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Which drones does the DJI Smart Controller support? | Best answer: The Smart Controller supports Ocusync 2.0 equipped DJI drones, which right now includes the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom. That's it! What the Smart Controller does The DJI Smart Controller is the latest product from the leader in the consumer drone space. It's designed to replace the use of a standard controller with a smartphone or tablet attached thanks to its built-in display. All features of the DJI mobile apps are baked in, as are all features you would find on a regular DJI controller. Only for the Mavic 2 drones The biggest limitation to the Smart Controller is that it's based on DJI's Ocusync 2.0 technology. And currently, that is only available on the Mavic 2 Zoom and the Mavic 2 Pro. Future drones from DJI will no doubt support the Smart Controller, but Ocusync has traditionally been for the highest end products, which includes the Phantom alongside the Mavic Pro drones. If you're wondering if some of DJI's other drones work, you're out of luck. DJI's other 2018 Mavic drone, the Mavic Air, uses a standard Wi-Fi connection, while the original Mavic Pro uses an older version of Ocusync. Neither is compatible with the Smart Controller. Mavic 2 Enterprise coming soon DJI's other Mavic 2 drone, the Enterprise, is also built on Ocusync 2.0 but initially isn't compatible with the Smart Controller. DJI has however said that it will be supported through a future update. Integrated smart features The Smart Controller is built on Android and has additional smart features on hand beyond just flying your drone. Absolutely fine! One of the more interesting features that will be coming to the Smart Controller in the future is the ability to live stream from your drone's camera directly to services like Facebook and Instagram. So you can take your followers into the skies with you. | https://www.androidcentral.com/which-drones-does-dji-smart-controller-support?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+androidcentral+%28Android+Central%29 |
How do bone conduction headphones work? | Best answer: Bone conduction headphones work by vibrating against the bones in your cheek or upper jaw, which in turn sends those vibrations to the inner ear, bypassing the ear canal completely. Since they don't depend on the eardrum, they can be great for people with hearing deficiencies, and since they aren't in or over your ear, you'll be able to hear what's happening around you. They aren't very good at reproducing sound that's true-to-life because of their design, but sometimes sound quality isn't the most important feature in a pair of headphones. Sound is vibration At least when it comes to hearing it, that is. Audio travels through the air in a pressure wave, and variations on the frequency and strength of that wave are what makes us hear different sounds. As the pressure wave hits our eardrums, they vibrate in time with the pressure wave and the cochlea an organ inside your inner ear interprets things to let our brains hear the sounds. Regular headphones, whether wired or wireless, work on this principle. A small speaker inside each earbud or earcup passes along the sound waveform for our eardrums to pick up and pass along in turn. All speakers work this way, not just headphones. Bone conduction headphones don't sound bad. They just don't sound great. Bone conduction has its roots in the military and healthcare fields, and don't require the eardrum to pass the waveform along to the cochlea. instead, they rest against the cheekbone or upper jaw and the vibrations, which mimic an audio waveform, are passed directly to the inner ear. Since they aren't in or over your ears, you can hear things like traffic sounds or another person trying to get your attention. And since they don't rely on the eardrum, they can be great for folks with hearing loss. One drawback to bone conduction headphones is the sound quality. They don't sound bad, they just don't sound great. Better put, they sound different. We're not used to hearing things via a direct conduit from a vibration motor to our inner ear, but if you need to hear your surroundings or have hearing loss, they can be the right headphones for you. | https://www.androidcentral.com/how-do-bone-conduction-headphones-work?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+androidcentral+%28Android+Central%29 |
What the F**k Happens Now? | Disclaimer: The views expressed within this article are entirely the authors own and are not attributable to Wessex Scene as a whole. Brexit. Brexit. Brexit. Its been Groundhog Day for the last two years, only more hopeless. Most people reading this are sick to death of the whole thing, and yet it goes on. And on. And on. Mays deal suffered the worst defeat in history, Corbyns no confidence vote has failed, and the only political voice anyone can agree on is Danny Dyers. The sad news is if you thought things were unclear before, its just got a whole lot worse. Were in completely uncharted territory, and its safe to say anything can happen. With that in mind, a filter coffee and my head in my hands, Im going to look at what could happen next No Deal Brexit Firstly, I do want to make one thing clear amongst all the doom and gloom. Wishing everyone would just get on with it is a very reasonable thing to think. Its been going on forever, and its driving us crazy. But dont let this thinking lead you into passively accepting no deal. This mess is awful, but no deal would definitely be worse. No deal Brexit means that after March 29th, we cut off all ties with the EU just like that. We would lose all our trade benefits, (nearly half of all our trade is with the EU), freedom of movement, and well have to negotiate all that with the EU and whoever else is going to boost our economy the way the EU used to. This isnt project fear, and armageddon predictions. Put simply, none of the arguments for no deal are based in fact, simply because most of them cant be. Its unprecedented. Nobody knows how wed try and become a world power in a globalised age outside of the EU because its never happened before. Far from speeding up this process, no deal would propel us into years of uncertainty, desperately trying to negotiate trade deals, political agreements, transnational environmental policies and the list goes on and on. We must leave the EU with some kind of deal that doesnt plunge us into uncertainty. This isnt even taking into account the issue of a hard border with Northern Ireland, something which could feasibly happen with No Deal, which would be catastrophic. I dont think this is very likely. There isnt a majority in Parliament for it, or indeed the country. Some Leave voters wanted no deal, but many also wanted a deal. Most MPs recognise that it is an extreme measure of leaving the EU, and there is cross-party support in blocking this. Peoples Vote This could be another way of breaking the deadlock. Sending the issue back to the people could fix this situation. It also may not. A second referendum is the last thing many people want right now, but we must recognise the failures of the first. The classic arguments against this have no substance: We voted to leave, so get on with it!, Weve already had a referendum, just accept the result and stop moaning! Many people who voted leave wanted no deal, but many also wanted a deal. 2% of the electorate swung the referendum, and there was no consensus over how to leave the EU. There is also the argument that far from being treacherous, further democracy cannot be anti-democratic. The first referendum was handled atrociously. Both campaigns were appalling. The Remain campaign was uninspiring, condescending and negative. The Leave campaign was fraught with lies, an mythology akin to Trumps Make America Great Again, and incompetence. Everything on both sides was wildly exaggerated, and most of it not based on fact. Importantly, the question was also flawed. Many people who voted leave wanted no deal, but many also wanted a deal. The question of: Leave/Remain gives no specifics. This would have been answered by a coherent plan by the Leave Campaign. But there was none. This already makes the case for a second referendum quite well, but this is furthered by the political impasse we now find ourselves in. While a Peoples Vote would have seemed the most unlikeliest option even a year ago, now its very much on the cards. Although it doesnt have a majority, it is the only thing I can see genuine cross-party support for. It would only come about if the massive amount of pressure within the Labour Party convinced Jeremy Corbyn to support it. The Labour Party have already said that if, as expected, their no confidence vote fails, theyll consider it, so this chain of events could happen. I do have many reservations about a Peoples Vote, due to the damage the first one caused. Hate crime shot 29% up during the referendum, and politics discourse has continued to suffer. This brings me onto the last outcome. A General Election This theoretically could happen. But this has been the case for the last two years. Labour would obviously want this more than anything, and would make any election not just about Brexit, but all the social and economic issues that they believe the Conservatives are responsible for. This is very unlikely at the moment. The DUP still back the Tories in these matters, and the only thing, the only thing, this conflicted Conservative party are united on, is their opposition to Labour. Ive covered here the three biggest outcomes that could happen, but I have left out a few. The government will set out their new plans on Monday, and Theresa May could go back to Brussels and negotiate another deal. This could happen, but this new deal would likely not satisfy anyone either, with the EUs negotiating stance remaining pretty much constant. | https://www.wessexscene.co.uk/politics/2019/01/16/what-the-fk-happens-now/ |
Is the Sexposition in Game of Thrones Season 1 as Bad as We Remember? | Where to Stream: Game of Thrones More Options Game of Thrones might be the biggest Emmy winning show in TV history, but it still gets knocked as the tits and dragons show. Since the show first aired in 2011, its garnered as much attention for its thrilling action scenes and jaw-dropping plot twists as it has for its many, many nude scenes. Over the years, critics, comedians, and fans alike have poked at the shows nudity. We went back to the beginning Game of Thrones very first season to try to figure out if thats when it all began and if the criticism is earned. Okay, Heres Where Game of Thrones Season 1 Actually Did Lean Too Hard on Sexposition One weird thing about watching each and every sex scene from Game of Thrones Season 1 in succession of one another is that you realize quickly that the earliest scenes do a lot to reveal characters and advance important themes. The second weird thing you notice is that Game of Thrones often misuses its sex worker characters, specifically one by the name of Ros (Esm Bianco). The most egregious examples of sexposition in Game of Thrones Season 1 seem to feature the clever and comely Northern courtesan. Now its interesting to note that Ros was an original character created for the shows pilot, where we meet her at the same time as Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage). That scene, set in a Northern brothel, is a charming introduction to two characters matched for wit and a lust for life. Yes, but thats kind of the point, and it underscores how smart both Ros and Tyrion are. After that, the show brings Ros back to sit around naked in a scene with Theon Greyjoy, but this set up falls with a dud where the Tyrion scene sings. The conversation is a bitter back-and-forth about Theons insecurities, and Ross nudity is kind ofdistracting and not the point. Later in the season, Ros moves to Kings Landing to pursue a better life in Littlefingers brothels. This is where we get the most infamous example of sexposition in the series: when Littlefinger (Aiden Gillan) monologues while Ros has sex with another nameless prostitute. Sure, the point of Littlefingers speech is that hes going to fuck his opponents, not fight them, but the camera is way more interested in the sex, even though Gillans performance is kind of the cooler part of the scene. But Ros is not the only character