video is not so jarring. Copyright 2019 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved. | https://www.click2houston.com/consumer/how-well-does-a-40-camera-work-as-a-body-cam-dash-cam |
How practical is it to implement Right to Disconnect? | Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule on December 28 presented a private member bill that will allow employees to refuse work-related calls and emails beyond office hours and on holidays. While this may sound like the ideal concept for working professionals, human resource officials said its implementation wouldnt be practical. Sule who is a Member of Parliament said the Right to Disconnect Bill mandates companies to detail out-of-work demands as a way to reduce stress and ease tension between an employees personal and professional life. Among other countries, France is the only one to have a law making it illegal for employers to contact employees after work hours (usually 6 pm). Companies will be subject to fines if they break the law. The Bill The Bill envisages the establishment of an Employees' Welfare Authority to confer the right on every employee to disconnect from work-related telephone calls and emails beyond work hours and holidays. Here, the right to disconnect means that while the employer may contact the worker after work hours, the employee is not obliged to reply or shall have the right to refuse to answer such calls. Also, in case an employee refuses to reply to any call during out-of-work hours, such employee shall not be subject to any disciplinary action by the employer. Human resource officials said even if the law is introduced, it will be a huge challenge to implement it. The head of human resources at a Mumbai-based manufacturing firm said they have a strict deadline of 6 pm and do not contact employees across the sector unless there is an emergency. If this is made a law, any mishaps at the plant cannot be addressed immediately since the concerned person can say that this is beyond their work hours, he added. Further, HR experts also said it is a reality in India that there is a backlog of work in most companies, due to which disconnecting cannot be possible. When you dont complete the work within the deadline, how can you enjoy the benefits? He added that to adapt work-life balance of this sort, the basics need to be corrected first. Another human resource official working in a mid-sized IT services firm said even though it is a reality that employees carry work home, nobody is penalised for not answering calls or emails. He said considering a lot of Indian IT firms work with global companies where there is a time difference, completely switching off is not practical. Also, HR professionals said companies blatantly violating human rights by making employees work through digital means beyond work hours can be exposed on social media very easily. Rituparna Chakraborty, Executive Vice President, TeamLease Services said the right to disconnect is a utopian thought. World of work is changing and there is no concept of fixed work hours. Companies can also no longer get away with dictatorial practices in the workplaces, she added. Sectors where it cannot be implemented The bill does not specify the sectors where these rules will not apply. However, there are areas like public transport, medical industry, law enforcement as well as media where having fixed hours cannot be viable. Chakraborty said a doctor cannot refuse to treat a patient saying it is beyond his/her work hours. Making it law will be detrimental, she added. Having such a law will be counter-productive because no company has this as a rampant practice, she added. | https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/economy/how-practical-is-it-to-implement-right-to-disconnect-3393481.html |
Can we trust the government to judge what's beautiful? | The UK government has resolved to put beauty first to create better homes. Shame no one can agree on what that means The UK government thinks it has got to the heart of the housing crisis: the problem is, new homes just arent beautiful enough. Build beautifully and get permission, says the housing minister, Kit Malthouse. Build beautifully and communities will actually welcome developers, rather than drive them out of town at the tip of a pitchfork. If only housebuilders would make their product more visually appealing, the thinking goes, then opposition to them would fade away, more homes would be built, prices would drop and we would all live happily ever after. The simple solution, Malthouse says, is putting beauty at the heart of our housing and communities policy. Hence the new Building Better, Building Beautiful commission, which was established in November to interrogate the question of beauty in the built environment and met with howls of outrage and derisive sneers. Its not hard to see why. A parliamentary debate that preceded the announcement played out like a parody of Victorian mores, as successive MPs lined up to lament the state of modern architecture. Whereas people once anticipated development with joy, they now very often look on it with despair John Hayes The long-dead Le Corbusier was attacked as a man who is responsible for many bad things, planners were accused of having not learned their lesson since the war, and it was brazenly asserted that where modern design does succeed, that is largely by accident. Some reached for the words of Philip Larkin, while others clutched at scientific research on how the specialised cells in the hippocampal region of our brains are attuned to beautiful geometry. Matters werent helped when Malthouse tweeted a photo of a glazed commercial building on Oxford Street and a neoclassical stone courthouse in Alabama with the caption: Both built in the last 10 years. One will stand for centuries, one wont. If the comment was intended to troll the architecture profession, it worked. The minister was slammed for being out of touch, anti-progress and pandering to rightwing populist nostalgia. Marble Arch Park House in London, referenced by Kit Malthouse on Twitter. Photograph: flik47/Getty Images Its easy to dismiss the endeavour as a distraction from the real issues at stake, such as developers monopolies on land or the absence of a mass council house-building programme. There is more to housing quality than beauty alone, but if there is indeed a gulf between what developers are building and what people want, then it makes sense to look at how this might be bridged. These questions will be tackled in a forthcoming series of public debates at Central Saint Martins art college in London, intended to raise the level of discussion beyond the realms of parliamentary platitudes. The chair of the Building Better, Building Beautiful commission, Sir Roger Scruton, will thrash it out with housebuilders, modern architects will debate with traditionalists, while planners will wrangle with developers and campaigners. One persons masterpiece may be anothers carbuncle. Poundbury, Dorset a traditional village inspired by the Prince of Wales. Photograph: Dave Penman/Rex Features Some campaign groups, such as Create Streets, swear by their methods of public polling, in which people are shown photographs of different kinds of urban environments and asked which they prefer. Others think that artificial intelligence is the answer. Researchers at Warwick Business Schools Data Science Lab have developed a deep learning model that can determine what makes a location beautiful, based on a database of 200,000 images of places in the UK that had been rated for their beauty by 1.5 million people on the website ScenicOrNot. The groundbreaking result that meadows and old monuments are nice, while motorways and hospitals are not, doesnt suggest that well be seeing a future of automated urban planning any time soon. Perhaps aware of the difficulties ahead, Malthouse has said: Its totally critical to our mission of building 300,000 homes that we get this design conversation this beauty conversation correct. If parliament is incapable of debating the question with the rigour it deserves, then come and make your voice heard at the alternative public forum. | https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jan/15/can-we-trust-the-government-to-judge-whats-beautiful |
Can Andrew Wiggins emerge as a second star in Minnesota? | Andrew Wiggins performance in Minnesotas 119-117 win over against the Thunder on Jan. 8 provided every reason to buy stock in the former No. 1 overall pick. The fifth-year swingman poured in 40 points and 10 rebounds at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, attempting 18 free throws in the victory. Wiggins was a force to be reckoned with from the opening tip. He bruised his way to the tin and was decisive off the bounce. His defensive energy bumped from middling to menacing, setting the tone against a physical Thunder team. The effort was impressive, albeit far too rare as Wiggins enters the first season of his five-year, $148 million extension with the Timberwolves. Wiggins talent isnt in question. The Toronto native cruised to the top pick in 2014 despite falling in the second round of the NCAA tournament with Kansas in 2014, entering the league with the moniker Maple Jordan. But performances like last weeks eruption in Oklahoma City are largely exception, not the norm. And at a hefty $148 million, Wiggins shortcomings are a glaring issue for a middling roster. Now in year five, Wiggins is at a crossroads. MAHONEY: Capela's Injury Puts More Pressure on Harden to Carry Rockets Wiggins third season provided a window into his All-Star potential. He jumped to 23.6 points per game, making 1.3 threes per game with a career-best 107 offensive rating. The jump shot was a work in progress, but it was treated as a secondary weapon paired with his ruthless drives to the tin. Wiggins is an elite leaper and strong, too, difficult to bump off his spot inside the foul line. He mirrored Kawhi Leonard at times inside ten feet, burying his shoulder to create space before rising up to flick in a short jumper. The outline of a strong offensive force was there. The regression has been significant. The former Jayhawk is down to 17.9 points per game in 2018-19, 39th of 47 players with a usage rate of 24% or more. Wiggins is a high-volume pedestrian scorer, littered with inefficiencies. Michael Reaves/Getty Images Its hard to find where on the floor Wiggins actually excels. His field goal percentage on shots at the tin is 65th out of the 75 players with at least 250 drives. Of the 41 players with at least 200 pull-up attempts, Wiggins ranks 40th in field goal percentage and 31st in three-point percentage. Hes 53rd in effective field goal percentage out of the 59 players with a usage rate over 24%. Wiggins isnt a creator, either. Hes 50th in assist rate among the 59 players noted above. By nearly every metric, Wiggins is below average compared to those who earn a similar share of opportunities. Despite the staggering statistics, it takes a discernable level of talent to earn such a large share of possessions. And it would be unfair to dismiss Wiggins as a lost cause. It wasnt regarded as a disaster when he was given $150 million in October 2017. With Towns in tow, latching onto Wiggins as a foundational wing seemed like a natural fit. Yet, as the Timberwolves sit under .500 in 2018-19 after a first-round exit last year, the questions about Wiggins long-term viability will fester. The tape matches the metrics in Wiggins subpar season. Ideally hed thrive off the gravity demanded by Towns. The big center could hold court at the foul line or on the block, leaving Wiggins free to wreak havoc as a cutter and slasher. But watch Towns operate in crunch time, and Wiggins disappears. Hes often stationed in the corner as little-more than a perimeter outlet, watching the ball as Minnesotas true headliner goes to work. The Wolves operate as a medley of one-man bands. Towns will eat up the shot clock for a couple possessions, then cede an opportunity to Wiggins or Derrick Rose. All three are talented, but the offense is lesser than the sum of its parts. Much of the blame could go to Tom Thibodeau, though Minnesotas top scorers shouldnt be absolved. SHARP: Thibodeau Is Gone, But Wolves Have Bigger Problems The stereotypes about Wiggins offensive game are unfortunately true. The decried 18-footers show up more often than they should. He doesnt attack the rim with fervor for four quarters, let alone two. Wiggins has no problem dribbling 20 seconds of the shot clock, nor does he take issue with jacking a jumper in the first five seconds of a possession. Perhaps interim head coach Ryan Saunders coaxes the best out of Wiggins. It would be a significant turnaround. Wiggins flaws would be manageable as a rotational wing, or even any player south of a nine-figure contract. But Minnesota wont stay afloat with this version of Wiggins. $148 million is a mammoth price tag for a non-All-Star, the kind of mistake that lands front office members in a new line of work. Wiggins is in the class of high-priced cap-sheet liabilities, players whose prior production and prestige gave way to contracts now seen as eyesores. The Wizards will struggle to deal John Wall. The Clippers found a taker for Blake Griffin. Minnesota could be hard-pressed for a suitor. Those trade conversations will be on hold for at least the rest of 2018-19. Wiggins is young and with a new coach, previously showing All-Star ability. He very well could find his groove alongside Towns down the stretch, driving drive Minnesota to a second-straight playoff appearance for the first time since 2003-04. Though as it presently stands, Wiggins is an expensive disappointment, in need of a reboot to flip a career on the wrong track. | https://www.si.com/nba/2019/01/15/andrew-wiggins-karl-anthony-towns-minnesota-timberwolves-second-star |
When is Stranger Things season three released on Netflix? | Things are about to get even Stranger (Picture: Netflix) Stranger Things season three is still several months off, but is set to be one of the Netflix highlights of 2019. News of the release date was revealed as 2018 turned into 2019 a couple of weeks back leaving fans very excited as the new year kicked off. A new poster dropped as the clock struck 12 in New York with all six friends Eleven, Will, Mike, Lucas, Max and Dustin seen watching the fourth of July fireworks over Hawkins. The brooding caption at the top of the poster reads: One summer can change everything, while Will and Eleven take a look back over their shoulders looking unsettled. Netflix confirmed the release date on New Years Day revealing that more Stranger Things will be dropping on July 4 2019. Advertisement Advertisement The third season will pick up a year after the events of the second season finale. Things are expected to get a lot darker in Hawkins especially with the hint that Shadow Monster will be back but for the friendship group, relationships could also be rocked by young love. Netflixs programming executive Cindy Holland said in July 2018: Its a handcrafted show. The Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy, they understand the stakes are high. They want to deliver something bigger and better than last year. I think its going to be a fantastic season. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A new teaser has been released although it shows us little beyond the episode titles listed above. Another teaser was released earlier this year and saw Steve (Joe Kerry) and his co-worker and new addition Robin (Maya Hawke) serving ice cream at the Starcourt Mall. All of the original cast are returning including Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers and David Harbour as Chief Jim Hopper. A couple of season two newcomers Max (Sadie Sink) and Billy (Dacre Montgomery) will also be returning. The season will also introduce a couple of new additions; Cary Elwes who plays the handsome, slick, and sleazy Mayor Kline, and Jake Busey who portrays a journalist with questionable morals and a sick sense of humour. British Elwes is best known for his roles in The Princess Bride and the first Saw movie, while Busey has starred in the From Dusk Till Dawn TV series. Executive producer Shawn Levy gave some hints on whats to come, and said the upcoming instalment is definitely going to yet darker still. He added it was shaping up really, really well and packs so much heart and humour while hes also hinted at more great things from Brown. Harbour added: Were experimenting a lot this season, and were taking risks. Were going into territories weve never been to before and its exciting. MORE: Millie Bobby Brown and Winona Ryder film tense scenes for Stranger Things season 3 finale MORE: Millie Bobby Browns Stranger Things season 3 pay packet will make you a little queasy | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/15/stranger-things-season-three-released-netflix-8347215/ |
Can Lake County's bike trails be made more user-friendly? | hello Signs like this one direct users of county bike paths, but Kevin Carrier of the Lake County Division of Transportation says other agencies have developed "more robust" wayfinding systems. Courtesy of Lake County Division of Transportation A rider uses Lake County's North Shore Bike Path. The county is poised to hire a Michigan consulting firm to design a wayfinding plan that would provide riders with more information and increase use of the paths. Courtesy of Lake County Division of Transporation Lake County officials are exploring ways to make existing and future bike trails more user-friendly. The county board today will consider a $125,760 agreement with Corbin Design Inc of Traverse City, Michigan, to study bike path signage and develop a strategy, guidelines and standards for county-owned multiuse paths. Known as "wayfinding," the idea is to provide trail users with more information through signs and other methods to create a strong first impression and increase use. "This is to have a more integrated system," said county board member Ann Maine, who long has advocated a wayfinding feature. "We have 500 miles of bike paths in Lake County. How can we get those better connected?" The study would be completed in early 2020 and would include public outreach in the planning process. It's included in the Lake County Division of Transportation's highway improvement program and would be paid for with proceeds from a 0.25 percent regional sales tax enacted in 2009 for transportation projects. "Sometimes people think we only use that for roads, and we don't," Maine said. Trails commonly are associated with the Lake County Forest Preserve District, which operates more than 200 miles of trails. Lake County, through its division of transportation, has more than 60 miles of bicycle facilities under its jurisdiction. Some 300 miles of additional trails, including those of local municipalities and townships, are proposed within the county in the next 20 years. "We continue to invest in our path network and want to build people's awareness of it and make it as user-friendly as possible," said Kevin Carrier, director of planning and programming for LCDOT. Existing county paths have some signage, Carrier said, but other agencies have developed "more robust" wayfinding systems that include directional/guide signs, mile markers and informational kiosks. Those have resulted in increased ridership, he said. "This study will determine what the public and users would find helpful and develop a strategy tailored for us," Carrier added. According to the proposal, the study would develop a wayfinding strategy, determine the appropriate types of signs, design the look and branding, and develop guidelines and templates to allow the county to implement and maintain the system. Several years ago, the forest district hired a consultant to help with wayfinding. Pilot projects have been completed at Captain Daniel Wright Woods and Van Patton Woods Forest Preserve, according to Randy Seebach, director of planning and land preservation. | https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190115/can-lake-countys-bike-trails-be-made-more-user-friendly |
What is toxic masculinity? | (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk) Razor brand Gillette released an advert this week trying to tackle the issue of toxic masculinity. Its a term thats been thrown around a lot in the last few years. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Last year, the Oxford English Dictionary labelled toxic as their word of the year and said that after chemical, masculinity was the most-used word in conjunction with toxic. Firstly, not all masculinity (and not all men) is toxic there are elements of what it means to be a man that are not harmful to anyone. The Gillette advert, for example, shows men being strong, supportive friends, brothers and dads at the end of the advertisement. You can still be masculine without being toxic. Toxic masculinity is the idea that society expects men to embrace behaviours and traits that make them seen more masculine but this is harmful to women, as well as men themselves. It evolves around the idea that men are strong, dominant and powerful over women and they are expected to violent, sexually aggressive and unemotional Writing in Physcology Today, Gad Saad Ph.D. explains: James Bond, the epitome of toxic masculinity, does not cry at Taylor Swift concerts. His archetype is desired by women and envied by men. Of course, there is plenty of debate about it and what exactly it encompasses. Its open to interpretation. The term toxic masculinity has become an easy way to label typically harmful behaviours and attitudes, such as mens violence against women and other men, misogyny, homophobia, and self-harm/suicide, said Dr Mark McGlashan, Lecturer in Linguistics at Birmingham City Universitys School of English, told Metro.co.uk Its argued that these behaviours are intimately tied to socially pervasive expectations of what it means to be a man and that, therefore, masculinity itself is toxic. This kind of masculinity is obviously harmful to women as it encourages the idea that abuse or violence are acceptable and that simply, men are above women. But it is something that causes problems for men too. Earlier this month, the American Psychological Association issued guidelines to help psychologists address the issues of men and boys, for the first time in its 127-year history. The report explains: Although boys and men, as a group, tend to hold privilege and power based on gender, they also demonstrate disproportionate rates of receiving harsh discipline (e.g., suspension and expulsion), academic challenges (e.g., dropping out of high school, particularly among African American and Latino boys), mental health issues (e.g., completed suicide), physical health problems (e.g. cardiovascular problems), public health concerns (e.g., violence, substance abuse, incarceration, and early mortality), and a wide variety of other quality-of-life issues (e.g., relational problems, family well-being). Additionally, many men do not seek help when they need it, and many report distinctive barriers to receiving gender-sensitive psychological treatment. It later adds: Research suggests that socialization practices that teach boys from an early age to be self-reliant, strong, and to minimize and manage their problems on their own yield adult men who are less willing to seek mental health treatment. Advertisement So because society has these ideas of what a man should be, its difficult for men to break free from what is expected of them and get help. Jared Skillings told NBC News: Masculinity ideology represents a set of characteristics that are unhealthy for men men who are sexist or violent or dont take care of themselves. MORE: Iceland launches Slimming World syn-free oven chips MORE: Two cats are renting out an apartment alone for 1,100 Advertisement Advertisement | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/15/what-is-toxic-masculinity-8345965/ |
What is the Brexit deal that MPs are voting on? | The historic meaningful vote on Brexit has been described as the most important political decision since the Second World War. Theresa Mays deal is expected to suffer a heavy defeat with more than 100 Tory MPs set to vote against their Prime Minister. Heres what you need to know (Picture: PA) The Brexit deal is the culmination of Mrs Mays negotiations with Brussels that began after the UK narrowly voted in June 2016 to leave the EU. MPs will be voting on the two parts of the Brexit plan the withdrawal agreement and a declaration on the UKs future relations with the EU. They have already been passed by the Cabinet, albeit two ministers Dominic Raab and Esther McVey resigned. In November, the 27 EU leaders also gave the plan the green light at a Brussels summit. Now, the two parts go before British MPs in Parliament. Advertisement Advertisement The withdrawal agreement, once ratified, become legally-binding. The declaration isnt and both are still rather vague. Here are some of the key points in both the documents, which run to a total of 611 pages. The UK will have to hand over roughly 39 billion to leave the EU (Picture: Getty) DIVORCE BILL: Leaving the EU is not free. The withdrawal agreement contains an estimate of around 39,000,000,000 to be paid in order to break the partnership. Leaving without a deal means the UK would not be contractually obliged to pay this money. The sum is still an estimate, based upon our contribution to annual EU budgets up until 2020 and to pay any outstanding commitments. TRANSITION PERIOD: Britain will leave the EU at 11pm on March 29. However there will be a period of adjustment, which will end in December 2020. The UK will remain inside the blocs single market and remain bound by its rules while the two sides hammer out a new trade relationship. The transition period can be extended by joint agreement, if both parties think more time is needed. Some experts have predicted we could still be dealing with unresolved issues until the end of 2022. It can only be extended once and a request would need to be made before June 2020. EU nationals will have to pay to get settled status once the transition period is over (Picture: Home Office) CITIZENS RIGHTS: The Withdrawal Agreement decides what will happen to UK citizens living elsewhere in the UK and equally what will happen to EU citizens living in the UK. Advertisement Advertisement In total, around 5,000,000 people are affected. Immigration was one of the key issues that fuelled the Brexit referendum but there is very little dedicated to the issue in the text. In short, EU citizens and their families will have the right to live and work in the UK until the end of the transition period in December 2020. The same applies to UK citizens in countries around the EU. Theresa May had wanted to limit the scope of the deal to those who arrived in the UK before 29 March. However, she lost out and those arriving to live in the UK at any point until the end of transition, can make Britain their home and still work, live and study here. Once the transition period is over, EU citizens in the UK need to apply for a new residence document to give settled status. It will cost 65 for an adult and 32.50 for a child under the age of 16. Applications are based on passing guidelines and will involve a criminal record check. Trial schemes have already run into problems after it emerged that an app designed to process the documents doesnt work on the majority of phones. Traffic passes a Brexit Border poster on the Dublin road Co Armagh border, between Newry in Northern Ireland and Dundalk in the Irish Republic (Picture: Getty) IRISH BORDER: The Irish border has been the thorniest issue and one that Mrs May has made repeated trips to mainland Europe to try to figure out. All sides are in agreement that they want to avoid a hard border between the Republic of Ireland (an EU member) and Northern Ireland (soon to be an ex-member of the bloc). Advertisement To do so, would threaten the 1998 Good Friday agreement, which ended 30 years of sectarian violence. However, the main issue is how to keep the border open when the UK is no longer bound by EU rules and customs standards. The EU had proposed that Northern Ireland should stay in the single market and customs union, which provoked a furious response from Westminster. The compromise was a backstop an insurance policy that would kick in if the EU and UK cant agree a deal by the end of the transition period. The backstop means the whole of the UK would remain in the EU customs union while Northern Ireland follows single market rules. We can only quit the backstop if the EU agrees. Brexit supporters loathe the backstop, fearing it will leave the UK shackled to the EU. The DUP, who Mrs Mays minority government relies on, are her most vocal critics on the issue and will vote down her plan based on the issue. The EU burgundy passports will be phased out and UK citizens will lose their freedom of movement (Picture: Getty) COURTS: The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) has the final say on all matters of EU law. Any judgements handed down during the transition period will be binding on the UK. If the transition period extends, then so does the ECJs jurisdiction. If the backstop comes into play, the UK and the EU will form a single customs territory. At this point the ECJ cannot arbitrate and a new panel must deal with any disagreements between the two sides. Advertisement TRAVEL TO THE EU: UK citizens will eventually lose their right of freedom of movement around the bloc. From 2021, a three-year visa waiver programme has been suggested, which would see the UK pay around 6 to travel around the Schengen area. This is known as an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System), which is used by another 60 countries worldwide. UK passports will continue to be issued in the old burgundy style before the new blue design is ready in late 2019. Trade and fishing has yet to be sorted out between the UK and EU (Picture: AFP) TRADE: Officially trade talks between the EU and the UK can only begin once the UK is a third country meaning April 2019. In the immediate aftermath of Brexit, we head into a transition period during which EU laws continue to apply. Beyond that, it is not yet clear what tariffs, regulations or checks might be deemed necessary to trade in goods and services with EU countries. If no long-term trade plan is agreed then the backstop kicks in and the whole of the UK would stay in a single customs territory. This would impact on the ability for the UK to do deals with non-EU countries, such as the USA. FISHING: The EU had wanted reciprocal access to UK waters in exchange for the tariff-free access to the EU markets. The withdrawal agreement merely states that a new agreement would be needed on fishing rights, a hotly contentious issue among EU states. This has caused concern in many coastal communities and especially angered Scottish MPs. The NHS has warned of stockpiling drugs and a shortage of staff after Brexit (Picture: Getty) EDUCATION, POLICING, SCIENCE, NHS, FARMING: There is little word on education in either document and UK universities are fearful of losing access to valuable EU funding. It is also not known what role EU academics will play at British universities or the financial implications of EU students who want to study in the UK. There are also scant details on the science and energy sectors, although the political declaration calls for co-operation between the UK and EU and states that gas and electricity must be allowed to still flow across the Channel. During the transition period, the UK will remain part of many existing policing and security arrangements with the EU but there is ambiguity about intelligence-sharing and arrest warrants after December 2020. The NHS is reliant on EU staff and several NHS experts have talked about stockpiling so there is no shortage of drugs after Brexit on March 29. Labour is a major issue for farmers, who rely on migrant workers for seasonal jobs. The UK wont be tied to the Common Agricultural Policy after Brexit and while the UK has promised an environmentally-friendly Brexit, there are concerns about a loosening of standards on food safety. | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/15/brexit-deal-mps-voting-8346982/ |
Where is Sex Education set and is it in the UK or the US? | Sex Education has a pretty American look about it (Picture: Netflix) Sex Education looks set to be one of Netflixs bigger hits of 2019, with the series having proven popular since it debuted last week. The comedy drama follows 17-year-old Otis (the incredibly blue-eyed Asa Butterfield), the son of a sex therapist (Gillian Anderson) whos taken to doling out advice about the birds and the bees to his frustrated classmates in exchange for a small fee. But one thing has left the viewers very confused and thats just where the series is set. Because while everybody may have British accents and that slight awkwardness about them, the school where much of the action takes place looks very much like an American high school. Think lack of school uniforms, Glee-esque school band and the like. Well its definitely UK-based, with the action taking place at a secondary school called Moorfield but there are reasons why it looks more like an American teen movie at times, and its largely to do with attracting as wide an audience as possible. Advertisement Advertisement There is a bit of both worlds, decidedly, in the series, and the aim and the hope is that Americans wont notice, its star Gillian Anderson explained. The shows actually shot in South Wales (Picture: Netflix) For instance, the Brits may notice that they are throwing American footballs, whereas the Americans wont notice that that might be strange for people speaking with British accents. She added: The rules are shifting all the time in terms of how an audience receives the shows that theyre watching, what theyre willing to accept and what realms and worlds theyre willing to step into to suspend their disbelief. I think Netflix feels quite strongly that theyve hit on something with this amalgamation. Oh and in case youre wondering the show itself is filmed in Wales at the University of South Wales Caerleon Campus to be precise. Sex Education is available 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. MORE: Sex Education cast release vag warning as show drops on Netflix | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/15/sex-education-set-uk-us-8346818/ |
Who is Sake Dean Mahomed and why is he todays Google Doodle? | A portrait of Sake Dean Mahomed from Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove (Picture: Wikimedia Commons) Sake Dean Mahomed is the Google Doodle for 15 February 2019, but for many years his legacy was nearly lost to history. Mahomed was an entrepreneur, author, and eventually became known as Dr. Brighton for introducing shampoo to Europe. Heres everything you need to know about the life and achievements of Sake Dean Mahomed. WhatsApp 'has a bug' that could let strangers see all your secrets Born in Patna in 1759, Sake Dean Mahomed made history a few times throughout is life. His father was a traditional barber who knew a lot about how to produce different types of soap and shampoo. Sake Dean Mahomed is todays Google Doodle His father died when Sake was still very young, and when he was ten, he was taken in by an officer called Captain Godfrey Baker. Sake served as a trainee surgeon in the British East India Company army until Baker resigned in 1782. Mahomed resigned with his friend, and decided to go with him to Britain. Advertisement Advertisement By 1784, Mahomed was living in Cork, Ireland, having traveled there with the Baker family. There, he studied at a local school to improve his English, and he fell in love with an Irish girl named Jane Daly. Without Mahomed, your morning showers might be a lot different (Picture: Getty Images) Her family opposed the match, but that didnt stop the couple who eloped in 1786. In 1794, he published a book called The Travels of Dean Mahomed, which made him the first Indian ever to publish a book in English. The story of Bill Gates and the worm-powered toilet that could change the world In 1810, he opened the first Indian restaurant in England, called the Hindoostane Coffee House in George Street, Central London. Even though it only stayed open for a year, its impact on British cuisine is felt to this day Perhaps his most successful achievement occurred when he opened The Indian Medicated Vapour Bath in Brighton, which was the first commercial shampooing masseur in England. At the time, this type of treatment was credited with curing diseases and providing relief for conditions like gout, joint pain, and sprains. The next iPhone could feature USB-C and make your old cables totally obsolete This was the venture that eventually resulted in his nickname, Dr. Brighton. He was referred patients by hospitals, and he ended up being appointed the shampooing surgeon to royalty. In the end, he died in his 90s in Brighton, and his legacy was almost completely forgotten until there was a fresh interest in his writings in the 1970s-80s. Advertisement Advertisement Even though nowadays we know that shampoo cant cure gout, Mahomed brought a new form of hygiene into the forefront of European culture and popularised it among the upper and middle classes thats nothing to turn your nose up at! On the subject of their latest Doodle, Google summed it up nicely by saying, A man of many talents, Sake Dean Mahomed was an entrepreneur who made a name for himself by building cultural connections between India and England. MORE: You need to acknowledge the pain of others: Terry Crews calls out Kevin Hart over reaction to backlash MORE: Google Maps driver performed wheel spins to try and stop fatal stabbing | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/15/who-is-sake-dean-mahomed-and-why-is-he-todays-google-doodle-8346379/ |
Who is the father of Amy Barlows baby in Coronation Street? | Amy Barlow has finally come clean to her parents that she is pregnant at the age of 14 in Coronation Street, but shes keeping another secret close to her chest. No one knows who fathered the baby but her. She really should as her parents will jump to all sorts of conclusions causing embarrassment and anger all over the shop. Its one for Jezza Kyle. The teenager reveals her news to her nan Liz in the hope Liz would help her get an abortion. Instead she encourages her to tell Tracy and Steve the truth. Steve initially thought it was Aadi after he was found with condoms and stormed over to the shop to confront him after learning hes about to be a granddad, leaving Amy absolutely mortified that the whole school would now know her predicament. She later confessed that the baby was conceived at a Christmas party. Advertisement Advertisement Amy still refused to reveal his identity, and in tomorrows episode Tracy will find out that Amy has been telling a huge lie shes 10 weeks along and therefore couldnt have conceived at a Christmas party. But still, shes adamant it is not Aadis. The familys worst fear is that its Simon given that as the pair are cousins that would effectively be incest. Simon has been Amys rock through it all, and she turns to him for support. But Steve clocks the exchange and realises with a sinking feeling in his gut that Simon is the dad. He tells Tracy, who looks at Amys phone and sees a text between the two that all but confirms it. Tracy goes off the deep end, accusing him in front of the family. He denies it but hes hiding something. Weeks ago a huge hint was dropped as to the identity of the babys dad when Asha revealed that Amy was heading to the Christmas markets with Taras older brother who was 17 and drove a a fancy car. Taras older brother turns out to be gang leader Tyler, whos been tormenting Simon and even shot Peter with a paintball gun, and it will transpire that he is in fact the baby daddy. Trouble lies in store for the McDonalds/Barlows when they find out the paternity of the baby the hard way when Tylers family decide they want to fight for custody of the child. MORE: Casualty spoilers: Heartbreak for Ethan Hardy as Alicia Munroe exits the soap MORE: Emmerdale spoilers: Claire King reveals when Kim Tate returns for revenge | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/15/coronation-street-spoilers-father-amy-barlows-baby-8346602/ |
Could leopard print hair be the next big beauty trend? | (Picture: Jacopo Raule/Getty Images) Were sure you would have noticed this, but leopard print was big in 2018. Its always been a fashion favourite, worn as a neutral or in the form of statement accessories. But last year leopard print went from a classic to a full-on trend. Of course, trends move on. Thats the whole point of a trend. But we might not be quite ready to let go of leopard print. Rather than wearing it as a skirt, though, animal print may be moving north. To our heads, to be more specific. At Versaces menswear runway show in Milan, model Joo Knorr wore leopard print hair to match his coat. Allure reports that this particular dye job isnt permanent. Instead temporary dyes were hand painted on to the hair by colourist Davide at Blance Salon. Advertisement Advertisement That makes sense leopard print hair could be tricky to maintain when your hair is growing. Those lovely spots could end up a jumble. But a long-term leopard print look is possible, if youre ready to put in some serious time and effort. Be warned: leopard print hair would be pretty tricky on longer lengths. Your hair has to be styled in the exact same way each day to make sure that those carefully painted leopard spots are properly formed. Its tricky to get long hair to have exactly the same parting every time you wash it, and to make sure the hair sits exactly the same as it did while getting styled. Long leopard print hair is possible, but it works far better as a temporary look. Imagine the stress of growing out that pattern. Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps this is a look best left to those with bleached crops, who happen to fancy a change. Short hair allows for easy painting, and when the hair grows and the spots start to look a bit dodgy, your stylist can just trim them away. Easy. If leopard print isnt quite your speed, dont panic there are plenty of other hair colouring trends you can hop on right now. Try hair inspired by Pantones colour of the year, or go for blue. The world is your very colourful oyster. MORE: Prowling is the hot-and-cold dating trend coming to you in 2019 MORE: Let the comforting embrace of your skinny denim protect you from the evil of asymmetrical jeans MORE: Meghan Markles crawler earrings arent just super trendy, theyre ethical Advertisement Advertisement | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/15/leopard-print-hair-next-big-beauty-trend-8345502/ |
Will it be Nikhil Gowda vs Abhishek Ambareesh in Mandya polls? | K Shiva Kumar By Express News Service MYSURU: With JD(S) MLAs and other leaders pitching the candidature of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamys son Nikhil Gowda from Mandya for Lok Sabha polls, fans of late actor Ambareesh are now looking at his wife Sumalatha and son Abhishek to enter politics. ALSO READ | Wary of JD(S) laying claim, Congress MPs go to bosses to save seats It is being said that a condolence meeting organised by Ambareeshs fans in Mandya on January 12, which was attended by top film stars, did not see the presence of Kumaraswamy, district- in-charge minister C S Puttaraju or Transport Minister D C Thammanna, who is also a native of Doddarasenakere village, because they thought that the actors fans may demand a ticket for Sumalatha or Abhishek. Kumaraswamys grief-filled gestures after Ambareeshs death earned him appreciation from all quarters. But the decision of JD(S) to skip the meet has raised eyebrows in political circles as well as among Ambareeshs fans. The actors family came to Mandya to thank all those who stood with them for over four decades. Sumalatha appealed to people to bless Abhishek. We want you people to show your love, protect him, she said, as the crowd cheered. Actors Jaggesh, Shivaraj Kumar and others also asked them to support Abhishek in his film career and other endeavours. Kumaraswamy, however, said on January 14 that his absence from the condolence meeting was not intentional, as he was pre-occupied with other responsibilities. He added that the question of giving a ticket to Ambareeshs family does not arise as he was in Congress and had not joined JD(S). Ambareeshs followers certainly want the family to inherit his legacy to serve the public. Former minister A Manju, a rival of the Deve Gowda family, has stated that Abhishek should contest from Mandya. On the other hand, local JD(S) leaders, including MLA M Srinivas, have urged Kumaraswamy to field Nikhil. Kumaraswamy said that party leaders want Nikhil to be fielded, as they want to strengthen the bond between the family and Mandya. | http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2019/jan/15/will-it-be-nikhil-vs-abhishek-in-mandya-polls-1925233.html |
Why don't men talk about the things that really worry them? | By failing to confront health issues, men could be robbing themselves and their partners of a satisfying sex life We men dont like to talk about our health problems. But since we love facts and figures, here are a few about our self-enforced silence. According to health service research published in the British Medical Journal, men are 32 per cent less likely to open up to a GP about a health issue thats bugging them than women. A similar US study, meanwhile, found that men were more likely to discuss current events (36 per cent), sports (32 per cent) and work (32 per cent) than any health concerns (a mere 7 per cent). Be it back ache, chest pains, erectile dysfunction (ED) or any one of the many ailments that could signal a much more serious problem, it would appear that men are still struggling to share their worries. Natural instincts Whereas women tend to open up to others, bringing the stuff thats worrying them to the surface and feeling better for it, men dont. Men internalise their anxieties. One reason is the notion that being poorly or having something that doesnt work properly is a sign of weakness, says Dr Cliff Arnall, visiting lecturer in health psychology at the BPP University London, and a specialist in confidence and self-esteem. If we go back long enough this is a wise approach, as weak group members in the animal kingdom were often picked off or marginalised, he explains. According to Dr Gary Wood, social psychologist and the author of The Psychology of Gender, our cultural and social ideas about masculinity are proving painfully slow at changing. Although there has been softening of rigid male stereotypes, it is quite limited, he says. If men cry in public and on reality TV shows, for example, it's seen as endearing, but it's certainly not acceptable to show emotion week after week. There's a low tolerance for the emotional man. Eventually, they need to 'man-up', he continues. And, whenever we praise men for 'getting in touch with their feminine sides', we reassert that emotion is a female domain. Men are allowed to dip into it but not drown their masculinity in it! No one to talk to Another reason why men dont talk about whats worrying them is because they dont form the same friendships that women do. According to a 2018 study of relationships for the Movember Foundation, nearly half of men (47 per cent) feel they are unable to confide in friends about their problems, while almost a third (27 per cent) reported they simply did not have any close friends. Best mates will eventually get to hear some version of the health concern, though this may involve some detective work on behalf of the friend who is listening, suggests Dr Arnall. Relationship fears One area men are particularly reluctant to seek help for is erection problems. Here, a possible health issue has a knock-on effect upon their relationship with their partner, and for many men the erectile response is central to their sense of masculinity, says Janice Hiller, clinical psychologist and psychosexual therapist. As a result, men can be evasive on this topic. It can often take two or three sessions before he will open up about something affecting his sex life, says Ms Hiller. For some men its a psychological issue, where anxiety, stress or worry creates and then compounds the problem. Whatever the cause, the symptoms are something a man needs to get medical advice upon as it can be linked to circulatory and blood-flow issues. According to Dr Arnall, asking for help such as by talking to a pharmacist or GP is essential in the case of treating erectile dysfunction (ED). In my experience, talking has always helped, he says. The number of times men say they thought they were the only one suffering from ED is really common. Indeed, in the UK, 4.3 million men[1] experience difficulty getting or maintaining an erection, so ED is widespread. Whats more, Dr Arnall adds: Theres a pretty strong link between ED and heart disease. I wonder if men knew that, would they be more likely to see a doctor. Finding a way forward This series of Telegraph articles, brought to you by VIAGRA Connect, addresses the myths and misconceptions around erectile problems and helps men find the right treatment. VIAGRA Connect is the first medicine available in the UK without a prescription to help men with erectile dysfunction. It is available from pharmacies and registered online pharmacies. To find out more about erectile dysfunction, how VIAGRA Connect can help and how it can be bought, go to viagraconnect.co.uk VIAGRA Connect: 50mg film coated tablets. Contains sildenafil. For erectile dysfunction in adult men. Always read the leaflet. PP-VCO-GBR-0200 Footnotes: [1] Prevalence based on men reporting occasional and frequent difficulty getting or maintaining an erection [ref. Kantar TNS Omnibus Survey Dec 2010 in a survey of 1,033 men] | https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/living-with-erectile-dysfunction/why-dont-men-talk/ |