this happens to. It almost makes you wonder if Game of Thrones chose to feature these types of sex scenes to wiggle out of expensive flashbacks. Especially since Game of Thrones understood how to shoot smart nude scenes from the very beginning Heres How Game of Thrones Got Sex and Nudity Right in Season 1 The most profoundly successful sex and nude scenes in Game of Thrones first season all tell us something about the people in them, the cultures were meeting, or the power dynamic at play. That is, Game of Thrones best sex scenes embraced what Game of Thrones is all about. As we mentioned, early sex scenes and moments of nudity in the season introduce us to key aspects of the characters. Tyrion escapes his sorrows by overindulging in pleasure, while Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) is broken down and horrified, vulnerable to the extreme, on her wedding night. Now there is a whole other conversation to be had about how the show twists Daenerys first time with Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) into a non-consensual encounter. It is fraught with controversy and deserves its own essay, but you cant deny there isnt meaning behind how and why its filmed the way it is. It also sets up where Daenerys mentally is at the start of the series. Finally, Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jaimes (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) sex scene in the tower is fully clothed, but still illicit. Its the pairing that is meant to be shocking, and their clothed forms show how careful they are about keeping this secret bottled up. They need to be in control, and not vulnerable in the slightest. Episode 2, The Kingsroad, devotes a whole b-plot full of nudity and sexual positions to explain how the power dynamic shifts so quickly between Daenerys and Khal Drogo. The most erotic scene of the episode, however, doesnt have any real nudity at all. Doreah gives Daenerys a lesson in the art of making love and its ferociously hot precisely because its about the younger girl learning pleasure, power, and taking control. Other moments that successfully use nudity to tell us something about plot and character include our introduction to Tyrions lover Shae (Sibel Kekilli), the revelation that Cersei is sleeping with her cousin Lancel (Eugene Simon), and, of course, Daenerys and the dragons. Though Dany is fully nude for the first time since Episode 2, she is a newborn power. Her naked body is not erotic as much as it is magical. And the One Game of Thrones Season 1 Moment that Needed MORE Nudity Soheres a funny thing. Theres an almost great intimate scene between Loras Tyrell (Finn Jones) and Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony) in Episode 5, The Wolf and the Lion. The scene establishes that the two are lovers, but Loras slyly seduces Renly in the same moment that hes pushing him to play for Roberts throne. Its a double seduction insomuch that, yes, these two are lovers, but that Highgarden is working on Renly to make their own move in the game. However, even though the two are shirtless and the scene ends with offscreen oral sex, the guys are also wearing pants. Making it kind of a cop out. One of them should have been totally naked. Thats all Im saying. If straight lovers are completely nude in their private moments, gay lovers should be, too. Where to stream Game of Thrones | https://decider.com/2019/01/17/game-of-thrones-season-1-sex-nudity/ |
What is Goas Opinion Poll Day? | Goa celebrated its 52nd Asmitai Dis (Identity Day) or Opinion Poll Day on January 16. It was on this date in 1967 that Goans voted against merging with Maharashtra and chose to remain a Union Territory. Though referred to as an opinion poll, the vote was in fact, the first plebiscite in independent India. Advertising Soon after Goas liberation from colonial Portuguese rule in 1961, murmurs began of a merger with Maharashtra on grounds of cultural similarity and the argument that Konkani was a dialect of Marathi and not an independent language. With several Indian states having been demarcated on a linguistic basis, the demand split the people of Goa into those who backed Konkani and wanted to remain independent of Maharashtra, and those who were in favour of Marathi and wanted to merge. In the first election of December 1963, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), backed by the Bahujan Samaj, won 16 seats in the then 30-member Assembly of Goa, Daman and Diu. The United Goans Party (UGP), which had the support of the majority among the Catholics and upper caste Hindus, won 12 seats. Two seats were won by Independents who represented Daman and Diu. The MGPs Dayanand Bandodkar became the first Chief Minister of Goa, Daman and Diu; Dr Jack de Sequeira of the UGP became the first Leader of Opposition. Bandodkar wanted a merger with Maharashtra, and on January 22, 1965, the MGP stated this resolve in the Assembly. On March 10, the Maharashtra Assembly passed a resolution in favour of a merger. With a Bill in the Assembly imminent, the Opposition took its protest to the street, saying a decision of this magnitude could not be made by the 30-member Assembly and needed a plebiscite instead. On April 17 that year, the anti-mergerists (UGP and a section of the Congress) held a mammoth protest in Margao, Salcette, which had a large Konkani-speaking community. Ten days later, a rally by the pro-merger camp in Panjim, Tiswadi, witnessed a huge turnout as well. The media was split down the middle. The hugely influential artists in Konkani musical theatre backed the anti-merger group. Jawaharlal Nehru had promised that Goa would get to decide its own future, but he had passed away in May 1964. Delegations from both sides met Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in New Delhi, but Shastri himself passed away in Tashkent in January 1966, before a decision could be made. In May 1966, Sequeira and the then Goa Congress president Purshottam Kakodkar succeeded in convincing new Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that Assembly elections could not be a referendum on the merger question and that an opinion poll was necessary. In December 1966, Parliament passed the Goa, Daman and Diu (Opinion Poll Act), 1966, to provide for the taking of an opinion poll to ascertain the wishes of the electors of Goa, Daman and Diu with regard to the future status thereof and for matters connected therewith. It was decided that the poll would be held on January 16, 1967. Chief Minister Bandodkar was asked to resign in order to ensure a free and fair plebiscite (Janmatkaul in Konkani). On voting day, voters were asked to put a tick against the rose symbol if they were in favour of a merger, and a tick against the two leaves symbol if they were not in favour. Eighty-two per cent (3,17,633) voters cast their vote. Results were counted over three days. For the first two days, the pro-merger group led by a significant margin. But on the third day, after ballots from the Salcette taluka were opened, the vote went against the merger. The pro-merger group received 1,38,170 votes, while 1,72,191 people voted against. Soon afterward began demands for statehood for Goa; however, it was only on May 30, 1987, that Goa became Indias 25th state. Daman and Diu continue to be Union Territories. Konkani was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution on August 20, 1992 (71st Amendment). Advertising Interestingly though, until 2018, the state government did not officially celebrate Opinion Poll Day. | https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/what-is-goas-opinion-poll-day-asmitai-dis-5543720/ |
Does Mohamed Salah deserve recent diving criticism? | COMMENT By Seye Omidiora Follow on Twitter By Gaining an advantage through unfair means is generally frowned upon in all walks of life, and when it creeps into sport, its regarded as unseemly and distasteful. Whats even more striking is how much of a target can be placed on the perpetrators back as every subsequent action or movement is doubted and second-guessed. For Mohamed Salah, the aforementioned observation surely resonates considering the glut of faultfinding hes been subjected to in recent weeks. The festive period didnt bring as much cheer on the pitch as hed have liked owing to the severe criticism leveled at his door during, and in the aftermath of, Liverpools 4-0 Boxing Day success against Newcastle United at Anfield. Moments after half-time, with the Reds still one goal in front against the Magpies at the time, the Egyptian hit the deck following what referee Graham Scott deemed a pullback by Paul Dummett. Roundly censured by a plethora of followers of the sport (excluding maybe fans of the Anfield club), that event was to serve as a precursor to similar incidents down the line. Only three days later, with Jurgen Klopps charges facing Arsenal, the forward was embroiled in another controversial episode when he went down under the challenge of Gunners defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos. Predictably, criticism poured in, with naysayers claiming the Egypt international was developing a reputation for going to ground easily under minimal contact. Mohamed Salah | 2018-19 Premier League stats Just when the attacker might have thought he was out of the woods, due to a lack of contentious decisions going his way, last Saturdays penalty win at Brighton & Hove Albion resurrected diving accusations after Salah was seemingly felled by Pascal Gross. The Egyptian duly converted from the spot with consummate ease, but was subsequently on the receiving end of a crescendo of boos from a large percentage of home fans at the Amex. The treatment of Liverpools top scorer led to left-back Andrew Robertsons staunch defence of his teammate, tagging the assault on the player unfair and desperate because the award of the spot-kick against the Seagulls was a stonewaller. Virgil van Dijk had previously leapt to the forwards protection after the Arsenal game as well. Mo Salah whenever he's in the box... pic.twitter.com/TuAr9KEQzr ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) January 14, 2019 Salah is an absoloute joke really. Neymar got an unfair reputation as a diver for much less, while Salah has manipulated the refs this season time and time again. Seems to fall over without anyone even touching him. Liverpool seem to get all the decisions. retweet for salah like for neymar... pic.twitter.com/v6qer4yoGX BEZMUFC (@bezmufc79) January 13, 2019 The reaction among fans and media prompts the question of whether theres an element of truth to these diving claims. Frankly, of the aforementioned trio of incidents, only the decision against Rafael Benitezs men can be questioned. Granted, the Welshman held Salahs arm with the forward making inroads into the box, but the grip wasnt in any way sustained and Scott made a hash of the award of the penalty. It was only 1-0 at the time too, which took the game away from the Toon Army just after the restart. However, penalty calls by Michael Oliver and Kevin Friend against Arsenal and Brighton respectively were surely spot-on! In the former, Sokratis had not one, but two, bites at Salahs calf in a desperate attempt to prevent the forward from testing Bernd Leno from fairly point-blank range. Last weekend, Gross unbelievable schoolboy defending saw him not only hold onto Salah for what seemed like an eternity, but escalate to shirt tugging thereafter, before clipping the forward just as he was about to pull the trigger. Its amusing to think anyone would even believe Friend shouldve penalized the attacker when it was clearly a spot-kick all day long. It just seems people are looking for a stick with which to beat the unassuming Egyptian. With all the nonsense thats been said about him lately, it should be pointed out that the introduction of simulation suspensions at the start of last season makes it even harder to con referees. While cheating may still be missed in-game, retrospective two-game bans can still be handed out to players who are unanimously found guilty by a three-man panel comprising a former manager, an ex-player and a retired referee. Article continues below The introduction of video assistant referees from next season will also go a long way in clearing doubts about players integrity. In all fairness, while the system is also flawed, as decisions are at the officials discretion, having the advantage of reviewing disputed calls is a welcome addition. It's also unlikely that Salah's penalties against Arsenal and Brighton would have been reversed if VAR was needed for clarification. Recent events have threatened to sidetrack Liverpool in their title charge, but its imperative to stay switched on and not get distracted by anything that could sabotage their title ambitions. Claiming their first ever Premier League title has to be priority and theyve got to keep their eyes firmly fixed on the prize. | https://www.goal.com/en-ke/news/does-mohamed-salah-deserve-recent-diving-criticism/iuew3zsddjxb17o4ohj53l3ey |
Who left the Barbie doll on Rosie Tapias grave? | That's the question investigators are asking the public more than 23 years after the 6-year-old was found raped and murdered. Thursday marks what would have been Rosie's 30th birthday. The Utah Cold Case Coalition has arranged for DNA evidence to be gathered from the doll, which was found on Rosie's grave at the Salt Lake City Cemetery shortly after her burial. On August 13, 1995 someone removed the screen from a window on Rosie's family's ground floor apartment, near 1700 S and 1700 W, and carried Rosie away. Her body was found in a nearby canal off the Jordan River. "Two possible persons of interest in the case have been identified who had some fixation with Barbies. But before a costly analysis is performed on the DNA, the coalition is asking whether someone knows who placed the doll on Rosies grave," a news release from the coalition said. On Thursday, the coalition will be providing updates on the Tapia case and other information about the collection of DNA evidence and efforts to encourage police agencies to share data about cold cases more openly. Watch FOX 13 for the latest updates. Anyone with information on the Rosie Tapia case is urged to call 385-258-3313 or email [email protected]. | https://fox13now.com/2019/01/17/who-left-the-barbie-doll-on-rosie-tapias-grave/ |
What next for the DR Congo after the disputed election? | The unexpected outcome of the December 30 general election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) baffled even the most seasoned watchers of the country. If we are to believe the provisional results announced by the Congolese National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) on January 9, opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi decisively won the presidential election with 36.6 percent of the votes. The runner up was Martin Fayulu, the leader of the Lamuka coalition, who scored 34.8 percent. And Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, the presidential candidate of Joseph Kabila's ruling Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition, came third with 23.8 percent. However, the FCC coalition won the senatorial and legislative elections in a landslide. In other words, at least according to the CENI, the Congolese people overwhelmingly rejected Ramazani Shadary's presidential bid, but gave the coalition supporting him a super majority in both the senate and the parliament. This puzzling result led most reasonable observers of the election to come to the conclusion that Tshisekedi's unexpected win was the result of a backroom deal between Tshisekedi and the FCC coalition aiming to help Kabila maintain control over important ministries and the security services with the help of a "friendly president" in the coming years. This is not a far-fetched scenario. As stipulated in the constitution, upon leaving the presidency, Joseph Kabila will become a senator for life and preside over the senate. We can also assume that Kabila's coalition will most certainly maintain its control over the military, foreign affairs, homeland security, the budget, and the mining sector. If these assumptions stand, it is a foregone conclusion that the focus of Congolese political power will be shifting from the presidency to the Senate. In this context, it is reasonable to expect the FCC coalition to do anything in its power to prevent a hostile political figure from taking over the presidency. All this is to say that the results of the 2018 Congolese general elections are murky at best. Even if one believes that Tshisekedi had enough popular support to squarely win the presidential contest, it is hard to comprehend how Kabila's coalition lost the presidency but won the legislative elections in a landslide. Reports on irregularities surrounding the election process also make it hard for anyone to find the results announced last week by the CENI reliable. On December 13, for example, 8,000 electronic voting machines were destroyed in a mysterious fire at a guarded warehouse in Congo's capital, forcing the electoral commission to postpone the election, which was originally scheduled for December 23. Also, voters in several regions of the Congo, such as Beni, failed to participate due to the ongoing Ebola outbreak and the insecurity posed by armed groups. Moreover, there have been several reports signalling major irregularities such as discarded ballot boxes, people who were not on the ballot miraculously winning local elections and a number of voting machines running long after the polls were supposed to close. If proven correct, these irregularities could cast further doubts on the electoral outcomes. In light of all this, many national and international observers disputed the results of the election. Martin Fayulu, who came second according to the CETU but claims to be the real winner of the presidential race, appealed to the country's Constitutional Court to cancel the provisional result. He too supports the idea that Tshisekedi was declared the winner of the election only because he made a deal with the TCC coalition. More importantly, DRC's powerful Catholic Church, which deployed more than 40,000 observers to monitor the elections, said it determined "the real winner" of the presidential race and strongly suggested that Tshisekedi's win is not legitimate. In a statement released on December 10, the church said that "the results of the presidential election published by (the electoral commission) do not match those collected by our observer mission." The Southern African Development Community (SADC) also issued a statement saying the DRC should recount the votes of its contested presidential election. "A recount would provide the necessary reassurance to both winners and losers," the 16-member regional bloc said. Meanwhile, France and Belgium also challenged the outcome of the presidential election, with France's foreign minister saying the declared victory of Tshisekedi was "not consistent" with the results and that his rival Fayulu appeared to have won. Now, with this many organisations and actors vocally disputing the results of the election, everyone is waiting to see what is going to happen next. A recount is unlikely to occur and if it does, it is unlikely to produce a different result. And a repeat of the election is equally unlikely as it would cause major difficulties for the Congolese political edifice. So Tshisekedi is most likely to ignore all the controversy surrounding his victory and take over the presidency in the coming days. While the opposition leader's game plan is not yet fully clear, it is becoming obvious that his Lamuka coalition will survive to fight another day. The Lamuka coalition appeared to be the biggest loser in the election, however, it is well known that this group is still a major threat to Kabila's FCC coalition and is likely to be a stronger opposition force in parliament than Tshisekedi's UDPS. Because Kabila will be in the Senate and his coalition will most likely hold onto important government departments, if things stay as they are, Felix Tshisekedi will be the first President in the Congolese political history since the time of Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba to face a serious countervailing power. This is why, even though things are undoubtedly murky and messy, we may be witnessing the genesis of political checks and balances in the Congo. If the current political tripod - the FCC, Lamuka and UDPS - are serious about securing the future of the Congolese democracy, they may transform this problematic situation into an opportunity to start laying down the foundations of a new political equilibrium. Yes, Martin Fayulu will lose; yes, Tshisekedi's presidency will be relatively or substantially weak, but if they all play their cards right, down the road, the Congolese people may begin to win. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance. | https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/dr-congo-disputed-election-190117094304898.html |
How much snow could Sioux Falls get on Friday? | Amounts of snow expected on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 in southeast South Dakota. (Photo: National Weather Service Sioux Falls) As Winter Storm Harper looms, the National Weather Service says most of South Dakota is looking at moderate snow and travel concerns on Friday. Sioux Falls and surrounding areas are likely to receive four to six inches of snow on Friday, NWS says. Further west, areas like Mitchell, Madison and Huron are projected to receive six to eight inches of snow. The snow is expected to begin early Friday morning and fall continuously throughout the day before wrapping up at the tail end of the day. In Sioux Falls, snow will likely start falling between 3 and 6 a.m. and finish up between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., the National Weather Service says. Great questions! Here are two graphics that help answer those for the Sioux Falls area. pic.twitter.com/ICDw2LwYkv NWS Sioux Falls (@NWSSiouxFalls) January 17, 2019 Winter Storm Watch Parts of central South Dakota will be under a winter storm watch from late Thursday night until Friday afternoon, including Stanley, Sully, Hughes, Hyde, Hand, Jones, Lyman and Buffalo counties. These areas could have very difficult travel, along with blowing snow and reduced visibility during the morning and evening commutes, the National Weather Service says. Winter Weather Advisory A winter weather advisory will be in effect for all of eastern South Dakota beginning at 3 a.m. Friday and lasting until 6 p.m. Travel is expected to be difficult due to blowing snow, which could make commuting a challenge. The areas in purple will be under a winter weather advisory on Friday, while the areas in blue will be under a winter storm watch. (Photo: National Weather Service Sioux Falls) Read or Share this story: https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2019/01/17/how-much-snow-could-sioux-falls-get-friday/2601567002/ | https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2019/01/17/how-much-snow-could-sioux-falls-get-friday/2601567002/ |
What will be Oregon softballs offensive identity in 2019? | EUGENE Oregon softball has ranked no worse than 16th in runs scored in each of the last seven years, but could rely heavily on speed and small ball to manufacture runs this season. The Ducks lost their six top home run hitters and seven of their top eight players in RBIs to graduation and transfers in the offseason, but return outfielders Alexis Mack and Haley Cruse, UOs top two in batting average last season. Mack and Cruse hit at the top of the order in five of eight fall games, an early indicator of how first-year coach Melyssa Lombardi plans to construct Oregons lineup. Our job at the top of the lineup is to set the table and get on base and rely on our power hitters to bring us in, said Cruse, who hit a team-high .377 with a .430 on=base percentage last season. We want to wreak some havoc on the bases." Mack was 24 of 27 on stolen base attempts last season and Cruse was 10 of 13. But those numbers, as well as Oregons bunting and situational hitting strategy, could change with returning players combining for just 11 home runs and 76 RBIs compared to more than 60 homers and 270 RBIs that seven top hitters no longer with the team contributed last season. I think were really going to be built on speed and stealing bases and working with the short game, first baseman Mia Camuso said. It could be a bit of a shift for Oregon strategically. The Ducks have ranked in the top 50 nationally in stolen bases just twice in the last eight years and both instances were in the last four years. The highest Oklahoma has been ranked in stolen bases during that same span was 35th, with 78th being its next-highest finish, though thats more indicative of Sooners coach Patty Gassos strategy than Lombardis. But even if the top of the order gets on and moves around, someone still has to drive them in. Cruse said April Utecht, who had four home runs in 28 at-bats last season, Camuso, Oregons leading returning players in doubles (12) and RBIs (24) as the No. 9 hitter last season, and freshmen Rachel Cid and Terra McGowan can all provide power. I think we are going to have to make things happen a lot more on offense," Cruse said. We have a lot of speed this year. I think were going to need to really focus on getting on base because we have a lot of versatile players who can make things happen on offense. | https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2019/01/what-will-be-oregon-softballs-offensive-identity-in-2019.html |