Does AT&T Even Need DirecTV? | With AT&T Inc. shifting its focus to the newly acquired Time Warner businesses, its struggling DirecTV division is looking less essential. Should DirecTVs headaches persist, it may even get to the point where AT&T is better off without it. AT&T bought Time Warner (now called WarnerMedia) for $102 billion last year. Before that, it acquired DirecTV for $63 billion in 2015. (1)These back-to-back megadeals have left AT&T with a net debt balance of $175 billion, making it the worlds largest borrower, aside from financial institutions. As DirecTV loses hundreds of thousands of satellite-service customers and suffers declining Ebitda, theres some concern among shareholders and bondholders that AT&T could be overburdening itself. This raises questions about AT&Ts ability to keep increasing its dividend and making important investments in fiber and its new 5G wireless network, all while maintaining an investment-grade debt rating. If the company were faced with a choice between dividend growth or shoring up its credit quality, the latter would have to take priority, as I wrote in November. However, any reduction of the dividend would worsen the sell-off in AT&Ts shares, and CEO Randall Stephenson said last month that he has no intention of changing the dividend philosophy. Thats why selling DirecTV may be a more feasible option, if one is ever needed. This may sound radical, but hear me out. Unlike a dividend cut, letting go of DirecTV would be able to address two issues: AT&Ts creditworthiness and its stock valuation. Thats because DirecTVs complications are primarily whats clouding the picture. When AT&T highlighted this chart in its last earnings presentation, what struck me is that even company-provided material cant hide that the Entertainment Group (the bulk of which is DirecTV) isnt earning its keep: Originally, DirecTV seemed to play a key role in Stephensons vision for buying the WarnerMedia assets. The pay-TV business was the clearest link between his newfound Hollywood aspirations and AT&Ts core competency of providing connectivity services to customers. Except now, AT&T is on the verge of launching yet another streaming service, this time through the WarnerMedia unit not the DirecTV/Entertainment Group, where one would think all its pay-TV stuff would be housed. The new product will offer on-demand viewing of various WarnerMedia content shows and movies from HBO, Warner Bros. and Turner across three different package price points. The company has pitched it as being complementary to DirecTV Now, which is for customers who prefer to stream live TV. But its not difficult to imagine that a Netflix-like app full of popular on-demand content may instead cannibalize DirecTV Now. Stephenson predicts that DirecTVs Ebitda will stabilize this year, and thats key to AT&T hitting its leverage-reduction goals. His optimism is partly predicated on higher prices for DirecTV services and a shift away from promotions. Ive wondered whether that approach will backfire by driving more customers to competing products the forthcoming WarnerMedia app now included. Still, AT&T shouldnt necessarily hold onto DirecTV if it continues to weigh on results and the companys perception in the stock and bonds markets. The business has never been able to thrive within AT&T, and its awkwardness is only becoming more obvious. (1) Both transaction totals include net debt. (2) AT&T is also looking to sell other assets, which it says will generate up to $8 billion of cash to help pay down debt. To contact the author of this story: Tara Lachapelle at [email protected] To contact the editor responsible for this story: Beth Williams at [email protected] This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Tara Lachapelle is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering deals, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., media and telecommunications. She previously wrote an M&A column for Bloomberg News. 2019 Bloomberg L.P. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/does-atandt-even-need-directv/2019/01/15/831c165e-18ca-11e9-b8e6-567190c2fd08_story.html |
What did Norwich market look like back in time? | Video This is what Norwich market looked like hundreds of years ago Norwich Market. Picture: ANTONY KELLY Archant Norfolk 2018 A Norfolk history buff has created a video that reveals how Norwich city centre looked as far back as the 1700s. Share Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. The video, made by James Fox, from Aylsham, winds the clock back as it shows photographs from 2018 to 1905. It then shows illustrations of the market from 1855 to 1788. The most historic image, which depicts the city centre 231 years ago, is almost unrecognisable as the Norwich current city dwellers know. Though the video reveals hundreds of years of Norwich market it doesnt reach as far as the beginning, as the market was first founded in the eleventh century and has been a bustling centre of trade ever since. Email [email protected] | https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/norwich-market-through-the-ages-video-1-5852332 |
Whats next for Brexit & Britain if UK parliament votes no on Theresa Mays deal? | RT looks at a few permutations that could follow. Theresa May resigns In normal times, a sitting UK prime minister who sees her landmark piece of legislation voted down by parliament, even by the slimmest of margins, would feel the need to resign as it was a matter of honor but these are not normal times. Labour tables confidence vote in Mays govt leads to snap general election In recent days, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has ramped up his intentions to call a vote of confidence in the Tory government if Theresa Mays deal is voted down. May comes up with plan B no-deal Brexit An amendment to the EU withdrawal bill secured by Labour backbencher Yvette Cooper, will force the PM to declare her plan B within three days if her deal is voted down on Tuesday. In such a scenario the PM may push the nuclear option button and attach a vote of confidence in the government to any motion trying to rule out a no-deal Brexit. The hope being, Tory remainers bottle voting to take down the government, but at the expense of opening the door to a no-deal. May allows parliament to vote on new Brexit plan Tory backbencher Nick Boles has laid out plans that would compel Mays government to come up with a plan B within three weeks. If this is not achieved then the government should pass on Brexit responsibilities to the liaison committee to come up with a deal that could secure the support of the House of Commons. Her detractors could see such a move as running down the clock to a no-deal Brexit. It may, however, prove tempting for MPs wanting to avoid the messiness of a second referendum. Labour tables second referendum motion Jeremy Corbyns Labour party policy on Brexit states that if they fail to secure a general election, then all other options are on the table, including a second referendum. The PM has ruled out such a move up to now, but could it be the best way of securing her deal with so many MPs predicted to reject it on Tuesday evening. Share this story! to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media wont tell you. | https://www.rt.com/uk/448864-brexit-defeat-may-options/ |
Can Hollywoods Biggest Media Companies Avoid Getting Crushed by Debt? | Randall Stephenson, AT&Ts chairman-CEO, summoned all of his folksy Oklahoma earnestness as he made an enthusiastic pitch to Wall Street analysts about the telephone companys bold efforts to transform itself into a multimedia powerhouse. It was late November, less than six months after AT&T had wrapped up its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner. But before Stephenson could wax poetic about his plans to revitalize HBO, Warner Bros. or other newly acquired AT&T subsidiaries, he felt compelled to address the elephant in the room. If you hear nothing else this afternoon, I want you to hear me on this, Stephenson said at the companys investor presentation in New York. Our discretionary cash flow is going to go to one place. Its going to be paying down debt. Stephenson had no choice but to try to appease those who are plenty anxious about the mountain of leverage AT&T has accrued in the past four years, not only from the Time Warner purchase but also from its $49 billion deal for DirecTV. The nut stands somewhere between $170 billion and $180 billion plus. AT&T is not alone in seeing red-ink levels rise in an era of merger mania. Comcast will have to shoulder $114.7 billion in debt, according to Moodys, now that it has shelled out $40 billion to buy Sky this after losing the bidding war with Disney for 21st Century Fox. Like Comcast, Disney is carrying more leverage than it has in more than a decade. The task facing AT&T, Disney and Comcast is a daunting one, requiring deft corporate maneuvering to avert disaster. All three companies have made big bets that the only way to survive and thrive amid the digital disruption is to get bigger, and theyve used debt, lots of it, to finance their empire building. If theres an economic slowdown or interest rates continue to rise, Im not sure these companies will look back and think that it was such a good idea to pile on the debt, says Hal Vogel, CEO of Vogel Capital Management. These media giants are scrambling to catch up with the market-shaking rise of Netflix. The streaming giant has also fueled its ascent on the back of cheap debt. Unlike the leveraged financing used by Comcast, Disney and Fox, much of the money Netflix has borrowed is of the junk bond variety. That means that the cost of servicing the debt will fluctuate more wildly if interest rates rise. It can be a very painful experience for companies that are carrying a big debt load, says Schuyler Moore, a partner in the corporate entertainment department of Greenberg Glusker. People lend money based on a companys theoretical equity value, but if the stock gets hammered, that equity cushion deflates as well. The ballooning leverage only heightens the enormous stakes at play for the largest media companies. AT&T, Disney and Comcast are faced with reinventing large parts of their core businesses to compete in the global streaming marketplace established by Netflixs fast rise at the same time they navigate the tricky process of integrating high-priced acquisitions into existing operations, with all the potential for culture clashes, turf wars and dysfunction that entails. The demands of meeting ambitious synergy targets and servicing a higher level of debt require that everything go right for these corporations in the next two years in order for the math to work. Certainly theres a lot more leverage in the system than there was at the end of the last economic expansion cycle [in 2009], says longtime media industry analyst Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson. That has to make you nervous if were indeed headed into a recession at some point. The stock buyback binge of the last 15 years has been fueled in part by borrowings because the cost of credit for well-established businesses was so low in a generally low-interest-rate banking environment. Companies under pressure to trim debt are, not surprisingly, vowing to put the brakes on future stock buybacks for the near term. Buybacks have started to draw more attention on Wall Street amid worries that corporate leaders who receive a large portion of their annual compensation in stock options are given a counterproductive incentive to spend corporate resources to keep the stock price high rather than invest in R&D, IP and other forward-looking initiatives that can be vital to a firms long-term health. Neil Begley, senior VP and senior analyst for ratings agency Moodys, points to Viacom as the poster company for problems that emerge when management is overly focused on propping up the stock price through buybacks rather than doing the hard work of strategic positioning for the future. In 2013, Begley sounded the alarm on Viacom because of his concern that the management under then-CEO Philippe Dauman was expending too much energy on borrowing money for stock buybacks rather than investing in the company at a time of turmoil for the entertainment industry. In 2016, Dauman was ousted and Viacom had to race to refinance some of that debt as hefty payments loomed. Its always easier to spend money to buy back stock rather than invest in the company, Begley says. The entertainment industry, like other business sectors, has enjoyed nearly a decade of easy access to cheap debt, encouraging companies to finance acquisitions, day-to-day operating needs and expansion efforts with bonds and loans. Most blue-chip companies like AT&T and Disney issue only investment-grade bonds, which mean lower yields for investors and lower costs for the issuing party. THE DEBT BET The largest media companies have loaded up on short- and long-term borrowings thanks to low interest rates and easy access to credit. Following are debt projections as of Q3 2017 from Moodys Investor Service: Source: Moodys Investor Service *Debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization Comcast debt projected as of 12/31/18 But theres still a lot of range within the investment-grade spectrum. Theres been a notable rise in the past few years in the amount of corporate debt across the U.S. economy that is rated on the low end of the investment-grade scale, which runs from the top AAA tier to the lowest BBB tier. If a companys financial performance deteriorates, debt with BBB ratings is in danger of being downgraded to speculative or junk bond status by the three major credit rating agencies: Moodys, Standard & Poors and Fitch. Such a downgrade would greatly increase debt financing costs for the issuer. The rise on BBB-rated corporate debt has been a focus for Wall Street in recent months. Debt is unforgiving it always has to be repaid or refinanced, says financial journalist William D. Cohan, who has been sounding the alarm about rising corporate debt rates. Debt has been very trendy for the last decade because the [Federal Reserve] has intentionally lowered interest rates. The trend has been to do big deals and finance them in debt markets. But when you pile on operational risk, integration risk and financial risk all together, that is a very dangerous stew. Begley notes that AT&T which has about $70 billion in BBB-rated debt that will come due over the next four to five years is in a tight spot because of the companys need to maintain investment-grade status and its commitment to paying a sizable annual dividend to shareholders. Simply put, AT&T cannot afford a downgrade for its bonds. Such a move would have a ripple effect throughout the credit markets. The high-yield market could not easily absorb that level of debt from one issuer, Begley says. That could cause market disruption in the speculative-grade world. AT&T chief financial officer John Stephens emphasized at the Nov. 29 investor presentation that $150 billion of the companys debt load is locked in at low interest rates. Hollywood studios and other content-focused firms have been able to manage significant debt, even with the volatility of the entertainment industry, because of the nature of the business. Historically most media companies have been able to carry more debt than average for their ratings, says Begley. Some of those businesses have been very predictable and stable, like pay TV, and with high margins, but are not particularly capital intensive. If push comes to shove, market watchers predict AT&T will have to temporarily slash the size of its dividend. That would undoubtedly have negative repercussions from investors because of the companys rock-solid history of dividend growth since 1985, the year after the federal government broke up the former Ma Bells monopoly in the U.S. Viacom was also forced to cut its dividend amid its credit crunch in late 2016-early 2017. The trend has been to do big deals and finance them in debt markets. But when you pile on operational risk, integration risk and financial risk all together, that is a very dangerous stew. William D. Cohan, financial journalist In the face of tough scrutiny, Stephenson has made the Wall Street rounds to explain his vision of how AT&T will shave some $20 billion off its obligations by the end of 2019. Its a high-wire act, as the company is promising to still pay out about 50% of its earnings in a dividend and invest in HBO, Turner, and Warner Bros. and the upgrade of its wireless service to the super-fast 5G technology. We feel comfortable with our ability to manage the debt. And were going to invest another $23 billion next year and still generate $26 billion of free cash flow, Stephenson said in a Dec. 4 Q&A at the UBS Global Media & Communications Conference. The idea that the debt is constraining our investment is not true. AT&T has also pledged to raise $6 billion to $8 billion this year in asset sales a goal that has helped assuage some concerns. Among the sale candidates that AT&T has identified are its 10% stake in Hulu (inherited from Time Warner), which is valued at nearly $1 billion, and its 41% interest in the Sky Mexico satellite-TV platform. If you listen to [AT&Ts] current message, they appear to be laser-focused on generating cash through assets sales to reduce their debt load, Begley says. If grabbing cheap-debt financing was the trend of the past decade, taking a hard look at nonessential assets is becoming the go-to move of the next few years. Every single major media company is looking at selling assets to de-lever, says Carlos Jimenez, managing director and media specialist at Moelis & Co. investment bank. Whats even more interesting is were seeing companies going back to fundamentals and being more focused. There was a time where people were just buying assets to grow an empire across as many verticals as possible. What were starting to see is a focus on questions like Where do I deploy my capital to make sure I have biggest return on investment? and Do I have enough capital to compete in this [pay-TV] ecosystem? The gyrations of the stock market of the past few months reflect this new corporate reckoning. What the market is grappling with right now is recession risk, Moffett says. The market is trying to figure out when its coming and who is in the crosshairs if we head into a meaningful recession. This time around the companies that appear most at risk are those carrying excessive levels of debt. AT&T is under the gun to prove the worthiness of the Time Warner acquisition because it has seen disappointing results from DirecTV, which it acquired for $48.5 billion in 2015. Time Warner cost $85.4 billion plus millions of dollars more in legal fees waged in the nearly two-year antitrust fight with the Justice Department, which remains on appeal. It was clear from the beginning that DirecTV was a bad transaction, Moffett says. They were buying an asset at an absurdly high price at what almost everybody understood to be its absolute peak. There was nowhere for DirecTV to go but down. Now theyre paying the price for an ill-advised DirecTV transaction. AT&T isnt the only media giant facing more skepticism. Analysts, once bullish on Netflixs continued dominance of the streaming space, have grown noticeably more cautious as the streamer has relied more heavily on high-yield debt that will impact its cash flow. Some of that worry has been reflected in the stock price, which is down more than 30% since it topped the $400 mark in June and July. The strategy is littered with risks, but it could also yield substantial riches if these companies pull it off. Most of them have looked to a future in which consumers have cut the cable cord, ditched the Blu-ray player and opted to largely steer clear of the multiplexes. Companies are following consumption habits, says Elsa Ramo, managing partner of Ramo Law. Theyre shifting how their movies are monetized. Once it was theatrical box office or sales on VHS. Now its monthly subscription plans. To reach the changing audience, Disney and WarnerMedia (the newly rechristened Time Warner) are launching direct-to-consumer offerings to rival Netflix. Its a bold bet that will put them in a new business. In the past, movie and television studios have relied on cable operators or theaters to ply their wares. They havent spent much time developing a relationship with customers without the aid of a go-between. However, the timing is tricky. Disney, for instance, has to simultaneously integrate Foxs sprawling workforce into its operations, create enough compelling content to make its offering irresistible at the time it launches and keep paying down the debt it accrued to buy Fox. AT&T must contend with its own debt burden while navigating its way around an entertainment industry that operates in a manner thats dramatically different from its core hardware business. There arent a lot of red carpets in telecom. 1. Starting with 2019 releases, new Disney theatrical films such as Avengers: Endgame will be streamed only on Disney Plus. 2. Star Trek: Discovery has lured subscribers to the CBS All Access service. 3. The Crown is among the big-budget original-series expenditures that has fueled Netflixs growing debt load. Courtesy of Disney/CBS/Netflix Its hard to have the ability to perform while you transform, says Michael Kassan, CEO of MediaLink. Its almost like driving a stick shift. You have to put a certain amount of pressure on the gas and a certain amount of pressure on the clutch, but you cant hit the brakes. It requires an elegance. A great deal of cash is needed to break into the streaming space. Netflix spent $13 billion on content in 2018, and that figure only stands to keep growing. The digital giant is projected to shell out $22.5 billion annually on content by 2022, according to a recent Goldman Sachs estimate. As HBO or Showtime can attest, attracting subscribers demands watercooler shows. That, in turn, requires a lot of money. Netflixs debt stands at $8.3 billion as of its most recent quarterly earnings report and will rise to $10 billion after another $2 billion debt issue is completed. Netflixs debt is below investment grade, but that hasnt stopped investors from embracing the company, despite the projection it will have negative free cash flow of $3 billion for 2018. Netflix maintains that the equity value of the company as its pay-TV market share grows is more than enough to reassure lenders. We are striving to make the right choices and investments to grow the value of the firm, and that is what also ultimately secures our debt, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wrote in a letter to investors last February. High yield [debt] has rarely seen an equity cushion so thick. The streamers rising-star status has put inordinate pressure on its traditional competitors. The money Netflix is spending forces all the others who fight with Netflix to keep spending, spending, spending, and frequently that requires debt, debt, debt, says Peter Csathy, founder of Creatv Media. Signing mega-deals with Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy isnt the only way Netflix is brandishing its checkbook. The company has also invested heavily in its infrastructure, devoting billions in recent years to marketing and R&D. It has been money well spent. Netflixs interface with its searchable database, recommendation engine and ability to be accessed via everything from game consoles to smart TV apps is sleek and easy to navigate. Would-be rivals like Disney and WarnerMedia will be lucky to debut a service that is as user-friendly and bug-free. Of course, Netflix was able to become Netflix, preeminent destination for all things bingeable, only because studios ignored the potentially existential threat it posed and licensed their content to the company in exchange for big paydays. Disney, for instance, is wrapping up a three-year movie-output pact with Netflix that generated an estimated $300 million in annual license fees. Other studios, such as Paramount and Warner Bros., signed similar deals with streamers. As Disney and WarnerMedia unwind their licensing deals to stockpile content for their nascent streaming services, they are forgoing billions of dollars in pure profit. That squeezes their bottom lines and points to another hurdle they must overcome. Investors are already skittish about the amount of debt companies have packed on in all the merger madness, an anxiety that may only grow more pronounced as these firms struggle to turn hype for their services into profits. Netflixs market value has soared in recent years even though the company has concentrated more on building market share than it has on making money. Subscriber growth has been the yardstick by which Netflix is measured. Not so Disney and WarnerMedia, which are assessed on a cash flow basis. If these companies want to prevent their stock from being hammered, they must convince investors to become as interested in how many customers are signing up for Disney Plus and the yet-to-be-named WarnerMedia streaming product as they currently are in ABCs ad sales or the box office performance of Aquaman. The victory if they are successful is substantial, says Erik Hodge, managing director at The Raine Group. In the best case, these companies may change the way that Wall Street values them. More importantly, they will have built a real relationship with their audience for the first time and can realize all the benefits that could come along with that. In the streaming wars to come, there will be victors and losers. Netflix and Amazon Prime may be cheaper than a monthly cable bill, but consumers are unlikely to subscribe to every digital video service available. Theres only so much discretionary spending to go around. When you look across the proliferation of direct-to-consumer video services, there will be a few big winners, and there will be many more that find they cant go it alone, says Csathy. But you dont have a choice. You have to be fearless and experiment. If you place your head in the sand, youre as good as dead. If this reinvention works, then the corporate chieftains who relied on debt to finance their expansion plans will be hailed as visionaries who wrested control of an uncertain future. If it fails, it will be another story entirely. Debt is a two-edged sword, says James Angel, associate professor at Georgetown Universitys McDonough School of Business. When things go well, debt will amplify your profits. When things go badly, debt will amplify your losses. | https://variety.com/2019/biz/features/att-disney-comcast-debt-1203107407/ |
Can Loyola-Chicago repeat as the ultimate Giant Killer? | The 2019 version of Loyola-Chicago is out there, lurking. Well, maybe there isn't a first-round Giant Killer that will make it to the Final Four like the Ramblers did. But somewhere, there's a double-digit seed that's going to be busting up Tournament Challenge brackets -- and we're on the hunt for it. For the unfamiliar, this space has long been devoted to finding dangerous Giant Killers -- teams that are at least five seed lines below their opponents -- and vulnerable Giants through quantitative analysis. A year ago, we revamped our Giant Killers model, which now uses BPI ratings as a base and makes adjustments specific to every matchup based on each team's strengths and weaknesses in advanced box score statistics. That, combined with our BPI projections that determine which teams will make the tournament and where they will be seeded come selection day (which can be very different from where they would be seeded today), has us armed and ready to look for the next batch of Giant Killer candidates. Today we're focusing on potential first-round Giant Killers -- 11 seeds or worse, in other words -- but before we do that, we think it's only fitting to start with the king of them all: the Ramblers. Loyola-Chicago Ramblers | http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/insider/story/_/id/25761890/can-loyola-chicago-repeat-ultimate-giant-killer |
Is Robin Lopez What The Golden State Warriors Need? | News broke yesterday that Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez has been attempting to negotiate a buyout in order to become a free agent and sign with the Golden State Warriors. The Bulls so far arent playing ball, but Lopez has until March 1st to persuade them otherwise. For the Warriors part, General Manager Bob Myers has already said they are looking for a big man with their final roster spot to strengthen the squad for the playoffs. Its easy to see why Lopez might interest the Warriors. At only 30 years old, hes a legitimate 7-footer who can bang on the boards and play solid defense. Hes averaged 8.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game over his career, and has solid playoff experience from his time with the Portland Trailblazers. Hes exactly the kind of no mistakes role player Steve Kerr loves around his stars. Since Damian Jones went down with a likely season-ending injury, the Warriors have been light in the middle. In the next few days, Golden State will get a huge boost in the middle as DeMarcus Cousins finally makes his debut. After being out for an entire year with a debilitating injury it will take Cousins time to get back to full strength. The Warriors will be patient, but if all goes according to plan Cousins will start the game playing the 5-6 minutes Andrew Bogut, Zaza Pachulia, and JaVale McGee used to play, and then fill the role David West used to play anchoring the second unit to start the second and fourth quarters. Overall if the Warriors follow that rotation pattern Cousins will likely end up playing around 25 minutes a game. When the playoffs roll around matchups will dictate a certain amount of what the Warriors do. Expect Cousins to play more in a Denver Nuggets matchup against Nikola Jokic, or an Oklahoma City Thunder team sporting Steven Adams. The Hamptons 5 Beyond that, the Warriors best lineup in crucial moments will probably still be the Hamptons 5 of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green. Dont be surprised to see that lineup finishing games when it really counts. Last year, despite a pedestrian regular season, that was the Warriors most used lineup in the playoffs (129 minutes across 9 games) and sported a monstrous net rating of +23.9 (up from +4.6 in the regular season). That was even more deadly than it was the previous year in the playoffs where that lineup finished with a +22.4 net rating. This year the lineup has a net rating of +11.5, proving it still has the juice it needs even in January. Thats undoubtedly helped by Iguodala shooting 36.3% from three and looking considerably more spry than last season. For all the worries about Draymond Greens shooting percentages, he looks good defensively so far this year and was one of the biggest factors behind the Warriors dramatically flipping the switch to start the playoffs last year. The Hamptons 5 is the Warriors bread and butter. Theyre not going to go away from that unless the matchup dictates it or Cousins is really rolling. Once the 10-15 minutes per game for that lineup is factored in with the 25-30 minutes Cousins will get, there are only 10-15 minutes max for another center. Well despite the received wisdom the Warriors are actually a bit deeper than they were last year. First up is Kevon Looney. The fourth-year big man, who proved himself in last years playoffs while leading all non-Green centers in minutes played, has taken another leap this year. With his lengthy limbs, keen sense of timing and positioning, and defensive versatility, hes exactly what Kerr loves in a role player. Hes featured in this years most used lineup to date, replacing Iguodala alongside the four stars. That lineup has played 216 minutes across 24 games and posted a net rating of +20.9. Looneys ability to switch onto smaller players and not bite on pump fakes is invaluable against teams like the Houston Rockets. He will get minutes in the playoffs. Then theres Jonas Jerebko, who has proven much more impactful than many expected. His shooting and aggressiveness make him a valuable rotation asset, even if he doesnt possess the ability to switch on to the perimeter defensively that Looney does. Still, hes currently averaging around 20 minutes per game and has demonstrated in several big matchups that he can stay on the floor against the better teams. Finally, theres Jordan Bell. Hes jumpier than Looney and has not progressed as much as the Warriors hoped this year. But he still played some important minutes last year in the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals. His athleticism is still valuable to this team in specific matchups even if Kerr doesnt quite trust him as much as the other reserves. Despite his undoubted talent, Lopez would really just be an insurance policy for Cousins. He doesnt have the mobility and versatility of a Looney or offer the spacing of a Jerebko, and hes not going to be able to play at the pace of the Hamptons 5. Given Cousins is coming off such a long layoff, and a tricky injury, it may well be sensible to have that insurance. But by the time the deadline of March 1st for players signed to still be eligible for a playoff roster rolls around, the Warriors will have had about six weeks to evaluate Cousins progress and how he fits with their style of play. The Warriors may have another problem The Warriors may have a bigger problem that they need to keep an eye on. Last year in the playoffs they were almost undone when Andre Iguodala went down with an injury against the Houston Rockets. A combination of Shaun Livingstons steady play and Nick Youngs not unsteady play saw them through in the end. But it was a lot closer than any Warriors fan would care to admit. This year Shaun Livingston appears to be showing his age a bit more. His shooting percentage is down at 45.5%, having always averaged over 50% for his Warriors career. Those mid-range turnaround jumpers that were once so automatic are falling short or rimming out. Given his lack of three-point shooting if hes not a scoring threat from the post, then hes killing the spacing. Livingston may not be the flashiest name on the Golden State roster but his 15 minutes per game can be crucial to their chances. Hes also the only player who can really slot into the wing position if the soon-to-be 35-year-old Iguodala goes down with an injury. If Livingston is slowing down the Warriors have a potential issue that could come back to bite them in the playoffs. The Warriors do have Alfonzo McKinnie, who has made the whole Patrick McCaw situation much more bearable, but he is completely unproven in the playoffs. They also have Quinn Cook who can man the back-up point guard position in spot minutes and provide some shooting depth. However, Cook doesnt possess the defensive length the Warriors really need against the top teams. The Warriors options For all the attraction of a Lopez signing the truth is that if theres a vulnerability in the death star the Warriors have assembled, it may well be somewhere on the wing rather than the middle. The challenge is that there arent really any obvious buyout candidates that are the same caliber as Lopez in that position. The West is filled with teams one run away from a playoff spot, meaning that its unlikely teams will give up their veterans early. Of the veterans on teams clearly out of the mix, Trevor Ariza has already been traded, Knicks swingman Courtney Lee still has another year left on his contract, and Jeremy Lin is a point guard. So in the end, the Warriors may well wise to just go with obtaining the best player available with their final roster spot. That probably means Lopez if he is able to make it to the buyout market. In the meantime, theyll spend the next few weeks assessing how Cousins looks upon his return and hoping to see if any other options shake free. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmurray/2019/01/15/is-robin-lopez-what-the-golden-state-warriors-need/ |
What Does 2019 Have In Store For XR? | 2018 was packed with great moments for XR, but I think 2019 could top it. There are going to be a number of developments and releases this year that will have a significant impact on the immersive industries. Here's what Im particularly excited about Vive Pro Eye The Vive Pro Eye - which incorporates eye-tracking capability - is an exciting addition to HTC's headset family. FOVE Inc. was a pioneer of modern eye-tracking technology, but this is the first weve seen from a heavy-hitter of the VR world. The eye tracking can be leveraged for in-app controls, analysis of user attention, and foveated rendering. Foveated rendering, a technique that creates sharper images by blurring the scenery around the user's gaze, is particularly exciting. This allows us to focus most of the processing power where it contributes most to detail while saving processing resources elsewhere. Announced at CES, the headset is due to hit the market in April, aimed at enterprise customers. Oculus Quest Shipping in the spring of 2019 for $399, the Oculus Quest looks to deliver not only on the technological front but on content too. The Quests main differentiator is Oculus Insight, a technology that powers the devices inside-out tracking capabilities. Effectively, what the consumer is going to get is proper room-scale VR, at a fraction of the cost, and a whole host of great content. Mixed Reality From various leaks, we know that Microsoft is working on a new HoloLens which will be a standalone PC with its own Qualcomm processor - the Snapdragon 850. We also believe Microsoft is working on making this headset less bulky and more affordable. Expect more announcements and the release of HoloLens 2 later this year. Last year, Magic Leap released its first product and now were going to see what developers have been making with it. The developer fund, which gave up to $500,000 in grant money to ML One projects last year, has greatly helped. The best experiences will be showcased at L.E.A.P. Conference this year. WebAR Up until now, the user has had to download a standalone app (or integrate functionality into an existing app) and in some cases use a marker to launch AR content. WebAR promises to take away the hassle of downloading an app or a marker. Now, users can view AR simply through a web browser. Sony Pictures recently released an AR experience for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The application lets users interact with the superhero, take pictures, and even share them to social media. And its all web-based (no pun intended). The AR landscape is changing at an incredible pace, with the technology only getting more impressive. Location Based Entertainment Consumer spend on LBE is expected to reach $809 million by 2022. The ability to access cinematic quality production values, a physical space purpose-built for immersive gameplay, and the high entertainment factor make for a compelling pitch to consumers. Like cinemas, LBE gives participants an experience not easily replicated in the home, allowing them to scratch their VR itch without much investment. With the Hollywood giants embracing LBE and interesting partnerships forming, the future of this category is truly exciting. Not only is LBE providing fantastic introductions to VR for novices, but its driving interest in the industry as a whole. Niantic's AR Platform Niantic is an augmented reality startup unicorn, thanks to the success of Pokmon GO. Its next big release will be Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, speculated to be out this Spring/Summer. The Niantic Real World Platform - the AR cloud platform that enables Niantic to integrate multiplayer experiences, persistent content, and real-world occlusion into mobile AR games and apps - is being opened up to the masses. Now that is exciting! | https://www.forbes.com/sites/solrogers/2019/01/15/what-does-2019-have-in-store-for-xr/ |
Is LRA Ignoring Tax Court Existence? | -Court has not heard a case since 2016 Since 2016, the Tax Court at the Temple of Justice last heard cases, which has rendered the court dormant. It means that the court has not received any tax-related complaints against businesses from the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), the only public entity that, by law, is the user of the court, even though the courts judicial power does extend to review final administrative determinations of assessments of taxes, license fees, and others. It also includes valuations made for tax purposes and denials of claims for refund by the Republic of Liberia and its political sub-divisions or agencies in keeping with the revenue and Finance Law. The courts powers also give it exclusive jurisdiction over civil penalties and admiralty jurisdiction as necessary to carry out the functions. Except it is expressly provided by other statutes, the Tax Courts procedures and enforcement of judgments are the same as those of the circuit court in civil matters. Since the beginning of 2016, the doors to the Tax Court have not opened for normal activities as is the case with the Debt and Commercial Court, and it has not heard a case, according to court documents, since 2016. During a visit by the Daily Observer, staff members of the Tax Court were seen loitering around, with others sitting idle in their offices most of the day. Some of them, according to a staff member who asked not to be named, sit in their offices just watching videos on their laptops, while others play games on the courts computers. We want to learn and do the job for which we are being paid, but that is not the case now, another staff member said. These days the LRA cannot bring cases here anymore and we dont know what is responsible for that. In the past years, when Judge Eva Mappy Morgan presided over the court, she was instrumental in raising millions of United States dollars through the enforcement of rulings against several delinquent taxpayers, a female staff said. Judge Morgan was replaced with Judge Mozart Chesson in 2013. Since then, the door to the Tax Court has remained closed. When Judge Chesson was contacted yesterday about his staffs concern, at his Temple of Justice offices, he admitted that the prosecution, for over two years, had not brought tax evasion cases before the court. Our court is not hearing cases for now and it is a specialized court responsible to deal only with tax-related cases, he charged. The only thing is that the Supreme Court has been telling prosecutors that the only way to decide a tax case is for them to go through a hearing. Maybe this is what they dont want to do, Chesson said. Maybe the LRA and the taxpayers have resolved to different methods in resolving tax-related offenses outside of the court, and it seems to be working well for them. You can hear the LRA talking about an increase in its revenue collection, so things are working and that was why they are not interested to use the court system, the Tax Court judge emphasized. According to Chesson, by law, the court or any other court cannot compel any party especially prosecutors to bring cases before it. We cannot force them to bring cases to the court, they have to agree before we can hear their cases, Chesson clarified. When also contacted via mobile phone, D. Kaihenneh Sengbeh, LRA communications, media and public affairs said, it was welcoming news that they were not carrying taxpayers to court anymore for non-compliance. If the court is not receiving cases from us anymore it means that our taxpayers are doing well for our revenue generation and so, we need not go there for settlement, Sengbeh maintained. If Judge Chesson is saying that his court has not received cases since 2016, he should know that there was nothing to be sent there because we are enjoying collaboration with our taxpayers, he said. That does not mean we have abandoned the court we will take cases there if necessary. However, a government lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous, denied that they were intentionally delaying hearing tax cases, instead pointing at Judge Chesson as the one prolonging the hearing of tax cases. | https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/is-lra-ignoring-tax-court-existence/ |
Will Duttons child sex offender register work in Australia? | Australia isn't the first place to consider a sex offender registry. Last week, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton announced plans to create a federal public register of child sex offenders, a move he promised would deter criminals and ensure parents are not in the dark. But the response from advocates and experts to the ministers proposal has been muted, and for good reason. Evidence from countries where similar programs have been implemented suggests registers not only have limited deterrent effect but also leave offenders doubly punished, forced to live out their days as social pariahs long after their prison sentence has ended. | https://www.crikey.com.au/2019/01/15/will-duttons-child-sex-offender-register-work-in-australia/ |
Can the Cable Cowboy Wrangle the Debt for His Latest Deal? | If anyone can make this deal work, its debt king John Malone. The billionaire chairman of Liberty Global Plc. is engineering a takeover of Millicom International Cellular SA by Liberty Latin America Ltd., the unit that he spun out last year. While a bid looks a stretch at first glance given Liberty Latin Americas indebtedness, a closer examination shows the financing is just about feasible. Millicom is carrying significantly less debt than Liberty. That gives Malone the opportunity to lean on the targets balance sheet strength to fund a hefty chunk of the deal. An offer at a 25 percent premium to the past three months average share price would value Millicom at about $12 billion, including assumed net debt. As things stand, Millicom is forecast to have net debt equating to 1.9 times Ebitda at the end of 2019. It could just about sustain net borrowings of 5 times, implying around $7.5 billion of extra debt capacity. That would leave $4 billion of equity to find. Malone has ways to plug the gap. With Libertys earnings set to expand over the next year, it also has headroom to seek more financing as its debt ratio declines. It could offer some stock as part of a bid some Millicom shareholders might welcome the chance to maintain exposure to Latin America. Whats more, the prospect of divestments in Africa, which Millicom has been touting for several years and could top $1 billion, might take the edge off some of the debt pain. The great imponderable is the role of Kinnevik AB, the Swedish investor that owns 40 percent of Millicom. Cristina Stenbeck, Kinneviks biggest shareholder, told the Financial Times in 2017 that she was trying to focus the firm more keenly on Europe and Scandinavia in particular. That suggests she would be open to such an exit, particularly since selling the shares on the open market would drag down the stock price. A spokesman told Bloomberg News that Kinnevik would evaluate the terms of any offer. The concern for Millicom investors might be that the likelihood of a bidding war seems slim. Strategically, Liberty is the most obvious tie-up. While there is crossover in markets such as Panama and Costa Rica, the footprint is broadly complementary, with Liberty focusing on the Caribbean and Millicom on Central and South America. Evercore ISI analysts said that Libertys undersea network could help reduce Millicoms costs. And the combined purchasing power would be advantageous as the industry heads into the 5G network investment cycle. But that also suggests the Liberty bid might be opportunistic. Millicom is still growing at a healthy clip. RBC Capital Markets analyst Julio Arciniegas expects Millicoms net profit to jump to $741 million in 2022, up from the consensus estimate of $186 million for 2018. If Millicom, whose CEO Mauricio Ramos used to lead Liberty Latin America, cant get an auction going, its defense will depend on making the standalone case. And being ready to say no to his former boss if the offer isnt up to scratch. To contact the authors of this story: Alex Webb at [email protected] Hughes at [email protected] To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jennifer Ryan at [email protected] This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Alex Webb is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Europes technology, media and communications industries. He previously covered Apple and other technology companies for Bloomberg News in San Francisco. Chris Hughes is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering deals. He previously worked for Reuters Breakingviews, as well as the Financial Times and the Independent newspaper. 2019 Bloomberg L.P. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/can-the-cable-cowboy-wrangle-the-debt-for-his-latest-deal/2019/01/15/b492c3c8-18ce-11e9-b8e6-567190c2fd08_story.html |