Did Warner Bros. Overpay With Its RatPac-Dune Deal? | At the 11th hour, the studio exercises its right to match a bid of about $290 million for the Brett Ratner-led library despite not getting major rights associated with the films. With its Jan. 2 move to buy the RatPac-Dune library, Warner Bros. may have severed its final tie with disgraced producer-director Brett Ratner. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Warner Bros. paid about $290 million for the RatPac-Dune stake in some 76 WB movies including such hits as Wonder Woman, Dunkirk and American Sniper. Several banking-world sources call that a high price tag considering that there are said to be no lucrative rights associated with the films and that the library represents a cash-flow stream only. "It seems at a minimum that they paid full price," says Wall Street analyst Hal Vogel. "We don't know what the rights are, and my guess is that this is all related to the industry's fantasy that streaming will be a bonanza. Not so fast, in my opinion." Vogel adds that despite the fact that Warners has a "sugar daddy" in new owner AT&T being willing to throw around cash, "my bet is that Warner Bros./AT&T will in the end be disappointed by the results." Adds MKM Partners' Eric Handler, "The problem in trying to assess the value is, we will never know how many deals there are struck globally and how much of the library is monetized." In late December, Vine Alternative Investments and CEO James Moore appeared to be the winning bidder for the RatPac library, the end result of a $450 million investment vehicle formed in 2013 by Ratner, Australian billionaire James Packer and now Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (Packer later sold his share to Ukraine-born billionaire Len Blavatnik). A source familiar with the deal says the way it went down was unusual and that Warners CEO Kevin Tsujihara initially indicated that the studio was uninterested in purchasing the library but changed course in late December a surprise to Vine, whose Hollywood holdings include a stake in Village Roadshow and Luc Besson's besieged EuropaCorp. A Warners source denies that Tsujihara ever gave the impression he wasn't going to bid. Vine declined to comment. Since its inception, RatPac-Dune has been shrouded in mystery. Little has been known about the investors, although Mnuchin had enlisted the Koch brothers as well as Bill Gates as backers. The Warners deal raised eyebrows for other reasons, including that Ratner accused by several women of sexual assault in a 2017 Los Angeles Times expos would reap millions, according to a knowledgeable source. Given the outcry surrounding the prospect of Harvey Weinstein profiting from a sale of The Weinstein Co. in bankruptcy (TWC assets were sold for $289 million to Lantern Entertainment in May), the optics of Warners' matching bid are poor. (Ratner has denied wrongdoing.) Another perplexing question is why Warner Bros. would be so keen to exercise its right to match Vine's bid when the studio is essentially buying backend revenue only. But a source says Warners parent WarnerMedia is merely looking to limit as many third-party earners as possible in advance of launching an expected streaming service to rival Netflix and those in the works from Disney and NBCUniversal. Also something of a head-scratcher is why Mnuchin's brother, Alan Mnuchin, who runs the New York-based investment bank AGM Partners, handled the sale rather than a more established firm. Other than UTA taking a stake in it in 2017, Alan Mnuchin's company seems to have no footprint in Hollywood. "How many libraries has he sold in the past?" one finance-world source asks rhetorically. "How many major film deals has he handled?" (One source says that Alan Mnuchin raised some money for Relativity Media back when his younger brother was co-chairman.) But Vogel is less concerned about Mnuchin's presence, noting, "If he got a good bid, he did what he was hired to do." This story also appears in the Jan. 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/did-warner-bros-overpay-ratpac-dune-deal-1176352 |
Whats the difference between snow emergency levels? | CLEVELAND The first winter storm of 2019 is heading our way. When road conditions turn dangerous, sheriffs offices in Northeast Ohio will issue snow emergencies and temporarily close roads. Click here for the latest forecast Here is what the levels mean, according to the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness: LEVEL 1: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be icy. Drivers are urged to drive very cautiously. LEVEL 2: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be very icy. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roads. Contact your employer to see if you should report to work. Drivers should use extreme caution. LEVEL 3: All roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel. No one should be driving during these conditions unless it is absolutely necessary to travel or a personal emergency exists. All employees should contact their employer to see if they should report to work. Those traveling on the roads may subject themselves to arrest. More stories on winter weather here | https://fox8.com/2019/01/17/whats-the-difference-between-snow-emergency-levels/ |
Are Humans Ready for the Return of the Wolf? | Return of the Wolf By Paula Wild Douglas and McIntyre (2018) I live beside Kootenay Lake, on the toes of the Purcell Mountains. Once there were wolves, caribou and salmon here. Once the lake beside our farm was full of Kokanee fish, and as a girl I caught them and brought them home to my family for dinner. Announcements, Events & more from Tyee and select partners We Asked for 2019 Builders by 2019. You Blew Us Away Tyee supporters blast past the goal we sought. Way past. Now there are none of these. Now when I go out at night, I sometimes hear coyotes. Occasionally I hear the odd chirrup chirrup of a hunting cougar. I know she is up on the mountain. I sometimes find deer kill, or the dog drags home part of a deer skeleton. I know the cougar sees me. I never see her. Maybe tracks, once or twice a winter. But there are no wolves, and there should be wolves. This is their kind of country. I am far from knowledgeable enough about wolves, although I have read what I can find. And if wolves returned to this ecosystem, I would rejoice. They belong here. But at the same time I would be worried, not so much worry about the wolves but about peoples reactions to them: fear, hate, sentimentality, all based on lack of knowledge, clarity and understanding. I fear the splits and arguments it would bring to a quiet agricultural community, the macho hunters who might feel it is their job to rid the community of a problem. And I fear for the wolves themselves, for the snares, traps and poison that might be used. Wolves still occasionally travel through. People tell me about it; they hear them, sometimes see them. But it is not a safe place for them largely because, since 2015, the B.C. government has been shooting them from helicopters in a failed effort to save the woodland caribou in the Selkirk and Purcell Mountains, as well as in other parts of B.C. Despite criticism from wildlife biologists who say that woodland caribou need old growth forest to survive, the government has also issued further permits for clear-cut logging near land set aside as caribou habitat. The B.C. government has approved dozens of new logging cut blocks in endangered mountain caribou critical habitat since May, conservation groups revealed, writes Daniel J. Pearce in the Narwhal. A beast of our imagination and experience As Paula Wild says, no one is neutral about wolves. They either hate them or love them. The wolf that lopes across the human psyche is a beast of our imagination and experience, she writes. It is what we believe and want it to be: devil, werewolf, spiritual messenger, or legendary symbol of all that is wild and free. And yet its essence remains shrouded in a mist of speculation, fairy tales, rumours, righteousness and sometimes, truth. In a stellar effort to clear away some of mist, Wild, in her new book Return of the Wolf, has compiled an up-to-date examination of the state of wolves in the world. She has amassed a comprehensive, accessible compendium of useful information about wolves, their history and behaviour, places where theyre intersecting with humans successfully and places where there is conflict. Much of her story involves wolves in B.C., and at a time when pitched battles rage between farmers, ranchers and conservationists, such information is definitely needed. Wilds tone is polite, clear and informative. She is not a biologist. She is not an expert. She is a writer, a journalist, doing what journalists do best: getting the whole story and presenting it with depth and clarity. A book like this, that provides real, well-researched, carefully compiled information with a great list of other resources is a tool with which to encounter the mist of emotionalism, hate, fear, love and mysticism that clings to the subject of wolves. Wherever wolves and people do share land, there are some obvious problems: livestock predation, occasional attacks on people, and the disappearance of small pets. One of these flashpoints right now is the on the west coast of Vancouver Island, where wolves have been showing up in bigger numbers, appearing on beaches and trails around Tofino and getting into occasional clashes with people. Another flashpoint is ranching in B.C. and Alberta. But solutions to issues with ranching are appearing. For example, to protect her cattle and sheep Louise Liebenberg, who ranches in Northern Alberta and writes a blog about it, uses a combination of guardian dogs (her dogs, called Sarplaninacs are especially imported from Macedonia), electric sheep netting, indoor lambing and moving animals around. But it is her well-trained dogs, working in groups, which make all the difference. Liebenberg also writes a blog about her ranch and travels to teach people how to train and use livestock guardian dogs appropriately. Wolves are also increasingly a presence in Europe, moving closer to cities and to people. Often, according to Wild, wildlife cameras catch the presence of wolves living unseen within cities and in farmland. Increasingly they are figuring out how to live with humans. The example of the Bow Valley pack of wolves in Banff National Park is not comforting. Despite the best efforts of rangers to keep the tourists and wolves apart, a pack living near the Bow Valley Parkway became increasingly attracted to eating garbage, or being fed by tourists who wanted to get a great selfie. The pack, which consisted of a father, a mother, and four cubs, eventually became a nuisance. The wolves got into coolers, chased cyclists and got bolder. As Wild writes, In mid-2017, the pack was a nine-member family unit consisted of the breeding pair, three yearlings and four pups. By the end of the year, the two bold wolves had been euthanized, the pups had been run over by trains, and a two-year-old male was killed by a hunter. All that remained was the dominant male and one of his daughters. Undoubtedly there is much more to learn, study and understand about wolves. But for those who are curious, or confused, or worried, or angry, this book is a great starting point, another step on the long and difficult road to humans and non-human one day being able to share the planet. I was very glad to find it. Now I just have to get Wilds book about cougars, so that I can perhaps better understand when the mother cougar chirrups to me from the mountain. | https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2019/01/17/Humans-Ready-Wolf-Return/ |