Can Fitbit Stock Finally Get Things Right in 2019? | One of this young year's surprising winners is Fitbit (NYSE: FIT). The pioneer of wearable gadgetry has risen 19% so far in 2019, paving the way for what could be its first full year of trading with a positive return. Fitbit has been a bag of hurt for its shareholders since going public at $20 four summers ago. The shares initially rallied, but the stock has clocked in with double-digit percentage slides in its first three full years on the market. 2016: Down 75% 2017: Down 22% 2018: Down 13% Waning consumer interest in its once-trendy fitness trackers and an initially lukewarm result to Fitbit's push into smartwatches have weighed on the shares, but momentum may finally be on its side. Let's take a look at what is driving Fitbit's revival. Julianne Hough jumping rope wearing a Fitbit bracelet. More Julianne Hough sports a Fitbit. Image source: Fitbit. Keeping up the pace There were several moments through 2018 when it seemed as if Fitbit was finally ready to shift out of reverse, and the biggest catalyst came on Halloween, when the wearables bellwether served up a blowout financial report. Revenue rose a mere 0.3%, but it broke a sorry streak that consisted of seven consecutive quarters of year-over-year revenue dips. Wall Street was expecting the streak to stretch to eight financial reports with negative top-line growth. Analysts were also bracing for a small quarterly deficit, but Fitbit surprised them with a modest profit for the period. Folks angling for more active lifestyles didn't return to Fitbit's fitness-monitoring bracelets. The real sales turnaround came from Fitbit's second run at the smartwatch market, this time pricing its wrist huggers more competitively than the runaway market leader. Smartwatch sales are now accounting for nearly half of Fitbit's revenue, up from a thin 10% slice of the top-line pie a year earlier. A negligible uptick in revenue and an earlier-than-expected return to profitability aren't enough to cement a turnaround at Fitbit, but the market's starting to get excited. Analysts are modeling 4% growth in revenue after a flat but profitable holiday quarter. The stock would've probably moved higher for all of 2018 if the general market hadn't corrected sharply in December, but there's no use in crying over spilled downticks. There's a lot now riding on the success of Fitbit's Versa smartwatch, and that's not necessarily a good thing. Fitbit dominated the fitness tracker market, but it's hard to remain relevant as a distant silver medalist in the smartwatch market. The device has helped stabilize sales growth, but sooner or later Fitbit is going to cash in on some of the health tech initiatives it's been hoping will be there to carry the baton to the next runner in this race. Fitbit is off to a strong start in 2019, and that's clear by its refreshingly positive stock action. Keeping the good times coming will be the real challenge, though, especially since this year's finish line is so far away. More From The Motley Fool Rick Munarriz owns shares of Fitbit. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Fitbit. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | https://news.yahoo.com/fitbit-stock-finally-things-2019-134500734.html |
Is Amicus Therapeutics' Sharp Reversal Warranted? | What happened Biotech stocks took an absolute beating last month. Shares of the rare-disease company Amicus Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FOLD), for instance, lost over 13% of their value in December, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The silver lining, though, is that this drastic decline wasn't triggered by a company-specific event. Amicus' shares simply trended lower with the overall market last month. As such, it's not entirely surprising that this mid-cap biotech stock has rebounded in tandem with the broader market early in the new year. Amicus' shares, in fact, are up by an astounding 18.8% over just the first 10 days of trading in 2019. A person in a lab coat pointing to a section of a life-sized strand of DNA. More Image Source: Getty Images. So what However, Amicus' strong showing in the first few weeks of the new year isn't solely the result of the market's abrupt change in direction. Investors also appear to be excited about the company's newly released financial guidance for the year. The key highlight here is the projected sales growth for the company's Fabry disease therapy -- known as Galafold -- in fiscal year 2019. Although the therapy wasn't approved until late 2018, the company believes Galafold will go on to rake in somewhere between $160 million and $180 million in sales this year. Now what Galafold's strong commercial launch is important for two overarching reasons. First, this rosy outlook dispels any doubts that the drug would have trouble living up to expectations, which is always a concern for early commercial stage operations like Amicus. Second, Galafold's surging sales will go a long way toward covering the company's other clinical activities, including its newly acquired pipeline of gene therapies for rare diseases and its high-value Pompe disease candidate, AT-GAA. All told, bargain hunters have clearly already taken advantage of Amicus' downturn last month -- evinced by the stock's sharp reversal over the past few weeks. But, with a host of promising new rare-disease therapies under development and Galafold's U.S. commercial launch off to a great start, this red-hot biotech stock might still be worth adding to your portfolio right now. More From The Motley Fool George Budwell has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | https://news.yahoo.com/amicus-therapeutics-apos-sharp-reversal-140000053.html |
Why Is a Q4 Earnings Beat Less Likely for Schlumberger (SLB)? | Schlumberger Limited SLB is expected to report fourth-quarter 2018 earnings on Jan 18, before the opening bell. Last quarter, the companys earnings of 46 cents per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. Also, the company posted an average positive earnings surprise of 3.4% for the last four quarters. Lets see how things are shaping up prior to the announcement. Lets look at the estimate revision trend to get a clear picture of what analysts expect from the earnings release. The Zacks Consensus Estimate of 37 cents for fourth-quarter earnings has been stable over the last seven days. It reflects a decline of about almost 22.9% from the year-ago quarter. Further, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues of $8.13 billion reflects a 0.5% drop from the prior-year quarter. Schlumberger Limited Price and EPS Surprise Schlumberger Limited Price and EPS Surprise | Schlumberger Limited Quote Factors to Consider Through fourth-quarter 2018, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude plunged from a multi-year high of $76.40 a barrel in early October to below $45 in late December, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The overall decline in the commodity price will likely be unfavorable for Schlumberger as oilfield service businesses are positively correlated with crude price. The Houston, TX-based firm expects demand and pricing for North American oilfield services to be weak in the October-to-December quarter, as constraint in pipeline bottleneck problem in the prolific Permian Basin and declining well productivity could hurt crude production volumes. The bearish trend is showing on the Zacks Consensus Estimate for two of the companys major business segments. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the Reservoir Characterization segments earnings-before-tax stands at $372 million, lower than $373 million in the prior-quarter. Moreover, for the Production unit, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings stands at $237 million, down from $315 million in the prior-year quarter and $320 million in third-quarter 2018. Earnings Whispers Our proven model does not conclusively show a beat for Schlumberger this earnings season. That is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below. Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is -2.33%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate is pegged at 36 cents, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at 37 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Schlumberger carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). We caution investors against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) or 5 going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks to Consider Though an earnings beat looks uncertain for Schlumberger, here are a few energy firms that you may want to consider on the basis of our model. These have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter: | https://news.yahoo.com/why-q4-earnings-beat-less-130601701.html |
Does the multicultural city of Toronto have an anti-Semitism problem? | Recent incidents of hate crimes in North York and Hillcrest Village By George Redak Councillor James Pasternak brought forward a motion to ban hate rallies on city property in Toronto On Nov. 11, 2018, four teenage boys wearing Jewish religious attire were victims of a horrible attack. Walking home from school, near Bathurst Street and Lawrence Avenue West the boys were confronted by a group of nine teenagers who began making racist comments. As the verbal abuse continued, a physical altercation ensued, with two of the victims being assaulted and robbed. The suspects split up and fled the scene. Police arrived on site just in time to make one arrest, catching a 17-year-old male suspect and charging him with assault and robbery. In the case of the four victims, one of the reasons they were able to fend off their attackers is because they happen to be proficient in Krav Maga (an Israeli self-defence technique), said Adina Abramov, the chief operating officer of Eitz Chaim Schools Patricia Campus. Students at our school have the opportunity to learn this mixed martial art, offered as an extracurricular activity. In response to the incident, Mayor John Tory issued a response, via social media on Twitter, stating: No one should ever be attacked for their religion. Please help Toronto police solve this hate crime/robbery investigation that occurred Sunday night. The incident with the boys represents one of many crimes that appear to take aim at Torontos Jewish population. A couple of weeks later, there was another incident, this one involving high school girls. Two girls from a Jewish high school in the city were on a TTC bus, and they were verbally abused by two older teens, said Abramov. Nobody on the bus said or did anything while the girls were being attacked, which was also very alarming and very astounding. Nobody on the bus said or did anything while the girls were being attacked, which was also very alarming and very astounding. Abramov said that the teens were targeted because of their religion. The incident was reported to Toronto Police Service (TPS) by the girls parents, but no press release has been made public. In response to these two episodes, the school reached out to parents to inform them of the incidents and to suggest that they review their transportation arrangements. According to TPS, since 2015, hate crime reports have been steadily increasing. Although data for 2018 will not be published until March of 2019, the statistics for 2017 indicate that hate crimes increased by 28 per cent compared to 2016. We see it with the graffiti at synagogues, the attacking of the four boys at Bathurst and Fairholme [Avenue] as they were going to a Jewish school, said councillor James Pasternak, incumbent of Ward 6, York Centre. We see it with the damaging of the religious symbol or the mezuzah on the doorways up in Willowdale, and we see it on social media. Of the 186 hate crimes in 2017, 53 of them targeted the Jewish community. That represents the highest number of hate crime incidents directed toward one specific group. The black and Muslim communities saw a total of 33 incidents each. Furthermore, 120 of the incidents were property-related crimes. What makes the incidents involving the teenage students particularly alarming is not only the age demographic being targeted, but also the abusive nature of the crimes. This rise, we see it particularly coming from the polarization of politics, said Mohammed Hashim, of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. Where the far right is opening up dialogue around belonging typically we see the Jewish community as a canary in the coal mine. Earlier this year, the Hillcrest village community of Toronto was rocked when it was littered with racist posters and stickers, including in Wells Hill Park, many of which directed people to hate-filled websites. One of many posters found in the Hillcrest neighbourhood Local resident Matt Sadowski found stickers littering the front of a local school. I was disgusted, mad and afraid. This is both a Jewish and multicultural area, said Sadowski. Its why we live here and why we live in Canada: for its diversity. On May 28, Bnai Brith Canada released a statement about the incidents after learning of the Wells Hill Park posters as well as other anti-Semitic material that vandals put up on the walls of Daves restaurant, a family establishment in the Hillcrest neighbourhood, on St. Clair Avenue. The public promotion of anti-Semitic messages in the heart of this countrys biggest city is totally unacceptable, said Michael Mostyn, chief executive officer of Bnai Brith Canada. These posters are part of a perverse attempt to target Jewish and Israeli Canadians and ostracize them in their own neighbourhoods. The online element here cant be underestimated. Not only are many groups organizing themselves digitally and spreading their hate quickly and anonymously, the websites themselves are profiting just by simply having more users. I think social media and online hate is fuelling anxiety and is fuelling indifference, said Hashim. There are Facebook groups that are marketing xenophobic ideas and preying on peoples anxieties in order to divide people. Torontos multiculturalism makes it a target for hate groups that look to foster intolerance toward the many communities that call this city home. Anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim groups make up a large portion of these groups operating in Toronto, who organize public rallies and events. I did bring a motion to council to stop hate rallies. Our public space should never be used to promote hate or discrimination or to provide safe haven for these groups, said Pasternak, who has long taken particular interest in the controversial Al Quds Day rally that has been accused of targeting the Jewish community. But he added that the neighbourhood and indeed the city will persevere. There is a concern. There is a right to be concerned, said Coun. Pasternak. But the Jewish community is very resilient. It has suffered bigotry and anti-Semitism in the past. It is stoic and stands up to this kind of behaviour. Clarification: A sentence in this article was misinterpreted by some, and we would like to clarify that Dave's Restaurant did not put up anti-Semitic posters. It was the work of vandals, and an example of a growing problem in our communities. | http://www.postcity.com/Eat-Shop-Do/Do/January-2019/Does-the-city-of-Toronto-have-an-anti-Semitism-problem/ |
Why are Toronto Wolfpack buying into a rugby league club in London? | In 2025, Super League could feature not just Toronto and Toulouse but also New York, Boston, Philadelphia and two clubs from London. Yes. Possibly. Not at all. One of those breakthrough clubs is giving another a potential leg-up. Championship favourites Toronto Wolfpack are buying a stake of League One minnows London Skolars through David Argyle, their principal owner. Skolars chairman and co-founder Hector McNeil explains why. Whether it comes from the Wolfpack or David [Argyle] himself is still to be decided weve left that fairly open. The RFL rules are clear: you can have a shareholding in more than one club but you cant have two controlling interests and theyve defined that as under 25%. Davids vision has never been to take over Skolars. We were looking to do a crowdfunding which would have been the first in rugby league, I think. We wrote to a bunch of high-net worths saying we are looking to go to the next level. That interested David. He felt London is a massive opportunity for any sport. Theres a real journey to go on. Skolars are rugby leagues great unsung heroes. David said: You guys have all done it tough. He likes our permanency here [Skolars have played at New River since 1995], he likes the fact we are anchor tenants, and there could be a longer-term development of the stadium. You cant build property on here so theres no real estate value. We have a five-year lease but the next stage would be to take the place over. Thats an open door. Its a 44-acre site in zone 3 on one of the most iconic addresses in world sport: were actually on White Hart Lane Spurs arent! The name Skolars has roots in a student gag and is confusing to Londoners. At some point David and us both think we will need to rebrand. He thinks we should hang our hat on Wood Green proud. Its an up-and-coming area thats been down on its heels for years, but theres something to build on now. The new Spurs stadium has been having an effect for the last five years. No. Theres no attempt to be a sister club to the Wolfpack. The synergy is to support us in social media and commercial best practice. They have been a breath of fresh air and our figures are going up already. I went to Toronto on a business trip before Christmas and almost every financial company I went to knew David and the Wolfpack. Hes a real player, not a flash in the pan. Hes made a massive impact. Look at the integrity of Toronto. He could have rocked up and said Ive got loads of money, put me in Super League. But he didnt. Facebook Twitter Pinterest London Skolars were founded in 1995. Weve got potential to be Londons number one team. David Argyles view is that rugby league is massively undervalued. The investment you need to punch your weight in rugby league is tiny compared to the costs of competing at the top level in rugby union, let alone football. The level of investment needed is out of my league but its not much. Toronto have said: We are not going to accept the norms. When they go into Super League, the whole game is going to change. The salary cap will have to be torn up. Look at what rugby union have done with the CVC deal. They dont like me saying it but the problem is there are only six clubs of decent size. You can potentially add Toronto to that and maybe Toulouse. There are five or six other clubs who are pretty interchangeable but dont really add much to the value of the sport. Manna from heaven, especially as we are geographically divided. That would be a massive jump from third bottom of League One and gates of 400. Weve been doing it tough. Weve probably been mid-table in terms of budget but this year weve brought in a new cohort of players and the aim is top five, and the year after to put ourselves in the promotion mix. You have to do the steps. Were not doing a Toronto, chucking a load of money at it. Theres no doubt the investment is to get us into Championship, but its a journey. Haringey Borough across the road have done a great job of that. We can learn from them. One of the major outcomes of this has to be a local support base. We havent really established ourselves in the local community. We havent leaned into what London is all about yet. We are going to have to invest in the off-field experience. Set up another academy in London and stop sending our best players to Broncos! Theres so much talent and potential here. Last season, we had 13 or 14 lads who had come through our system, which is unheard of at any club. Saracens are the behemoth of north London rugby. Not officially, but Ive talked to people there. Saracens could run a rugby league academy. They see themselves as something broader than rugby. Theyve already bought into Mavericks netball. It makes sense. They want their facility used. They have the pick of 3,000 union kids and just take the top 30. If they kept the best of the rest, in five years theyd have a rugby league team that would stuff everyone. There must be a lot of synergies around marketing. Our colours are the same! Melbourne Storm are the worlds most successful expansion club but at a cost of 200m to News Corp and the NRL. Buy the sport! Well, not quite. Id want a 10,000-seat entertainment centre at New River, a centre of excellence for rugby league that is used every day by the community that underpins the whole game here. Skolars play a Wigan Warriors XIII at Honorary Artillery Company on 18 January in the Capital Challenge and a London Broncos XIII on 25 January at New River in the London Clash. Follow No Helmets Required on Twitter and Facebook | https://www.theguardian.com/sport/no-helmets-required/2019/jan/15/toronto-wolfpack-buying-rugby-league-club-london-skolars |
Will Louis C.K. joke about Parkland students in San Jose shows this week? | Disgraced comedian Louis C.K. is coming to San Jose Wednesday and Thursday nights to perform at two sold-out shows at the San Jose Improv, with the venue boasting that hell be trying some new material thats XXX adults only. If thats the case, its reasonable to ask whether C.K.s new material will include some of his controversial new jokes involving Parkland, Fla. shooting survivors and young people who identify as transgender. The once popular star of standup and TV drew ire last month after a leaked audio of a set he performed at a Long Island club showed him mocking students who survived the Feb. 14, 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The violence left 17 people dead, and some of the survivors have become nationally known advocates for gun control. They testify in front of congress, these kids, the Emmy winner joked at the Governors Comedy Club in Levittown, N.Y., on Dec. 16, according to reports. Youre not interesting because you went to a high school where kids were shot, C.K. continued. He then asked, Why does that mean I have to listen to you? C.K. also delivered a few lines ripping on political correctness among young people and adopted a stereotypical lisp to excoriate new attitudes and language regarding gender identity. They tell you what to call them, C.K. said. You should address me as they them because I identify as gender neutral C.K.s Levittown show came as the 51-year-old comedian has been trying to make a comeback after several female colleagues told the New York Times in November 2017 that he sexually harassed them. C.K. admitted he had exposed himself to the women and masturbated in front of them. C.K. initially acknowledged wrongdoing, but he has since been accused of not showing sufficient remorse for his transgressions in his attempts to return to standup this past fall. Some comedians and former fans have said C.K. has come off as excessively defensive and angry, or point out hes not doing what he successfully did in the past: leavening his more abrasive and edgy jokes with moments of empathy, self-deprecation or self-reflection. The Daily Beasts Kevin Fallon and other writers have been more harsh in their criticism, with Fallon writing that the Parkland and transgender jokes were just plain disgusting and accused C.K. of pandering to the alt-right. But C.K. has his defenders, including Ricky Gervais who tweeted that its wrong to say there are certain subjects that are out of bounds for comedy. Others have said it was unethical for audience members to secretly record C.K.s set when he was likely in the process of trying out new material, and would discard jokes that didnt go over well. Leave Louis C.K. alone, said another famous defender, longtime friend Janeane Garofalo in a recent podcast interview. While appearing on Bust Magazines Poptarts pop culture podcast, Garofalo said C.K.s critics should at least consider his familys feelings. Hes been my friend and I stand by that hes been my friend since 1985, and I think he has suffered, Garofalo said. And when he performs at the Comedy Cellar and people get all irate, if nothing else, care about his daughters. If nothing else if you can find no compassion for him, which I think you should think about how his daughters, who hear all of this stuff, feel. Why dont you leave him alone for them if youre so women-empowering? Garofalo added that C.K. has paid heavily, heavily, and his family has paid heavily. On its website, promoting the special event shows Wednesday and Thursday night, the San Jose Improv avoided mention of C.K.s sexual misconduct scandal or his recent controversial performances. Instead, the venue touted his Peabody Award-winning shows Louis and Horace and Pete and hailed him as a six-time Emmy Award winner and the first comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden three times for the same tour. The shows were sold out as of Monday night but fans can sign up for a waiting list. On Twitter, news of C.K. coming to San Jose drew a mixed response. On one hand, some fans were excited about seeing him: Im with @LouisCK I just bought tickets to Louis C.K. @ San Jose Improv https://t.co/AxvsGX0D67 via @TicketWeb Lalo (@thegreat_lalo) January 14, 2019 But on the other hand, the San Jose Improv if facing some backlash for booking C.K. | https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2019/01/15/will-louis-c-k-joke-about-parkland-students-in-san-jose-shows-this-week/ |
What did trans people and parents of trans children make of Butterfly episode one? | Butterfly, ITVs landmark new drama, stars Anna Friel and Emmett J Scanlan as the separated parents of a transgender child. Advertisement Written by Bafta-winner Tony Marchant (Garrows Law), the three-parter tells the story of two people who are fundamentally divided over how to support their youngest child, Max, who from a young age has identified as a girl. Here, trans people and parents of trans children give their verdict on episode one of Butterfly Ash Palmisciano The first transgender actor to appear on Emmerdale ITVs Butterfly is a landmark story shown in a way thats never been seen before. Growing up I remember hearing about Anna Friels groundbreaking lesbian character in Brookside and years later shes breaking the mould again as the mother of her transgender daughter Maxine. Butterfly centres around an ordinary family dealing with the pressures of everyday life alongside the discovery that their 11-year-old child is trans. The story explodes in the first episode recently separated Vicky and Stephen are on the verge of being confronted with a huge decision, one many parents cant imagine facing. When I was a kid growing up there wasnt any transgender representation anywhere, it wasnt something spoken about in school and definitely wasnt associated with an ordinary family on mainstream television. Im now very fortunate to be an actor, playing Emmerdales first ever transgender character Matty Barton. Something my childhood dreams definitely couldnt have imagined. It is of course unusual to be born transgender and yet it does happen to ordinary families just like the Duffys in Butterfly. Episode one echoes all opinions on this topic you see the very real expectations of a son through Maxines dad and the never-satisfied grandma, Barbara, played by the fantastic Alison Steadman. Its truthful, dark, heart-breaking, beautiful and a journey that even the viewer has no choice but to embark on. A story that connects with any loving parent who ultimately wants happiness for their child. Im extremely excited for the world to begin to see a true insight into what it really takes for a child like Maxine and her family to embark on this journey. Rose Transgender 16-year-old art student (writing under a pseudonym) To be honest at times watching Butterfly was hard for me. The depiction of Maxines early years was very close to home and reminded me of my own experience, trying to fit in but not fitting in, trying to please others, trying to please society but desperately wanting to be myself. It is really important to present young trans girls through a positive light in the media, so they are not alienated or fetishised, but seen as real people in real families. I hope Butterfly will continue to depict the human journey of trans young people and their families accurately and portray it to a much wider audience. The opportunity to see Butterfly not only as a great bit of TV but an advocate of trans and particularly trans children and young people is huge. My hope is that people will watch Butterfly because they are curious, but leave with some understanding of what the reality of being trans is. Molly Mother of a transgender child Butterfly addresses family reactions to a transgender child, like my son. He was my daughter until, aged 12, and after months of unexplained distress, he explained our mistake and his desperation to live true to himself. It took time for us to accept him as a boy, but once we did, he returned to the happy, optimistic child we know and love. Butterfly deals with some themes of transgender life that will be familiar to many in the trans community well-meaning relatives presuming a child is making a cry for help because of their parents break up; those who think its a trendy fad that a child can be coerced out of, and the fact that the reactions of others can cause great misery. The latter rang particularly true for us. There is nothing intrinsically miserable about being trans, but its upsetting to constantly explain a non-negotiable part of your identity, justify your clothes, name and pronouns. Butterfly highlights this admirably we will all learn from watching. Fox Fisher Founder of My Genderation and advisor for All About Trans Trans people desperately lack authentic representation in the media, and Butterfly is one of the few fictional shows that manages to portray the struggles and lives of trans people in an authentic manner. In the current hostile media climate and rise in transphobia, hopefully this series will allow people to humanise the issue and look past the moral panic surrounding trans children. While it touches upon gender stereotypes to a certain degree in terms of activities and expression, it highlights just how differently society still views boys and girls. Butterfly shows us that people just dont come out as a trans on a whim, and that is often a long, difficult process that is full of shame, secrecy and hardship. Parents of trans children often go through their own transition before they are able to come to terms with their child being trans, and it underlines the importance of supporting and loving your child no matter what. Owl Fisher Co-director of My Genderation and advisor for All About Trans In a world overrun with documentaries about trans people and their lives, Butterfly starts a much needed discussion about trans children, that will hopefully blow away some of the misunderstandings and confusion about trans children. Butterfly is one of the first fictional TV shows that offers the viewers a realistic glimpse into the lives of a trans child and their family. It offers the viewers a chance to connect to a trans child, and allows them to empathise with their struggle. While it portrays the classic hesitant but ultimately more supportive mum and the opposing dad, it shows an authentic struggle that many parents of trans children go through. Parents that have trans children can testify that this is often very difficult for them, that its a lot more complicated than them sending their kids off to get hormones and surgery at the first sign of them not conforming to gender expectations. It tackles important topics such as the idea that trans children arent really trans, but just gay. It also shows a supportive family member that is accepting of their sibling no matter what, which is such an important and a positive way to show how easy it is to support your loved ones. Ultimately, it shows a young person that desperately wants to be themselves, something that every child should be able to do. Advertisement This article was originally published in October 2018 | https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-01-15/butterfly-itv-review/ |
Whats it really like living next door to an Airbnb? | Picture: Getty Archant Richard Burtons neighbours havent tended to become his good friends, but thats mainly because they havent been around long enough. Living next door to an Airbnb can be like that Share Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. Richard's lost count of the number of times women guests have arrived casually dressed and emerged the next day in a bridal gown. Picture: Getty Richard's lost count of the number of times women guests have arrived casually dressed and emerged the next day in a bridal gown. Picture: Getty Heres a confession. I empty my neighbours bins most weeks. Usually, after the school run on a Monday as the refuse trucks are working their way towards us. That is, I reorganise the bins so the refuse collectors wont ignore them or slap on notices explaining why theyve left them behind unemptied. This usually means taking the pizza packets out of the green gardening one, the sacks of pungent unmentionables out of the grey recycling one and the Pino and Peroni bottles out of the little crate meant for cardboard. I wouldnt mind, but I dont even know the name of the people who put them there. Because Im one of the many, many thousands of people who currently live next door to an Airbnb. Richard regularly reorganises his neighbours' recycling. Picture: Getty Richard regularly reorganises his neighbours' recycling. Picture: Getty Not that Im complaining. New cars usually the shiny high-performance ones you find in many Harpenden driveways - have been arriving and leaving for the past two years. And, whether they remain for a few days or a few weeks, their owners have been generally affable and, often, entertainingly larger than life. Eighteen months ago, a local woman whod made a new life in the Virgin Islands, came back carrying a sizeable bump and announced shed taken the last flight out her condition would allow to sit out the rest of the pregnancy somewhere close to an NHS hospital. Another family arrived one warm, sunny day and spent an afternoon cleaning the patio ready for a party wearing shirts and jumpers. They explained theyd come from California and needed to acclimatise to the cool climate. Ive lost count of the number of times women have arrived in jeans and T-shirts and emerged the next day veiled in white and on their fathers arms as a limo arrived. Having an Airbnb next door means that more challenging neighbours are never around for long. Picture: Getty Having an Airbnb next door means that more challenging neighbours are never around for long. Picture: Getty And the reunions that have seen three or four cars jigsawed on to a drive made for two and everyone pouring out, embracing and telling each other how much they havent aged. Once in a while theres a knock on my door and a request for a corkscrew or directions. Occasionally, its a FedEx dropping something off or an Uber picking someone up and getting the wrong house. I get asked to sign for stuff that arrives after the people it was intended for have left or which arrives before the ones who ordered it have moved in. But problems, if you can call them that, have been few. There was one shadowy figure who took a step back when we spotted him snapping pictures of our garden from their Juliet balcony and a time when eight cars arrived, leaving the tail end of a Mercedes blocking half my drive. The house is a stunning four-bed detached and the guests tend to be well-heeled and well-behaved. Ive never been kept awake by late-night revellers but have, instead, got used to the uncorking of champagne bottles and lots of laughter. It also helps that I know the owners and you can agree ground rules. In fact, they went out of their way to oblige when I suggested they improve the fencing between us, the flat roof facing one bedroom should not be a balcony - and I did my bit by encouraging the foliage to mature. Opinion in our house is split to be honest. I did concede that it was better when the nice chap with the Range Rover and his engaging yoga teacher wife stayed for a few months with their daughters the same age as our sons while they had the builders in. Real neighbours, in other words. Familiar faces in the drive and voices in the garden. Ones wholl ask me how Leicester got on and I can congratulate on Liverpools win. But I did argue that, if we were ever to get neighbours from hell, theyd be gone in a few days. There was one Geordie Shore Sunday when a loud lady holding court over pints of Newcastle Brown shared her opinion on everything from the too-expensive shops, to the snootiness of some people she met in Waitrose to the house itself. The hosts will be pleased to know she thought the place was a reet belta but I was even more pleased to hear her on the on the phone announcing Howay, pet, Im gan hyem. She was only slightly louder than the American Armani Boy who parked his 4x4 and strutted around the garden shouting into his earpiece: No, listen, I cant come over. Ive just touched down in Hart-forrd-Shy-er, London. And then there were the three Polish girls who did look a tad chavvy sitting out front on the wall smoking in their onesies. But even they were charming, apologetic when they saw me looking and made my day when they actually asked for help in ensuring the right bins were out on the right day with the right stuff in them. Ironically, the all-male delegation that followed them became the worst bin offenders with 23 unfinished takeaway cartons in the green bin and seven wine bottles in the cardboard crate. Sad that I know that. But better I took the time to bag them up for Monday. So, thankfully, no horror stories; not like the all-night parties and drunkenness that abound on internet forums. Such as the party in Hackney which drew more than 150 to a four-bed terrace after the guest advertised it on social media. Or the 3am games of football as a gathering spilled out into a Liverpool street. Or even the filth neighbours were left to clear up in the stairwell of one Edinburgh flat. Last year Airbnb bosses introduced an online Neighbour Tool to help people complain if they have problems. But to be fair, it wasnt exactly swamped. In its first six months only about one in 18,000 guest arrivals resulted in calls. A spokesman told me: The overwhelming majority of Airbnb hosts and guests are good neighbours and respectful travellers. Over 400 million people have travelled on Airbnb and negative experiences are extremely rare. They were keen to highlight the fact that, unlike other platforms, they use sophisticated technologies and behavioural analysis systems to help prevent potentially troublesome hosts or guests from using the service in the first place. They also run roadshows with hosts, reminding them of the rules and how to be a good neighbour. It also estimates that around two million people stay in homes in 81,000 cities - more than those booking into all of the rooms run by the worlds top five hotel chains combined. So the likelihood of having one near you is high, as are the incentives for property owners to use it. Westminster City Council recently estimated that a landlord renting a one-bedroom flat in the area would make typically 495 a week on a normal shorthold tenancy but 1,561 if they switched to letting on a nightly basis. Of course, there will be some properties unlikely to ever have neighbour issues, positive or negative. Such as the 85 a night waterside log cabin surrounded by woods in Northaw, or the six-bedroom farmhouse near Hatfield with room for 10 you can get for 439 a night and, best of the lot, the 124-a-night classic VW Camper Van you can pick up in St Albans and use the unlimited mileage offer to go wherever you want. | https://www.hertsad.co.uk/property/living-next-door-to-an-airbnb-1-5852381 |
Can I Cut Off a Relative With Hateful Views? | My sister divorced her husband years ago. Until recently, we remained on friendly terms with my former brother-in-law, socializing at family events he hosted and exchanging holiday gifts. Lately he has become so radical in his political and world views that I am no longer comfortable maintaining a relationship. He has a blog and is an occasional radio host, so his are very public opinions that are filled with hate and even calls to violent action. I find this horrifying, and I am firmly in the category of people he is calling for violence against, along with most of my family. This is more than simply differing ideologies. (I do not believe he is a physical danger. I believe he needs help, the way Alex Jones needs help.) Name Withheld One reflection of our countrys toxic partisanship is that families may now find dinner-table conversations about politics impossible. Yet if people cant talk about the things that divide us with their families where theres a background assumption that you should try to stick together even when you disagree youve got to wonder where they can. So Id be inclined to have a go at talking to this fellow about his noxious opinions, letting him know what you think. If most of his political discussions are in the echo chamber of social media and on a right-wing radio station, you and your family may be the only fellow citizens of his who have a chance to make him consider other points of view. Supposing that he doesnt respond reasonably the likeliest outcome, no doubt you can tell him that youre breaking off with him, and hell know your reasons. But at least youll have treated him respectfully, both as someone you had a family connection with and as a fellow American citizen. Seeing him as needing help, though, suggests that you think hes mentally ill. Of course, its possible that he is. But his views may have just been heightened by the extreme rhetoric that circulates in social media nowadays. If thats the case, its not him individually but our civic culture thats in need of help. Casting a social phenomenon as an individual pathology is a perilous temptation. (You can see it in the movement now afoot to medicalize racism as a mental disorder.) In crazy times, you can have crazy views without being insane. | https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/magazine/can-i-cut-off-a-relative-with-hateful-views.html |
Can Titans Derrick Henry begin 2019 like he ended 2018? | CLOSE Henry has rushed for more yards in a two-game span than any player in Titans history. Erik Bacharach, USA TODAY NETWORK Tennessee Derrick Henrys 2018 season can be divvied up into three sections: The bad beginning, the encouraging middle, and the explosive end. Its those final five games that have draped optimism over the Titans running backs future, and the first 11 that serve as a good reminder for how far he came. Henry is the biggest cause for hope. 'A marathon, not a sprint' Lets start at the beginning, when Henry had just 273 rushing yards on 3.3 yards per carry and one touchdown through the first eight games of the season. The former Heisman Trophy winner struggled, routinely voiced frustration in his own performance and took a backseat to Dion Lewis. ESPN reported in November that the Titans were shopping Henry at the trade deadline. Just reading and listening to some of his locker room comments to you guys, he was hard on himself, Titans general manager Jon Robinson said, who would not comment on if the team looked to move Henry at the deadline. He held himself to a higher standard, which is what we ask of all of our players. TITANS REPORT CARD: Grading a wild and (mostly) disappointing 2018 season TITANS' 2018 SUPERLATIVES: Best outfit, coolest venue, most likely to be Batman From Weeks 9-13, there were encouraging signs. Henry, still second fiddle to Lewis, averaged only 8.8 carries over the five-game stretch (compared to Lewis 12.4), but averaged an impressive 4.6 yards per carry with four rushing touchdowns. And then, the explosion: A 238-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Jaguars on Dec. 6 that included a 99-yard touchdown run that will forever live in Titans highlight reels. He followed that by averaging nearly 116 rushing yards, five yards per carry and one touchdown over the final three games of the season. CLOSE Henry's 99-yard rush tied the NFL record. It's the second 99-yard run in league history. Erik Bacharach, USA TODAY NETWORK Tennessee "Its a marathon, not a sprint," Henry said after the season-ending loss to the Colts on Dec. 30. "Its all about how you finish. I didnt start very well. I kept saying that throughout the season, talking to you guys, and I just wanted to finish strong the second half of the season, and thats what I tried to do." Well, things just kind of clicked. The offensive line performed better. Wide receivers blocked well. The Titans coaching staff gave Henry enough carries to build a rhythm. And Henry "was a more decisive runner," Robinson said. "He ran angry. Hes a big fast strong guy thats hard to tackle, and I thought he tried to impose his will on defenders when they tried to tackle him." "I think whether it was one block, one cut, one secondary support block from a receiver, whatever it may be, it probably took a little bit of time to get going," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. "Things started to come together. We always talk about trying to get them covered upfront, let the runners get going, dont allow penetration. Receivers have to block support. At some point in time, the guy with the ball has to do a little magic. "You look at big plays in this league, 20-yard runs or whatever they may be, 30 percent of them youve got the Xs and Os, and you scheme them up. The other 70 is just the guy being a pro football player, and going and making a play." In the final third of his third season in the league, that finally began to happen with regularity for Henry, who also credited Titans legend Eddie George with helping him get there. The two had a conversation during the Titans' Week 8 bye in which George emphasized being more physical and finishing runs, according to the team's website. "I just wanted advice from somebody I really looked up to," Henry said after cleaning out his locker on Dec. 31. "I felt like he could give me some good advice, be real with me, shoot me straight about what I needed to hear as far as my game. I reached out to Eddie and thats what he did." And now the Titans know what they have in Henry. "I would say that if he started off 2019 like he ended 2018, I think that would be great," Vrabel said. "That would be unbelievable for everybody." Reach Erik Bacharach at [email protected] and on Twitter @ErikBacharach. | https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nfl/titans/2019/01/15/derrick-henry-titans-2018/2502787002/ |
What is Theresa Mays Brexit deal and what are the alternatives? | Leave and Remain protesters outside Parliament are demanding a range of action. Credit: PA Parliament is fundamentally split over what form of Brexit would be best for Britain, and there is pressure on Theresa May to come up with a Plan B if her deal is defeated. This graphic explains what could happen once the House of Commons has voted on the PM's Withdrawal Agreement. But how do the main options - the plan Bs - actually differ if and when the PM's deal is rejected by MPs. Here's a reminder of the PM's pitch and the main alternatives: Theresa Mays Withdrawal Agreement From the start of the Brexit process, Mrs May insisted that she wanted a bespoke deal tailored specifically for the UK and not an off-the-shelf model shaped around arrangements offered to other trading partners. The Withdrawal Agreement reached in November guarantees the rights of UK citizens currently living in the EU27 states and European nationals in Britain, settles the UKs outstanding liabilities to Brussels budgets for a payment of around 39 billion and takes Britain out of the EU single market and customs union, the common agriculture and fisheries policies and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. Theresa May and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker agreed a withdrawal deal last November. Credit: Etienne Ansotte/EU/PA It offers a 21-month transition period after the official Brexit date of March 29 2019 to prepare for the new arrangements. Alongside this is a Political Declaration agreed by the UK and EU27, setting out a common determination to forge a close future relationship in areas such as trade and security. If this cannot be secured by the end of the transition in December 2020, the period can be extended by a further two years. If the transition concludes without a deal, the so-called backstop must be triggered, keeping the whole UK in a customs union with the remaining EU to prevent a hard border in Ireland. Even if the deal is roundly rejected by MPs, it is thought likely that Mrs May will go back to Brussels to seek further concessions on the backstop in the hope of making it acceptable in Westminster. No deal If Mrs Mays deal is rejected by MPs and no alternative is agreed, the default option is for the UK to leave the EU without a deal on March 29. Absent a deal, there would be no transition period, and individuals and businesses would have to adapt immediately to new arrangements. The UK would leave EU structures such as the single market and customs union and would fall back on World Trade Organisation rules, which require tariffs on many imports and exports. Experts say ports like Ramsgate, above, and Dover in Kent can expect gridlock if No Deal occurs. Credit: PA Experts and businesses have warned that an abrupt withdrawal could cause chaos, with speculation over gridlock at the Channel ports, empty supermarket shelves, a collapse in the value of the pound and even aeroplanes being stopped from flying. But advocates of no deal say the warnings are exaggerated and the UK would benefit by being able immediately to strike new trade deals around the world. Brexiteers argue that the UK could save its 39 billion divorce bill by leaving without a deal, but this could be challenged by the EU in the courts. The Canada option The holy grail for some Eurosceptics is an ambitious Canada-style free trade agreement with the EU, removing tariffs from almost all imports and exports of goods, offering co-operation on standards and allowing mutual recognition of professional qualifications. A Canada-style agreement would allow the UK to leave the EU institutions, end freedom of movement and strike new trade deals elsewhere in the world. Credit: PA Critics say that the model would severely restrict access to European markets for the UKs vital service industries particularly the financial sector. But the options fans say services could be included in what they term a Canada-plus-plus-plus deal. Ministers warn that it would not resolve the backstop problem, as Brussels would still demand the North remains in the EU customs area to avoid a hard border. The Norway option Some supporters of a soft Brexit argue that the UK should take its lead from the members of the European Free Trade Association (Efta) Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland and seek a close relationship with the EU short of full membership. As a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), Norway enjoys full access to the internal market for most trade in goods, but must implement the bulk of Brussels regulations without having a say in its decisions. It also pays substantial sums into the EU budget. Manchester United have enjoyed instant success under former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after plumping for a Norwegian option. Credit: PA Switzerland, which is outside the EEA, has a more remote relationship with the EU, based on dozens of bilateral agreements which must be constantly updated. The Swiss are required to follow EU laws in areas which give them access to the single market but make much lower contributions to Brussels budgets. Crucially, the arrangements do not cover services. Proposals for a Norway-style option often envisage a single market and customs union relationship with the EU after Brexit, but the Efta states are actually not part of the customs union. It is far from clear that existing Efta members would accept a UK application to join. Remain If the UK chose to abandon Brexit either through a second referendum or by simply revoking its Article 50 notice of withdrawal before March 29, it would retain its membership of the EU under existing terms. Trade with EU neighbours would continue to be free of tariffs and non-tariff barriers under single market rules, and UK and EU nationals would retain the right to work and settle in one anothers countries. The UK would keep its seat in the EUs decision-making bodies and hasty arrangements would have to be made for the election of MEPs in May. Anti-Brexit protesters outside Parliament in Westminster have made their feelings clear. Credit: PA | https://www.itv.com/news/2019-01-15/what-is-theresa-mays-brexit-deal-and-how-could-a-plan-b-differ/ |
Is Philip Rivers a Hall of Famer? | Al Bello/Getty Images It's official. Philip Rivers has gone 15 NFL seasons without winning a championship, and he won't even appear in a Super Bowlif he ever does at alluntil he's at least 38 years old. By all indications, we've yet to reach the epilogue in the story of Rivers' career, but his case for Canton is shaping up to be one that will arouse a familiar debate pitting team accomplishments against strong individual statistics. After all, Rivers is the eighth-highest-rated passer in NFL history. Only five quarterbacks in league history have thrown more touchdown passes, only six post-merger quarterbacks have averaged more yards per pass attempt, only seven have more passing yards, and only eight have higher career completion percentages. But in 13 seasons as an NFL starter, Rivers has won just five playoff games. He's been to just one AFC Championship Gamea two-score road loss to the New England Patriots 11 years agoand he owns a sub-60 completion percentage as well as a sub-85 passer rating in 11 career postseason outings. Following Sunday's blowout divisional round loss to the Patriots, his all-time record against the perceived GOAT, Tom Brady, is 0-8. And it's not as though the 2004 No. 4 overall pick hasn't generally been well-supported. Early in his career he had the opportunity to work with superstars LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, Shawne Merriman, Antonio Cromartie, Jamal Williams, Kris Dielman and Marcus McNeill. Lately, he's benefited from the presence of studs like Keenan Allen, Melvin Gordon, Gates, Hunter Henry, Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa. Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press But the Chargers have continually come up short in winnable January situations. And unless that changes between now and the moment Rivers finally decides to walk away, that'll be held against him every time his legacy is assessed. "As time takes its toll on our ability to recollect his many seemingly unforgettable regular-season feats," yours truly wrote in a feature on a championship-less Tomlinson in 2015, "Tomlinson is at risk of fading at least marginally from our memories. Those who were lucky enough to watch him in his prime might know better, but Super Bowl and playoff moments are the key artifacts of consciousness that football fans of future generations will seek." That's especially the case with quarterbacks, whowhether it's fair or notare usually awarded more credit than their colleagues for team accomplishments but are in turn lassoed with more disparagement than those same colleagues when the team fails. What's more, with only one divisional playoff victory, zero conference title game wins and no Super Bowl experiences, Rivers has rarely been part of indelible NFL moments. He doesn't have a Manning-to-Tyree moment, and we've never witnessed him on a podium, immersed in confetti, accepting a trophy of any kind from Terry Bradshaw or Jim Nantz. In the only divisional playoff win of his career, Rivers wasn't even on the field for the game's most critical moments. He left in the third quarter of an eventual victory over the Indianapolis Colts after suffering a knee injury, and backup Billy Volek led a fourth-quarter drive that resulted in the winning touchdown. But a lack of memorable plays or monumental accomplishments in January or February isn't all that is interfering with Rivers' Canton candidacy. I mentioned that the 37-year-old has the eighth-highest qualified career passer rating of all time, but Kirk Cousins ranks ninth on that list. Matt Ryan, Chad Pennington, Marcus Mariota, Matt Schaub and Andy Dalton also rank in the top 20. Passing numbers have exploded this century, making it impossible to make apples-to-apples comparisons between Rivers and quarterbacks from previous eras. And those dynamics could hurt Rivers even more as his post-retirement years go by without a Hall of Fame nod. Because eventually he might also be jockeying for Hall of Fame votes with current quarterbacks who are on the rise. Imagine the quarterback backlog (quarterbacklog?) Mahomes, Watson, Garoppolo and Prescott have higher career passer ratings than Rivers, but they've yet to qualify based on Pro Football Reference's minimum requirements. Andrew Luck, Goff and Baker Mayfield aren't far off in passer rating either, and they have a lot more time to build on their respective legacies than Rivers does. That could be problematic for Rivers, who right now has to rank lower on the Canton priority list than shoo-ins like Peyton Manning, Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger. He'd also have a tough time beating out two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning as well as Russell Wilson, who has superior rate-based numbers and a pair of Super Bowl appearances. And it doesn't help Rivers' cause that while Matt Ryan and Cam Newton haven't won championships, each has been to a Super Bowl and won an MVP. Elsa/Getty Images With space for lesser-accomplished young quarterbacks like Derek Carr, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Mitchell Trubisky and the entire five-man 2018 first-round rookie quarterback class to emerge, that could leave as many as 21 quarterbacks competing with Rivers for Hall of Fame love in the next decade or two. Many of those signal-callers will fail to accomplish what Rivers has, but it wouldn't be surprising in the least if at least half did. An argument could be made that both Mannings, Brady, Brees, Rodgers, Roethlisberger, Wilson, Ryan and Newton already have. And just like that, Rivers is near the bottom of a 10-man quarterbacklog. Only 26 modern-era quarterbacks have been elected to the Hall of Fame over the course of the last 55 years, and no more than eight former players can be enshrined in a given year. We'll likely see quarterbacks elected more frequently now that the position has gained more prominence than ever before, but only three quarterbacks have been elected in the last 12 years. Without adding to his resume, it's hard to imagine Rivers getting elected within 10 or even 15 years of his retirement, and at that point he'd potentially be going up against a whole new wave of currently budding stars like Mahomes and Watson. It'd help if he were ever an MVP, an Offensive Player of the Year or a first- or second-team All-Pro. He might for a long time be the only non-Hall of Fame quarterback with more than seven Pro Bowl nods, but his strong cumulative stats are likely to lose their luster in an increasingly pass-happy era. Those numbers, those Pro Bowls, about a handful of playoff victories and no major postseason accomplishments won't likely get the job done in the current/upcoming Hall of Fame climate. The reality is Rivers desperately needs at least one deep playoff run to become a legitimate Hall of Fame candidate, and he's running out of time. Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012. | https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2815623-is-philip-rivers-a-hall-of-famer |
What channel is the UK basketball game on? | Where to watch, how to follow Tuesdays mens basketball game between No. 12 Kentucky (12-3, 2-1 SEC) and Georgia (9-6, 1-2 SEC): Game time is 7 p.m. (EST) at the Stegeman Coliseum (capacity 10,523) on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens. Television Network: ESPN Digital Access For Only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. Announcers: Play-by-play, Karl Ravech; analysis, Jimmy Dykes; sideline, Laura Rutledge Where to find ESPN: Spectrum Cable: Channel 28 DISH Network: Channel 140 DirecTV: Channel 206 SHARE COPY LINK After Kentucky basketballs 56-47 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, UK head coach John Calipari said his team needs to fix its slow starts. The Wildcats fell behind 16-4 in the first five minutes of the game. Radio Over the air: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1 Satellite radio: XM Channel 190; Sirius 134; Internet 961 UK Sports Network broadcast team: Play-by-play, Tom Leach; analyst, Tony Delk SHARE COPY LINK Kentucky freshman guard Immanuel Quickly talks about UKs defensive effort and his three-point shooting after UKs 56-47 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, at Rupp Arena. Quickley made three of seven three-point attempts. Internet Live blog: Join the conversation during the game with Herald-Leader sports columnist John Clay at Kentucky.com. Live video: You can live stream the game online from WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app, depending on your TV service provider. Twitter: @JerryTipton; @johnclayiv; @kentuckysports; @heraldleader Facebook: Photos and links on Kentucky.com and KentuckySports.com pages The Kentucky roster: Click here The Georgia roster: Click here Kentucky vs. Georgia series history: Click here Learn more about Georgia: Click here For post-game coverage: Kentucky.com SHARE COPY LINK Kentucky freshman Keldon Johnson talks about his on-court relationship with roommate and fellow freshman Tyler Herro. Johnson leads UK in scoring at 16.4 points per game. The Wildcats play at Alabama on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019. | https://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/mark-story/article224313635.html |
Who Makes It? | Expand Vinnie Charity of Built by Vin (Photo courtesy Jason Stumpf) Richmond is a city of makers, with creatives attracted to the city to start businesses and a growing population of residents looking to support local shops. However, given this ever-growing culture of creators, it can be hard for people to discover new makers or even know who they should search for to begin with. With this in mind, the nonprofit networking group RVA Makers in October launched its Find a Maker directory at its website, rvamakers.com. Erek Jones of Stachesquatch Design (Photo courtesy Erek Jones) Richmond is an amazing place to experiment and start these small businesses for a ton of reasons, but where are they and how do you get to them? says Emily Herr, president of RVA Makers and owner of HerrSuite Murals. Were providing more access to makers that people dont already have. The directory is a searchable database where you can discover everything from interior designers to jewelry makers. You can use keywords for an advanced search or just browse makers within certain categories. Makers may list multiple materials that they work with so users can discover that they provide multiple services or products. The directory can also be used to find festivals and events featuring local makers. Small businesses have the opportunity to connect with lawyers, bookkeepers and other service providers. Maker spaces and studios for rent are also searchable. Expand Pottery artist Tasha McKelvey (Photo courtesy Tasha McKelvey) Theres a $30 annual fee to be listed in the directory, which goes to operating costs. Theres no requirement to be a part of the monthly meetup group RVA Makers. This is not an exclusive thing for people that only come to our events, says Bert Green, vice president of RVA Makers and owner of sustainable home-goods manufacturer SolarMill. If youre proud of your work, even if its the weirdest, wildest things, I promise there is a category for you. | https://richmondmagazine.com/life-style/style/rva-makers-directory/ |
How can women succeed in an engineering career? | Third-year Babcock electrical engineering apprentice Nicole McKeever is a shining example of how women can succeed in an engineering career At the age of 16, Nicole McKeever put her natural aptitude for hands-on maths and physics to good use when she volunteered to help out at her fathers handyman business. Five years on and now studying for a Higher National Certificate as part of her Babcock apprenticeship at Her Majestys Naval Base Clyde, she is a firm advocate for greater diversity in engineering and plays an active role in encouraging more young women to follow her lead. During a visit to a local high school last year, I met one pupil who told me that while she really wanted to become an engineer, she was very concerned about working in such a male-dominated environment and wondered whether her gender would hold her back, says Ms McKeever. Im delighted to say that she subsequently applied to and joined Babcocks apprenticeship scheme at Clyde and, by all accounts, is ready doing very well. The overriding belief that engineering is a strictly male profession deters many girls from considering a career in the sector We keep in touch because its good for her to have a mentor and having been able to dispel one students fears about STEM, Im hoping that I can encourage many other young women to join the firm in the future, she adds. While she notes that many girls naturally enjoy maths and physics at school, the overriding belief that engineering is a strictly male profession deters many of them from considering a career in the sector. When I go to STEM events, I tell the girls I meet that working in a male environment isnt nearly as scary as they think and that things have already changed quite a bit, she explains. Future STEM ambassador: electrical engineering apprentice Nicole McKeever Credit: Babcock Be ourselves Some female engineers may feel a temptation to tone down their lives and interests outside work, simply in order to fit in, but this isnt necessary, according to Ms McKeever. In my first year at Babcock, I was the only girl on my floor at the college where I studied as part of my apprenticeship. Nowadays, though, there are many more women studying engineering, and seeing a female face is no longer a rarity it makes it easier for all of us to be ourselves. In my first year at Babcock, I was the only girl on my floor at the college where I studied as part of my apprenticeship Nicole McKeever A traditional Irish dancer in her spare time, Ms McKeever, took second prize in the All Ireland Irish Dance Championships, Intermediate level, earlier this year, noting that a love of dance complements rather than competes with her professional role. Although my day job is inevitably all about electricity and circuits, I still manage to enjoy dancing when Im not at work and both my Babcock colleagues and my own family are very supportive of both areas of my life, she says. When women join Babcock, the firm takes pains to make sure they are made welcome and that no practical obstacles are put in their way. That includes providing work clothes and boots in a range of womens sizes. For the future, Nicole is happy to have chosen an engineering specialism which is traditionally in high demand and has already been offered a permanent job at Babcock for when she completes her training. Her future plans include becoming both a team leader and official STEM ambassador. When girls tell me theyll never make it into engineering, I say to them: Just look at me. It can be done. And you dont need to stop being who are in order to make the grade. | https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/stem-awards/stem-hq/women-in-engineering/ |
Is portion size the simple solution to better health? | We have never been more clued up about the food we eat. Whether we're filling our trolleys high with the latest so-called super food, counting calories or carbs via a fitness tracker, or weighing up the health benefits of going vegan, for many of us, every morsel represents a painstaking decision. You'd be forgiven for feeling confused. But amid the cacophony of experts touting different solutions, the answer to keeping trim and healthy might be simpler than you think. According to a new portion size guide issued by nutritionists at the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), the answer is simply to focus... | https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/nutrition/portion-size-simple-solution-better-health/ |
What Did 2.3 Million Gallons Of Molasses Do To Boston Harbor? | The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 is the stuff of legends. It started with a hiss, a boom and a low rumble that eyewitnesses likened to an earthquake. Then a 15-foot wave tore through the streets at 35 miles per hour, on Jan. 15. The molasses flooded underground cellars, enveloped and suffocated humans and horses alike, and, as The Boston Post reported the following day, crushed buildings like they were made of eggshells. After the wave receded, parts of the North End were submerged in pools of molasses said to be thigh-high. A group of sailors and local firefighters descended on the area, working alongside residents to save people caught in the gluey sludge. Some firemen tried to blast the molasses off the street with municipal water while others tried to sop up the mess with sand. Neither method worked well, particularly as the hours passed and the molasses congealed. By the following day, newspapers reported that firemen had turned to the waters of Boston Harbor for help. The briny liquid cut through the hardened molasses, allowing it to be washed away. The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 unleashed 2.3 million gallons of molasses, most of which ended up in Boston Harbor, says Stephen Puleo, author of "Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919." There was reportedly so much molasses in the harbor that the water turned brown. Residents commented that it remained brown for weeks before it finally begins to dilute, Puleo says. Some testified that it persisted for two-and-a-half months. In 1919, Boston had seven newspapers. In colorful, and often horrifying descriptions, they documented the event and its aftermath. They told stories of people whose cellars flooded with molasses, and devoted entire columns to the deceased. Reporters wrote about the mayors call to investigate the explosion, and more than one paper talked about pig farmers from Billerica who came to the North End with buckets, hoping to take advantage of the free food. But amid the coverage of the catastrophe, no one documented any environmental impacts, nor does it seem anyone questioned the decision to dump the molasses in the harbor, Puleo says. At the time of the flood, most people considered the ocean an infinite trash can, able to wash away any manner of pollution. With the advent of hindsight, we now know that a lot of early industrial waste management plans were far more harmful and destructive than people realized at the time. Recall that Boston discharged raw sewage into the ocean until the mid-20th century. Exactly what 2.3 million gallons of molasses did to the Boston Harbor ecosystem is hard to say, but if a more recent molasses spill in Hawaii is any indication, the results could have been devastating. In September 2013, a faulty underwater pipe leaked 233,000 gallons of molasses into Honolulu Harbor. It created a feast for bacteria. As the bacteria feed, grow and reproduce, they suck oxygen out of the water. In Honolulu, this meant that within a day, dead fish were floating to the surface. And as a scuba diver with Hawaii News Now documented, the scene on the harbor floor was also gruesome. There wasnt a whole lot that could be done for cleanup of the spill itself because molasses is very soluble, so it mixed into the water, says Grieg Steward, professor of oceanography at the University of Hawaii. Its not like with an oil spill where a lot of this material is floating at the surface and can be scooped off. He says the most officials could do was remove the dead fish while they waited for the tides to disperse the molasses. Honolulu Harbor took months to fully recover. And that spill was one-tenth the size of the 1919 Boston flood. The ruins of a tank containing 2 1/2 million gallons of molasses lie in a heap after an eruption that hurled trucks against buildings and crumpled houses in the North End of Boston, on Jan. 15, 1919. The disaster took 21 lives and injured 40. Hard to say, says Jennifer Bowen, professor of marine science at Northeastern University. For starters, the water here in January was substantially cooler. Bacteria would have consumed the molasses more slowly, making it less likely that they depleted such a substantial portion of the oxygen. The actual impact would depend on how much of the molasses persisted in the water until the water warmed back up, and how much of it just got diluted and washed out to sea, she says. But the fact that the water stayed brown for months suggests to Bowen that some sort of increased bacterial feeding could have happened as the temperature rose. Had a substantial amount of molasses persisted come summer, Boston Harbor might have gone the same way as Honolulu Harbor, she says. The bacteria would start taking up the sugar, and all of the oxygen would go away. And that would have the consequence of killing anything that cant move out of the way of the area, Bowen says. Surely that would have been reported in the newspapers. While speculating about other potential environmental impacts, Bowen wonders how the molasses affected certain plants and animals. In 1919, the shallow waters of Boston Harbor still had substantial eelgrass meadows that supported a complex ecosystem. If the molasses blocked sunlight for too long, the eelgrass wouldnt be able photosynthesize and could eventually die. The long-term consequences for the eelgrass would depend on how long the water stayed dark, she says. (Much of the eelgrass died in the 1930s as a wasting disease decimated the meadows.) The molasses would also have changed the viscosity of the water, making it thicker and harder for animals to swim. Bowen wonders what impact a coating of molasses on the skin or scales of some creatures might have caused. One hundred years later, we dont know and may never know the true extent of the environmental damage from the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. But one thing is certain: We are incredibly lucky it didnt happen in the summertime. | https://www.wbur.org/news/2019/01/15/molasses-environment-disaster-boston-harbor |
Which Marks & Spencer stores are closing? | (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) Marks and Spencer has revealed 17 more stores that it will be looking to close completely as part of a transformation plan. Hunt for rugby heroes who tackled suspect so police could catch up Thirty stores have already closed their doors and eight more have been named as the company aims to close over 100 stores in total. To date, 1,891 workers have been impacted by the closures but the company said 1,591 of them over 80% had been been redeployed to new roles. The latest closure list is set to affect a further 1,045 employees, but staff will be consulted before any final decision are made. Marks and Spencer has revealed a list of the next 17 stores that it has proposed for closure, but as yet their full closures havent been confirmed. Advertisement Advertisement Before any official decisions are made M&S has said that it will carry out a consultation with employees who will be affected, and the retailer intends to retain as many staff members as possible. Sacha Berendji, retail, operations and property director at Marks & Spencer, said: Were continuing to transform M&S with pace and as part of this we are making good progress with our plans to close over 100 stores radically reshaping our store estate to become more relevant for our customers. Andover Basildon Birkenhead Bournemouth Bridlington Clacton Covent Garden Crewe (relocation) Darlington Dover Durham Falkirk Fareham Fforestfach Greenock (relocation) Keighley Kettering New Mersey Speke Shopping Park Newmarket, Newry (relocation) Northampton Portsmouth Putney Redditch Slough Stockport Stockton Walsall Warrington Wokingham M&S Stores closing soon East Kilbride Edgware Broadwalk Falmouth Holloway Road Kirkcaldy Llandudno (relocation) St Helens (relocation) Wigan (Foodhall opening at Robin Retail Park) MORE: Going to the gym doesnt do enough to counter the effects of sitting down all day MORE: Uber fares to rise by 15p per mile for every trip from tomorrow | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/15/marks-spencer-stores-closing-8347558/ |
Was Aretha Franklin properly honored at her all-star Grammy tribute? | We heard A Change Is Gonna Come as performed by Celine Dion. Yes, you knew were at a Recording Academy event when the French-Canadian pop star took the stage at the Shrine Auditorium to sing Sam Cookes searing anthem about American racism. Held Sunday night, five months after Franklins death at age 76, Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul convened an all-star group of admirers John Legend, Patti LaBelle, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Brandi Carlile and Yolanda Adams were also there for an affectionate tribute concert taped for broadcast on CBS in March. And like earlier academy salutes (to the likes of Stevie Wonder and the Bee Gees), this one mixed sensible renditions of the honorees work with moments that made you wonder which competing interests were at the wheel. Thats not to say that Dion flubbed A Change Is Gonna Come, famously recorded by Franklin the show-closing song served as a knowing bookend to the opening Respect on her breakthrough album, 1967s I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You. Digging into the lowest, growliest parts of her register, Dion found a bruised and soulful quality that she rarely puts across; her Change wasnt quite sure how to get where it wanted to go, which suited a tune about not knowing whats up there beyond the sky. Yet the curious pairing of singer and song accompanied on a video screen, no less, by images of segregation-era whites only signs demonstrated a lack of intellectual rigor familiar to anyone who takes in the often perplexing tribute performances that pepper the Grammy Awards every year. Of course. But the show stopped short of explaining or unpacking that connection; it didnt add to (or contradict) what we already know about her and her inheritors, and that felt unworthy of a creative genius whose music was always raising questions about race and gender and age. Im not saying I needed a non-white singer to do A Change Is Gonna Come although that might not have been the worst idea for a song that explicitly looks toward a future in which marginalized people tell their own stories. From Dion, though, I needed more of a sense of how she feels Change pertains to our uneasy era if the deliverance it promises has been achieved. I needed more from Andra Day, a young throwback-R&B type with little apparent interest in modern music, to understand what she hears in Franklins happily synthetic Freeway of Love. And I needed more from Chloe x Halle to believe that this sister duo wasnt performing Sisters Are Doin It for Themselves because somebody at the academy thought it would be cute. Lovers of these kinds of events and Ill admit Ive endured so many that my demands are as high as my expectations are low might argue that a great performance is the explanation of what one act holds dear about another. And indeed Sundays concert contained a few of those, including Mones rollicking, almost punky Rock Steady and a precise yet relaxed take on Bridge Over Troubled Water that communicated Legends awe for the way Franklin could make herself at home inside another writers song. (He was offering a cover of her cover of Paul Simons original, he said.) That gospel sequence with Caesar, which also featured Adams and BeBe Winans, was strong too; it illuminated the tradition that Franklin was born into along with her desire to break out of it, thanks to an appealing bit of grandstanding from the 80-year-old Caesar, who continued to sing even as she was being shuffled offstage. But Hudson doing Respect, Keys doing Spirit in the Dark, Alessia Cara doing Until You Come Back to Me these tidy, too-faithful performances just made you think about how much tinkering Franklins sturdy songs could withstand if only folks would exercise a bit of her imagination. The evening closed, inevitably, with an updated spin on an awards-show set piece that Franklin took part in numerous times during her life: a group rendition of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, in this case with Day, Cara, Carlile and Fantasia, the last of whom had been teamed earlier with Rob Thomas for a profoundly chemistry-free I Knew You Were Waiting. Fantasia fared better here but not because this foursome felt any more intelligently designed. Instead, she seemed to grasp intuitively that someone in the bunch had to seize Franklins role as the diva in charge and so seize it she did, veering from the songs melody in intense vocal runs that carried decades of deep thinking about men and women, black and white, Saturday night and Sunday morning. For a minute, at least, you could feel Aretha in the room. [email protected] Twitter: @mikaelwood MORE COVERAGE: 7 essential Aretha Franklin recordings The voice was incredible, but Aretha Franklin at the piano was also pure magic Archive: Aretha Franklin is still the queen, and the keeper, of soul | https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-ent-aretha-franklin-grammy-tribute-review-20190115-story.html |
Will there be a series two of Sex Education? | Sex Education is already proving popular and could come back for more (Picture: Netflix) Sex Education has got 2019 off to a flying start on Netflix, with viewers raving about the show since its release last week. 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 (Emma Mackey), leading to some pretty eye-opening situations. Well, Netflix has yet to confirm whether or not the show will return for a second series. However, with season one leaving several storylines unresolved especially those between Otis, Maeve and Ola there is definitely scope for more. And the shows creator Laurie Nunn is already thinking about how things might continue. Several characters have been left with storylines which could continue (Picture: Netflix) Series one is very much Otis journey, Nunn told Thrillist. Advertisement Advertisement If were lucky enough to get a series two we will always come back to Otis. Hes a fantastic leading character but the fact that weve got this great ensemble and these amazing young actors who have also just brought so much to those characters. It just feels like they could go anywhere. Sex Education is available to stream 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. MORE: Netflixs Sex Education plonks a US high school in the UK and everyones very confused | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/15/will-series-two-sex-education-8347392/ |
What is the backstop in the Brexit deal and how will it impact the UK and Ireland? | Get daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Theresa May's Brexit deal faced collapse ahead of tonight's vote because of the 'backstop' for the Northern Irish border. We've explained it for you below... (Image: PA) The 'backstop' is essentially an insurance clause in Theresa May's Brexit deal with the European Union. In the case that the deal passes, EU rules continue until 31 December 2020. However after that, the state of affairs between the UK and the EU is unknown. The backstop is there to guarantee that checks do not return on the 310-mile border between Northern Ireland (in the UK) and the Republic (in the EU). (Image: Getty Images,) This situation - known as a "hard border" - would set Irish peace back decades and could trigger a return to violence of the Troubles. It would reverse the Good Friday Agreement pact that allows anyone to cross the border with little more than a sign and a different-coloured road. Under the backstop, EU customs rules will be extended across the whole of the UK for a "temporary" period. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now This has infuriated Brexiteer MPs - who fear we will be a "vassal state" to Brussels, unable to sign trade deals around the world. It will kick in from 1 January 2021 if no solution has been found for the Irish border. Britain has the option to extend the "transition period" for EU rules. But if it does kick in, it can only be ended by a joint committee - in other words, EU officials get a veto. | https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/what-is-the-brexit-backstop-15681631 |
How Ofsted nursery inspections work and what do the grades mean? | Have your say Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Childrens Services and Skills and the government organisation inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people including nurseries and schools. As part of this remit Ofsted regularly carries out inspections in nurseries and childcare organisations. Usually Ofsted will give notice to the nursery or pre-school on or after midday on the working day before the start of the inspection. Ofsted say that during the inspection the inspector will: - observe the children at play - talk to staff and the children - observe how staff and the children interact - check the childrens levels of understanding and if they take part in learning - talk to staff about the childrens knowledge, skills and abilities - observe care routines and how theyre used to support childrens personal development - evaluate staff's knowledge of the early years foundation stage The inspector will give you feedback and explain what needs to be done to improve, if necessary. After the inspection the nursery will be told how to do better, if theres anything that can be improved and be graded as one of the following: Grade 1 - Outstanding The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding. All other key judgements are likely to be outstanding. In exceptional circumstances, one of the key judgements may be good as long as there is convincing evidence that this area is improving rapidly and securely towards outstanding. Safeguarding is effective. There are no breaches of statutory requirements. Grade 2 - Good The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is at least good. All other key judgements are likely to be good or outstanding. In exceptional circumstances, one of the key judgement areas may require improvement as long as there is convincing evidence that it is improving rapidly and securely towards good. Safeguarding is effective. Grade 3 - Requires improvement Where one or more aspects of the settings work requires improvement, the settings overall effectiveness is likely to require improvement. Safeguarding is effective. Where there are any breaches of the safeguarding and welfare and/or the learning and development requirements, they do not have a significant impact on childrens safety, well-being or learning and development. Grade 4 - Inadequate The settings overall effectiveness is likely to be inadequate if one or more of the following applies; Any one of the key judgements is inadequate and/or safeguarding is ineffective. There are breaches of statutory requirements have a significant impact on the safety and well-being and/or the learning and development of children. It is a nursery or pre-school that has been judged as requires improvement at two consecutive inspections and is still not judged to be good at its third inspection. | https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/education/how-ofsted-nursery-inspections-work-and-what-do-the-grades-mean-1-9538528 |
Did Deepika Padukone opt out of Ranveer Singhs 83? | MUMBAI: Ranveer Singh is on a winning spree these days. The actor had a wonderful 2018, with two blockbuster movies Padmaavat and Simmba. This year also, the actor has an interesting bunch of movies to look forward to. Ranveer will start the year with Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy, which will hit the screens on 14th February. He will then start the shoot of Kabir Khans movie, which is the biopic of Kapil Dev. When the news of Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone coming together for Kapil Devs biopic called 83 broke the internet, fans were extremely excited to see the couple together on the big screen once again, especially after marriage. However, now the buzz is that Deepika has turned down the film since she doesnt have much to do in it. As per some media reports, the reason behind declining the role was because Deepika thought that the film is all about boys and a team that won the World Cup for India and her role wont make an impact on the audience. It seems like Kapil Devs wifes role will be very limited in this film, and Deepika is a huge brand. She wouldnt do any film just because her husband is in it. | http://www.tellychakkar.com/movie/movie-news/did-deepika-padukone-opt-out-of-ranveer-singh-s-83-190115 |
Who can really save the Maricopa community colleges? | Opinion: Booting the conservative chairman helps, but the 10-college Maricopa Community College District needs a major reboot. Laurin Hendrix may be removed from his post as MCCCD president. (Photo: Maricopa County Community College District) Booting Laurin Hendrix from the chairmanship of the Maricopa County Community College Districts governing board may not seem like a big deal. But believe me, it is an important step in the fight over saving the 10-college district system from the political scavengers whove been out to dismantle it without laying out a clear vision for the future. Four board members have called for a special meeting Tuesday to elect a new president, six months short of Hendrixs tenure. If they succeed, Hendrix will still remain on the board. At the very least, it sends a glimmer of hope for roughly 1,400 full-time faculty, more than 4,200 adjunct faculty and 200,000 students. MCCD took a dramatic turn to the right For the past year, Hendrix and conservative fellow board members have plunged the community colleges into mayhem by eliminating a 40-year-old meet and confer negotiation process, and ending the football program. The conservative board and chancellor Maria Harper-Marinick, who took over in 2016, have been at war with faculty and staff. In April, the faculty association filed an $850,000 claim against the district, the chancellor and the board. At the same time, supporters of the football program have gone to court as well. But the makeup of the governing board changed when two new members Tom Nerini and Marie Sullivan were elected in November. Though the board remains under Republican control, it appears these folks are a bit more reasonable. Its enough to change direction, said Alfredo Gutierrez, who resigned the chairmanship in 2017. A new president isnt going to immediately get the district out of its mess. But she or he could set a more inclusive agenda and start re-setting the political buttons to have a serious debate over the future of the colleges. The problem with Hendrix and his conservative allies has been their hostile attempt to undo the 10-college system without explaining their mission, their ultimate goal. The colleges are too important to leave to the whims of seven board members. The future of more than 200,000 students is at stake, as well as Arizonas economy that needs a prepared workforce. Now is a good time to begin a meaningful debate over how to transform the colleges into a first-rate institution where no student regardless of economic status is left behind. Elvia Daz is an editorial columnist for The Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1. MORE FROM DIAZ: Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/elviadiaz/2019/01/15/mcccd-maricopa-community-college-district-board-new-president/2577799002/ | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/elviadiaz/2019/01/15/mcccd-maricopa-community-college-district-board-new-president/2577799002/ |
Did Jaylen Brown Take Jab At Kyrie Irving After Celtics Loss To Nets? | Kyrie Irving tried to send his younger teammates a message following the Boston Celtics loss to the Orland Magic on Saturday, but it might not have had the intended effect. Playing without Irving (quad contusion) and Marcus Smart (illness) on Monday, the Celtics couldnt overcome a sloppy third quarter in an uninspiring 109-102 loss to the Brooklyn Nets that saw the Cs trail by 27 at one point. As for Irvings message to the now 25-18 Celtics, it might not have been received well by everyone in the locker room. Jaylen Brown, who scored 22 points in the loss, was asked after the game what the Cs talked about after the defeat in Brooklyn, and he appeared to take a slight jab at Irving, who has pointed the finger at the young players toughness and inability to play with the high expectations throughout the season. We gotta be more accountable as a group, Brown said, via CLNS. Its not one guy. Its not the young guys or the old guys fault its everybodys fault. We all got to be accountable and turn this thing around. In stretches we play good basketball and in stretches we dont. But we all got to have each others back. We just got to have each others back at the end of the day, Brown continued. We cant make comments. We cant be pointing fingers. We just got to continue to empower each other and have each others back. If we dont and people start pointing fingers, everybodys going to go into their own little shell. We got to continue to play basketball and it starts from the top to the bottom, not from the bottom to the top but from the top to the bottom, so we got to continue to empower each other and make the best of this. We got a lot of talent here. We know what we are capable of, its just a matter of going out and doing it. (Insert eyeballs emoji here.) To Irvings credit, he also pointed the finger at himself in his Saturday comments, noting he needs to be a better leader to the young guys. Perhaps Browns comments were born out of frustration of what has been a disappointing season for him to this point. The third-year guard started the season with expectations of making another leap, but he was sent to the bench after Bostons slow start to the season and has struggled to find consistency in his role alongside Bostons bevy of talented wings. Another one of Bostons young stars had a slightly different take on Irvings comments. Its not really directed towards anybody or calling guys out, Jayson Tatum said, via The Boston Globes Adam Himmelsbach. Hes telling the truth. He knows what it takes to win a championship and most of us dont. And sometimes you gotta be brutally honest in this profession to get the best of one another. If it comes from a good place, its not trying to bring anybody down. Irving clarified his comments earlier Monday, saying they came from a deep desire to win and not from a source of frustration with his teammates. Boston will need to snap out of its funk as the Cs return home Wednesday to face the first-place Toronto Raptors in a game that could have big playoff implications down the line. Thumbnail photo via Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports Images | https://nesn.com/2019/01/did-jaylen-brown-take-jab-at-kyrie-irving-after-celtics-loss-to-nets/ |
Why wasn't Roxanne Pallett on Celebrity Coach Trip last night? | Roxanne Pallett was absent from the first episode of Celebrity Coach Trip last night. Picture: Channel 5 Roxanne Pallett was due to be a contestant on Celebrity Coach Trip 2019, but was absent from the first episode Celebrity Coach Trip 2019 kicked off last night, but noticeably absent from the show was Roxanne Pallett, who was due to be a contestant on the series. Many viewers flocked to Twitter to question where the former Emmerdale actress is - as this was set to be her second TV appearance since disappearing from the public eye after the events in the Celebrity Big Brother house last year (she also appeared on Celebrity Island soon after). I thought Roxanne Pallett was on this haven't spotted her is she on a later one #coachtrip I STAN JESS (@StevenLobel2) January 14, 2019 However, those of you who've been waiting in anticipation for Roxanne's big return to TV will be relieved to know that she actually appears later on in 10-episode series alongside Britain's Got Talent winner George Sampson. Roxanne's appearance on the E4 show was prerecorded before her time in CBB, as she has now disappeared from public life and is not doing any more celebrity appearances for the moment. Read more: Heart's thorough investigation into the whereabouts of of Roxanne Pallett Roxanne caused major controversy last year after falsely accusing CBB co-star Ryan Thomas of being intentionally aggressive with her. During their time in the house this summer, she told Big Brother that Ryan, who was later crowned winner of the show, had hit her, when camera footage showed that it was seemingly a play fight. Roxanne has disappeared from the public eye since her stint on CBB last year. Picture: Channel 5 Her accusation caused uproar in the outside world, and Roxanne eventually walked from the house. Roxanne was labelled 'manipulative', and a 'liar', and many of her former Emmerdale co-stars came forward with similar stories of what she had done to them. Roxanne apologised twice on TV - once on The Jeremy Vine Show and once in an interview with Emma Willis - and she subsequently quit all her upcoming commitments, including her part of Cinderella in a pantomime. Celebrity Coach Trip kicked off on E4 last night. The celebrities on this year's Coach Trip are Ola and James Jordan, Sam Thompson and James Dunmore, Bobby Norris and Nadia Essex and Mutya Buena and Lisa Maffia. | https://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/tv-movies/roxanne-pallett-celebrity-coach-trip/ |