Is San Diego County done building single-family homes? | If you are looking to buy a new single-family home this year, San Diego County might be a tough place to do it. Early estimates for the number of single-family homes coming out for sale this year are around 800, fewer than roughly 940 last year and 1,500 in 2017 and 2016. It reflects a trend of fewer and fewer traditional, detached homes as most building stays focused on apartments, and to a lesser extent, townhouses. Preliminary estimates take into account developers projections for how many homes they will release in a given project. Guesses at the start of the year, at least for the last four years, are typically much lower than what ends up being built because developers will increase their production based on how well sales are doing. However, a few things might be different this year. For starters, the end of last year was the first softening of the market in a while. Home price reductions picked up and sales hit their lowest points in years, which most analysts blamed on rising mortgage rates and local wages not keeping up with rising prices. Developers might be taking a more cautious approach this year while they wait to see what the market does next, said Alan Nevin, industry analyst at Xpera Group. He said it seemed like for much of last year that developers couldnt keep buyers away. They blew through their inventory in 2018, he said, and things started to really slow down in the fourth quarter. Therefore, they just arent starting as many in each phase now. Home builders say bigger issues point to a reduction in new homes: Community opposition to new projects, a lengthy process to get the green light from local agencies, lack of approved land for housing, increasing costs of labor and materials, as well as higher borrowing costs. An out-of-whack supply and demand is evident when considering single-family homes are the most desirable type of homes not a condo downtown or townhouse say several studies. But it will cost to get into that home. The average price for new single-family homes this year is $800,000 to $1.2 million, considerably above average prices in San Diego County for older homes. Nevin said housing costs for the builder make it unlikely a cheaper single-family home could come out even if they wanted to. The reality is these guys are paying like $300,000 for a 5,000-square-foot lot, and upwards of $125 to $150 per square foot for construction, he said. Its not Las Vegas. Its not Phoenix. Our costs here are substantially higher than most other places. You cant put out a cheap house. New developments in San Diego County have not lowered prices to adjust to a weaker market, but have been offering more incentives. Some of the options include offering to buy points on a mortgage to lower the price for the first few years, and upgrades to the home or picking up closing costs. New home development is mostly centered around Chula Vistas Otay Ranch development and the Pacific Highlands Ranch development in North San Diego and Escondido. Building trends show San Diego County has skewed toward multifamily building apartments, condos, townhouses for several years. Numbers through the first nine months of 2018 show 66 percent of permits were for multifamily and 34 percent single-family. Otay Ranch Chula Vistas vast master-planned community, Otay Ranch, continues to be the countys focal point for new homes and will likely stay that way for years. There are roughly 11,000 more homes to be built in the 25,000-acre area, which is the largest residential development in the countys history. So far, around 12,000 homes have been built and it is one of the rare places where a buyer can get a new single-family home for under $600,000. John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune The kitchen and dining area in a 2,314 square foot farmhouse style four bedroom single family home in the Valencia section of the Escaya development in Otay Ranch in the city of Chula Vista. The kitchen and dining area in a 2,314 square foot farmhouse style four bedroom single family home in the Valencia section of the Escaya development in Otay Ranch in the city of Chula Vista. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) Otay Ranch was listed as the No. 10 best-selling master-planned community in 2018 with 660 home sales, according to John Burns Real Estate Consulting. Thats up from 563 in 2017 and 159 in 2016. Kent Aden, senior development manager for HomeFed Corp., the biggest landowner in Otay Ranch, has been with the project from the start. On a recent Tuesday, Aden crackled with excitement as he gave a tour of a village called Escaya, where many new homes are opening this year. Realizing the fruits of his labor after years of planning, he pointed out features on individual homes as workers painted walls and nailed pieces into place, and described the process that brought three developers into one project. Outside of Otay Ranch, his hope for new single-family construction is more muted. Theres less and less land, and more and more opposition, he said. Otay Ranch is different in that the master-planned community has already been approved and developers know how to comply with Chula Vistas established so-called quality of life standards. That allows builders to ramp up production quickly with fewer hurdles than just about anywhere in San Diego County. Sale plans for Otay Ranch this year call for more than 150 single-family homes but that could go up or down based on market conditions. Since the slowdown last year, many of the projects are offering incentives. In the last three weeks, the Indigo homes in Escaya from developer Lennar have been offering $2,500 for closing costs (or to use for home upgrades), as well as offering to buy down the interest rate on a mortgage for the first two years. Indigos homes range from $546,900 to $579,000, making them some of the cheapest new single-family homes in San Diego County. Also, compared to many hot neighborhoods in San Diego, the cost of an Indigo home is cheaper than a resale home. | https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/real-estate/sd-fi-single-family-preview-20190117-story.html |
Will Gonzalo Higuain be in Fantasy Football this weekend? | (Pic: GETTY) Stamford Bridge on loan until the end of the season. The 31-year-old was in action as recently as last night for current loan side AC Milan against parent side Juventus. But he now looks set to be on his way out of the Serie A, and into the Premier League. The Guardian report Juventus are set to confirm an agreement with Chelsea for the player today. Will Gonzalo Higuain be in Fantasy Football this weekend? Higuain is then expected to fly to London and complete a medical as soon as possible. That will depend on whether Chelsea complete the deal before Fridays deadline of midday. The Blues travel to Arsenal this weekend in a crunch clash in both sides bid for a top four finish. Gonzalo Higuain was in action for AC Milan last night in the Supercoppa Italiana (Pic: GETTY) And boss Maurizio Sarri would no doubt welcome a player of Higuains calibre to his squad at the nearest opportunity. The Italian isnt the only one though, with several keen Fantasy Football players urging Chelsea and Juventus to get a deal done as soon as possible. One tweeted: @ChelseaFC announce higuain so I can transfer him into Fantasy football. Can Higuain hurry up I want him in my fantasy football #BigHig, wrote another. Fantasy Football fans tweet their support for the signing of Higuain (Pic: TWITTER) Fantasy Football fans tweet their support for the signing of Higuain (Pic: TWITTER) | https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/754131/Gonzalo-Higuain-Chelsea-Premier-League-Fantasy-Football |
Was soll daran gut sein? | Mit guten Ideen auf dem falschen Weg, Kommentar, Ausgabe vom 16. Januar Den Artikel von Markus von Rotz finde ich sachlich und gut, vielleicht mit Ausnahme des Titels. Weder originell noch gut. Wer die Finanzlage des Kantons aufmerksam prft, weiss schon lange, dass wir um Steuererhhungen frher oder spter nicht herumkommen. Das ist eine Bundesangelegenheit, darauf hat das Referendum nicht den geringsten Einfluss. Und das Allerschnste, eine Stiftung, die durch 10 Prozent des Vermgens reicher Brger alimentiert und jhrlich 22 Millionen einbringen soll. Wenn ich rechnen kann, mssten auf diese Weise mit drei Prozent Zinsertrag ca. 730 Millionen zusammenkommen. Eine stolze Zahl bei rund 30000 Steuerpflichtigen. Es tut mir leid, demokratische Volksrechte sollten nicht zur Spielwiese lterer Herren werden, die damit Regierung und Verwaltung beschftigen, das Parlament blockieren und last but not least Kosten verursachen. Und noch etwas: Aus frheren Verlautbarungen der Gegner muss man schliessen, dass ihr Ziel in der Rckkehr an die Fleischtpfe des NFA besteht. Das sollten wir vermeiden. Ich bin stolz, dass uns der vorherige Finanzdirektor Hans Wallimann den Weg von einem der Schlusslichter des NFA zum Geberkanton gewiesen hat. Eine schwarze Null ist besser als tiefrote Zahlen. Wir mssen uns keineswegs mit unserem Nachbarkanton, mit Schwyz oder gar mit Zug messen, eine schwarze Null oder wenig darber gengt. Das hngt zwar nicht vom Kanton, sondern von den vermgenden Leuten im Kanton ab. Und die wollen wir bei uns behalten. Paul Zumstein, Sarnen | https://www.luzernerzeitung.ch/zentralschweiz/obwalden/was-soll-daran-gut-sein-ld.1086033 |
Are there dangers to low cholesterol levels? | A cardiologist we know likes to say you cant have too low a golf score or cholesterol level. That certainly is the prevailing view. Q: I am 46 years old. For as long as I can remember, I have had low cholesterol on my bloodwork. I donated blood last week, and my total cholesterol was 107. While most people would say, Wow, thats great, I heard that too-low cholesterol could be bad. A: A cardiologist we know likes to say you cant have too low a golf score or cholesterol level. That certainly is the prevailing view. There is research, however, suggesting that very low cholesterol may increase the risk of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke (Neurology Clinical Practice, June 2018; Stroke, July 2013). Fortunately, such strokes are relatively rare. Heart attacks are far more common. That said, you should discuss your concerns with your doctor. It is unlikely, though, that you will be advised to eat foods that might raise your cholesterol levels. A recent review found that when Japanese people eat more saturated fat, their risk of stroke drops (Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis, May 1, 2018). This does not appear to hold for people who are not Japanese. If you ever experience possible symptoms of hemorrhagic stroke, including sudden severe headache, dizziness, one-sided weakness, nausea and vomiting, and trouble speaking or swallowing, treat it as a medical emergency. Q: My tennis elbow has come back with a vengeance. It has been bothering me for quite a bit longer than it ever has in the past. I cant use oral NSAIDS because I take Eliquis, but my primary-care physician says I can use the diclofenac sodium topical gel (1 percent) for as long as I need it. She knows I take a blood thinner. A: You are right to avoid oral pain relievers such as ibuprofen or naproxen, since these NSAIDs can cause gastrointestinal irritation. With apixaban (Eliquis) in your system, you could end up with a bleeding ulcer. Drug-interaction experts Drs. John Horn and Philip Hansten have written about NSAID and anticoagulant interactions. They note that The use of topical NSAIDs is not considered to increase the risk of bleeding (Pharmacy Times, Dec. 21, 2017). We discuss the pros and cons of topical diclofenac (Voltaren Gel) as well as salsalate and nondrug approaches in our eGuide to Alternatives for Arthritis. You can find this online resource at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Q: My husband and I returned from a trip to Europe with a strain of the flu apparently not covered by our flu vaccine. We took Xofluza and after three doses, both of us developed diarrhea and abdominal cramping. We stopped taking the meds, and the symptoms stopped. The headache, congestion and body aches of the flu were bad enough without adding the diarrhea caused by expensive meds. A: Baloxavir (Xofluza) is a brand-new anti-viral flu medicine. This oral medication shortens the duration of flu symptoms when taken within 48 hours of getting sick. We are puzzled why you took three doses. The advantage of this medicine is that it is given as a single dose. The triple dose might have increased your risk for diarrhea, a recognized side effect of Xofluza. The clinical trial data showed that 3 percent of people taking one pill suffered this complication. | https://www.seattletimes.com/life/wellness/are-there-dangers-to-low-cholesterol-levels/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