Does it matter Steelers WR Antonio Brown took Steelers off of his Twitter bio? | In this golden age of social media, many of our society judge our peers and celebrities based on their activity on a variety of social media platforms. Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with this right now as it pertains to wide receiver Antonio Brown. Browns bizarre social media habits have raised plenty of eyebrows but it has sparked discussion about how much, if at all, fans should care when Brown does things like remove Steelers from his Twitter bio. Personally, I think it absolutely matters. These posts and changes are fully intentional and intended to draw attention. But because of the permanent nature of social media Brown, and any other athlete who chooses to troll a fanbase their relationship is forever damaged. Keep in mind who the person is we are talking about. However, bigger than the fanbase, Brown is sending signals to the Steelers front office. Both sides are at a standoff and could be facing a mutual parting of ways. There is so much rumor and conjecture going around right now all we have are the actions of the team and the actions of Brown. And divesting yourself from your employer on social media is a big deal in 2019. Related 3 things the Steelers must do to get back to the playoffs | https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2019/01/15/does-it-matter-steelers-wr-antonio-brown-took-steelers-off-of-his-twitter-bio/ |
Would a Brexit deal bring a bounce for unloved UK shares? | It seems highly unlikely that Theresa May's Brexit deal will get voted through parliament this evening - and markets expect it to fail. However, even if that is the case, a lost vote could still be the first step to finally getting some form of agreement sorted on how Britain will leave the EU. On our latest Investing Show, Richard Hunter, of Interactive Investor, said that there is a chance of this happening but investors should still look for companies with good balance sheets, cash flow and a strong track record of delivering profits. The past year has seen the FTSE 100 rise to a record level but then sink since late spring as worries over Brexit have taken centre stage, along with concerns over global trade He says: 'There's no question that there's a number of quality companies in the FTSE 100 if you are willing to look bottom up. 'If you're taking a long-term view then the question to be asking yourself in investing terms is "is it likely to be better in five years' time than it is today?" And at the moment you have to say we very much hope so.' Investors have been shunning UK shares and the funds that invest in them off the back of Brexit uncertainty. While worries over global trade and US president Donald Trump locking horns with China are denting market sentiment overall, the UK has suffered more. Most see better opportunities with less potential headaches elsewhere, while at the extreme end some have even branded the UK as 'uninvestable' at the moment, as a US analyst for investment firm Bernstein did in November. It's not necessarily Brexit that is the problem, but rather the muddled way that Britain is seen as leaving the EU and the potential for political upheaval and a socialist Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour government taking power. The UK stock market did worse than most international rivals last year, with a total return of minus 10.2 per cent, compared to the MSCI World index's minus 8.2 per cent decline and US S&P 500's minus 4.4 per cent. All this means that UK shares look cheap, with the FTSE 100 closing 2018 with a dividend yield of 4.68 per cent and the broader FTSE All Share yielding 4.46 per cent. Shares may be cheap for a reason, but a number of fund managers and professional investors suggest the pendulum has swung too far. That has led to the suggestion that a Brexit deal would see a bounce, with the sectors that have been beaten down the most - UK-focussed companies and big consumer businesses - seeing the greatest gains. The UK stock market as measured by the FTSE All-Share had a total return of minus 10.2 per cent in 2018, compared to the MSCI World index's minus 8.2 per cent decline and US S&P 500's minus 4.4% Funds and trusts to back a Brexit bounce When This is Money asked a panel of investment experts for their views on how 2019 could pan out, many said UK shares could bounce back. A thread that ran through their comments, however, was that investors should be picky and that one way to limit risk of being blindsided by a sharp downturn instead was to look for value and quality - and avoid over indebted companies. A simple way to back the UK market would be to buy a passive tracker fund or ETF, such as L&G's UK Index fund, which has ongoing charges of just 0.1 per cent and tracks the FTSE All-Share. However, while this removes the chance of getting it wrong by trying to pick winners, this would mean buying the whole market, including those companies whose prospects are poorer. Among the active funds suggested by our panel were a number that focus on value and picking companies with robust balance sheets and strong fundamentals. Laith Khalaf, of Hargreaves Lansdown, said that Mark Barnett's Edinburgh Investment Trust has suffered in recent times and slipped to a discount of 7.4 per cent, however, 'it invests in lots of solid UK business that will almost certainly survive Brexit'. He added: 'Some are more reliant on consumer spending, others are truly international, but theyre all businesses that Mark Barnett, the trusts manager, thinks are undervalued but fundamentally well-managed and in good financial health. 'This is important because as well as aiming to grow your investment over the long-term, Barnett tries to pay high and rising dividends. Profitable, cash-generative companies should be well-placed to do this.' The chart above shows the UK stock market's valuation compared to the MSCI World and the long run median level Adrian Lowcock, of Willis Owen, mentioned Investec UK Alpha, where manager Simon Brazier pays close attention to both the bigger picture and a company's balance sheet. He said: 'His assessment of a company managements track record, strategy, and allocation of free cash flow are vital parts of the research framework, alongside a thorough valuation analysis that considers both the upside potential and downside risk of any investment.' M&G Recovery was also mentioned by Yearsley, which hunts for undervalued shares where the market has got it wrong and there may be some catalyst for a turnaround in a company's fortunes. He said: 'The UK has been beaten up mainly due to Brexit negotiations and the threat of a Corbyn government, which has led to many segments of the market looking cheap. 'This is one of a number of funds that you could buy but Ive always liked the approach of Tom Dobell the manager in accessing cheap but interesting UK companies.' Thomas Becket, of Psigma Investment Management, says that the UK could be a value opportunity, but investors may want to wait to see if things get worse, for example, when the lorries start queuing on the M20. He said: 'Our favoured active funds in UK equities remain Artemis Income, which has a value bias, and Royal London UK Equity Income, where the manager favours opportunities amongst mid cap companies that could see a reversal next year in the negative sentiment that has afflicted them in recent months.' | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/investingshow/article-6593539/Would-Brexit-deal-bring-bounce-unloved-UK-shares.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490 |
Does Los Angeles County need 299 more hotels? | Los Angeles Countys lodging industry has plans to add 299 more hotels after 34 opened the past two years. The annual hotel construction report from Atlas Hospitality shows 11 hotels opened in 2018 in Los Angeles County vs. 23 in 2017 down 52 percent. Last years openings had 1,526 rooms vs. 4,309 in 17 a drop of 65 percent. That decline seems to be a fast-growth industry taking a breather than any actual slowdown. Hotels under construction at year-end were 45 hotels vs. 32 in 17 a gain of 41 percent. That lodging will hold 6,727 rooms vs. 5,327 a year earlier a rise of 26 percent. Los Angeles Countys developers are in planning stages for an additional 254 hotels vs. 217 a year earlier a rise of 17 percent. That lodging will hold 39,974 rooms vs. 33,514 a year earlier a rise of 19 percent. PS: Los Angeles County represented 21 percent of hotels opened statewide last year vs. 35 percent in 17 and 24 percent of lodging being built or planned. PPS: The average number of rooms per hotels recently built, under construction or planned is 158 vs. 141 statewide. PPPS: In the four-county Southern California, 513 hotels in the works after 57 others opened over the past two years. | https://www.whittierdailynews.com/2019/01/15/does-los-angeles-county-need-299-more-hotels/ |
How well has Raiders GM Mike Mayock evaluated safeties? | 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 safeties. Here is the full list of safety rankings since 2008, via the NFL.com archives: 2008 1. Tyrell Johnson, Arkansas State 2. Kenny Phillips, Miami (Fla.) 3. DaJuan Morgan, N.C. State 4. Thomas DeCoud, California 5. Josh Barrett, Arizona State 2009 1. Louis Delmas, Western Michigan 2. Patrick Chung, Oregon 3. William Moore, Missouri 4. Rashad Johnson, Alabama 5. Chip Vaughn, Wake Forest 2010 1. Earl Thomas, Texas 2. Eric Berry, Tennessee 3. Taylor Mays, Southern California 4. Nate Allen, South Florida 5. Major Wright, Florida 2011 1. Rahim Moore, UCLA 2. Ahmad Black, Florida 3. Marcus Gilchrist, Clemson 4. Quinton Carter, Oklahoma 5. Tyler Sash, Iowa 2012 1. Mark Barron, Alabama 2. Harrison Smith, Notre Dame 3. Brandon Taylor, LSU 4. DeQuan Menzie, Alabama 5. Phillip Thomas, Syracuse 2013 1. Kenny Vaccaro, Texas 2. Matt Elam, Florida 3. Eric Reid, LSU 4. Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International 5. D.J. Swearinger, South Carolina 2014 1. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama 2. Calvin Pryor, Louisville 3. Deone Bucannon, Washington State 4. Jimmie Ward, Northern Illinois 5. Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State 2015 1. Damarious Randall, Arizona State 2. Landon Collins, Alabama 3. Shaq Thompson, Washington 4. Quinten Rollins, Miami (Ohio) 5. Jaquiski Tartt, Samford 2016 1. Karl Joseph, West Virginia 2. Vonn Bell, Ohio State 3. Keanu Neal, Florida 4. KeiVarae Russell, Notre Dame 5. Sean Davis, Maryland 2017 1. Jamal Adams, LSU 2. Malik Hooker, Ohio State 3. Jabrill Peppers, Michigan 4. Obi Melifonwu, Connecticut 5. Marcus Williams, Utah 2018 1. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama 2. Derwin James, Florida State 3. Ronnie Harrison, Alabama 4. Justin Reid, Stanford 5. Feel free to comment below. | https://raiderswire.usatoday.com/2019/01/15/how-well-has-raiders-gm-mike-mayock-evaluated-safeties/ |
Will HTC's eye-tracking tech be enough to take VR mainstream? | HTC With the rise of augmented and mixed reality tech, VR headsets seem condemned to no longer garner the same amount of hype as products such as Magic Leap. Still, companies committed to bringing virtual realms to the consumer are fiercely competing to become Joe Publics first choice. Thats why, as Facebook announced that it was cutting the price of its Oculus Rift to $349 as CES opened last week, it was crucial that HTC nailed the showcase of the two new headsets it brought to Las Vegas the Vive Pro Eye and the Vive Cosmos. With HTC already being a favourite of Island 359 and Hellblade players, it is easy to look at the new devices from the gaming industrys perspective. On that front, the Vive Pro Eye comes with a significant update in fact, its only update from last years Vive Pro. The new headset has native built-in eye tracking, which means that small rings inside the goggles use pulses of light to track where you are looking. This doesnt impact the comfort of the device; when wearing it, the trackers cant be felt at all. Advertisement Whats crucial is that eye tracking makes foveating rendering possible a feature that HTC hopes will set players and developers alike squirming with excitement. This means that the display will supposedly better react to the way the human eye looks by tracking what the user is staring at and increasing the sharpness of the objects on which they are focusing, while reducing it in the periphery. It should be noted that HTC is not breaking new ground here the story of integrating eye-tracking technology in VR headsets started as early as 2014, when Tokyo-based startup FOVE announced its own device was coming soon. The crowdfunding campaign for the FOVE headset kicked off a year later, and was a successful one, reaching its $250,000 target in four days. In 2017, the headset started shipping, letting users control VR content using only their eyes, through a technology that calculates the direction of the gaze using both infrared lights to illuminate the eye and IR sensitive camera sensors. Read next Forget the VR hype. In healthcare, it's making a real difference Forget the VR hype. In healthcare, it's making a real difference The best headphones for any budget in 2019 WIRED Recommends The best headphones for any budget in 2019 For developers, eye tracking technology makes it more realistic to work on improving the graphics resolution without having to increase the GPU requirements. For gamers, it has the potential to make visuals look a lot better and HTCs demos at CES according to those who tried it out, certainly sparked enthusiasm among attendees, who described much crisper images, with neater visuals and less pixelation. Advertisement Not so fast. HTCs upgrade is great news for gamers, but again, it is old news the Oculus Rift, for example, already uses foveated rendering, though with a different technology that doesnt involve eye tracking, but instead increases fidelity where players are most likely to be looking. The feature is, arguably, becoming a baseline characteristic of VR headsets designed for gaming. Where HTC could have earned extra points and made a real difference compared to the Oculus Rift, is in extending the field of vision, which firmly sits at 110 degrees: the same as Facebooks device. That, combined with higher resolution, would have been a gamers dream come true. But HTC jumped on this years CES opportunity to establish that, in addition to gaming, it is also looking at alternative applications for its headsets. Indeed, its eye-tracking technology isnt only about foveating rendering; it can also gather data on user behaviour when placed in different situations. The company showcased the Ovation training course, for example, where the viewer is projected in front of an audience and has to deliver a speech, at the end of which the device can provide gaze and speech feedback, along with ways to improve both. This could be of interest, of course, for enterprise customers wishing to train staff, but also has potential applications in other areas such as education. What could really make a difference, however, is the application of eye-tracking for commercials not the least because if advertisers are interested, a lot of money is likely to be made. And if there is one thing that advertisers are interested in, it is certainly in knowing what content catches your eye. Eye-tracking could mean extra, objective and relevant data on the content that consumers are most interested in looking at an invaluable asset for those who design ads. Read next Thursday briefing: Facebook announces wireless Oculus Quest VR headset Thursday briefing: Facebook announces wireless Oculus Quest VR headset For principal analyst at Gartner Tuong Nguyen, however, although eye-tracking has lots of potential for future applications, it is not in the near future that we will see HTCs headset being used by advertisers. Who in your friends and family owns a VR headset? he says. Thats right not enough. You can give the tool to advertisers, but its only once it is adopted by enough people that it will make sense to start using it. Advertisement HTC, he continues, is adding an interesting tool to the industry, and advertisers may be planning to exploit it in the future but the market is at a stage where those plans are only ideas. As expected, the Vive Pro Eye has to operate alongside a laptop, but like its predecessor it has the option to be operated wirelessly by using a wireless adaptor. Keeping up with the wireless trend is probably a good shout from HTC, given the success of Facebooks standalone Oculus Go, which took the top spots for best-selling products in Amazons video game category when it was released in May last year. WIRED Recommends: The best gadgets and gear in 2019 WIRED Recommends WIRED Recommends: The best gadgets and gear in 2019 The Oculus Go made 289,000 sales in the second quarter of 2018, in the context of plunging numbers for headset sales, which had been down 33.7 per cent year on year. Yet the release of the Oculus Go, as well as HTCs Vive Pro both standalone headsets at that point contributed to a sudden increase in major headset sales compared to the previous quarter: global market intelligence firm IDC estimated that standalone VR headsets grew 417.7 per cent during that quarter only. The lesser wired the better, or so it seems. And thats a box the Eye Pro ticks. HTC Vive Cosmos The second headset HTC brought to CES remains relatively mysterious. The company has only disclosed that it targets consumer and is designed to be comfortable. The firm announced that to make the device easier to set-up, it is switching to inside-out tracking in action a method by which the headset carries the device and tracks the users position in relation to his environment. Until now, the Vive headset relied on an outside-in positional tracking system called Lighthouse, in which LEDs and laser emitters were placed to send non-visible light signals across the tracking area, for receptors on the headset to intercept. HTCs outside-in system is a reliable one, but it means that users are limited to the space in which the light emitters are placed hence the excitement about the switch to a more flexible setup that has less space limitations. Giving up its Lighthouse technology, however, will come with expectations that the company has made sure that tracking is as accurate and low-latency as it was in its previous devices. Although inside-out positional tracking means more freedom, it is not certain that the Vive Cosmos will be completely free of other dependencies: the teaser video seems to present it as a standalone device, but HTC has indeed failed to confirm to The Verge that it wouldnt need to be hardwired to a PC at launch. The total freedom of inside-out positional tracking combined with a wireless device, therefore, seems to still be a work in progress, and that could be a significant drawback for some. The company, however, has said that it could be powered by various desktops and laptops, and also suggested mobile platforms. Some may take this as a hint of an imminent HTC smartphone release, especially since HTCs Cosmos trailer shows the outline of a phone that could be taken for a potential HTC U12+. Read next Mario Kart VR is coming to the UK for the first time Mario Kart VR is coming to the UK for the first time This is all rumour, of course, and for now we are only left with the Vive Cosmoss lightweight design and sleek controllers that could be observed at the show. The company is yet to announce an exact price or launch date for it only that it would be coming soon. Something to keep an eye on for gamers, consumers and businesses alike. More great stories from WIRED Why the UK's porn block is one of the worst ideas ever Wedding shaming Facebook groups are the real-life Mean Girls Glasgow cured violence by treating it as a health epidemic Advertisement Upgrade your sound with our guide to the best headphones The best Black Mirror episodes ranked Get the best of WIRED in your inbox every Saturday with the WIRED Weekender newsletter | https://www.wired.co.uk/article/htc-vive-cosmos-pro |
Can Williams-Sonoma's Digital Innovation Combat Cost Woes? | Williams-Sonoma, Inc.s WSM solid e-commerce growth, focus on innovation, along with marketing and digitalization techniques are substantial growth drivers. This multi-channel specialty retailers shares have declined 0.9% in the past year, comparing favorably with its industrys fall of 20.3%. Notably, the companys earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all the trailing four quarters, with the average being 8.7%. However, high costs associated with continued investments in e-commerce, employment-related expenses, shipping costs and a competitive retail environment remain concerns for this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company. Key Growth Drivers Williams-Sonoma has been increasing its market share on strong e-commerce growth. Its E-commerce segment, which generates 55% of net revenues, operates through e-commerce websites and direct mail catalogs. Moreover, the company saw 9.4% revenue growth in its e-commerce channel in the first nine months of fiscal 2018. The company anticipates a higher growth rate in the upcoming quarters. It focuses to re-platform mobile sites to Progressive Web App (PWA) technology, streamline checkout process, and implement the next-generation of machine learning, on-site search as well as personalization experience. Keeping in mind the ever-changing preference of consumers, Williams-Sonoma seeks to keep innovating its products. The company addresses the demand for new products very efficiently. Also, collaboration with eminent brands and designers is one of its strategies to attract new customers, invent new trends, as well as widen the companys social media reach. Consequently, it has shifted its advertisement spending toward social media campaigns and cross-brand initiatives to increase customer engagement, as well as cross-selling opportunities in its brands. In fact, the companys acquisition of Outward, Inc., a leading 3D imaging and augmented reality platform, will enhance product visualization and design capabilities. In the fiscal third quarter, the company released the customer-facing version of Outward-powered professional design tool called Design Crew Room Planner. It has been strategically transforming the retail business by offloading the fleet of underperforming stores, selectively investing in new stores, along with remodeling and relocating the existing ones. In the fiscal third quarter, Williams-Sonoma remodeled five stores and opened three new stores. Moreover, the company plans to close another 21 stores upon lease expiration in the fiscal fourth quarter. Concerns Despite reporting better-than-expected earnings over the past few quarters, the company reported lower-than-anticipated revenues in the fiscal third quarter. Also, its weak comps apparently disappointed investors. The downside was largely due to port delays in China that led to a delay in fulfilling orders. In the fiscal third quarter, comps grew 3.1%, down from the fiscal second quarters growth rate of 4.6% as well as the prior-year figure of 3.3%. The companys earnings are significantly affected by continued investments in e-commerce. Moreover, higher spending on digital advertising is leading to higher SG&A expenses. Again, higher employment-related and shipping costs are pressurizing the margins of the company. In the first nine months of fiscal 2018, non-GAAP operating margin contracted 30 basis points to 6.9%, owing to the above-mentioned headwinds. Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector are RH RH, Darden Restaurants, Inc. DRI and Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. TAST. While RH sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Darden Restaurants and Carrols both carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. RH has an expected earnings growth rate of 175.4% for fiscal 2018. Darden Restaurants earnings for fiscal 2019 are expected to increase 18.9%. Carrols has a projected earnings growth rate of 70% for 2018. Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | https://news.yahoo.com/williams-sonomas-digital-innovation-combat-143102500.html |
When is comic Aziz Ansari coming to Dublin's Vicar Street and how much are tickets? | Get daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Emmy Award-winning comedian Aziz Ansari comes to Dublin's Vicar Street this Spring. The Master of None star and co-creator will perform at the popular venue on March 31. Aziz won the 2017 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a TV Series, Comedy and the 2016 and 2017 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. He was recently honoured with the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy (2017). In 2015, Aziz became one of the only headlining comedians ever to sell out Madison Square Garden in New York. His two sold-out performances were filmed for a Netflix comedy special, AZIZ ANSARI: LIVE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN. Tickets cost 51 and go on sale this Friday at 10am through www.ticketmaster.ie. | https://www.dublinlive.ie/whats-on/comedy-news/aziz-ansari-vicar-street-tickets-15680580 |
Should George Get The Book Club Boot? | More controversy over a childrens book that deals with gender identity. This time, its in Scappoose. The book is about a boy named George who dreams of being a girl. Its on the list for a statewide reading contest called Oregon Battle of the Books. Some parents and school board members in Scappoose say the subject matter is too mature for grade school kids. Last night, the board voted to keep the book on the reading list. The Canby School District decided to omit George from its reading list. Both the Hermiston and Cascade School Districts decided not to participate in this years Battle of the Books because of the book. More on the debate. https://www.newsweek.com/one-million-moms-scholastic-george-transgender-book-781703 | https://www.kxl.com/should-george-get-the-book-club-boot/ |
Should Canada ban assault-style firearms? | This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Author: R. Blake Brown, Professor, Saint Marys University The federal government has asked Bill Blair, the minister of border security and organized crime reduction, to consider whether Canada should ban handguns and assault-style rifles. The media has focused mostly on the possibility of banning handguns. The idea of outlawing assault-style weapons, however, deserves more attention because this proposal could help avoid mass shootings but is extremely controversial among firearm owners. The federal governments engagement paper on possible new gun legislation notes that Canadas current firearms legislation contains no definition of an assault rifle. The paper instead offers an illustrative description from the United States Department of Justice: In general, assault weapons are semi-automatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire. This definition suggests that the federal government is considering a ban on many semi-automatic rifles that is, guns that can be fired each time the trigger is pulled. Such guns are distinguishable from manual action firearms that require shooters to use a mechanism to reload guns after each discharge, thus limiting rate of fire, and from fully automatic firearms that continue to fire so long as the trigger is depressed. Canada has long prohibited the possession of automatic guns. Some semi-automatic firearms are non-restricted, meaning they can be used for hunting and only require purchasers to obtain a basic possession and acquisition licence. Other semi-automatic guns are classified as restricted weapons. Such guns must be registered and are usually only fired at shooting ranges. Owners must possess a different licence and must have authorization to transport such firearms from one location to another. Historical context of Canadian gun control The interest in stricter regulations for semi-automatic firearms, particularly guns based on modified military weapons, reflects historic changes in gun design, marketing and ownership in Canada. At the beginning of the 19th century, long guns were generally single-shot, muzzle-loaded, smooth-bore weapons that were slow to load, inaccurate beyond approximately 100 metres, and often misfired. In the mid- to late 19th century, however, breech-loading guns replaced muzzle-loaded weapons. New ammunition and rifled barrels made guns more accurate at long ranges. Manufacturers also developed firearms with magazines that could hold several rounds of ammunition to allow more rapid firing. Typically, these guns used lever action or bolt action designs to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel. When many Canadians think of a hunting rifle, what comes to mind is one of these guns, such as a lever-action Winchester rifle. Generations of Canadians used such guns to hunt deer, moose and other game. Historic department store catalogues suggest that the popularity of semi-automatic guns among hunters is quite new. Stores like Eatons, Simpsons and Army & Navy sold mostly manual-action firearms. In 1975, for instance, Eatons advertised few semi-automatic rifles. As semi-automatic firearms entered the marketplace in larger numbers, however, some Canadians began to express concern about their availability. Semi-automatic rifles have been used in many of the most infamous mass murders in Canadian history, including the murder of 14 women in the 1989 Montreal Massacre, the murder of four RCMP officers in Mayerthorpe, Alberta in 2005, the murder of three RCMP officers in Moncton in 2014, and the Quebec mosque shooting of 2017. Perhaps the first fight over the classification of semi-automatic guns in Canada concerned the AR-15, the firearm used in several recent mass shootings in the United States. AR-15 restricted in Canada In 1977, Ottawa made the AR-15 a restricted weapon. Prime Minister Joe Clarks government reversed that decision, although Ottawa again declared it a restricted firearm in the 1990s. In 2016, Conservative MP Bob Zimmer sponsored a parliamentary petition asking that the AR-15 be reclassified as a non-restricted firearm. The AR-15, however, remains in the restricted category. Canadians must decide how available modern semi-automatic rifles should be. Many semi-automatic firearms based on military gun designs are now sold in Canada at stores such as Cabelas. Manufacturers and retailers often call such weapons modern sporting rifles to make them sound less threatening. Several gun groups like the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights argue that all semi-automatics with barrels of a certain length should be non-restricted. They suggest that guns like the AR-15 are restricted simply because of their physical resemblance to military weapons, and have urged politicians to make such guns non-restricted. In 2016, the Conservative Party considered this change at its national convention, and Maxime Bernier has made this proposal part of his Peoples Party platform. Gun control advocates, meanwhile, question why many semi-automatics, including the Ruger Mini-14 used in the Montreal Massacre, are non-restricted. The federal government may prove reluctant to prohibit such guns because of opposition from gun groups. Another option Another option is possible, however. Ottawa could make all semi-automatic rifles restricted weapons. This would force owners to pass a more rigorous screening process, require the registration of such guns and place limits on how theyre used and transported. This is not a new idea. In 1977, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police claimed that semi-automatic guns were basically designed as an instrument of war and that they had no sporting use either in the cultural or recreational sense. The association thus urged Ottawa to restrict all semi-automatic weapons as a category. Ottawa refused to do it. But recent mass shootings in Canada have shown that such guns, if misused, are dangerous to the public and to law enforcement. Legislators might well keep in mind the words of A.J. Somerset, author of Arms: The Culture and Credo of the Gun. He warns that as long as semi-automatic, assault-style rifles are widely available in Canada, a massacre like the 2016 nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., is not simply a U.S. nightmare on the news; its a shadow falling over us, a possibility we cant ignore. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/should-canada-ban-assault-style-firearms https:/ | https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/should-canada-ban-assault-style-firearms |
Who is Chris Pratt's fiancee Katherine Schwarzenegger? | CLOSE The "Jurassic World" actor revealed the news on Instagram saying, "Sweet Katherine, so happy you said yes!" Well, yes, she's the eldest child of ex-"Terminator"-turned-former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his estranged wife, former NBC correspondent Maria Shriver, and is thus a Kennedy clan member. But she's not an actor like "Jurassic World" star Pratt, 39, or her father, 71, (who has six movies in post-production, including a "Terminator reboot), or her younger brother, Patrick, 25, who has played roles in TV series like "Scream Queens" and "The Long Road Home." The simple answer is how Schwarzenegger, 29, describes herself on Instagram: "Author, blogger, lover&addict of all things lifestyle," it says, adding that she's also an ambassador for the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Katherine Schwarzenegger in April 2014. (Photo: Mike Rosenthal) Dogs and other critters are familiar images on her Instagram. Now Pratt has joined the pantheon, along with her family, with a picture of the two and a gushy caption. "My sweet love. Wouldnt want to live this life with anyone but you," it read, followed by an engagement ring icon. According to her Amazon page, Schwarzenegger is the author of three books, two of them focused on self-help. Her latest, the 2017 children's book "Maverick and Me," drew on her experience adopting a dog, Maverick, to create a picture book to introduce kids to the concept of adopt, dont shop when it comes to pets. Earlier, "Rock What You've Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty From Someone Who's Been There and Back," came out in 2010; it's an advice book for young women on how to develop a healthy body image. In grade school and middle school, Schwarzenegger suffered from body-image issues that she now controls with yoga and other exercise. : Honest Answers From Those Who Have Been There" came out in 2014 and was targeted at recent college graduates uncertain about what to do next. He was married for nine years, until 2018, to actress Anna Faris, 42, and they have a son, Jack, 6. That's something of a mystery but interest in their relationship started last summer. They first showed up in photos together in June 2018, when TMZ photographers spotted them on a picnic date in Santa Barbara, California, tooling around in his big red truck. Katherine Schwarzenegger with Tuna the dog at opening of The Wallis Annenberg PetSpace on June 24, 2017 in Playa Vista, Calif. (Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images) Later, in August, they were seen together at Sunday church service and a family dinner, and in September they visited a farm and winery in Napa Valley. For Schwarzenegger's birthday in December, the actor shared a loving post to Instagram with a collection of photos of the two of them goofing around. "Happy Birthday Chief! Your smile lights up the room," he said. "Ive cherished our time together. Thrilled God put you in my life. Thankful for the laughs, kisses, talks, hikes, love and care." Born and raised in Los Angeles, Schwarzenegger graduated from the University of Southern California in 2012. She was at loose ends and ended up interviewing a variety of people, including actors and entrepreneurs, about what to do next for a career. Her second book grew out of those interviews, compiled as a survival guide for new grads. Now she runs a lifestyle blog that covers health, beauty, home decor, animals, style and food. Besides Patrick, her siblings include Christina, 27, and Christopher Schwarzenegger, 21, plus a half-brother, Joseph Baena, 21. Her parents are legally separated but are not divorced. Their marriage fell apart in 2011 after it emerged that he had fathered a child with the family's housekeeper. Read or Share this story: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/2019/01/15/what-to-know-about-chris-pratts-fiancee-katherine-schwarzenegger/2579066002/ | https://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/2019/01/15/what-to-know-about-chris-pratts-fiancee-katherine-schwarzenegger/2579066002/ |
Why Did the Border Patrol Union Switch Its Position on the Wall? | In advocating for border security, President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to enlist Border Patrol agents and their union, the Washington Post reports, even bringing union leaders for Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the White House to tout the wall. That isnt surprising in one sense: Lots of politicians use uniformed law-enforcement officers as political props. But in another sense, it is rather strange. Typically, unions zealously oppose anything that makes the labor of their members less necessary. The Luddites smashed automated looms. The grocery-store checkers are against self-checkout kiosks. The fast-food workers dont want touch-screen ordering. The most charitable explanation is that members of the union earnestly believe that Trumps desired wall is in the best interest of the United States, regardless of its effect on their personal interests as laborers. Thats the impression Trump wants to create by touting their endorsement: that the men and women actually patrolling the border, with all the attendant expertise their daily work confers, believe that the sort of barrier hes advocating for will help them achieve their mission. | https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/trump-nbpc/580237/?utm_source=feed |
Is Kim Kardashian Having a Girl or a Boy for her Fourth Child? | Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are expecting their fourth child via surrogate, and the reality star just confirmed that their little one will be a boy. She confirmed the news last night during her appearance on Watch What Happens Live! with sisters Khlo and Kourtney Kardashian. Kourtney was actually surprised that her sibling spilled the beans on the upcoming baby, but Kim had a good explanation. "Well it's out there," she began. When host Andy Cohen noted that Kim hadn't publicly confirmed the sex of her child yet, she continued: "Well, I know, but I got drunk at our Christmas Eve party and I told some people and I can't remember who I told 'cause I never get drunk.'" Sounds like a valid reason. Cohen, who's also expecting a son via surrogate, added, "Maybe our boys can have a playdate." As for the due date, all Kim said is that her son is arriving "sometime soon." Unfortunately, she wasn't as open about spilling on this subject. However, sources previously revealed that Kardashian-West Baby #4 is due in early May, according to earlier reports from Us Weekly. Kardashian fans might've also already known Kim was having a boy, as an insider told Us Weekly in August 2018 that her last embryo left was male. Kim and Kanye are already parents to North, 5, Saint, 3, and Chicago, who was also born via surrogate and coincidentally turns one today. The KKW beauty mogul celebrated her youngest's birthday with a sweet dedication on Instagram. "Happy Birthday to my pretty girl Chi!!!! The sweetest baby in the whole world! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!" Kim wrote. | https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a25902919/kim-kardashian-baby-gender-fourth-child/ |
Why is Intel without a CEO after seven months? | Seven months ago, Intel got a blessing not in disguise when its CEO, Brian Krzanich, was forced out amid a sexual impropriety scandal. Since then, there has been near radio silence and not a hint of who could take the captains chair of this $50 billion ship. It stands in stark contrast to the CEO search at Microsoft, where one outsider name after another came up in the press, only for the company to go with the internal candidate, Satya Nadella, and no one would dare say that was a bad choice. Initially, the betting money was on Murthy Renduchintala, head of Intel's client group, to lead the company, but that talk has faded. The problem now, according to analysts I spoke with, is the board cant make up its mind and the best people arent in the running. They are making CEO-level decisions on product mix and everything else. He originally said he didnt want it, but they havent found anyone else. The most obvious outside candidates said no, said Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research. And Rob Enderle, principal analyst at The Enderle Group, says Intel's board is divided on what to do. As I understand it, the board is split between going with Murthy and taking Intel in a Qualcomm-like direction, and the other half is saying, 'No, that would be stupid.' And [Krzanich] got rid of anyone who was a challenger to his job, so the bench is pretty much empty. That means going outside, and Intel is not a company that goes to outsiders well, he said. Intel's recent announcements at CES show the company is doing fairly well without a captain at the helm and its stock is holding up surprisingly well, but it cant go on like this. AMD is executing very well right now and stands to gain not just market share but user confidence, which is really what counts. Driving out successors One thing making the job hard is that Krzanich who, by the way, has a new job as of November as CEO of CDK Global, a company that makes software for auto dealerships really purged the company of potential successors. For its history, Intel always promoted from within, and every CEO has been a lifer whose only professional job was with Intel. Among the departed: Renee James, former head of software who now runs a semiconductor startup, Ampere Computing. Former CFO Stacy Smith left in 2018. Diane Bryant, the former head of the data center business, left to run Googles Cloud business but has since left that gig. And Kirk Skaugen, former head of the PC group, now runs the data center group for Lenovo. All of those people could have been CEO, and all left under Krzanich. The obvious outsider choice remains Pat Gelsinger, but he is quite content as CEO of VMware and doesnt want the job. After that, it seems Intel cant get anyone. Anyone qualified to run that company with the divisions it has wouldnt touch it with a 10-foot pole, said Enderle. Among the problems: Intels foray into discrete graphics is late and underfunded, R&D has been heavily cut, getting to 10nm manufacturing is years behind, and their lead in robotics has gone to Nvidia like everything else. Intel reports earnings on January 24, and Bloomberg says the board wants to announce a CEO before then. Intel's board is the problem McGregor and Enderle both lay the problem with Intel's board and say it needs to go as badly as Krzanich did. It seems like the board is spineless and cant make a decision or have had a challenge in terms of getting someone to accept the position, said McGregor. Its almost the same position as AMD a few years ago where the best qualified people didnt want the job. Enderle notes that of its nine members, Intels board of directors has only member with any microprocessor background: Tsu-Jae King Liu, and shes an academic, a professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. Theres more finance types and people with medical backgrounds than chip people on the board. You've got people with no experience with microprocessors, and at the end of the day, its about microprocessors, he said. They need to fix the board. They cant function well if you do not have a board that understands what you do. The two analysts cant even agree on Swan. Quite honestly, I think he is the only choice, said McGregor. He obviously appears to be doing a good job. I dont know if its him holding it up or the board holding it up. However, Enderle said, He is doing a decent job, but if they want Intel to dig its way out of the hole its in, they need a visionary and hes not a visionary. Hes keeping the wheels on the cart but not changing the course of the place. | https://www.networkworld.com/article/3333778/techology-business/why-is-intel-without-a-ceo-after-seven-months.html |
How many MPs will vote for Theresa May's Brexit deal? | The video will start in 8 Cancel Get daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email At least 64 Conservative MPs have said they intend to vote against Theresa May's Brexit deal, according to Press Association calculations. A rebellion by 64 Tory MPs could be enough to leave Mrs May facing defeat in the Commons by over 100. It would mean the number voting in favour of the deal is around 256. There are 639 MPs who will be able to take part in the vote on Tuesday night. This does not include the Speaker and Deputy Speakers, who do not vote, and Sinn Fein who do not take their seats at Westminster. Of the 639, the number voting against the deal is currently projected to be around 383. This includes the 64 rebel Tory MPs plus almost all opposition MPs. (Image: PA) However, there's no way of knowing the numbers for sure until voting takes place on Tuesday night. One Labour MP, Sir Kevin Barron, has said he will back the deal. Another, Jim Fitzpatrick, has said he is close to supporting the Withdrawal Agreement. The Withdrawal Agreement secured by the Prime Minister in Brussels in November looks set to go down to one of the heaviest Commons defeats in modern history, after a last-gasp appeal to Tory rebels fell on deaf ears. But Mrs May made clear she would not back away from Brexit in response, telling the Cabinet the Government is the servant of the people and must deliver on the result of the 2016 referendum in which voters opted to Leave by 52%-48%. She told colleagues at the weekly meeting in 10 Downing Street that she will respond quickly if her deal is rejected by MPs. | https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/how-many-vote-brexit-deal-15682150 |
When will Four Weddings and a Funeral stars reunite for TV's romantic update? | Get daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email It was the stand-out film of 1994 and its engaging mix of laugh-out-loud humour, unexpected sorrow and will-they won't they romance ensured it earned its place in the heart of the nation. Four Weddings and a Funeral marked the first - and best - of Hugh Grant's lovable bumbling Brit roles and won him worldwide recognition - and a BAFTA. The film - with Grant's love-struck Charles and Andie MacDowell's Carrie, the classy American object of his affections, joined by a cracking support cast - won two Oscars and, while screenwriter Richard Curtis went on to many more rom-com successes, his Four Weddings has arguably never been bettered. Tinged with rosy nostalgia, the film and its memorable characters have retained a place in our hearts so it's little wonder that fans are so excited at the news of an upcoming sequel - for Red Nose Day. (Image: Channel 4) The one-off TV special will see Charles and Carrie reunite for the first time in almost 25 years. Penned by Curtis, specially to mark Red Nose Day on BBC1, it will see the central characters in a new story - and where the quarter-century will have taken them is anybody's guess but fans will certainly have fun speculating about the possibilities. Joining Grant and MacDowell in the short film will be Kristin Scott Thomas, who played Charles' upper-crust friend Fiona, who had secretly held a torch for him for years; John Hannah who played Matthew, partner of Simon Callow's Gareth whose sudden at a wedding is a shocker in the film, and Rowan Atkinson who had a brief but brilliant role as a tongue-tied vicar. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now Also in the line-up of returning actors will be David Haig and James Fleet. The resulting film - to be directed by Mike Newell who was at the helm of the original - is set to be a highlight of BBC1's upcoming coverage of the biennial Comic Relief Red Nose Day fund-raiser which sees entertainers help raise money for the needy in Africa and the UK. Fans do not have too long to wait. The Four Weddings sequel is to screen on BBC1 on Friday, March 15. Curtis, whose other hits include Love Actually - which previously inspired a Red Nose Day spin-off - and Notting Hill, has hinted that the storyline will feature, yes, another wedding. He has said: "We're all definitely older; I suspect no wiser. "It's been really enjoyable working out what's happened to all the characters. Now they get back together for the fifth wedding, where, as usual, not everything will go as planned." There is no news as to whether any other of the original cast will feature in the new story. One who will be sadly missed is Charlotte Coleman, who played Charles' sister and flat-mate Scarlett and starred in the famous fast and furious foul-mouthed start to the film where the stressed pair are running late for the first wedding. The actress died suddenly in 2001 of an asthma attack at the age of just 33. The new Four Weddings sequel also will be screened in America in the summer as part of the US version of the fund-raiser event. | https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/tv/four-weddings-funeral-stars-reunite-15680856 |