Who is Singing The National Anthem at Super Bowl LIII? | When Atlanta hosts Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, one of the city's hometown stars will be taking center stage to kick off the biggest game of the NFL season. Seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer Gladys Knight will sing the national anthem before kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the NFL and CBS announced. "I am proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country in my hometown of Atlanta," she said. "The NFL recently announced their new social justice platform Inspire Change, and I am honored to be a part of its inaugural year." Knight, an Atlanta native, rose to stardom between the 1960s and 1980s, when she dropped her best-known classics and Billboard No. 1 singles, "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "That's What Friends Are For." Knight also has 11 No. 1 R&B singles, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Knight is recognized as one of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Knight joins a celebrated list of Super Bowl anthem singers, following in the footsteps of performers like Cher, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel and others. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/who-is-singing-national-anthem-super-bowl-liii-performer-gladys-knight |
Is it time to retire the Women's March? | As the third annual Women's March approaches, many are wondering if its time to move away from the fraught event. The march, which has been criticized for its predominant focus on the concerns of white feminists since its inception, has come under even more scrutiny in the past few weeks -- including accusations of anti-semitism. National organizers deny these claims and say the event is still vital and important. PERSPECTIVES NBC News reports many local organizers are canceling their events due to concerns over turnout and the national turmoil. New Orleans was not alone in that decision; a group in Eureka, California, scrapped its march over concerns that it would be "overwhelmingly white," and organizers in Chicago replaced their January march with an event in October before the midterms and a day of action planned for March. Some longtime critics of the event, like writer Shikha Dalmia, say the lack of enthusiasm is a clear sign the Women's March has moved past its usefulness. Dalmia writes in the Week: In the wake of Trump's victory, a collective "yuck" gave the Women's March a spectacular turnout for its first event in 2017, when about one million women showed up just in Washington, D.C., making it the largest single-day protest in history. However, as I noted at the time, this was clearly unsustainable. If you cut through the hype, it was evident even then that the march was a "feel good exercise in search of a cause" that would run into problems for the simple reason that the fear and loathing of Trump isn't a sufficiently strong glue to keep the movement together. As Refinery29 reports, the march has lost many of its original sponsors over the last few years. However, those that remain, like Planned Parenthood, maintain the event continues to effect positive change. "Over the last two years, we've seen unprecedented attacks on our health and rights from the Trump-Pence administration. The Women's March has become a symbol of our collective resistance to these damaging and discriminatory policies and Planned Parenthood is proud to once again, join our progressive partners for the #WomensWave mobilization to protect and advance the progress we've made as a movement dedicated to equity and justice for all people," Erica Sackin, senior communications director for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement to Refinery29. Carmen Perez, one of the March organizers, told Elle the mission has been and always will be one of inclusion and empowerment. Our work is a continuation of the Unity Principles that have guided us since 2017. The agenda does not come from the three of us; it was created by 50 organizations and individuals with deep policy expertise who we brought together over a four-week period. The Women's Wave is about transforming our principles into policies: protecting the rights of immigrant women, ensuring pay equity, standing for LGBTQIA rights, disability rights, and ending state violence. And so those are just some of the issues that we have selected, and we've taken 50 organizations through this process, and this agenda will be released on January 19th at the Women's March. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | https://www.syracuse.com/politics/index.ssf/2019/01/is_it_time_to_retire_the_womens_march_1.html |
Is the Booming Dow Why Trump Wont End the Shutdown? | With the US partial government shutdown now entering its 27th day, this funding standoff is already the longest in federal history. Nevertheless, President Donald Trump has expressed no qualms about extending the shutdown for a long time if Democrats refuse to budge on border wall funding. According to sources close to the president, that may have something to do with the strong performances that the Dow and other stock market indices have recorded amidst the shutdown. Strong Dow, S&P 500 Bolster Trumps Shutdown Stance That illuminating theory comes courtesy of Politico, which reports that Trump more than previous presidents judges his policies based on immediate stock market feedback. Per the article, which was drafted by Ben White, Trump tends to gauge economic risks by market reaction, so the lack of any big drops on Wall Street could be among the reasons he does not yet feel significant pressure to change his wall demands in ways that could end the shutdown. dow jones More Indeed, US stocks have made wild recoveries since the government shutdown began on Dec. 22. On Friday, Dec. 21, the Dow closed at 22,445.37, knee deep in a pullback and on the verge officially entering a bear market. One month later, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq are all riding high. Jan. 16 saw the Dow close at 24,207.16, more than 1,761 points higher than it was on the first day of the shutdown. The broad S&P 500 index has made a similar climb, closing on Jan. 16 at 2,616.10 after entering the shutdown at 2,416.62. S&P 500 government shutdown More Mainstream media outlets, which tend to lean left and assign more blame to Trump than congressional Democrats for the shutdown, have focused their coverage on its tangible effects: federal workers missing paychecks, longer lines at TSA airport checkpoints, and national park closures. However, if Whites sources are correct, then reports like these probably arent going to change the presidents commitment to exercising his veto power to twist the arms of Democrats into allocating him his desired $5.7 billion in border wall funding which, politics aside, is a drop in the bucket of federal spending. Rather, Trump is likely paying more attention to the stock tickers on his favorite TV channels than he is to New York Times features designed to tug at readers heartstrings. Stock Market Crash Would Put Pressure on Trump nancy pelosi chuck schumer government shutdown More This being the case, it may be that the stock market would have to see a stark reversal a pullback on par with the one seen in Q4 last year for Trump to start having second thoughts about his shutdown stance. Of course, even then Trump might not accept responsibility for the correction. Throughout last quarter and into 2019, the president has been sharply critical of the Federal Reserves recent interest rate hikes. Trump blamed those rate hikes for putting the brakes on a what had been a booming economy. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has indicated that the bank intends to take stock market conditions into consideration when mulling future rate increases, but that doesnt mean that Trump wont blame him or someone else if the Dow crawls back further into correction territory. Regardless, a stock market reversal could tip the scales in the Democrats favor, making it more likely that Trump will feel pressure to cut a deal or at least take the escape hatch of declaring a national emergency. In the present, though, it seems that the US must choose between a strong economy and a fully-funded federal government. appeared first on CCN. | https://news.yahoo.com/booming-dow-why-trump-won-163642572.html |
Why Would Nick Foles Agree to Any Trade? | The Eagles are likely going to have to make a decision on whom to keep, Nick Foles or Carson Wentz, in the next couple months. Trade talks pertaining to both QBs are starting to percolate; with regards to Foles, WIPs Eliot Schorr-Parks wonders aloud if Jacksonville makes sense, possibly with Jalen Ramsey or Leonard Fournette heading to the Eagles. The Jaguars just brought in Foles former QB coach John DeFilippo. However, as Schorr-Parks notes, Foles has to be alright with the destination because he has a $20 million mutual option (for the full nuances of Foles deal, which include pretty large salaries for 2020 and 2021 if the deal comes to that, see Joel Corrys write-up at CBS). If a team is willing to pay him $20 million this season, theyd be down to give him that in free agency. He can just go there without weakening his new team. I guess if the Jaguars are determined on moving on from Fournette regardless then you could make the case that Foles could just accept that trade, but I still maintain he could just decline his option, sign there, and sit back while the Jags trade Fournette for another player and/or draft pick(s). But if it were going to cost the Jags a player the caliber of Jalen Ramsey, it would be outright bad strategy for Foles to agree. | https://thebiglead.com/2019/01/17/why-would-nick-foles-agree-to-any-trade/ |
Can we stop making Aaliyahs legacy about R Kelly? | Aaliyahs legacy has been shrouded by the R Kelly allegations in recent weeks Late R&B icon Aaliyah would have turned 40 yesterday (16 January). There were some celebratory posts on social media but you may not have noticed them because, for the past couple of weeks, Aaliyahs name has only been mentioned in relation to R Kelly. The Try Again singers ties to the disgraced R&B star were dredged up again in light of Lifetimes docu-series Surviving R Kelly, which featured multiple allegations of sex abuse against the musician from various women dating as far back as 20 years. But with the controversy came the recirculation of claims that R Kelly married Aaliyah in 1994 when she was aged 15 and he 27. It then took an unexpected turn when R Kellys own lawyer confirmed the marriage, but argued that the I Believe I Can Fly singer thought she was 18. Advertisement Advertisement If the marriage did take place then yes, of course it should be talked about and brought to attention in the publics interest. Thanks to the shocking revelations in Surviving R Kelly, the other allegedly abused women now have the world stage to share their stories and, perhaps for the first time, people are really listening. Their bravery in coming forward with the allegations has resulted in a criminal investigation into R Kelly that will hopefully give their years of pain some resolution. And, if their accusations are found to be true, then R Kelly should rightfully so be held to account. However, somewhere in the conversation about his reported behaviour, Aaliyah has been reduced to just another cog in the story of so-called predation. R Kelly will always be a part of Aaliyahs story for the fact that he produced her iconic debut album, Age Aint Nothing But A Number. But lets be clear not everyone can be a superstar, it does take that natural something after all. And Aaliyah had it all going on. Her sweetness, tomboyish swag perfectly mixed with femininity and that oh-so angelic voice are just some of the reasons we came to take Baby Girl under our wing. Advertisement Advertisement Theres a little bit of Aaliyah in Rihanna, Ciara, Tinashe, hell, even Beyonce, because she was just that ahead of her time. Not many artists are able to embody femininity and ruggedness without coming across as arrogant like Aaliyah did. The gothic styling of the I Need A Resolution music video completely contrasts her silky smooth vocals but thats what made her artistry so unique. Her entire catalogue is timeless Rock The Boat, More Than A Woman, You Are love, If Your Girl Only Knew and One In A Million, all sound just as fresh now as the first time we heard them in the 90s and early noughties. Lets not reduce Aaliyahs talent to sordid headlines at a time she should be celebrated (Picture: Getty Images) Its a crying shame well never know what more she could have achieved musically, but we can have a pretty good idea. At the time of her death in 2001, Aaliyah was quite literally on the cusp of becoming a movie superstar. She had just garnered healthy success in Romeo Must Die, had filmed a role in Queen Of The Damned and her appearance in The Matrix sequel would have undoubtedly cemented her place in Hollywood. Her life was inexplicably cut short but its the mark of a good artist when their influence is still obvious in the music industry 18 years after their death. She was just too fly. Advertisement So when someones artistry means so much to so many people, its frustrating to watch whats left of their legacy fade further into the oblivion of sordid headlines. If its true that Aaliyah was taken advantage of, then its possible her tragically short life was already tarnished by immense personal turmoil. Next year, the conversation will be about Aaliyahs talents. Thats the least she deserves. 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: Police target R. Kellys Chicago recording studio over illegal residency claims MORE: R Kelly sang inappropriate lyrics about cute little Aaliyah when she was just 12 | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/17/even-aaliyahs-40th-birthday-can-stop-reducing-legacy-sordid-r-kelly-allegations-8356576/ |
Who is Corrie star Faye Brookes and is she engaged to Gareth Gates? | Rumour has it that Coronation Street star Faye Brookes, best known for playing Kate Connor in the soap, is engaged to her boyfriend, Pop Idol alum Gareth Gates. A source has said that Faye and Gareth are over the moon about the engagement although representatives have yet to confirm the news officially. Corrie pictures confirm who dies as cast continue filming funeral The two announced a breakup in September 2018, after having been together for six years, but by November they were back on. Now that wedding bells are apparently ringing, lets take a closer look at Gareths new rumored fiancee, Faye Brookes. Gareth and Faye have been dating since 2012 (Picture: Splash News) Faye, age 31, has appeared in productions of Shrek, Grease, and Legally Blonde. The latter is where she met Gareth Gates in 2012. Gates was playing Warner at the time, when the production was on its UK tour. Advertisement Advertisement The couple were together for six years before their brief split. Faye has starred in Corrie since October 2015, playing lesbian character Kate Connor, who is the sister of the late Aidan (played by Shayne Ward) and the daughter of factory owner Johnny. She started the show engaged to Caz Hammond (Rhea Bailey), but they eventually split due to Cazs angry and controlling behaviour and over time she fell for her friend Rana Nazir. Rana, who was engaged to Zeedan when she started to develop feelings for Kate, split from her husband and is now awaiting a divorce coming through so that she and Kate can get married following their reunion at New Year. Fayes storyline recently caused controversy when Kates desperation to have a baby led to a number of complaints to Ofcom when she was seen trying to seduce Adam, despite being gay. Ofcom ruled that no investigation was necessary. Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV. | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/17/who-is-coronation-street-star-faye-brookes-and-is-she-engaged-to-gareth-gates-8355026/ |
When did Tina OBrien marry Adam Crofts and when were her children born? | Tina OBrien and Adam Crofts got married last year (Photo by Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage) Coronation Street actress Tina OBrien has opened up about her difficulty dealing with post-natal depression in a recent post on social media. The 35-year-old was taking part in the 10 Year Challenge on Instagram when she opened up about her struggles following the birth of her daughter Tina.. In the post she spoke about overcoming the difficulties and celebrating the family that she now has to support her, following her recent wedding to Adam Crofts. Tina first appeared as Sarah Platt in Coronation Street in 1999 when she was just 16. Advertisement Advertisement Her character was quickly put into some of the biggest storylines on the soap which included her character Sarah becoming pregnant at just 13. It was a story that proved to be controversial at the time but it went on to win the Best Storyline prize at the British Soap Awards. Corrie pictures confirm who dies as cast continue filming funeral Tina was also able to win Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards for her performance. It was during her first few years on the soap that she started dating her Corrie co-star Ryan Thomas, who was playing Jason Grimshaw. Their relationship began in 2003 and five years later they had a daughter together called Scarlett. It was shortly after Scarletts birth in October 2008 that Tina said she had suffered post-natal depression. In her Instagram post about her life in 2009 she said: I had very bad post natal depression even looking at the pic on the left reminds me how bad it was and that makes me so sad. I wish Id had the confidence to ask for help. Life felt pretty dark for a little while. The following year Tina and Ryan decided to go their separate ways. Shortly after that in 2011 Tina found love again but this time with Adam Crofts. The two of them later had a son together called Beau Lee Stephen, who was born in October 2014. Advertisement Advertisement Adam asked Tina to marry him over 18 months ago with the pair having been together for eight years. Her wedding to Adam Crofts was held just a few weeks ago in Manchester on New Years Eve. The ceremony was attended by many of her Corrie co-stars including Jack P. Shepherd and Lucy Fallon. Tina regularly shares glimpses into her family life with her followers on Instagram with an inside like on their days out and holidays abroad. Tina first appeared on Coronation Street in 1999 (Photo by Joe Maher/FilmMagic) As well as her time on Coronation Street, Tina has been on numerous other shows including appearances in Doctors, Casualty and Call the Midwife, as well as having a recurring role as Bex Fisher in the BBC drama Waterloo Road. She appeared on the eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing alongside her professional partner Jared Murillo. The two of them were the fourth team to be eliminated from the show. MORE: Coronation Streets Platt family get dolled up as they arrive for Tina OBriens wedding | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/17/tina-obrien-marry-adam-crofts-children-born-8354951/ |
Are white women pretending to be light skin black for the attention of men? | Blackfishing where people change their skin colour and hair to appear black is a strange trend. One blogger accused of blackfishing told Metro.co.uk that theres nothing wrong with her deep tan and braids. White girls if you want to pass as Black, how about using your platforms to address the injustices and discrimation actual Black people face. Don't just appropriate, Appreciate the people you are imitating #emmahallberg pic.twitter.com/gpmkvB0BZj Niccole Nero Gaines (@2CsNiccole) November 19, 2018 Some of the women allegedly blackfishing are from predominantly white countries, some from Scandinavian ones. Advertisement Advertisement To look like a black woman or a racially ambiguous person in these spaces is to look different, interesting, exotic even, and may attract more male suitors. Even in diverse spaces, racially ambiguous or light skin black women (often referred to as lighties) are often preferred over dark-skinned individuals (the reverse is true for women too, as some prefer light skin men). What some of these blackfishing girls seem to be doing is tapping into that thirst for exotic looking women and catering to it. If you spend time scrolling through the images of these girls, youll find plenty of complimentary comments from men and women, so their blackfishing tactic is working they have presented a palatable version of a black woman, tanned, curvy, and curly-haired to be exotic but not quite black enough to pass as performing blackface. Black women are punished for being black called ugly for having big lips, sent home from work and school for having dreads, and more but when appropriated by white women these things are praised. Look at the rise of lip fillers and bum injections. Perhaps its because these things can be removed from white womens bodies when trends pass but are usually permanent for black women. White women who blackfish are able to take on the features men deem attractive, without bringing along the racist stereotypes and stigma associated with black women. As such, blackfishing allows women to be safe for men to fancy. They get to enjoy an attraction to full lips, braids, and a big bum without the stigma (or hassle as some see it ) of being with black women. Advertisement Advertisement If you cant beat them, join them Lets not forget that white people have historically tried to limit the beauty of blackness through tignon laws, passed in the 1700s to change the appearance of black women and make them less attractive to white men. These laws required black women to cover their textured hair as their features kept attracting white suitors, which stood as a threat to white women. Centuries later, beauty has evolved. Tanned and curvy (being thicc) is in. Light skin and mixed-race women are fetishised. The more unusual the mix, the more interesting she is perceived to be. Studies show mixed-race women are also preferred over dark skin ones romantically and even in the legal system dark skin women are given harsher prison sentences than their lighter counterparts in the U.S. One man who has a preference for light skin women told Metro.co.uk that its simply down to a trend. He likes light skin women of colour but not black girls because of their attitude something that black women are predominantly ostracised for. I think its a bit like a fashion statement, its a trend that will change. I remember when I was younger liking mixed-race girls and light skin ones wasnt in fashion. Its because mixed-race women have owned their brand, theyve given themselves status in society and acceptance of themselves. Advertisement This creates the hype around them. Everybody wants one, everybody recognises one. Some men will only approach women that are racially ambiguous, thinly veiling their disappointment if the mix isnt exciting enough. Writer Narjas Zatat, who is half Algerian and half Greek, told Metro.co.uk how she is often mistaken for a light skin black woman. I get a lot of whats your mix? questions when men approach me. I once went to this rock gig in and this guy sidled up to me and his opening line was I like mixed-race curvy girls. Theres an assumption there that Im half black but its quite interesting to see how some guys take one look at my hair and assume Im a lightie. Natalie Morris, who is a mixed-race black woman, says a lot of the time its black men who show this preference for light skin black women. I feel like there are certain men (mostly black men) who have a thing for lighties so I think its more I get approached because Im light skin. Because I dont think its necessarily apparent that Im definitely mixed-race when they first approach. I literally thought this girl I was following was some light skin black girl but turns out pic.twitter.com/7oX3luc8Cy