Did south Asians change UKs destiny? | Atanu Biswas By The much-hyped Channel 4 television drama Brexit: The Uncivil War starring Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch, which aired in early January, had a tagline: Everyone knows who won. The Britons would keep on wondering why and how they could actually break ties with European event that would redefine the history of the country. Certainly severe dissatisfaction within society might have been expressed in the Brexit ballots. Several studies show high correlation of Leave vote shares with older age, lower educational attainment, unemployment, or employment in certain industries such as manufacturing, and lack of quality of public service provision. In an interesting fictional attempt, Stanley Johnsons Brexit novel Kompromat, set in the backdrop of the Brexit vote and the US presidential election, infuses the idea that Russia might have orchestrated the destabilising of the West. Whether that is true or not, Brexit could destabilise Britain to the utmost level, for sure, especially a no-deal Brexit that looks possible. Britain had joined the European Economic Community (EEC), the predecessor of EU, in 1973. Interestingly, they didnt take any referendum for this. But strangely they always sought public opinion to continue with Europe! The United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum took place in June 1975, which voted in favour of continuing with Europe by a two-third majority. However, 41 years on, in another June, Britons issued a different verdict. Yes, the demography of the UK has changed remarkably in between. In the 2006 British drama film This is England, set in 1983 Britain, a 11-year old British boy was seen to make a racial remark to a Pakistani shopkeeper. In a dramatic shift in the tune, in an episode in BBCs recent popular comedy TV series Citizen Khan, in 2014, Mr Khan, a Pakistani immigrant to Britain living at Sparkhill in East Birmingham, was seen to be furious over East European immigrants in Britain. Mr Khan alleged that East Europeans were eating up the jobs meant for British Pakistanis. While his daughter reminded him about his own immigrant status, he firmly announces that he has been residing in Britain for 30 years, and the East Europeans are the immigrants! It might be interesting to note that the British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens who live in the UK, along with Britons who have lived abroad for less than 15 years, were eligible to vote in the EU referendum. And there is widespread speculation that Citizen Khan actually voted for Brexit in the 2016 referendum, as did many of his friends of South Asian origin. Many areas having significant (say, more than 25 per cent) South Asian populations voted in favour of Leave, for eg. 56.5 per cent in Luton, 56.4 per cent in Hillingdon and 54.2 per cent in Bradford voted for Leave. Asians constituted only 4.4 per cent of the UK population in 2001, which jumped to 6.9 per cent in 2011, comprising nearly 2.5 per cent British Indians, 2 per cent British Pakistanis, and 0.8 per cent British Bangladeshis. The percentage of the South Asian community is increasing rapidly in that country, as by 2050, it is predicted that non-white people will make up almost 30 per cent of the population. The British South Asian diaspora, in general, feel themselves to be British Indian or British Pakistani, and were never absorbed into a European collective attitude. In addition, East European immigrants flooded the UK in this millenniumnet immigration from the EU to the UK was 15,000 in 2003, which jumped to 87,000 in 2004 due to Eastern enlargement, and became 184,000 in 2015. Much like the prominent Leave campaigners such as Michael Gove, the immigrants from the Indian subcontinent were dismayed by the racist immigration system that Britain had to implementpredominantly white EU migrants were allowed to freely enter the UK, while those from the Indian subcontinent were subject to visa and work restrictions, and had to pay thousands of pounds each year to extend their visa. And Brexit was an opportunity for them to level out this in-built unfairness. We all know that Leave won by a slender margin in the 2016 Brexit referendum just 51.89 per cent voted for Leave. It might be difficult to find the exact percentage of South Asians who voted for Brexit. But assuming that South Asians constituted 7 per cent of the votes cast, and 4 out of 5 (i.e. 80 per cent) among them voted in favour of Leave, 5.6 per cent of the votes favouring Brexit came from the South Asians. So the remaining 46.29 per cent votes came from the remaining 93 per cent of voters, which is 49.77 per cent of the remaining votes, just below the halfway mark! This means that without Citizen Khan highly favouring Brexit as a response to immigration from Eastern European, the greatest social, political and economic turmoil in Britain in the 21st century would possibly not have taken place! In fact, several academic researchers are examining immigration from Eastern Europe as a potential driver of support for Brexit, while the role of austerity policies since 2010 is also explored in this context. These Citizen Khans are nothing but the carry-over effects of British colonies all over the world. For centuries Britain has changed the course of history of the world through these colonies. Now, the inevitable and inseparable carry-over effects are bound to change the history of Britain in a decisive manner. Atanu Biswas Professor of Statistics, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata Email: [email protected] | http://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2019/jan/15/did-south-asians-change-uks-destiny-1925264.html |
Will Kenya's Mombasa port be taken over by the Chinese? | If Kenya defaults on a 2bn euro debt to China, it may have to hand over Mombasa's port to the Asian giant. A leaked copy of the contract Kenya signed with China for the construction of the giant Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge railway project is causing political shockwaves in the country. This is amid revelations that the country could lose the port of Mombasa to the Chinese government, if the national Railway Corporation defaults in the payment of Sh227 billion owed to Exim Bank of China. That amounts to an estimated 1.9 billion euros. The revelations are contained in the front page article of todays Daily Nation newspaper which claims it has managed to secure a leaked copy of the contract. Assets in danger The publication highlights a controversial clause in the 2014 SGR agreement which it warns will infuriate Kenyans. It stipulates that: neither the borrower (Kenya) nor any of its assets is entitled to any right of immunity on the grounds of sovereignty, with respect to its obligations. Edwin Okoth is the author of the bombshell revelations published by the Nairobi-based Daily Nation. He told RFI from Nairobi that Kenya may have mortgaged itself when it accepted the terms of the huge Chinese loan four years ago. What I was able to find out which is shocking is that none of the national assets normally protected by sovereignty have been left out in regard to that loan agreement, regrets the journalist. Okoth also says that the Chinese may be targeting Kenyas second container port for which they filed a tender and lost under the argument that they need to generate money and pay their debts. What that basically means is that everything will go in case of default, warned the Nations business reporter. SGR Losses Kenyan Transport Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia told a parliamentary committee last year that the company recorded a loss of Sh110 billion in its first year of operations. That represented a revenue shortfall of 943 million euros which he attributed to low cargo business the SGR transporting just 800 containers, out of the 1,700 which arrive the port. Kenyan economist David Ndii is an outspoken critic of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Guage Railway contract. He told RFI that the cost of servicing the SGR loan is about 20 billion Kenyan Shillings which is about 250 million dollars per year. Take-or-pay David Ndii goes on to point out that under the take-or-pay contract, the Kenya Ports Authority has the obligation to apply tariffs of 12 Cents/ton/km set by the Chinese funded and operated SGR Company. In Ndiis opinion, by proceeding as such, the Chinese are able to securitize the ports cash flows, in the event that the KPA did not meet recovery requirements. Debt burden China is Kenyas largest lender, accounting for 72 percent of all its foreign debts set to surpass the 5 trillion Shilling mark (42.8 billion euros). That accounts for more than 60 percent of the countrys Gross Domestic Product. Kenya is set to spend a staggering 800 billion Shillings (6.8 billion euros) in 2019 to service its debts, becoming the third indebted country behind Angola at 36 billion euros and Ethiopia at 11 billion euros. | http://en.rfi.fr/africa/20190114-kenya-mombasa-port-china-debt-default |
Should the EU introduce a carbon 'floor price'? | A Paris-based think tank has urged Brussels to introduce a carbon floor price on emissions to speed up the phase-out from coal. A month after delegates narrowly adopted the Paris rule book in Poland, stakeholders are urging more clarity in how to implement those rules. "The signal which the price of carbon gives is extremely important in terms of investments in the energy sector," says Edmond Alphandry, a former French economy minister. "In Europe, the problem is that the price of carbon is very volatile," he told RFI. Alphandry, who served as economy minister in the mid 90s, was speaking after making an impassioned plea for an EU-wide carbon floor price to diplomats in Paris on the success of last month's Cop24 climate conference. Now that the Paris rulebook has been adopted, he insists that the conversation needs to move forward towards concrete solutions for cutting carbon. That starts with fixing a price. "When we created the carbon market, the price of carbon was more than 30 euros per ton. With the financial crisis, it fell to 3 euros per ton and then it went up last year to 25 euros per ton," he says insisting that market volatility is bad for business. "What I'm saying to the European Commission is 'put a floor of 20 euros', that would send an excellent signal." EU-level carbon price hits snags The logic is that if goods and services that produce high carbon emissions are expensive enough, consumers will be put off and emissions will go down. The EU Commission is reluctant to tax carbon emissions at EU-level, insisting this is the responsibility of national governments. Another reason may be political. With European elections just around the corner, the commission may be keen to avoid further legislation that populists could use to whip up anti-EU sentiment. "It's complicated," says Alphandry. "There's a lot of political pressure, the debate is complicated." A carbon trading market already exists in Europe since 2005. Sources at the commission stress that their role is to regulate the volume, and not the price of emissions, the latter being "the job of the market." Yet for Alphandry, the current EU trading system lacks efficiency: "Without targeting the price, we don't have an efficient device," he reckons. "Let polluters pay" Some of the biggest energy companies including Frances EDF and Germanys E.ON, are also calling for carbon pricing at regional level to speed up the transition to a low-carbon economy. "If we have some way to let polluters pay and use this money to subsidize innovation, I would be in favour of a carbon floor price," says for his part Valentino Piana, an economist, and one of the authors of last year's report by the Intergovernemental Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC. "But since, it's very likely that the price of carbon would disproportionately hit the poor and the middle class, provoking a boomerang effect, I'm against it," he told RFI. "For ordinary people, all this means is that we now target carbon neutrality, so basically going to zero. And this can be done at a pace of [reducing emissions by] 9 percent per year each year." In concrete terms, Piana says that to make the rules of the Cop24 relevant to the common man, it starts by adopting a healthy lifestyle. "What we need to do is reduce our consumption of red meat, be healthy, eat more vegetables, use bikes instread of cars." None of this is dramatic or earthshattering. That's the point he says: "It's not about giving up happiness or high standards of living, the point of moving forward is to satisfy both these needs," he said. | http://en.rfi.fr/europe/20190114-eu-carbon-tax-pressure-price-pollution |
Was Public Input on NYC and Chicago Bikeshare Ignored? | Public bikes are meant to complement a citys existing mass transit network, so the location of docking stations is critical. Mark Lennihan/AP Under 10 percent of new Citi Bike and Divvy bike docks are sited where residents suggested using interactive online maps, a new study shows. But that doesn't mean city officials weren't listening. Chicago was slightly more responsive. Ten percent of docking stations built through 2015 were located at or near the spots residents identified on the interactive map. Our findings dont imply that city officials werent listening. There are practical reasons why they werent able to put most bike stations where people asked. Public bikesa quick, green way of getting around townare designed to complement buses and subways. So enlarging bike systems in New York and Chicago meant assessing gaps in each citys transportation network. The results of that analysis may conflict with peoples desires about where new docks should be installed. Transit planners would also have disregarded suggested dock locations that lacked sidewalk space, or were too close to fire hydrants or utility services. Cities often face resistance when building bike stations, too. Docks can take away coveted parking space, outraging drivers. In some historic districts, residents and planners see bike docks as incompatible with the atmosphere. Despite these challenges, officials tried to ensure equal access to the new bikes. What Im shooting for is uniformity across every neighborhood, New Yorks bike share director, John Frost, told residents at a community meeting in 2015. Differences between neighborhoods Perfect uniformity is impossible, though. In both cities, we found that the governments responsiveness to public input varied by neighborhood. New bike stations in and around downtown Chicago were far more likely to be sited where suggested than those in more suburban areas: 12 percent versus 6 percent. This could be because stations on the outskirts of a system generally are used less, and so are not built as densely as cyclists might like. The National Association of City Transportation Officials guidelines say that residents of a neighborhood served by bikeshare should live within a five-minute walk of a docking station. Online maps enabled residents to take direct action in planning their cities, rather than just commenting on the ideas of planners In New York, 9 percent of new docks in outlying boroughs were built where residents asked. In the citys financial core of Manhattan, just 3 percent of new docks werelikely because people requested more docks in areas of Manhattan already served by bikes, while city officials wanted to expand into new neighborhoods. Neither city offered much guidance on these issues for people who went online to suggest locations for new bike stations. So residents just dropped their pin where they thought a dock would make most sense. Cities are changing fast. Keep up with the CityLab Daily newsletter. The best way to follow issues you care about. Subscribe Loading... New York and Chicago are not the only cities to ask people for input in creating or expanding bike share only to end up with final plans that dont necessarily reflect it. Cincinnati, Ohio, used an interactive online map as part of a feasibility study in 2012 to guide the launch of its bikeshare. Planners got way more information than they could use: People suggested 330 sites for bike docks throughout the city, across the Ohio River and even into Kentucky. The launch called for just 29 stations. Lessons for democracy The implications of our study go well beyond bikesharing. Cities must frequently decide how to distribute scarce public resources like low-income housing, transit stations, and parks. The experiences of New York, Chicago, and Cincinnati offer useful lessons for cities hoping to engage residents in decisions that affect their neighborhoods. All three made great efforts to gather input on locating new bike docks. But it might not appear so, given that just 5 or 10 percent of suggestions were implemented in the end. With trust in government at historic lows, that could make people even more cynical. They dont know whether requests for public input are genuine or just a show of democratic processand a waste of time. But our study found some positive results from the consultation process around bikeshares in New York and Chicago, too. The online maps enabled residents to take direct action in planning their cities, rather than just commenting on the ideas of plannersor waking up to discover a docking station had been built outside their door. As recent urban planning research confirms, this kind of transparencythe online maps, community meetings, workshops and the likealso gives decisions more legitimacy. It also leaves a record, allowing researchers like us to measure and evaluate the results. Understanding where and why peoples ideas were disregarded can be a learning experience for residents and governments alike. Ultimately, our study finds that cities wanting public input on big decisions must not only engage residents effectivelythey must also explain the constraints they face. That helps residents make informed recommendations that are more likely to be implemented. Locals know their neighborhoods best. We believe cities that really listen will find the best solutions to urban problems. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. | https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2019/01/chicago-new-york-public-input-bikeshare-transit-planning/580321/ |
Should Family Guy 'phase out' gay jokes? | Image copyright FOX Image caption Stewie has often been the butt of gay jokes on Family Guy Family Guy is known for its politically incorrect humour, but now the team behind the show are making some changes. Fans of the animated comedy series are used to its often distasteful humour. One character, Joe, is in a wheelchair, and the subject of many of the show's disabled jokes. Another, Quagmire, is used as a platform for the many references to rape or sexual harassment. And during the show's 17-season run, Stewie, the Griffin family baby, has been hit with quips about being gay. But it appears that the jokes targeted at the LGBT community are on the way out. In Sunday's episode, Peter Griffin, who is voiced by the show's creator Seth MacFarlane, was seen telling a cartoon President Trump that the show was trying to "phase out" gay jokes. "Many children have learned their favourite Jewish, black, and gay jokes by watching your show over the years," the animated president tells Peter. "In fairness, we've been trying to phase out the gay stuff," Peter replies. We're a cartoon. You're the president." The change in direction has been confirmed by the show's executive producers Alec Sulkin and Rich Appel, who told TV Line that they want to better reflect the current climate in the show. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Seth MacFarlane with Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin at a Fox press event in 2018 Sulkin said: "If you look at a show from 2005 or 2006 and put it side by side with a show from 2018 or 2019, they're going to have a few differences. "Some of the things we felt comfortable saying and joking about back then, we now understand is not acceptable." Appel added: "The climate is different, the culture is different and our views are different. They've been shaped by the reality around us, so I think the show has to shift and evolve in a lot of different ways." One of the defences of the show's controversial storylines is that they make fun of all minority groups equally and some have argued that there's no reason one particular minority group should be exempt. "If Family Guy is gonna be mainstream and not edgy, what's the point?" asked one fan of the show on Twitter. "Early 2000s Family Guy was funny because it pushed boundaries." And some in the LGBT community argued the show does not offend them. "I'm gay, my boyfriend and I watch Family Guy, and we laugh at the gay jokes as much as we laugh at any of the jokes," wrote viewer Zell on Twitter. "I never felt like the gay jokes were at Stewie's expense, but rather an evolution of the character," added Rhagana. "It seemed like the more queer he became, the less evil he was." However, some people think Family Guy is in need of change, including Nick Duffy, the current affairs editor of Pink News, who says it is important to reflect a more modern view of homosexuality in the show. "Family Guy has been very much reliant on stereotypes of predatory gay men," he tells BBC News. "And it's not just gay people specifically, but before Caitlyn Jenner came out as transgender, they made heavy quips about her gender identity, which they've been criticised for before. "At the time she was in the closet and since then she's come out. They've not apologised although they do seem to have moved past it." Image copyright FOX Duffy says the reason comedy shows often miss the mark is because they portray "a straight white man's experience of comedy - just look at Saturday Night Live!" But, he adds: "We are seeing more diverse narratives of LGBT experience in comedy and new storylines coming through, like Hannah Gadsby's show Nanette on Netflix. "It says something about the world those shows inhibit and it's now changing, so it looks like shows like Family Guy are becoming more inclusive, but I hope that's also happening behind the scenes too." Daily Mail Australia writer Jacques Anderson, who writes about pop culture and LGBT issues, says that Family Guy misses the mark when it comes to comedic value altogether. "I'm gay and I don't have any problem with Family Guy or anyone else telling gay jokes as long as they're funny. But Family Guy just isn't funny," he tells BBC News. "It's just a bunch of pop culture references and random 'stuff' thrown together... the show doesn't even push the envelope far enough to warrant a few laughs from shock value." He disagrees with the idea that adding diverse writers to the mix would improve Family Guy's gay jokes and says a good joke is a good joke regardless of who wrote it. "Personally I think it's rubbish to say that gay jokes have to be written by gay people. Does that mean gay people can't write jokes about straight people?" he asks. "If we could only write about people who are exactly like us the world would be a very boring place. I'm a writer and I'm going to write about anything and anybody I want, and I hope other writers do the same." Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-46878017 |
Did Supernovas Kill Off the Monster Shark Megalodon? | Even though Earth is floating in the void, it does not exist in a vacuum. The planet is constantly bombarded by stuff from space, including a daily deluge of micrometeorites and a shower of radiation from the sun and more-distant stars. Sometimes, things from space can maim or kill us, like the gargantuan asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. More often, stellar smithereens make their way to Earth and the moon and then peacefully settle, remaining for eternity, or at least until scientists dig them up. Dark matter, if it exists, is probably in the latter category. If hypothetical weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) are real, their collisions with regular matter may have left fossil traces in the depths of the planets rock record. A team of physicists has proposed a new way to look for such fossil tracks as a way of hunting for dark matter, as I reported earlier this month. But the search for cosmic debris on Earth has a long history. Other researchers have demonstrated that its possible to find fossil evidence of astrophysical particles in Earths crust. Some researchers are pondering how these cosmic events affect Earth even whether they have altered the course of evolution. A new study suggests that energetic particles from an exploding star may have contributed to the extinction of a number of megafauna, including the prehistoric monster shark megalodon, which went extinct at around the same time. Its an interesting coincidence, said Adrian Melott, an astrophysicist at the University of Kansas and the author of a new paper. When a star dies, its guts stream out into the cosmos. Among those stellar remains are isotopes, or variants, of elements like iron. One such isotope, iron-60, is rare on Earth but abundant in supernovas. In 2016 and 2017, astrophysicists traced iron-60 found on Earths seafloor and on the moon back to two ancient supernovas in Earths galactic neighborhood. One event took place roughly 2.6 million years ago, and another sometime between 6.5 million and 8.7 million years ago, researchers say. A lot of things would not leave a definite residue, Melott said in an interview, but iron-60 does. In the new paper, he describes how a supernova would produce a shower of subatomic particles called muons that could damage DNA, leading to widespread mutations in organisms, and even the extinction of species. Muons are sort of like extra-heavy electrons. They can sail through Earths atmosphere with greater ease than protons and electrons. They get to the ground, they hit you, and some of them will interact with you, and damage your DNA, Melott said. They are in a sweet spot for affecting ground-based life. Melott hypothesized that a supernova around 2.6 million years ago would have increased the flow of muons streaming through the atmosphere several hundred times over. He and his coauthors estimated that cancer rates could have increased by 50 percent for an animal the size of a human. For a mammoth or a megalodon which was the size of a school bus the radiation dose would be even worse, Melott said. The idea that supernovas might affect life on Earth is not completely new. The paleontologist Otto Schindewolf proposed in the 1950s that supernovas might have induced mutations in large animals. But his theory did not catch on. In 1968, the astronomers K.D. Terry and W.H. Tucker suggested that mass extinctions might have been caused by nearby exploding stars, and the hypothesis has been reanimated several times since. Yet most theories blame the die-offs on widespread climate changes, not on direct mutations. Supernova explosions could obliterate Earths ozone layer, for instance, which would wreak havoc on marine plankton and coral reefs. Supernovas could also generate an excess of cosmic rays that could seed cloud formation, leading to a cosmic-ray winter, Henrik Svensmark of the Technical University of Denmark wrote in an email. Svensmarks work shows that Earths geological record coincides in some cases with the expected flux of supernova-related cosmic rays. And a 1995 paper by the physicists John Ellis and David Schramm concluded that catastrophic supernovas could be expected every few hundred million years, in keeping with the pace of mass extinctions. As for Melotts hypothesis that the single supernova 2.6 million years ago led directly to extinctions, he points to a few lines of evidence. At the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary 2.6 million years ago, some 36 percent of marine genera went extinct, mostly in coastal waters. Larger animals would catch a higher muon dose in those regions, Melott points out. But unlike those of iron-60 and WIMPs, the mark of muons would not remain in the fossil record, making the direct connection between muons and extinctions all but impossible to prove. These muons would really not leave any trace, Melott said. Even if muon showers and iron-60 from dying stars cannot be directly linked to extinctions, their presence demonstrates a profound truth: Earth, and everything on it, is a part of the universe, not apart from it. The stars may indeed hold some answers to our fates. | https://www.quantamagazine.org/did-supernovas-kill-off-the-monster-shark-megalodon-20190115/ |
Would Syracuses Marek Dolezaj take that charge from Zion Williamson again? | Durham, N.C. It was a dump truck colliding with a bicycle, a collision of immensely disproportionate elements. There was Zion Williamson, the 6-foot-7, 285-pound Duke freshman, alone in the open court, bearing down on the rim. And there to meet him was Marek Dolezaj, all 6-foot-10 and 180 pounds of him, willing to absorb the impact. Oh, I just wanted to stop him, Dolezaj said later, after the Orange stunned No. 1 Duke 95-91 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. And you know, like, he went through me. He ran into me. Hahahaha Homie got knocked out after taking a charge from Zion Williamson He a Truck pic.twitter.com/P9gP03XtZl VERSACEBOYENT (@VersaceBoyEnt2) January 15, 2019 Williamsons weight threw Dolezaj back like a rag doll, his feet lifting from the floor, his body bouncing and then crunching as it landed. The game official whistled Williamson for a charge and Dolezaj lay there, wincing in pain and momentarily grounded. I fall on the bone on the back. You know, your lower back, the two bones on the left side and the right side. I fell on the left side bone and it hurt like twice more and went straight to my leg, Dolezaj said. Yep, its bruised. And it will hurt (Tuesday). He was ushered to the sideline and in cramped Cameron, kept walking to the end of the Syracuse bench searching for room to stretch, for a way to massage the discomfort. He carried an ice bag to help numb the pain. Afterward, he was asked in the Syracuse locker room whether taking that charge, whether stepping in front of a moving vehicle was worth it. Ahhhhhh. I dont know. He laughed. Throughout the conversation, Dolezaj kept reiterating his intention. I just wanted to stop him, he kept saying when anyone asked why he would subject himself to the certain carnage. I tried to tell him to step in front of Williamson and Im walking back saying, If he does that, theres going to be a problem, SU coach Jim Boeheim said. But he did. I hope hes all right. Hes hurting now, but hes a tough kid. Hell bounce back. Follow Syracuse basketball on Twitter and Facebook Adam Weitsman to give $150K to Boys and Girls Clubs after win | https://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/2019/01/would-syracuses-marek-dolezaj-take-that-charge-from-zion-williamson-again.html |
Is Apple about to change iPhone charging cable to USB-C? | A newly discovered feature with Apple Airpods allows users to users to listen into conversation from the next room. Some people are intrigued by this new function while others suggest it will cause problems. Apple could make iPhone users fork out for a new charging cable when it releases its next model. The tech giant is rumoured to have plans to adopt a USB-C charging port for the 2019 iPhone, just like it did for the latest iPad Pro, The Sun reports. The switch would make current iPhone charging cables useless once a person upgrades to the latest model. Apple charges just shy of $30 for USB-C cables in Australia though you can get off-brand versions for less. Rumours Apple plans to adopt the iPhones third charging port in 12 years come from supply chain blog Macotakara. They suggest Apple is following rival Samsung with a switch to a new USB Type-C port, which is thicker than the lightning port used by iPhones since 2012. Citing supply chain sources, the blog says Apple might make the change to a USB-C port for iPhones next year, following last Marchs successful Type-C switch for the 2018 iPad Pro. Those working on the port say it has not yet reached the reference design stage, meaning it could miss 2019s iPhone release window, forcing Apple to push it back to 2020. When the first iPhone launched in 2007, it featured a charging port designed from the ground up by Apple. This was called the 30-pin dock connector, and survived on Apple handsets for years. But in 2012, Apple introduced a new Lightning port for charging phones (from the iPhone 5 onwards), making everybodys old charging cables useless. Seven years on, it looks like Apple is getting ready to replace your lightning port too. Apple fans reacted sourly to the news on social media, with one fan pointing out that they would still have to carry lightning cables for older devices. I have dozen of devices with lightning and only one with USB-C (HP laptop), which I dont take with me on vacation, for example. I will still have to carry lightning cable with me for years for legacy Apple products. Why does this hold so much importance? Another wrote: Im not sure if people are ready for USB-C. I bought one of the new iPad Pros and hated the USB-C connector. Some were more positive about the change. One wrote: It seems new 2019 iPhone might have USB-C connector that would be a definitive upgrade. USB-C is an increasingly popular type of charging and data transfer port that was launched in the middle of 2014. The male end of the cable is a little thicker and much wider than Apples Lightning cables, but they largely perform the same job. However, while Lightning ports are exclusively used on Apple devices, USB-C ports are now very common. Most flagship Android phones now feature USB-C ports, including the Samsung Galaxy S9, Google Pixel 2, and OnePlus 6. And Apple has already fitted out its latest MacBook Pro models with USB-C ports, too. The advantage of all gadgets switching to USB-C is that youll be able to use accessories (like headphones and charging cables) across all of your devices. It means you could potentially charge your iPhone and MacBook up using the same cable, and plug your headphones into the same port too. This article originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission. | https://www.news.com.au/technology/apple/rumours-apple-is-changing-iphone-cord-making-yours-obsolete/news-story/02b076b959c67cad23548f6acc47acbb |
Could Ministry of Defence files shed new light on Derbyshire UFO sightings? | Its one of Britains UFO hotspots - even attracting the interest of a Hollywood producer. And now we could be set to learn more about the other-wordly goings-on at Bonsall after the Government confirmed fresh MOD files are being prepared for release. The village first came to the attention of alien hunters back in 2001, when Sharon Rowlands, was reportedly paid 20,000 by a producer for camcorder footage of a flying saucer hovering in the sky about two miles from her home. Even officials at NASA were said to have asked to examine the tape, because they believed it showed the same type of craft seen during one of their space shuttle missions. In the footage a large craft emits pulses of light before disa-ppearing in a red flash. Ms Rowlands wasnt the only one to have spotted something eerie in the quiet Derbyshire villages skies that year. Other locals reported a ball of fire, two big, bright lights and a pink glow, vertically shaped like a shoe box. And indeed the sightings have continued intermittently ever since - while Ms Rowlands close encounter regularly appears in national media round-ups of the most famous UFO incidents. Now we could be set to get a clearer picture of the latest activity reported by spotters in Bonsall after the RAF Air Command in High Wycombe revealed in a reply to a Freedom of Information request submitted in the run-up to Christmas that they were in possession of a number of a reports from members of the public of sightings in the area that they were planning to publish. The reply also explains why the MOD has not yet released the details. It says: While there is a measure of public interest in UFOs, the Department has concluded that there is no overriding reason why the public should have the information that we hold immediately. Indeed, these records, which almost entirely consist of correspondence with members of the public, do not reveal anything new about the MODs role in UFO matters. Who knows what fresh evidence will be revealed- keep watching the skies. Send your UFO stories to [email protected] | https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/could-ministry-of-defence-files-shed-new-light-on-derbyshire-ufo-sightings-1-9538867 |
What are the current odds surrounding Brexit? | (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Theresa May will find out the fate of her proposed Brexit deal later today when MPs submit their votes at Westminster. Woman knocked to floor after throwing punches at bouncer outside nightclub The Prime Minister has had a difficult few months filled with set backs including a vote of no confidence from her own part, and a negative reaction to her Brexit plans. Many are predicting that tonights vote will see her Brexit deal rejected but the events that will follow tonights outcome are still vague. Here are the latest odds for tonights meaningful vote, as well as a look at how likely we are to see another referendum and a new Prime Minister in 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Currently Coral is offering odds of 1/33 that the meaningful vote wont be passed tonight. Alternatively if youre confident that Theresa May has done enough to persuade her follow MPs to support the deal, the odds of it passing tonight is currently 10/1. Other Brexit odds If you think the proposed deal failing in tonights vote means another election then you can currently get 7/4 odds on there being another EU referendum held this year. Alternatively there is currently odds of 7/2 that the UK will leave the EU with no deal in place before 1st April 2019. The odds of Theresa May being replaced as Prime Minister in 2019 is currently at 1/2, despite reports that she will push on even if she loses tonights vote. There has also been talk of a vote of no confidence from the Labour Party which could then lead to another general election. Coral is currently offering 6/4 odds of this happening in 2019, while Jeremy Corbyn is currently 4/1 to be the new PM, followed by Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid who are both currently 7/1. 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. Advertisement Advertisement A result can be expected at any time from around 8.30pm, but delays could see it announced later. | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/15/current-odds-surrounding-brexit-theresa-may-8347285/ |
Can drinking collagen slow down aging and boost other functions? | Thats practically the bionic dream a fantasy that, according to some wellness gurus, can be achieved simply by adding a scoop of ingestible collagen to your morning smoothie or tea. John Kariuki, director of the Star Brilliant Donkey Export Abattoir in Naivasha, Kenya, holds up a donkey hide. Strong demand in China for ejiao, a traditional medicine made from gelatin extracted from boiled donkey hides, has led to a rise in donkey thefts in many countries. ( RACHEL NUWER / The New York Times file photo ) Collagen, an ingredient extracted from animal skins commonly found in anti-aging skin creams, has graduated from topical use to internal a dietary supplement on the verge of being the next big wellness fad, with dozens of collagen syrups, drinks, powders and even gummies being marketed as a cure for everything from brittle nails to brain health. Some. But not much. That lack, though, isnt stopping people from drinking it in the hopes that this might be the fountain of youth weve all dreamed of. Hopes are so high, in fact, that its already threatening the worlds donkey population one of the preferred sources of collagen in Asia. The theory is simple. Collagen is an important, abundant and naturally-occurring structural protein found in the human body that plays an important role in a range of things including, skin, nail and hair health and, also, more important functions, such as healing. The older we get, the less we produce. Some people think we can fix that by ingesting animal collagen, which will, somehow, inspire our bodies to kick our collagen production back into high gear. Its still just a theory. Article Continued Below The real genesis of the interest in collagen came from a study that was published a couple of years ago and looked at eight healthy men and the effect it had on building new connective tissue, says Jennifer Sygo, a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic Canada. To Sygo, team dietitian for the Toronto Maple Leafs, this peer-reviewed study (conducted by researchers working at the University of California, Davis) is exciting, since theres traditionally very little that can be done from a nutritional standpoint to speed up healing tendons and ligaments. If the study is replicated and backed up with more research, though, it could open up a whole new course of treatment for injuries and chronic joint pain. But, Sygo warns, its still early days and one, very small study. New studies are ongoing and, while they might confirm the results, they havent been published yet. This, however, isnt slowing down the booming collagen industry. In China, for example, a collagen derived from donkey skin called ejiao (ass-hide gelatin) that used to be prescribed for specific illnesses, such as anemia, has gained a reputation as a magic elixir. Its become so popular that, since 1990, about half of Chinas 11 million donkeys have been killed for their skins. As collagen supplement producers have cast about for foreign sources, the trade has sparked a potentially extinction-level crisis in India, Pakistan and many countries in Africa, where farmers still report a problem with donkey theft, despite a ban on the trade by 14 African countries. Nobody in Canada (that we know of) is using donkey hides but this illustrates the ethical and health concerns that are bound to come up when it comes to sourcing ground up animal parts. Even leaving PETA, endangered fish stocks and global warming from meat production out of the discussion, contaminants and heavy metals, such as arsenic and mercury remain a concern. As such, many collagen producers, such as Great Lakes Gelatin and Genuine Health Essentials, are offering sustainably- and naturally-sourced options. With Genuine Healths Clean Collagen, for instance, both surf and turf varietals are sustainably sourced one made from byproducts (scales and skins) of wild-caught fish in the North Atlantic; the other from bovine skins of grass-fed and pasture-raised USDA cows. They start at $26.99 for 12, 10 oz. satchels and the suggested dosage is one 10 oz. serving a day. Article Continued Below For my little collagen self-experiment, I chose the turf option, because Im still worried about heavy metals in fish. The powdered bovine skins come in flavoured or unflavoured, but mine happened to be pineapple/berry, which sounds great, but didnt really taste like either and smacked of artificial flavour. It didnt fully dissolve in water (after the fact, Genuine Health spokesperson, Joy McCarthy told me shaking it would have worked better), so I just closed my eyes and tried to get it down globules and all. The second time I tried mixing it with yogurt, but I could still taste that weird fruit flavour. I asked Sygo about some of the far-reaching claims being made about collagen and read a list to her that included cognitive function, physical performance, heart health, bone density, hair and nail support and skin hydration. This was her response: You know, were getting ahead of ourselves here and Im going to urge people to understand that theres so much in the research that we dont yet know the answers to. When you have reputable researchers at a university publishing in the area, it totally amplifies the buzz and gives a level of gravitas to the whole situation. Yes, the genie is a bit out of the bottle right now, but we need a little bit more time to know how well this works. Im happy to follow her guidance and put my collagen and bionic dreams on a back shelf on the pantry while I wait for the research to come in. I bet Im one of the few though judging from the donkey crisis, waiting for results and evidence-based medicine just isnt a thing humans do very well. At least not in the face of brittle nails, aging skin and the promise of a fountain of youth. Christine Sismondo is a Toronto-based freelance writer. | https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2019/01/15/can-drinking-collagen-slow-down-aging-and-boost-other-functions.html |
Can a $2.5bn eco-initiative save Floridas beaches? | Floridas new tourism supremo has vowed to take full advantage of a massive $2.5billion initiative to attack the causes of the red tide that blighted major parts of the Sunshine States coast in 2018, and implement a new focus on the environment under her leadership. Dana Young is the first woman to take the reins as CEO of official tourism marketing corporation Visit Florida, and her appointment by new governor Ron DeSantis represents a major change in both the politics and the thinking of the states senior figures. Republican DeSantis broke with decades of traditional party policy by announcing the $2.5b water policy reform within 48 hours of taking office, insisting his newly-signed Executive Order would protect Floridas environment and water quality by ensuring immediate action to combat the threats which have devastated our local economies and threatened the health of our communities. Environmental programmes had been allowed to lapse under previous governor and fellow Republican Rick Scott, and became a hot-button topic last year when Florida suffered the worst outbreak of the toxic red algae in history, affecting more than 200 miles of coastline, closing some of the most popular beaches and devastating local businesses. The outbreak coincided with a damaging rise in the equally dangerous blue-green algae along the rivers and inland waterways that is linked to industrial and farming contaminants, creating a perfect storm of ecological calamity. A perfect storm of ecological calamity hit the Sunshine State in 2018 Credit: GETTY Now Young, 54, claims that the governors new Order, which creates a taskforce to combat the blue-green algae as well as an Office of Environmental Accountability, gives her the green light to promote an eco-friendly agenda, using her background as an environmental lawyer with a long-running commitment to ban fracking in the state. Speaking at a press conference during the annual Visit Florida travel convention in Daytona Beach, she explained: My family has been here for six generations and, from my personal knowledge of Florida, if we are not looking after the natural environment and we dont have open, clean water, no-one is coming here, not on vacation, not to do business, not to move here permanently. Our environment is our greatest source of tourism dollars, and tourism makes up a third of the state budget. The governors Executive Order therefore tasks Visit Florida and the Department of Economic Opportunity with finding ways to improve water quality and preserve natural resources even while growing tourism. Youngs bullish approach to environmental concerns is in stark contrast to previous state government guidelines, which had refused to acknowledge the impacts of climate change even though some areas, notably in and around Miami, are already seeing the effects of rising sea levels. She added: We have an incredible natural environment in Florida, and I am bringing a new perspective to this job, one that involves highlighting authentic experiences such as eco-tours to see places like our natural springs and the Everglades. We cant ignore the dangers to that environment because it affects our communities as well as our tourism. Young also insisted she will be championing the cause of some of the states lesser lights, in addition to the headline attractions of the theme parks and beaches. Her family hails from the picturesque fishing village of Cedar Key on the Gulf Coast, which epitomises the states small-town charms, and she said: I want to make sure people know were not just one thing or another. We have a great variety of experiences and we have to do a better job of showing the great diversity we have to offer. Truly, there is something for everyone here. | https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/north-america/united-states/florida/articles/florida-eco-spend-red-tide-algae/ |
What Kind of Moon Clothes Are We Growing? | Photo: Garry Ridsdale/Getty Images/Robert Harding World A Chinese moon probe housing various kinds of plant seeds and biomaterial has alerted its keepers that its first seeds have begun to sprout. The moon lander, Change 4, also contains potato, rapeseed, and rockcress seeds, as well as yeast and fruit fly eggs, all of which are part of a sealed mini biosphere experiment designed to test plant and animal respiration. (None of the other seeds have sprouted yet, and no word on what the fruit fly eggs are doing.) First in human history: A cotton seed brought to the moon by China's Chang'e 4 probe has sprouted, the latest test photo has shown, marking the completion of humankind's first biological experiment on the moon pic.twitter.com/CSSbgEoZmC People's Daily, China (@PDChina) January 15, 2019 As the BBC notes, while plants have been grown on the International Space Station (including zinnias, lettuce, and sunflowers), theyve never before been grown on the moon, and this development means that astronauts could potentially harvest their own food in space. And, presumably, their own clothing material and makeup removal balls. While some are apparently worried that this biosphere would contaminate the moon, the BBC also notes that its worth reiterating that there are already nearly 100 bags of human waste on the Moon left behind by the Apollo astronauts. Right on. The next full moon, by the way, will be this coming Monday, January 21, and because itll also be a total lunar eclipse, the occurrence will be known as a Super Blood Wolf Moon. It remains to be seen what effect the SBWM will have on the cotton sprouts, but it will probably be cool and frightening. | https://www.thecut.com/2019/01/what-kind-of-moon-clothes-are-we-growing.html?utm_source=nym&utm_medium=f1&utm_campaign=feed-part |
Can the UK cancel Brexit? | Even after all this time, protesters have lost none of their motivation. (Picture: BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images) A Parliamentary vote on Theresa Mays Brexit deal is happening today, Tuesday 15 January, and so far the chances that itll pass arent looking good. With roughly a third of MPs thought to oppose the Prime Ministers Withdrawal Agreement, and with just a few hours to go before the vote, the fate of the UKs relationship with the EU is still not clear. Kate Middleton causes outrage by suggesting pepperoni is too spicy for pizza Environment Secretary Michael Gove has said that there are people in the House of Commons and outside who have never made their peace with this decision to leave the EU. The vote on the PMs Brexit deal is tonight (Picture: PA) There have been Labour, Tory, SNP and Lib Dem MPs who have said that they think we should have another vote. Advertisement Advertisement Ex Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he believes that there will be a second Brexit referendum, and Former Commons Clerk Lord Lisvane has come out and said that, We have worked together on a cross-party and no-party basis to provide a pragmatic solution to the present impasse. Now that people know what the options are, it seems right to let them choose. This statement was in regards to Cross-party Remainers having published proposed legislation that seeks to facilitate a second referendum. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) also ruled in December that the UK would be permitted to unilaterally revoke its withdrawal from the EU. Even Theresa May herself has said, as a warning to MPs who do not vote in favour of her deal, that parliament is more likely to block Brexit than to allow it to leave without a deal in place. However there are still a lot of variables in play. Jeremy Corbyn has said that, if the deal doesnt pass, there should be a new general election. (Picture: AFP) Theres always a chance that this deal will pass, or that it will fail, but that Theresa May will cling to power and have another go drafting something the MPs actually approve of before the 29 March leave date. May has also warned that there will be catastrophic harm done to the trust that people have in politicians if Brexit is not implemented, as the public voted for back in 2016. Footballer filmed masturbating in street was 'wrong on every level' says club Meanwhile Jeremy Corbyn has recently called for a general election to take place should the PMs deal not pass in the vote today. Advertisement Advertisement This in turn could eventually result in a new Brexit referendum, a new government, Mays resignation, a new team negotiating with the EU for a deal on behalf of the UK, or virtually any combination of these outcomes. For now, well just have to wait and see. Twitter wants to show you how to shut up the ceaseless babble | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/15/can-uk-cancel-brexit-8348069/ |
Is Apple Going to Buy a Movie Studio? | Apples foray into original programming is the entertainment industrys most enticing unknown. The deep-pocketed tech giant is expected to unveil its direct-to-consumer service later this year, yet it hasnt released any official information about how it will be delivered (though that may change soon). Apple has committed an initial budget of $1 billion to develop original content and has already lined up an exciting array of diverse programming, but more substantive developments could be on the way. Many in the industry have speculated that Apple may take advantage of the current corporate expansion ripping through the media world. To better position itself as a competitor to market leaders such as Disney (which is swallowing up 20th Century Fox) and Netflix (which is recruiting more top-tier showrunners and filmmakers to its service every day), the company may want to consider sniffing around for a major acquisition of its own. Subscribe to Observers Entertainment Newsletter If theyre not aggressive in M&A from a content perspective this will be, in our opinion, the biggest mistake that [CEO Tim Cook] and Apple has made, because thats the way that the services flywheel is going to work in terms of the install base, Dan Ives, the managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, told CNBC recently. Late last year, Netflix signed a multi-picture deal with Paramount Pictures; Amazon has a slew of big-budget home-run swings and exclusive content deals on the horizon; WarnerMedia is flush with resources thanks to AT&T; and this week NBCUniversal announced its plans to launch a streaming platform in 2020. Everywhere you look, media and entertainment conglomerates are undergoing a scale-up. The best way for Apple to cut through the clutter is to make a splashy acquisition of their own. Two film production outfits immediately stand out. The first is prestige player A24, a more modest target for the only company in history to ever earn a market cap of $1 trillion. The possibility of Apple purchasing A24which is responsible for some of your favorite Oscars bait including Lady Bird and Moonlightwas first floated in early 2018. Apple acquiring A24 is like Steve Jobs acquiring Tim Cook, Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, told Observer at the time. It gives Apple a proven creator of stellar films, and powers unique consumer value to battle back the content creating monsters of streaming. Though the two camps ultimately signed a multiyear deal for films and TV shows, an acquisition is hardly out of the question. Apples other potential target is more ambitious: Sony Pictures Entertainment. In February 2018, Sony made the unexpected announcement that CEO Kaz Hirai was stepping down and that Kenichiro Yoshida would assume his role. Given Hirais years-long resistance to scale and Yoshidas focus on product sales, this was viewed as a window of opportunity for a larger conglomerate to pick off Sonys film and TV divisions. On the film side, Sony has struggled to adjust to the modern blockbuster boom of the past 15 years, ranking among the top three studios in domestic box office gross just twice this decade. While the staggering success of Venom (which earned $855 million worldwide) has breathed new life into the studios dream of a shared cinematic universe populated by Marvel characters, the higher-ups at Sony are very likely considering the benefits of shedding the companys costly entertainment divisions. Apple wants to enter the streaming arena to expand its sphere of influence and keep its direct-to-consumer relationship healthy and present. But in order to properly compete, itll need to up the ante pretty quickly. | https://observer.com/2019/01/apple-a24-sony-netflix-disney-fox-sale/ |
Are autonomous vehicles coming to CVG? | CLOSE Transit X CEO Mike Stanley thinks his pods could completely replace cars in a city. The Enquirer/Hannah Sparling (Photo: Amazon) Amazon Prime Air's new hub at the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is expected to open sometime in 2021. Ahead of that opening, a collaborative effort by CVG, OKI Regional Council of Governments, and the University of Cincinnati Office of Research is looking at ways to improve transportation in the region to accommodate an influx of people. CVG was already the fastest growing cargo airport in the nation when Amazon announced in 2017 plans to build its worldwide cargo hub at the airport. Amazons expansion at CVG represents a $1.4 billion investment and will add more than 2,700 jobs to airports existing base of 10,000. That's a lot of people needing to get to and from CVG on a daily basis. To help keep traffic flowing, planners are looking to technology. Specifically, autonomous vehicles could help the airport move employees and passengers to and from parking lots to terminals. This project is coming and theres no time to waste in addressing the transportation needs for the region, OKI CEO Mark Policinski said. Its a growing area already, Policinski said. We came to the conclusion this growth is going to continue into the future. So what we have is an area of our region that will experience tremendous job growth. We have to figure out how to get people to and from their jobs. Technology could play vital role in addressing the future transportation needs, he said. The University of Cincinnati is already immersed in research involving driverless vehicles, according to Dr. Jiaqi Ma, an assistant professor of civil engineering at UCs College of Engineering and Applied Science. The partnership offers UC an opportunity to help CVG and OKI identify appropriate technology to address transportation needs, he said. It also provides the university access to a place to test autonomous vehicle technology. Theyre interested, for example, in transporting passengers from their parking lots to terminals using autonomous shuttles, Ma said. Theyre also interested in using autonomous vehicles for transporting luggage from terminals to airplanes. These are two cases weve identified for CVG. Beyond looking at autonomous vehicle applications for CVG, UC research is working on ways technology can improve the overall travel experience for the region. Ma's focus is on self-driving vehicles being part of a bigger network, connected both to other nearby vehicles and the intersections of roads around them. In a prepared statement, CVG representatives acknowledged that they have expressed interest in supporting autonomous vehicle concepts at CVG. "Our interest is leveraging CVG as a beta-site for advancing technologies that could create viable, complimentary advanced transportation solutions for the region and beyond, the statement said. Policinski emphasized that CVG is making decisions about ways to address its transportation needs for the future. OKI can invest in roads around the airport but is prohibited by law from investing in the airport proper, he said. Whatever the plans, progress will need to be swift. Its not as if we can look at it and study. We have to find solutions, Policinski said. "This isnt a situation where there are decades to identify and address needs. This is work that needs to happen over the next couple of years." Read or Share this story: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/01/15/cvg-use-self-driving-vehicles-shuttle-people-luggage/2573079002/ | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/01/15/cvg-use-self-driving-vehicles-shuttle-people-luggage/2573079002/ |
Is Split on Netflix? | Everything was going by the books in Split, M. Night Shyamalans bonkers but very entertaining movie about a killer with multiple personalities who kidnapped and terrorized a trio of teen girls (including Anya Taylor Joy and Haley Lu Richardson). It was a well-made, over-the-top horror story, featuring a fantastically impressive performance from James McAvoy in the lead role. And then that end credits scene happened. Not only did the end of the movie suddenly turn into a supervillain origin story for the McAvoy character, but as the customers of a Philadelphia diner reacted to the news reports of a monster/man with the moniker Horde, they start to remember an earlier villain with a catchy name. Luckily, Bruce Willis is there to fill in the blanks for them: Mr. Glass. Aaaaaaand suddenly were in a surprise Unbreakable sequel! With the third film in the trilogy, Glass, poised to hit theaters, this would be a really good time to catch up on the earlier films in the Unlikely Philadelphia Superheroes (and Supervillains) trilogy. Nope. Sadly the middle chapter in the great saga of Mister Glass and the M. Night Shyamalan Cinematic Universe isnt currently streaming on Netflix. So curious! Nope! Split isnt offered on Hulu. Yeah, but youll have to pay for it. Split isnt available to stream for free for Prime subscribers, nor is it available to rent. You can only purchase it. Downside: youll be out ten bucks. Upside: you can keep Split forever! Aside from purchasing a digital copy of the film on Prime Video, you can also purchase on iTunes, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, or Fandango Now. Where to stream Split | https://decider.com/2019/01/15/is-split-on-netflix/ |
When Will Schitts Creek Season 5 Be on Netflix? | The wait is over and the Roses are back in fabulous full force in the latest season of the Canadian comedy sensation Schitts Creek. Season 5 debuted on January 8, ringing in 2019 with big laughsfor everyone who has cable, that is. Schitts Creek airs on CBC Television in Canada and the cable network Pop in the US, but thats not how a whole lotta fans watch the show. Over the past two years, the sleeper hit has developed a cult following thanks to its availability on Netflix. So thats all well and good, since bingeing shows is still very in. But this also means that Schitts superfans have to wait a while for new episodes to be added to Netflix. Ugh! Good news and bad news. The good news is that we have a really clear idea as to when the next batch of episodes will hit streaming in the US. The bad news is, youll have to wait a while. Heres the math! Schitts Creek Season 5 started airing on January 8. The season is expected to have 14 episodes, which puts the Season 5 finale somewhere around April 9, give or take a week. We know from the past two years that new seasons of Schitts Creek hit Netflix around six months after they wrap on broadcast TV. If you do all that math, it looks like Schitts Creek Season 5 will be added to Netflix on October 10, 2019. Thats a long time to wait, but look at it this way: thats the same amount of time that passed between Seasons 3 and 4 wrapping up and their addition to Netflix. Season 4 was just added back in October of 2018. Theres always the chance that something could chance, but there is a pattern here. Decider will be sure to update this article if Netflix reveals further release information about Schitts Creek Season 5. In the mean time, a Schitts Creek rewatch may be in order! Stream Schitt's Creek on Netflix | https://decider.com/2019/01/15/schitts-creek-season-5-netflix/ |
When Will Friends from College Season 3 Come Out on Netflix? | Where to Stream: Friends from College More Options After a year and a half, Netflix finally reunited us with Friends from College. Season 2 also brought together the friends from college back together after a year or so of estrangement following the intensely awkward events of the Season 1 finale. The gang got back together for one reason and one reason only: Maxs (Fred Savage) impending wedding to Felix (Billy Eichner). After such a long wait, it would be totally normal for Friends from College superfans to have binged all 8 new episodes in one sitting. Lets not get ahead of ourselves, though! Before we can really talk about Season 3, weve got to talk about what trials and tribulations this friend group went through in Season 2. You bet it does, although possibly not one you saw coming when you fired up the season at first. Surprisingly for this show, Max and Felixs wedding goes off without a hitch. The season ends with the two of them married and Max calling Felix his best friend (yall just got married, he better be your best friend by now!). All the drama emerged in the Lisa/Ethan/Nick/Charlie relationship rectangle. Ill try! Lisa and Ethan started off the season estranged, with Lisa having moved on to a new boyfriend named Charlie. Then Lisa had one last quickie with Ethan, cheating on Charlie. Later, Lisa and Charliewho were also trying to have a baby, BTWbroke up because Charlie wanted to get married since they were gonna have a baby together. Lisa didnt want to get married again. So Lisa went back to Nick, her old college bud that she hooked up with back in Season 1 while she was still ostensibly happily married to Ethan. Cool, now Lisa and Nick were gonna be an item! And then Lisa found out she was pregnant. So she went running back to Charlie, and the two of them decided to totally go the fairytale route and get married. Then Lisa realized that the baby was conceived while Charlie was out of town, making Ethan the father. Ethan, who was ready to run away to Paris with Sam, got the news and rushed to Lisas side. That left Sam high and dry (you bet thats a Radiohead reference) in a beret at the airport. She ends the season back in the arms of her husband (Greg Germann), theoretically giving her marriage another go after getting stood up by Ethan. And the season ends with Ethan and Lisa at the OBGYN hearing the heartbeat of their child for the first time. Obviously theres a lot of ground for a potential Season 3 to cover, the big question is Its too soon to tell since Netflix tends to wait a little while before announcing if a show is renewed or cancelled. For example, Netflix didnt renew the show for Season 2 until a month after Season 1 came out. So dont expect to hear anything about the future of this show quite so soon. If you want to help ensure that it comes back, though, make sure you watch all of Season 2 (the speedier the better, TBH). The shows creators Nicholas Stoller and Francesca Delbanco do have ideas for Season 3, as they told us when we chatted with them, should the need for them arise. If the show is renewed, its possible well have to wait a while for Season 3. There was a year-and-a-half wait between Seasons 1 and 2, so its possible that we wont check in with the gang until Summer 2020 at the earliest. Thats a super long wait, but thats what you gotta put up with if you want a cast as stacked with in-demand performers as Friends from College! Decider will be sure to update this article as more information about Friends from College Season 3 is announced. Stream Friends from College Season 2 on Netflix | https://decider.com/2019/01/15/friends-from-college-season-3-netflix/ |
Are Older Drivers a Greater Hazard on the Road? | The good news for Americans is that we're living longer, more active lives. The bad news is that older people make up an increasingly large percentage of licensed drivers. Sometimes their desire to maintain the independence that their driver's license provides makes them oblivious to mental and physical limitations that can impact their safety and that of fellow drivers. Older drivers (those in their 70s and 80s) have a higher risk of dying because of a car crash than drivers who are middle-aged. The American Medical Association contends that this is not only because they're more likely to be involved in a crash, but because their advanced age makes them more vulnerable to succumbing to their injuries. Increased Training and Testing for Seniors Organizations like AARP and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety have programs for senior drivers who help them work on the skills they need to stay safe on the road. State laws vary regarding how often senior drivers have to be re-tested in order to keep their driver's licenses and at what age more stringent testing begins. Obviously, everyone ages differently. However, three significant functions that are necessary for driving decline with age. Cognition Cognitive skills include visual processing, memory and attention. Cognitive skills can be impaired by a number of drugs that are commonly taken by older people. Certain medical conditions, including dementia (even in its early stages), can also impact cognitive skills. Motor Abilities These include flexibility and muscle strength. A weakening of motor functions, such as people experience who have arthritis, can impact a person's ability to quickly hit the brakes or make other moves that are necessary to avoid a crash. Vision Of course, visual acuity often declines with age. Corrective lenses can improve that. However, people sometimes lose their peripheral vision as they get older. They may also take longer to adjust to light level changes, such as a sudden glare. If you are involved in a crash that was caused by an older driver, you have the right to seek compensation for expenses like medical treatment, car repairs and other losses and damages. An experienced car accident attorney can provide advice and guidance. | https://blog.lawinfo.com/2019/01/10/are-older-drivers-a-greater-hazard-on-the-road/ |
Is China-US rivalry spreading to internet? | In an email circulated in the University of California, Davis recently, the university's Office of the President warned students and faculty not to use messaging apps and social media including WeChat and WhatsApp or make "unfavorable political statements or postings on social media" while visiting China, suggesting their communications could be used against them by China's law enforcement agencies. With misgivings about visiting each other rising in both China and the US following the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Chinese tech giant Huawei's chief financial officer, the travel warning could bring about nothing but more paranoia forward China. The US is believed to have launched a witch hunt against alleged Chinese academic espionage, Chinese students and scholars have more reasons to worry about their safety when traveling to the US. That's not the case. Statistics show that WeChat now has more than 1 billion active users every month. Users of the platform enjoy expression, convenience of communication and massive information sharing. But information circulated on WeChat is subject to regulations that target the spread of harmful information including pornography, violence and superstition. No country will allow social media to be a place to promulgate harmful content such as subverting the government, separatism, religious extremism, racism and terrorism. China therefore has regulated social media in accordance with the law to ensure activities are safe for society. China's firm resolution to clean up the online environment has drawn criticism from the West. But it has to be acknowledged that China is one of the few countries to have succeeded in internet governance: China's internet industry has continued prospering in recent years while the development of the internet didn't disrupt order in the country. With US suppression of Huawei, worries that the internet has split in two are surging. The development of the internet cannot be divided. But should the West view China's internet development and governance with bias, global internet development will be held back. | http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1135750.shtml |
Are the Democrats Ready for Tulsi Gabbard? | In a Democratic Party thats becoming more female, more non-white, and begging for generational change in leadership, Tulsi Gabbard seems to check every box. "Lead with Love," reads her campaign slogan. And Tulsi Gabbard means it. "Aloha is more than just hello and goodbye, Aloha really means that we recognize each other as brothers and sisters. And that when we say Aloha to one another, were saying that Im coming to you with an open heart and with love and compassion and care and respect," she told CNNs Van Jones on Friday when she joined the ever-growing list of 2020 Democratic candidates for president. Tulsi Gabbard, Congresswoman from Hawaii since 2013, is a unique candidate for president. If elected, shed be the youngest president in U.S. history at only thirty-nine years old. But Gabbard is no stranger to youthful accomplishments; at the age of twenty-one, she was elected to the Hawaii state legislature, the youngest woman ever elected to a state house. She served one term in office before deploying with the Hawaii Army National Guard. She has served two overseas tours, one in Iraq and one in Kuwait, and currently holds the rank of Major. Since entering Congress, Gabbard has built a solid record of progressive credentials. She favors a $15 minimum wage, a "Medicare for All" single-payer healthcare system, the legalization of marijuana, and has been a lifelong advocate of environmentalism. In 2016, she resigned as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee to endorse Bernie Sanders for president. Being a unique candidate necessarily brings along odd touches. A practicing Hindu, her irregular spiritual journey and associations with "spiritual master" Chris Butler, will raise a lot of eyebrows in Middle America. And her transformation on social issues, previously being both pro-life and opposed to "homosexual extremists," has already raised voices among progressive activists not entirely convinced by her 2012 conversion. But where Tulsi Gabbards presidential candidacy is most unique is foreign policy. "There is one main issue that is central to the rest," she told Van Jones after listing planks for a progressive domestic platform. "And that is the issue of war and peace." Gabbard has spent her national career in the spotlight for her heterodox opinions on foreign policy, breaking from the bipartisan, interventionist consensus that Donald Trump similarly challenged in 2016. Most famously, in January 2017 Gabbard traveled, alongside former Congressman Dennis Kucinich, to Syria where they engaged in talks with President Bashar al-Assad. This caused enormous controversy at the time, with a cacophony of criticism that has only increased with her presidential announcement. Gabbard has been one of the fiercest critics of the Syrian rebels in Congress, opposing efforts by the CIA and the Obama administration to provide billions of dollars of aid and training to Al Qaeda allied Islamist groups. "In short, when it comes to the war against terrorists, I'm a hawk," Gabbard said in a 2016 interview. "When it comes to counterproductive wars of regime change, I'm a dove." And the congresswoman isnt afraid to say how diametrically opposed she is to the U.S. position in Syria. "Al-Qaeda attacked us on 9/11 and must be defeated. Obama wont bomb them in Syria. Putin did. #neverforget911," she tweeted in 2015. One of her main legislative pushes was the " Stop Arming Terrorists Act " to criminalize U.S. support for Al Qaeda, ISIS, and associated groups. The bill never made it to a vote, but she was happy to see President Donald Trump discontinue the Obama era program in spring 2017. In line with her thinking on Syria, she lacks the anti-Russian stance of other Democratic politicians. "How does going to war with Russia over Syria serve the interest of the American people?" she mentioned in a tweet. Gabbard has also supported Trumps diplomatic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in one of her multiple appearances with Tucker Carlson. She has also condemned the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in the harshest terms, saying that profit from U.S. arm sales to the kingdom was "blood money." Gabbard also criticized President Trumps withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. Gabbard has called for a military withdrawal from Afghanistan, while also declining to condemn torture as an interrogation method. One area where Gabbard seems to be in full agreement with traditional Washington politics is on Israel. In 2015 she spoke at a conference for Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States, run by hardline Christian-Zionist Pastor John Hagee. And in 2016 she accepted an award from controversial Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a supporter of Israeli settlement projects and outspoken critic of the Obama administration. At the same event, she took a photograph with Boteach and Miriam Adelson, wife of billionaire Republican donor Sheldon Adelson. Despite her support for the Iran deal, she attended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus joint address to Congress in March 2015, an event many Democratic legislators purposely skipped. She has voiced support for a two-state solution, while also expressing muted criticism for Israeli treatment of Palestinian protesters early last year. In a Democratic Party thats becoming more female, more non-white, and begging for generational change in leadership, Tulsi Gabbard seems to check every box. And yet shes likely to receive more opposition than any other candidate in one of the largest fields of any recent presidential election. And thats almost entirely because of her previously-described foreign policy views. In 2017, in response to her trip to Syria, former Vermont governor, former DNC chair, and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean tweeted "This is a disgrace. Gabbard should not be in Congress." Former Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, defeated for reelection in last November, upon hearing Tulsis presidential announcement tweeted "Oh please. Isnt this Assads (he who commits mass murder on his own people) bestie in America?" Thousands of other twitter users voiced the same hostility. The outrage from the commentator class was so great, that it continued to overshadow the next day presidential announcement of former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro. Describing Tulsis campaign, Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress and former advisor to Hillary Clinton, tweeted sarcastically, "Because the pro-Assad, pro-Bannon, anti-Mazie Hirono lane in the Dem party is a very big one." "She speaks for a real but probably small constituency on the antiwar left. Her background is unusual and given the presence of more conventional progressives of many flavors in the race, I think Gabbard will have a difficult time building a following," said Dan McCarthy, editor of the journal Modern Age to TNI. "But she will force all the Democrats to address militarism in ways most of them would like to avoidshell be effective at raising her issues profile." Hunter DeRensis is a reporter at The National Interest. Image: Reuters. | https://nationalinterest.org/feature/are-democrats-ready-tulsi-gabbard-41592 |
Can Copenhagen Make Its Man-Made Islands Equitable? | A rendering from designers Urban Power of the proposed archipelago at Hvidovre Urban Power for Hvidovre Municipality The Danish capital is expanding its land mass and creating climate resiliency. In a bid to create new space for green industries and fossil-free energy production, Greater Copenhagen wants to build an entirely new business and infrastructure district on the citys southwestern edge. Instead of taking up existing land, it would be constructed just off the coast as a new archipelago of islands known as Holmene (the islets) that would possess more than 740 acres of new land upon completion. Located in the suburban municipality of Hvidovre, the islands would also serve as a flood barrier protecting the coast, their green fringes and reed beds stretching out towards small islets that would act as an effective sponge for storm surge. Announced earlier this month, the grand scheme would be constructed gradually using earth excavated during construction work and expansion of the metro system, whose City Circle line should open in summer 2019. Each new island would be initiated only when the existing land has been allotted for use, a process that could take as long as half a century. Overall, the site could also cut Copenhagens carbon footprint, as the islands are also planned to host what would be Northern Europes largest waste-to-energy plantan Urban Power-designed facility which could convert trash into enough electricity to meet 25 percent of Copenhagens needs. The plan sits in a wider development context whose results are ambivalent. Greater Copenhagen has in fact been going through an island-building spree of late, and in some cases, these projects may be working against the citys long-term sustainability. The city launched the creation of another major offshore land mass earlier this fall, close to the Danish capitals heart. Located in the harbor waters just northeast of Copenhagens Little Mermaid statue, the planned island of Lynetteholmen would arguably have an even more striking effect on the urban fabric. A predominantly residential island, it would eventually house up to 35,000 residents when completed by 2050. By then, it would join a set of long, complete islets flanking the sides of the citys South Harbor. Key to both the Lynetteholmen plan and that for the new archipelago at Hvidovre is their cost. They would, according to their official promoters, not cost taxpayers a single cent. Thats because they follow a funding model Copenhagen has been using since the 1990s which has sparked international envy but whose outcomes are increasingly causing skepticism. Unlocking Development The Danish capital has been redeveloping marginal and ex-industrial areas since the 1990s through a highly influential process Bruce Katz has called The Copenhagen Model. Under this model, the state transferred large tracts of public land (generally peripheral or brownfield) to a state-affiliated, privately managed company called By og Havn (City and Port), which then developed regeneration plans for them. Crucially, this regeneration was not funded publicly but by speculating on the increased revenue the city could receive after rezoning for residential and commercial use. As a result of this public-private pact, the city was able to finance a major extension of its metro system through calculating the increased land values along its length. That land was then used to build the sparkling new district built on previously marginal land at restad. Unlocking large areas of land for development without major strain on the public purse has had clear advantages. As Jesper Pagh, architect, lecturer and former head of Denmarks Architecture Foundation told Citylab over the phone, the model: ...was put into place over 25 years ago when Copenhagen was on the verge of bankruptcy following post-industrial decline. It was a model that at that time could activate a lot of assets that the city had on the harbor and in ex-industrial areas [I]t created a viable state-backed model for the citys resurrection after a long period in which no one really believed in the development of cities. Its a powerful model that allows us to do a lot of long-term strategic planning. It may no longer be serving the city so well. A focus on balancing the books by providing profitable commercial development opportunities has tended to sideline the citys pressing need for genuinely affordable housing. While the city requires developers to deliver a certain amount of lower-cost housing (typically 25 percent), these quotas are notorious for being diluted. Moreover, the affordable rents are calculated as a reduced percentage of local market rates. In what are often expensive areas, they end up still not being genuinely affordable for the lower income tenants for which they are intended. Meanwhile, all this takes place in a city that had 19.4 million square feet of vacant office space as of 2016. Converting some of this space into affordable housing would face a multitude of pragmatic and political hurdles, but building a new island isnt easy either. Cities are changing fast. Keep up with the CityLab Daily newsletter. The best way to follow issues you care about. Subscribe Loading... Furthermore, long-term strategic planning that stretches over decades can often fail to foresee how changed circumstances might alter plans. This danger can already be seen at work with the Metro extension. Founded on the understanding that large areas of scrubby public parkland just south of the city center would be freed up for development, the projects post-completion financing ran up against trouble after a powerful public backlash at the idea of building on what it currently accessible open land. Under pressure, development in the area was shrunk while many of the planned homes were shifted to another area with a more peripheral position and worse transit connections. The compromise is not ideal, but money for the Metros cost has to be recouped somehow, and the city has found itself locked into development. A map rendering showing the new islets at Hvidovre, in the bottom left corner, against a map of Greater Copenhagen. The Lynetteholmen island would be built at the mouth of the inner harbor, in the top right hand corner// Urban Power for Hvidovre Municipality. A Divisive Island As a result of such experiences, there is some skepticism about the new island plans for the inner harbor. The Lynetteholmen plan could succeed in creating new high-value land in a central site, but it might do little or nothing to ease the citys affordable housing shortage, pumping in high cost homes that work well for investors but not for local residents. Some local politiciansnotably members of Unity List, a minority fraction in the citys governing coalitionsense that at best a mixed result lies ahead: With local plans, we can only ensure that 25 percent of the [planned] housing becomes general. Local deputy Ninna Hedeager Olsen told magazine Ingeniren in October 2018: That is not enough. If we are to ensure that cheap public housing and good green areas become the key elements of a new residential island, its crucial that not all the grounds are sold at market prices. Otherwise, this will just be another project for VIPs to which people with ordinary incomes wont get accessand where costs for creating good green areas will turn out to be too high for the municipality. The plan would also entail the construction of one of the most controversial plans in Copenhagens recent history, a proposal for a road tunnel across the harbor. Debated for over 20 years, the project is seen by both the citys Social Democratic mayor Frank Jensen and centre-right party Venstre as essential to easing traffic flows between the two banks of Copenhagens harbor mouth. Politicians from Left-wing party Unity List (who rule in coalition with Jensens social democrats) and centrists The Radicals, however, hold that the tunnel would in itself attract more traffic to the inner citys roads and work directly against the general pro-bike, pro-public transit drive of contemporary Copenhagens city planning. Creating the island at Lynetteholmen would tip the scales in the tunnels favor. Acting as a connector for a two section tunnel, it would probably not function well without the new road connection. Indeed, in a city where the tunnel plan is intensely politicized, some see the Lynetteholm island plan partly as a ploy intended to push through the new underground roads construction. Yet again it seems, the city may be getting the desire to develop fresh sites and the desire to improve life for its citizens twisted. The desire to use the site to create more clean energy and develop a more sustainable coastal strip is impressive. But in a climate of cautious curiosity, some are already wondering if the islands arent really just castles in the air whose optimistic funding model isnt merely wishful thinking based, as seems to be happening with the metro extension, on calculations who basis may not hold for the plans 50 year genesis. Copenhagen, may continue to inspire the world with its green leadership, but locally, the jury is still out on the long-term effect of plans that dazzle on the drawing board. | https://www.citylab.com/design/2019/01/copenhagen-model-island-sustainability-climate-change-denmark/580297/ |
What would a no-deal Brexit mean for citizens rights? | Several European countries have moved to shore up the rights of British residents in the event of a no deal Brexit, as the March deadline looms. It follows an appeal by the EU for member states to take a generous approach, should the UK leave the bloc without an agreement. The British government has also given assurances about the rights of EU nationals living in the UK in such a scenario. However, many details on both sides are left up in the air and campaigners have described the situation as unacceptable. The Withdrawal Agreement negotiated between London and Brussels grants continued residency and social security rights, and secures freedom of movement during the planned transition period. However, all this depends on the deal being ratified and strong opposition in the UK parliament means its survival is in serious doubt. Citizens rights in the event of no deal were addressed by both the European Commission and the British government when they published their respective plans in December. What 'no deal' means for over 3 million EU citizens in the UK The British governments Policy Paper on Citizens Rights sets out to remove any ambiguity: EU citizens and their family members living in the UK will be welcome to stay and able to work, study, and access benefits and services on the same basis as now, in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The UK will continue with its planned Settlement Scheme for EU nationals, as under the Withdrawal Agreement including a five-year period to leave and then return. But those who qualify will have to be resident in the country by 29 March 2019, its scheduled departure date from the EU much sooner than the 31 December 2020 deadline outlined in the exit deal, the date marking the end of the proposed transition period. The cut-off date for applications is also brought forward by six months: provided they are resident by 29 March 2019, EU citizens must apply for settled status by the end of 2020. They can be joined by existing close family members but a cut-off date of 29 March 2022 has been brought in. Entitlements to a range of benefits and services will continue on the same terms as now although these may vary in the UKs devolved nations and will be subject to future changes applying to UK nationals. The European Parliament's Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt and citizens' campaigners have warned that rights are being watered down under the governments no-deal plan, calling for arrangements set out in the exit deal to be ring-fenced. The3million group, which lobbies for the rights of EU nationals in the UK, says it isnt clear what happens to some people who leave the UK temporarily. Social security provisions dont go far enough, while family reunion rights are restrictive. EU nationals would be vulnerable to discrimination from employers and landlords. The British government says Irish citizens in the UK, as part of the Common Travel Area (CTA), will be able to remain as now and no action is needed to protect their status. Austria says it plans to create an exception to its ban on dual citizenship for its nationals living in the UK. What 'no deal' means for over 1 million Britons living in Europe The European Commission claims it is putting citizens rights first in its Contingency Action Plan for a no deal scenario. But the level of detail in the documents 12 pages is inevitably bare compared to the near 600-page Withdrawal Agreement. It calls on EU countries to be generous and pragmatic in granting temporary residence to UK citizens already living in the bloc on exit day. UK nationals should be exempt from visa requirements. But at European level there are no guarantees. On social security, the Commission urges member states to take all possible steps to ensure legal certainty and protect previously existing rights. The citizens campaign group British in Europe has slammed what it calls a barebones proposal that means UK nationals will have to adjust to life as third-country nationals overnight once all their EU rights have been stripped from them. The British government says it is also looking at ways to facilitate access to benefits and services for Britons returning to live in the UK from the EU. Spain has the largest community of British migrants in the EU. Both the Spanish government and British embassy urge Britons living there to register with the Spanish authorities. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has promised emergency measures by early February to guarantee Britons existing rights in a no-deal scenario as long as Spaniards get the same treatment in Britain. Madrid and London have reportedly been working on a bilateral treaty to preserve local voting rights for Britons post-Brexit. has the largest community of British migrants in the EU. Both the Spanish government and British embassy urge Britons living there to register with the Spanish authorities. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has promised emergency measures by early February to guarantee Britons existing rights in a no-deal scenario as long as Spaniards get the same treatment in Britain. Madrid and London have reportedly been working on a bilateral treaty to preserve local voting rights for Britons post-Brexit. In France the National Assembly has passed a bill on plans for a no-deal Brexit. It gives the French government powers to issue decrees to protect Britons living and working in France and even grant them more favourable status than those from third countries, as long as the UK acts in similar fashion. The campaign group Remain in France estimates that UK nationals in France will probably be given a grace period to conform to new rules. the National Assembly has passed a bill on plans for a no-deal Brexit. It gives the French government powers to issue decrees to protect Britons living and working in France and even grant them more favourable status than those from third countries, as long as the UK acts in similar fashion. The campaign group Remain in France estimates that UK nationals in France will probably be given a grace period to conform to new rules. Germanys interior ministry says Britons there will retain residence rights for three months, with extensions possible, after a no-deal Brexit. But they will need to apply for residency by 30 June 2019. Berlin has already begun a registration process. interior ministry says Britons there will retain residence rights for three months, with extensions possible, after a no-deal Brexit. But they will need to apply for residency by 30 June 2019. Berlin has already begun a registration process. The Netherlands has also told resident Britons that after a no-deal Brexit they can carry on living, working and studying in the country. UK nationals should be sent a letter before Brexit day, which will serve as a temporary residence document. During a 15-month transition period they will then be invited to apply for a new permit. has also told resident Britons that after a no-deal Brexit they can carry on living, working and studying in the country. UK nationals should be sent a letter before Brexit day, which will serve as a temporary residence document. During a 15-month transition period they will then be invited to apply for a new permit. Italys foreign affairs ministry has also said that British residents can continue living and working there, even with no-deal. A transition period will follow. The group British in Italy urges people to obtain or apply for residence status by Brexit day. foreign affairs ministry has also said that British residents can continue living and working there, even with no-deal. A transition period will follow. The group British in Italy urges people to obtain or apply for residence status by Brexit day. Sweden is working on a plan to allow Britons there to live as before if the UK leaves the EU without an agreement. A Swedish government website specifies that this should include access to social security, healthcare and education. is working on a plan to allow Britons there to live as before if the UK leaves the EU without an agreement. A Swedish government website specifies that this should include access to social security, healthcare and education. Denmark's Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen has tweeted to say "of course" Britons can stay if there's no deal, and his government is preparing legislation. The Czech Republic has drawn up no-deal plans for a transition period until the end of 2020, during which British nationals living and working there on Brexit day will be treated like EU citizens. Austria appears to be taking a tougher stance: the interior ministry says in the absence of any special legal regime, Britons living there would be treated as other third-country nationals and would have to apply for new residence permits. In Poland the British ambassador has sent a message to UK nationals saying that talks with Polish officials are taking place regularly, but as yet there is no clarity. Portugal's foreign minister reportedly said in December that his government intended to "maintain the most favourable regime for British citizens in Portugal", as long as this was reciprocated for Portuguese nationals in the UK. Irelands government, like its British counterpart, has made it clear that British and Irish citizens can move freely and reside in each others countries with reciprocal rights under the CTA which is not dependent on EU membership. How the Brexit deal will impact Britons living in the EU if its ratified Losing control Despite the good intentions on all sides, a no-deal Brexit would mean citizens rights would no longer be protected at European level and instead be dealt with by individual nations. Both the EU and the UK government acknowledge their loss of influence. EU citizens residing in the United Kingdom would no longer be protected by the EU rules on free movement, says the Commissions document. The UK cannot act unilaterally to protect the rights of UK nationals in the EU, reads the British governments paper. Instead, and in particular over matters such as healthcare, social security and pensions, there are calls for reciprocal arrangements to be drawn up but few details. Amid the UKs parliamentary impasse over Brexit, the issue of citizens rights has been somewhat eclipsed as the public debate focuses on the economic consequences of a potential no deal. The ongoing uncertainty leaves many questions unanswered for Europeans living in the UK and Britons on the continent, compounding the anxiety many have felt over their future rights and legal status since the British referendum. With or without a deal, people moving between the EU and the UK in the future are likely to find arrangements much more restrictive than they are now. | https://www.euronews.com/2019/01/10/what-would-a-no-deal-brexit-mean-for-citizens-rights |
What is Europe's media saying on the morning of the Brexit vote? | On the morning of the UK parliament's crucial vote on whether to back Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan, we took a look at what Europe's media is saying on its front pages. In the UK, the front pages showed a mix of messages directed at voting MPs, saving democracy, begging Prime Minister Theresa May for a Brexit plan B, and discussion over the likelihood of May suffering a "crushing defeat." "Don't lose our trust for ever" "Time to put your country first" "Please open up your eyes (and ears) and start looking for a plan B" "May facing crushing defeat in Brexit vote" "Out of allies, out of time" "May braced for historic defeat on Brexit D-Day" Europe Across Europe, the front pages were a little more tense and subdued, sharing a mix of predicted "chaos" should MPs vote the deal down and apprehension from countries such as Ireland, which says it is "not yet ready." Belgium "British chaos threatens if May's plan fails tonight" Denmark "On the way to a wild week" France "The Commons have the hand" Germany "May warns of Brexit blockade" Ireland "Ireland 'not yet ready' as no deal looms" Spain "Today, May facing the rejection in parliament of her Brexit deal" "May calls on MPs to support Brexit: 'history will judge you'" Portugal "Theresa May risks greatest parliamentary defeat in 100 years" "Day B: House of Commons votes today on the UK's exit agreement from the European Union" | https://www.euronews.com/2019/01/15/what-is-europe-s-media-saying-on-the-morning-of-the-brexit-vote |
Are berries suffocating to death under high temperature and water stress? | Last year, researchers from the University of Adelaide, the South Australian Research and Development Institute and NSW Department of Primary Industries made headlines after their investigations revealed how grapes breathe, and that if subjected to a shortage of oxygen during ripening as can happen with an increase in temperature or water stress berries will shrivel and die. Detailing their findings, the researchers describe how Shiraz berries breathe oxygen differently to Chardonnay, probably explaining why the former is more sensitive to high temperatures and a higher incidence of cell death. Their findings open the door to further research into grape varieties better suited to a warming climate. Introduction Berry cell death is a developmental phenomenon that occurs late in ripening, is associates with shrivelling, and has implications for both yield and composition of berries and wine. We do not know to what extent cell death is genetically programmed, and to what extent is it a response to environmental and physiological challenges. This is important for at least two reasons. First, cell death may influence yield due to its strong correlation with berry shrivel in cultivars such as Shiraz. For example, cell death and shrivelling could be associated with yield losses of up to 30% in Shiraz. As a result, sugars are concentrated in the grapes during ripening and this could lead to high alcohol content in wine. Secondly, cell death may affect berry and wine sensory attributes due to the mixing of cell compartments and changes in biochemistry within the berry. Shrivel in mature Shiraz berries in warm climates is likely due to a combination of several factors. The correlation between cell death and berry shrivel can be explained by the dehydration of berries mediated by changes in cell membrane permeability (Clarke et al. 2010, Tilbrook and Tyerman 2008). Berry transpiration late in ripening may continue but with decreased vascular inflow (Rogiers et al. 2004). This may be combined with backflow to the vine (Keller et al. 2006, Keller et al. 2015, Tilbrook and Tyerman 2009, Tyerman et al. 2004) through functional xylem, which is only partially blocked in the pedicel (the berry stem) (Knipfer et al. 2015). Therefore, cultivardependent berry shrivelling may be linked to very different behaviours of berry water conductance late into ripening in addition to the effect of cell death (Scharwies and Tyerman 2017, Tilbrook and Tyerman 2009). Since the significant discovery of the phenomenon of late ripening cell death (Krasnow et al. 2008, Tilbrook and Tyerman 2008) and the cultivar dependent correlation between cell death and berry shrivel (Fuentes et al. 2010), various studies have investigated its relationship to abiotic stresses in the vineyard. Some showed that Shiraz berry cell death can be accelerated by water stress and elevated temperature (Bonada et al. 2013a, Bonada et al. 2013b). There are increasing frequencies and intensities of heat waves and drought events globally and in Australia (Alexander and Arblaster 2009, Perkins et al. 2012) and the warming trend is predicted to have adverse effects on grapevines (Webb et al. 2007) and berry quality (Bonada and Sadras 2015, Caravia et al. 2016). One of the challenges in the study of grape berry cell death is the requirement for a method to rapidly monitor it in the vineyard. Caravia et al. (2015) showed that using impedance spectroscopy, the electrical properties of grape berry flesh, can be rapidly measured and the vitality of the flesh can also be predicted using these properties. This technique has demonstrated a promising application for accurate and rapid measurement of berry composition. Oxygen and cell death Recently we tested the hypothesis that cell death was associated with oxygen (O2) starvation (hypoxia) in the berry tissue based on the observation that cell death was increased at higher temperature. Oxygen is essential for living cells and their normal respiration, which also depends on temperature. In the first component of the study, berry internal O2 concentration of Chardonnay, Shiraz and Ruby Seedless was measured with an O2 microprobe during berry ripening. The pattern of O2 concentration across the berry was found to correlate with cell vitality (Figure 1). The middle regions of the mesocarp had both the highest cell death and the lowest O2 concentration. Oxygen availability in the mesocarp might be limited by a high internal respiration demand, such as may occur at high temperature and possibly contributed by seeds, and/or by restricted O2 intake. A large gradient of O2 concentration across the skin (Figure 1) indicates significant restriction to oxygen diffusion. Thus, we turned our attention to the tiny gas permeable pores on the berry pedicel. These pores are referred to as lenticels and show a high density on the berry pedicel. Lower lenticel surface area in Shiraz could be indicative of a greater restriction on O2 uptake compared with Chardonnay. Oxygen concentration increased towards the central axis of the berry corresponding to the presence of central air spaces visualised using x-ray micro-computed tomography. These air spaces are connected to the pedicel where the lenticels are located. Direct measurements of O2 concentration in the axis of the berry while changing O2 supply at the pedicel showed that most O2 diffusion occurred via the pedicel lenticels. There was also increased ethanol concentration within Chardonnay berries after blocking pedicel lenticels indicating that fermentation occurred within the berry due to oxygen starvation. Thus, lenticels on the pedicel are an important pathway for oxygen uptake into the berry, and blocking or restricting these gas permeable structures can lead to decreased oxygen supply in the berry mesocarp. High respiratory demand in the berry can also create an O2 deficiency. The seeds contributed substantially to berry respiration around veraison but decreased to a negligible demand late in ripening. Both seeded cultivars (Shiraz and Chardonnay) showed substantial cell death during ripening while Ruby Seedless grapes maintained higher cell vitality as well as higher internal oxygen concentrations. The results partially explain cultivar differences in cell death due to the presence of seeds and differences in lenticel morphology and surface area. Abiotic stresses and berry internal oxygen As ambient temperature and water stress modulate cell death and berry shrivel, we then investigated how water stress and elevated temperature affect Shiraz berry cell death and internal O2 status. Using the O2 microprobe and micro X-ray CT analysis, Shiraz berry cell death was shown to be correlated with low O2 concentration in the mesocarp and decreased berry air spaces within the flesh, perhaps induced by stress, that could potentially restrict the diffusion of O2, leading to hypoxia and cell death. The internal oxygen also decreased during berry ripening irrespective of growing conditions. The progression of cell death during berry ripening correlated with mean berry internal O2 concentration across all growing conditions. Water stress decreased Shiraz berry internal O2 concentration and increased ethanol accumulation and cell death. Total berry air space volume decreased across the ripening period independent of treatment while locule cavity (cavity around the seed) increased. This suggested that earlier in ripening, Shiraz berry internal air spaces occur as fine pores and that later in ripening, locule air space becomes larger relative to the total berry volume. Air channels connected the internal air space to the pedicels, where lenticels occur at high density, similar to that which was observed for Chardonnay berries. This further confirmed the physiological importance of pedicel lenticels in gas exchange and oxygen uptake. Conclusion The reduced berry internal O2 concentration is related to the reduction in air space and percentage of living tissue. Cell death, and by implication berry shrivel, are strongly linked to oxygen supply and demand. Potentially any stress that influences oxidative processes, including treatments that can cause oxidative stress in the berry, berry respiration or anatomy, will likely impact on cell death. Lenticels on the pedicel provide the main pathway for O2 diffusion into the berry. Differences in internal O2 availability of berries between cultivars could be associated with seed development and differences in lenticel surface area. Higher rates of mesocarp cell death caused by water stress was also associated with hypoxia within grape berries. This new knowledge on how grapes uptake oxygen provides the basis for further research into berry quality and cultivar selection for adapting viticulture to a warming climate. By Zeyu Xiao1,4, Siyang Liao1,2, Suzy Y. Rogiers1,4,5, Victor O. Sadras1,3 and Stephen D. Tyerman1,2 1The Australian Research Council Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia 2School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, PMB1, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia. 3South Australian Research & Development Institute, Waite Research Precinct, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia 4National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia 5NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, Australia This article was originally published in the Summer 2019 Wine & Viticulture Journal. Click here to read more about the issue, and click here to subscribe. Photo: Probing a Shiraz berry to measure O2 concentration profiles within the flesh. The berry pedicel (top) can be seen with lenticels on the surface. (Right) Oxygen profile across a Chardonnay berry shows that the O2 concentration decreases from the surface towards the middle region of the flesh and increases towards the central vascular bundles. The horizontal axis is the depth from the berry skin, vertical axis is oxygen concentration. Red arrow indicates the approximate track of the oxygen probe within the berry. Background image shows vital stained longitudinal section of a different berry. Green fluorescent signal indicates vital cells. Similar O2 profiles near the skin were observed for Shiraz. Adapted from Xiao et al. (2018b). | https://winetitles.com.au/are-berries-suffocating-to-death-under-high-temperature-and-water-stress/ |
What could happen after MPs vote on the Brexit deal? | Today - Tuesday, January 15 - essentially spells D-day for British Prime Minister Theresa May as MPs take their seats in the House of Commons to deliver their verdict on her government's Brexit deal. Had the vote on May's deal taken place when it was originally planned back in December, the government would have 21 days to return to the Commons to set out what it plans to do next, in the event of a deal rejection. Adding pressure to the mix, it follows a week of Brexit defeats for May after MPs voted last Wednesday in favour of a limited period to present next steps on Brexit if the current deal is rebuffed. After days of debate , they will vote on both the withdrawal agreement , a legally-binding, nearly 600 page document that sets out how the UK leaves the European Union, and the future political framework a set of ambitions for a European Union (EU)-UK trade deal. But now, May would be given just three days to present a Brexit plan B. If MPs accept the deal, Britain is sure to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, but if they reject it, the resulting whirlwind of political activity would be on a scale unrivalled in the UK for decades. Euronews spoke to Pieter Cleppe, Head of Open Europe's Brussels office, back in December, when the vote on May's deal was originally scheduled. "What is possible is that the withdrawal treaty is defeated and that, of course, is what most people expect," he said. Until now, May has enjoyed a majority of 13 in the House of Commons, with the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), but the Northern Irish party has vowed to vote down the deal. Labour, the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats have all come out against the deal and around 100 MPs have criticised the agreement. The second question is the degree to which the deal is defeated: "Will it be 10, 50 or 100 MPs short, we don't know," said Cleppe. A vote of no-confidence Labour has vowed to call a motion of no confidence in the government if the deal is rejected and, if backed by a majority of MPs, this could force a general election. However, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has remained tight-lipped about a specific date to call the motion, biding his time for a date that May would most-likely lose. May has so far remained resilient, surviving a confidence vote put forward by 48 members of her party in December. Following this, her party cannot challenge her leadership for another 12 months. Cleppe thinks Labour's no-confidence vote is most likely to happen but, given that May enjoys a majority in parliament, "this is likely to fail". Broadly speaking, if a general election is called, which results in a change of leadership, anything from a second Brexit referendum to a no deal could happen. In the event of either a second referendum or general election, the EU could agree to extend Article 50 beyond March 2019. Amid all the confusion, a disorderly no-deal cannot be ruled out. On the question of a second Brexit referendum in the case of a new leader, Cleppe said: "Of course, it's possible, anything is possible, but we need a whole lot of conditions fulfilled first." The Labour Party needs to be in favour of that, which is still ambiguous. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said just last week that should he win a general election, the Labour party would consider an extension of Article 50 in order to buy time to negotiate another deal with the EU. May resigns REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Losing Tuesday's vote would mount pressure on May to resign from her post. A resignation would lead to a Conservative leadership election, in which two candidates would be picked out of a secret ballot. Members of the Conservative Party, approximately 124,000 people as of March 2018, would then vote between the two candidates for a new leader. May stays in post If May survives these hurdles, she could seek another vote on her deal. She might also look for some tweaks to the Brexit package, but she'd need Brussels' and finally the House of Commons' agreement. But with the March 29 deadline looming, a no-deal scenario becomes more likely. Watch the video in the above player to see Alex from #TheCube analyse the no-deal scenario. However, in a speech to the House of Commons later on Monday, May is expected to warn MPs that it is more likely that Brexit will be cancelled all together than the UK leaving the EU without a deal. The European Court of Justice ruled in December that the UK could legally cancel Brexit without seeking permission from EU leaders. | https://www.euronews.com/2019/01/15/what-could-happen-after-mps-vote-on-the-brexit-deal |
Would The Grizzlies Consider Trading Marc Gasol At The Deadline? | Getty Image The Memphis Grizzlies are in the midst of a miserable stretch thats seen them lose 14 of their last 18 games to fall to 19-23 on the season and 14th in the West, only ahead of the lowly Suns. Last year, Memphis finished with the second worst record in the NBA, only to get the fourth pick of the draft which it appears they nailed with Jaren Jackson Jr. The hope was that the return of Mike Conley Jr. as well as some additions in free agency would bring the team back into the playoff conversation after just one season in the tank. Early in the season, that appeared to be the case as their defense suffocated opponents and they looked to be among the Wests best eight teams. Unfortunately, thats no longer the case and with every loss Memphis has to start wondering whether the time to hit the reset button in full is coming. The idea had long been that as long as Conley and Marc Gasol were healthy, the Grizzlies could compete for a playoff spot, but that may no longer be the case and a pivot to a future-facing direction could be the best course of action in Memphis. Of course, thats easier said than done and its never fun to tear things down, but its also not much fun to watch the Grizzlies as currently constructed either. The biggest obstacles to a full-on rebuild are their three massive contracts for Gasol, Conley, and Chandler Parsons, who is away from the team right now as they reportedly work on a solution to end his time in Memphis officially. Conleys contract is massive, but expires after next season and its not like hes a guy that would be detrimental to your team as you shift towards a youth movement if anything he could be a major help. | https://uproxx.com/dimemag/memphis-grizzlies-marc-gasol-trade-rumors-player-option-free-agency/ |
Can Hyundai's String Of Awards Lead To Much-Needed Sales? | Hyundai Motor swept the North American Utility of the Year and Car of the Year awards at the Detroit auto show this week, with the new B-segment Kona crossover and the Genesis G70, the newest offering from Hyundais luxury badge. The twin awards the biggest in American motoring are the latest in an impressive string of recent victories for the South Korean brand. In December, Motor Trend named the G70 as its car of the year. In June, the top three positions in J.D. Powers annual Initial Quality Study were occupied by Genesis, Hyundais corporate sister Kia, and Hyundai. Theres little doubt that Hyundais reputation for making high-quality volume sedans is expanding into SUV and luxury territory. By the admission of Executive Vice Chairman Euisun Chung, son of the current chairman and grandson of Hyundais founder, Hyundai missed the SUV boom. Hyundai wowed the U.S. market with its electrifying 2010 Sonata sedan and 2011 Elantra, which won the 2012 North American Car of the Year Award, just as the market was demanding mid-sized four-door cars. But in the following years, as the market turned from sedans to crossovers, Hyundai concentrated on improving the Sonata and Elantra. And they were superior vehicles to their award-winning predecessors. But by then the U.S. market had moved on. Prior to last years rollout of the little Kona and this years introduction of the full-sized Palisade, Hyundai had only two SUVs in its lineup Tucson and Santa Fe. At the same time as it was losing U.S. market share, Hyundai got caught in a political dispute between South Korea and Hyundais largest market, China, when Beijing objected to a piece of U.S. military hardware installed in South Korea, which China saw as a threat. China began boycotting all Korean products, crushing Hyundais sales there, which already were getting pinched by rising Chinese brands from below and European luxury brands from above. Even domestically in South Korea, imports began to chew into Hyundais dominant market share. As such, Hyundais global sales have dropped in recent years and profits have plunged . Hyundais Genesis luxury badge has been badly handled since its spinoff in 2015. Launched with only two sedans, no SUVs and no stand-alone dealerships, Genesis got embroiled in a nasty fight with U.S. Hyundai dealers over which ones would be allowed to sell Genesis. Probably not on their own. I asked a prominent Hyundai dealer once how much these awards mattered to his sales. Theyre additive, he said, not essential. Hyundais greatest selling points are still vehicle price, quality, warranty and features. Car of the year awards are a nice cherry on top, he said. Hed put the award signage up in his dealership, he said, and let current owners know their car had won a big award, but prizes dont close deals. It also wont help Hyundai that neither the Kona nor the G70 are high-volume cars. Kona sits in the fast-growing but still small subcompact SUV segment. Though Kona enjoyed a very good first year, recording 47,090 sales in 2018, that number was still about one-third of Tucson's total sales. Genesis sales are going the other way. Sales of the big G80 and G90 in 2018 were about half of their 2017 totals. The Genesis G70 was built as a BMW 3-series killer and should fare better -- that's the biggest-selling segment of luxury sedans. Even if big awards don't significantly move the sales needle, I can tell you from firsthand experience, from my years as head of global PR for Hyundai in Seoul, that they matter to the people who actually make the cars. When Hyundai won its first North American COTY, as theyre called in the industry, for its first-generation Genesis in 2009, it was a watershed moment for company pride. Finally Hyundai an auto industry joke only a generation earlier had climbed to the top of the worlds most important auto market. Hyundai, showing a little swag, cut a funny Super Bowl ad to celebrate the win. Hyundai felt like it had another Detroit COTY winner in 2011 with the Sonata, which revolutionized design in the midsize-sedan segment, but lost to the Chevy Volt. As a political statement and symbol, Volt could not be defeated that year: It was an electric vehicle produced by a Detroit legacy automaker just out of bankruptcy in its historic Hamtramck factory a phoenix story to beat all. As I told my disappointed Hyundai Motor America colleagues when Volt was announced as the winner, This was like being nominated for the Best Actor Oscar the year Dustin Hoffman was up for Rain Man. No one else was going to win. But Hyundai kept at it and the following year, its redesigned Elantra grabbed the Detroit COTY over the VW Passat and the Ford Focus. Having won a couple of big U.S. COTYs, Hyundai set its award sights on the worlds most demanding auto market: Europe. Hyundai, along with most Asian brands, had always received short-shrift in Europe, whether because of the might of the German marques, the protectionist policies of the French and other governments or general consumer bias. Not only had Hyundai never won a European COTY, it had never even made the short list, or finalists. In 2012, with the redesigned Hyundai i30 (badged in the U.S. as the Elantra GT), Hyundai felt it had a chance. We waged an all-out effort to get European COTY voters to drive the i30 multiple times. We sent them positive reviews of the car. In a last big push, we brought a number of voters to Hyundai headquarters in Seoul for a detailed, exclusive look at the i30s best features. We recruited the i30 engineers and product planners who had spent the past three years of their lives devoted to nothing besides making the i30 better. We got them to tell their stories to the voters. I will never forget the one female i30 engineer whose job it was to make sure the i30 backup camera, which popped out from under a flip-up Hyundai H logo on the cars trunk, worked properly. She told stories of spending dozens and dozens of hours squeezed into the i30s trunk watching the camera operate while it was opened and shut hundreds of time and shot with high-pressure water, frozen, heated to extreme temperatures, banged on and otherwise abused. Just to make sure the thing flipped open every single time an i30 buyer shifted into reverse. I dont know if it was her story that pushed us over the top, but the i30 got shortlisted for the European COTY. It didnt win that was the VW Golf, naturally but the achievement was remarkable and the pride of the i30 team was real. So when I see that Hyundai or any other upstart brand has won a big award, I tend not to think of the chief marketing officers who are already writing the award into their ad copy. I think of the engineers, product teams, designers and everyone else who sweated every last detail of the thousands of pieces and ideas that go into each car. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/frankahrens/2019/01/15/can-hyundais-string-of-awards-lead-to-much-needed-sales/ |
Is ringleader on the road to redemption? | The Tennessee man federal prosecutors say was the ringleader in a conspiracy to burglarize nearly 70 pharmacies across 11 states over a five-year period, including two in Corbin, was sentenced Tuesday, January 8 to seven years in prison. Robert Nunley of Tracy City, Tennessee appeared before Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove in U.S. District Court in London for formal sentencing. Nunley pleaded guilty in March to two counts of burglary of a pharmacy and one count of conspiracy to distribute Schedule II controlled substances, to include oxycodone. Based on the results of the presentence investigation, which took into account multiple factors including his criminal history, and the nature and circumstances of the offense, the federal sentencing guidelines set a sentencing range of 78 to 98 months for Nunley. You must be logged in to view this content. | http://mountainadvocate.com/is-ringleader-on-the-road-to-redemption/ |
Are the White Sox Serious About Manny Machado? | It's been a while since the White Sox have been serious players for a high-profile free agent. Not really since signing Albert Belle to a five-year, $55 million deal in November 1996 have they been so prominently a part of the offseason rumor mill. So it is probably fair to question whether or not their run at Manny Machado this offseason is real. Keeping track of the whirling dervish of guesses and speculation at what Machado is going to do in free agency has been dizzying. Even the official MLB Twitter account joined in yesterday, claiming that the White Sox have gone 8 years, $250 million in their offer to Machado, in a since-deleted tweet. With a month to go before spring training begins, the rumblings from baseball's most well-connected insiders have been murky at best. Pick a day and it can seem simultaneously as if he is on the verge of signing and also weeks away, sifting through offers from multiple teams. But one constant has been the link between the White Sox and Machado. Reports on just how many years and how much money they have offered him have varied, but the lowest common denominator has consistently been that they are very much in on the shortstop. They've been rumored to be going seven or eight years and as low as under $200 million and as high as nearly $300 million. Even at the low end, a contract of this size would be a first for the White Sox organization. Their estimated luxury tax payroll commitments for 2019 are a bit over $109 million, according to Rosterresource.com, and the highest paid player this season is Jose Abreu. The first baseman is set to make $16 million in 2019, the last year of his contract, and he was the most recent big contract doled out by the White Sox since Belle over twenty years ago. Given the White Sox history with free agents, signing Machado would be a break from what has been their approach for years. So, again, it's reasonable to wonder how serious they are this time. If the White Sox have offered seven years and something under $200 million for Machado, this would smack of a grandiose but ultimately insincere don't-look-behind-the-curtain attempt to placate fans who have watched favorites like Chris Sale and Jose Quintana shipped off for prospects in the past few years. An offer like that might be just enough for them to say they tried, but it wouldn't be a genuine effort. But taking into account what the White Sox have done otherwise this offseason, their effort to land Machado seems like more than just a meager hand-wave attempt at trying to sign him. Machado was at Guaranteed Rate Field to meet with team executives about a week before Christmas, and as the offseason has progressed, the White Sox have signed Yonder Alonso (Machado's brother-in-law), and Jon Jay (his close friend and winter workout buddy). Jay fits with their current outfield and is a well-liked clubhouse presence, but the Alonso signing makes little sense apart from Machado. With first baseman Jose Abreu in Chicago for at least one more year, Alonso feels superfluous. Unless he's a piece of the Machado puzzle. A move like this isn't without recent precedent. The White Sox's northside counterparts signed David Ross just before adding his buddy Jon Lester in December 2014, and the Cubs did sort of the same thing with catcher Chris Gimenez and Yu Darvish last winter. Joining the White Sox would mean that playoff contention is still realistically at least a year away, but in the meantime, Machado could come to a franchise that has some friendly faces on the roster. It's obvious that Machado would fit in nicely with the White Sox current lineup, where Tim Anderson and Yolmer Sanchez currently occupy the left side of the infield. Anderson is a respectable shortstop and Sanchez a valuable clubhouse leader, but neither would stand in the way of Machado and his 30.2 career fWAR. Adding Machado would be a major step toward making the White Sox legitimate contenders in the American League Central, and maybe even more. Chicago arguably has room to sign both Machado and Bryce Harper to handsome contracts, but it's been the former who has had the strongest link to the team so far. They are likely competing most closely with the Philadelphia Phillies -- who are also strongly linked to Harper -- and at different times the Yankees, Dodgers, and of course the perennial Mystery Team. The White Sox have sold off nearly all of the best parts of the roster over the past few years in exchange for the best prospects of more than a few opposing teams, but that seems to be at an end. If White Sox general manager Rick Hahn does land Machado, this would represent a break from recent tradition and a step toward the future for the franchise, whatever the final contract total turns out to be. Everything that the White Sox have done concretely so far would indicate that they're serious about landing Machado, and that should be refreshing news for fans on Chicago's south side. An inadequate attempt to bring one of the best free agents in years to the team would be an epic disappointment after seemingly otherwise putting all of the right pieces in place to bring Machado to Chicago. The rumor mill points in many directions, but the White Sox don't appear to be bluffing. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaredwyllys/2019/01/15/are-the-white-sox-serious-about-manny-machado/ |
Why do Muslim women wear a hijab? | For many Muslim women, a hijab is a way of expressing resistance. AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty Caitlin Killian, Drew University Nazma Khan, who immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh at age 11, faced years of shaming over wearing a headscarf in New York. So, in 2013, she started World Hijab Day a day for both Muslim and non-Muslim women to experience wearing a headscarf. Celebrated on Feb. 1, the day is an expression of solidarity and support for religious freedom. As a scholar of Muslim immigrants, I have also long argued for womens right to religious expression in their clothing choices. The hijab is not simply about religion women wear it for a variety of reasons that can change, depending on the time and social context. Muslim religious writings are not entirely clear on the question of veiling. Various passages in the Quran, the Muslim holy book, and the Hadiths, statements attributed to the Prophet Mohammad, make reference to veiling by the prophets wives. But scholars disagree about whether these statements apply only to the prophets wives or to all Muslim women. According to some, the veil has been used as a way of curbing male sexual desire. Yet covering the head and body predated Islam. Jewish, Christian and Hindu women have also covered their head at various times in history and in different parts of the world. Certainly, the headscarf is tied to religion. Many women who cover talk about it as a way demonstrating their submission to God and a constant reminder to hold fast to Islamic beliefs such as being honest and generous to those in need. Asserting identity However, there are other reasons for adopting the hijab. French and British colonizers encouraged Muslim women to remove the veil and emulate European women. Consequently, in North African and Middle Eastern countries, the veil became a symbol of national identity and opposition to the West during independence and nationalist movements. Today, some women wear the hijab to signal pride in their ethnic identity. This is more so for immigrants in Europe and the United States, where there has been an increase in Islamophobia. In a Facebook post for World Hijab Day 2018 that went viral, Columbia College student Toqa Badran wrote, I wear this scarf because when I was a child I was socialized to be embarrassed, even ashamed, of my religion and my culture. I was told that to be a Muslim was to be a terrorist and that to be outwardly Muslim was to endorse violence and oppression I understood that I would be unwelcome as long as I wore symbols of my heritage and chose to, in however modern a way, embrace my ancestors. Muslim African-American women in the U.S. sometimes wear a hijab to signal their religious affiliation. They also want to dispel the assumption that all African-Americans are Christians, and that only people with origins abroad can be Muslim. In fact, 13 percent of adult Muslims in the U.S are black Americans born in the country. Different reasons for wearing a hijab For many other women, the headscarf has become a means of resistance to standards of feminine beauty that demand more exposure. Proponents of this view argue that removing clothing for the benefit of the male gaze does not equal liberation. According to researchers, women in hijabs note that employers must interact with them based on their qualifications rather than their appearance and that, therefore, the hijab levels the playing field. In Western countries, however, women find that wearing a head covering makes it harder to get hired. Finally, for some women, the headscarf is a convenience. It can reduce comments from others about women being out in public and lessen incidents of harassment on the street and at work. Despite the multiple, complicated reasons behind wearing a hijab, there are those who routinely assert that women who wear a headscarf are necessarily oppressed. Examples of hijab-wearing women in the government, such as newly elected Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, or athletes such as Olympian fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, may help dispel these stereotypes. Caitlin Killian, Professor of Sociology, Drew University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. | https://epages.wordpress.com/2019/01/15/why-do-muslim-women-wear-a-hijab/ |
How will the United States define itself? | The nine members of the House of Representatives who serve districts bordering Mexico newly elected and old hands, Democrats and Republicans have something in common: Not one of them supports President Donald Trumps Southern border wall. Everyone tries to act like this is some scary drug cartel movie back in the day, Republican Rep. Will Hurd, whose district spans 800 miles of Texas border, said in a televised interview after Trumps Oval Office address Tuesday night. In fact, Hurd said the border areas are some of the safest communities in the United States. Its a Fourth Century solution to a 21st-century problem, said Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez. His district includes McAllen, Texas, where Trump will visit Thursday and where crime is at a 33-year low. Gonzalez told reporters that no one wants stronger border control than me, but added that he supports technological solutions because walls dont bring real security and cost too much. Two complicated arguments The dispute over the wall is really two arguments, complicating each other to the point of insolvability. One involves the physical security of the nation. The other centers on its ideological identity. Absent the philosophical argument, the security issues arent really that divisive. Few Americans are so anti-wall that they wouldnt concede there are areas on the border where barriers are part of the answer. In New Mexico, Arizona and California, for instance, where the U.S. government controls a continuous 60-foot-wide strip of mostly flat, dry land adjacent to the border with Mexico, the majority is already fenced. Few people are so pro-wall that they wouldnt concede that the Texas border, mostly unfenced because of treaties, private ownership, environmental litigation and floodplains, cant be walled entirely. And far from being at a crisis point, illegal crossings have dropped almost 70 percent in 15 years. While heroin, fentanyl and cocaine do come over the Southern border, they mostly arrive in vehicles, crossing through legal checkpoints. More border guards at checkpoints and in between them, with better technology, are whats needed to cut the flow of illegal crossers and drugs. As for those who come to the border seeking asylum, national and international laws give them the right to do so. More judges and facilities are whats needed to process asylum-seekers, to adjudicate their claims quickly, and either to send them back or welcome them in. Sign up for amExpress, the conversation starter for New Yorkers. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. What is bedeviling the nation is not how to protect our border, but how to define our nation. Our history is one of welcoming. We are nearly all descendants of immigrants, often poor and unskilled. We need to discuss how many people we ought to let in, and on what basis. And that argument must be stripped of the fearmongering and xenophobia Trump has displayed. But that debate is not well served by the government shutdown, which holds federal workers hostage and pulls resources from crucial initiatives that safeguard us. The overarching question of national identity cant be resolved in a proxy fight over a wall. The answer is negotiations and compromise on our immigration policy. | https://www.amny.com/opinion/editorial/how-will-the-united-states-define-itself-1.25753920 |
What would Cardiff City target Mbwana Samatta offer Bluebirds and could they sign him AND Emiliano Sala? | Get Weekday Cardiff City FC updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email As Neil Warnock continues to search for solutions in the January transfer window, various names are persistently being linked with his club. One of the firm recent links to appear in reference to a move is Mbwana Samatta, the Tanzanian striker currently at KRC Genk. Background Samatta is a 5ft 9ins striker currently playing in the Belgian First Division A, having moved to Genk from TP Mazembe in 2016. He is entering his supposed peak years as a footballer at the age of 26, and his scoring record this season demonstrates that, with 15 goals in 21 league matches. He's right-footed, fairly quick, and is presently having his most productive professional season in terms of output. (Image: YORICK JANSENS/AFP/Getty Images) Samatta's style of play As a striker, Samatta appears to offer a lot when focusing on the underlying numbers behind his current season. After 21 matches, Samatta is the league's top scorer by two goals, and he's also top of the table when delving into the realms of Expected Goals (xG). According to Wyscout's figures, Samatta has been expected to score 12.2 so far this season, which is considerably more than the second-placed player (10.4) and the third-placed (9.44). A player's xG indicates the quality of the chances he's presented with, as the higher the xG, the more likely a player is to score. So Samatta having the highest xG in his domestic league essentially means he's receiving more high-quality chances than anyone else. Also, the fact that Samatta has scored 15 despite being expected to score 12.2 means that he's outperforming his xG, and this can mean two things - the player is lucky, or the player is a high-quality finisher. Currently, it's likely to be luck with Samatta on a hot streak, as last season he scored seven having had an xG of 7.49, so he performed at a normal rate. Despite last season being fairly average though, it's likely that the Bluebirds' interest derives from his showings in the current campaign. (Image: OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images) In addition to being the league's top scorer, Samatta has also had the most touches in the box, and by some distance too, with 101 compared to the second highest with 78. He's also fourth in the league for shots taken. These numbers paint a general picture of Samatta and his overall game, as it's quite clear that the Tanzanian is a very active penalty box poacher. This is further reaffirmed when looking at his creative numbers, as he's made just one league assist this season. This ties in with his Expected Assists (xA), as the chances he's created for his team-mates per 90 minutes accumulate an average of about 0.1. Consequently, Samatta is unlikely to provide much for the players around him, but he's more than useful providing he's presented with enough. So in terms of what Cardiff would be signing, the answer is very simple - goals. Samatta is a player who comes alive when tasked with scoring and contributing in and around the opposing penalty box. Considering that Cardiff have scored the third fewest goals in the Premier League this season, it sounds like a move that makes sense because it's clearly an area in which the team are lacking. It's unlikely that Samatta will hit the same numbers in a stronger league, but his cheap value combined with his showings this season in Belgium indicate he's worth a punt. As it stands, it would appear Samatta is a Plan B. Cardiff's top target remains Nantes forward Emiliano Sala and they remain hopeful they can lure the Argentine to the Welsh capital on a big money deal. With Samatta a different profile of striker to Sala - a quick poacher as opposed to Sala's taller build with greater aerial ability - it's not entirely impossible that the Bluebirds could pursue both men. Financial implications will probably put pay to that possibility. But there's no doubt Samatta would add much-needed goals should he join the Warnock revolution. | https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/what-would-cardiff-city-target-15680368 |
Whats the difference between a Crawley accent and a Croydon one? | Police have sparked a debate among locals after appealing for a thief with a Croydon accent - because people cant decide if it exists. An appeal for information relating to a gunpoint robbery in Crawley included a description of the suspect and bizarrely noted that he had a Croydon accent. CCTV footage released by police of a thief in Crawley Residents of the south London borough picked up on the unusual identifying detail of the suspect, which was reported on by a local news website. Croydon is the birthplace of supermodel Kate Moss, football pundit Ian Wright and MOBO-award-winning rapper Stormzy, who have all yet to wade in on the argument. On a Facebook post some people said they have been told by others they have a Croydon accent and so the phenomenon must exist. Michelle Rushton said: Im born and bred in Croydon and actually we do have a slightly different accent. Ive been abroad on three separate occasions and had other Southeners approach me and ask if Im from Croydon. Louise Banks said: Theres definitely a Croydon accent and a Streatham one and a definite Crawley one for sure. Several people say they have moved away from the area - but have been told by others that they have a distinctive tone to their voices. Kelly McInerney said: I know when I first moved to Walton on Thames from Thornton Heath people made comments about me not being from round there. And Karl Ellis said: Youd be surprised how many times that people Ive met from London to Cardiff have guessed Im from Croydon because I apparently have an accent. Stranger still, some people from Croydon say I have an Addington accent. Jordan Dowson added: Im originally from Croydon, now up north and had a few people tell me I have a croydon accent so we must do? But others disagreed and said it wasnt possible to have a Croydon accent. Manda Vale said: Croydon accent - thats a new one on me. Mancunian commenter Donnz Mainwaring said: As a Manc living in Croydon Im gonna tell you, theres no Croydon accent you all sound the same. Theres the roadman twang, east end twang, Essex twang etc but on a whole London folk sound the same. | https://www.westsussextoday.co.uk/news/crime/what-s-the-difference-between-a-crawley-accent-and-a-croydon-one-1-8770615 |
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