Kitcha Fit-Fit Stan (@ERlTREAN) November 7, 2018 Similarly, Raveena Islam, who is Bangladeshi, says her light skin and curly hair are the objects of some mens attention. Advertisement Men approach me because of my curly hair, but its like nappy so that in itself is a fetish, Raveena tells us. To them, its nice to have some flavour, a yellow skin tone that tans easy. I have no idea why they find that attractive, but probably because the way society defines beauty. The media has certainly contributed to this, elevating white-passing women of colour and leaving out dark-skinned ones, perpetuating colourism the idea that the closer to whiteness you are, the better looking or smarter you are. Culturally weve picked specific aspects of black women that are now seen as desirable being tanned, big lips, big bums, thick thighs (just look at the worth of Kardashians, and the popularity of Instagram influencers). So now these looks are all the rage, especially on light skin women. This has filtered down to mens interactions with women, with men believing that light skin women are just more attractive. Some will argue that preferences are preferences, which is true to an extent. But to say one is only attracted to a subculture is to make generalisations about not only that group but other groups. Seeking exotic mixes reduces multifaceted women to just their racial breakdown, something the women have no control over. People may argue that those accused of blackfishing are just appreciating the culture, theyre not being malicious, or that imitation is a form of flattery. But much like cultural appropriation, blackfishers are picking and choosing parts of a culture they dont belong to, without acknowledging their cultural significance or the parts of being black that arent praised. Unlike white people blackfishing, black people cannot take off their braids or tone down their melanin in order to go unnoticed when they want to for their own health and safety. Blackfishing takes advantage of a system that prefers light skin black women over dark skinned ones. It allows white women to enjoy advantages that come with appearing as a lightie standing out from their peers, being looked upon favourably by men who genuinely take them to be mixed-race light skin women. Men have sent the message that the most attractive form of a black woman is a light skin one; so white women are trying to become that, whether subconsciously or not. MORE: Black women are constantly hypersexualised its time to stop fetishising skin colour MORE: We need more spaces dedicated to black hair and beauty MORE: Edgy humour is the opposite of revolutionary Advertisement Advertisement | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/17/are-white-women-pretending-to-be-light-skin-black-for-the-attention-of-men-8301629/ |
Where's the free agent market for former Orioles star Manny Machado? | Even in a years-long free agency slowdown where teams have been reluctant to spend long-term on players who had accrued the service time to test the open market, Manny Machado and his ilk were supposed to be immune to this condition. Yet as January rolls on and Machado, the one-time Orioles superstar, and fellow free agent headliner Bryce Harper wait out a slow-forming market, it's become clear that's not the case. Wednesday's spectacle ESPN reporting Machado's offer from the Chicago White Sox as an unspectacular seven years at $175 million, and the strong denial from his agent Dan Lozano -- was the latest chapter in an offseason for the two marquee names that hasn't unfolded as anyone expected. The last time an agent put out a statement that publicly forceful, it was Dexter Fowler's agent Casey Close after the Orioles signed him but actually didn't. It takes what's perceived as a real wrong to draw that out of an agent, and no matter which side is objectively right on this small piece of information, it's a big issue that Lozano clearly sees as a big wrong. And he's got a point. For all his faults, Machado's Johnny Hustle comments shouldn't have brought the overall value of his contract down $100 million. In every full season on his resume, he's been worth at least five wins above replacement (WAR), according to FanGraphs, with four straight seasons of at least 33 home runs and a career's worth of elite third base defense on his resume through age 26. The modern game, by Wednesday's news, values that with a free agent contract that will barely crack the 20 richest in the game. There's plenty of logic in not handing out contracts to players who have already passed their primes, but Machado and Harper are going to be in it for at least half and likely more than that on any deal they sign this offseason. By fWAR, only eight players were better than Machado in 2018. He's been in the top 10 in baseball in three of the last four years. Since the start of 2013, only five players have better than his 29 fWAR. If this is all a judgment on the litany of headlines Machado has made over the years from the Josh Donaldson incident to his fight with Yordano Ventura to the feud with the Boston Red Sox or his playoff baserunning aggression then baseball has delivered a verdict that many might find fair. When a team is swallowing hard and giving out a nine-figure contract, some of those might be hard to get past. But from a sheer baseball perspective, even if the figures being bandied about are the kind that create generational wealth, it all seems light for a player who those in Baltimore found can make quite a difference to a baseball team's fortunes. It's not the Orioles' problem anymore, and perhaps thankfully so, but it's become one for Machado and maybe the next generation of stars to follow him. CAPTION Orioles beat writer Jon Meoli sits down with Orioles general manager Mike Elias. (Jon Meoli / Baltimore Sun video) Orioles beat writer Jon Meoli sits down with Orioles general manager Mike Elias. (Jon Meoli / Baltimore Sun video) CAPTION The Orioles announced that Brandon Hyde would be the 20th manager in team history. The Orioles announced that Brandon Hyde would be the 20th manager in team history. [email protected] twitter.com/JonMeoli | https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-manny-machado-market-20190117-story.html |
Are Tory remainers pondering a conscious uncoupling from the party? | The fightback starts here. Maybe. That could be putting it a bit strongly. On the morning after Theresa May had celebrated surviving a no confidence vote by declaring her new Brexit plan would be pretty much the same as the one that had been defeated by 230 votes on Tuesday, a handful of Tory MPs gathered in the basement room of a central London hotel to launch their own self-help group. My names Philip and Im in favour of a second referendum, said Philip Lee. There. Hed come out and said it. Already he felt so much better about himself. Hed taken the first step by admitting his powerlessness over the Conservative party. And he knew he wasnt alone. There were 4 million like-minded Tory voters out there who were fed up with being lied to, who recognised the prime ministers deal was dead and wanted to take back control of their lives by having another say on leaving the EU. It was a bold claim to make when the total membership of Right to Vote seemed to be limited to the same few Tory MPs Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston, Dominic Grieve, Heidi Allen, Justine Greening, Sam Gyimah and Lee whose views on a second referendum were already well known. But small steps and all that. Right to Vote Anonymous might now be a bit too niche and too anonymous, but if you build it, people will come. Just give it time. They had been expecting one more MP to appear but hed pulled out at the last minute. Allen was the next to share. My names Heidi, she began. It hadnt been easy to come out in favour of a second referendum as a Conservative. But she had hit rock bottom and was ready to collect her P45 if necessary. The Tories had to realise they were in sales and that what was currently on offer was a product that no one wanted. People recognised that Brexit was an unholy mess, that the government had no coherent plans for sorting it out and that a second vote was the only realistic solution. Its time to be less tribal, she said. To an audience made up entirely of Conservatives. My names Sam, said Gyimah. His story was the most harrowing of all. He had been a minister on the verge of a promotion to the cabinet. Life had been sweet mainlining power. But then he realised hed been ripped off with a dirty hit. It had been May who had been orchestrating an establishment stitch-up by trying to keep parliament out of the loop over her shabby deal. Her only interest was in delivering a third-rate future so she could claim bragging rights for having delivered some kind of Brexit. Though all three were happy to offer their experience, strength and hope they were short on details of where they went from here as they hadnt yet got round to writing steps two to 12 of their 12-step programme. There would be an extension to article 50 and more people would come along to their meetings. For now it was enough for them to have provided a safe space where no one could be harassed or bullied. They realised it was a tough call to get others on board, but if people felt shy about sharing in meetings they were welcome to just come along and listen. The second referendum could be won by spiritual osmosis. And if that was still a bit too scary there were mindfulness weekend starter packs on offer and some hot yoga complete with Gwyneth Paltrows Goop patented Namaste scented candles that were guaranteed to aid conscious uncoupling from the Tory party. Special discounts available for those taking part in Dry Second Referenduary, with key rings handed out to those who got to 30 days clean. Right to Vote Anonymous might have had the air of a Peoples Front of Judaea tribute act, but it was no less of an alternative lifestyle to any of the others on show. Despite having lost his no confidence vote in parliament the previous evening, rather than chatting to May a tough gig, but someones got to do it Jeremy Corbyn had headed off to Hastings to launch a general election campaign for an election that wasnt happening. Call it a dry run. Meanwhile back in Downing Street, the prime minister was having talks about Brexit in which nothing she didnt want to talk about could be mentioned. We are now in a dystopia of parallel worlds in which everyone is pursuing their own personal growth programme for which there is no parliamentary majority. Wed have more chance sorting the whole thing out with tarot cards. | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/17/tory-remainers-second-referendum |
What if all jobs had Ofsted-style inspections? | Get Daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Imagine if all our workplaces were given the Ofsted treatment. Wed have officials firing off questions, checking our paperwork and eyeballing us as we went about our jobs. Picture the newspaper world. Inspectors hiding in bushes alongside photographers taking court snatches. And woe betide any reporter returning from an armed raid without named bystander quotes and a video clip. Requires improvement. Inadequate. Unless you work in the public sector, youre usually free from being graded. Teachers know the drill though. Thats why this weeks announcement on the future of Ofsted inspections has been greeted with trepidation. There is plenty to welcome, but some concerns too. (Image: Getty Images) The big proposed change from September is a move away from exam results the end product. Instead, inspection teams will look at how these results are reached. Its about the kind of curriculum schools are offering. Ofsted wants it to be broad and rich, not narrowed in favour of extra maths and English or a three-year key stage four. There will still be four overall ratings, including outstanding. But individual grades will look a bit different. Out goes teaching and learning in favour of the quality of education. And in come separate grades for behaviour and personal development. Ofsted claims too many schools have been teaching to the test and employing wheezes like off-rolling. Chief inspector Amanda Spielman promises the new focus wont be a pub quiz curriculum, but how pupils develop knowledge in the round. It sounds pretty sensible. Yet unions have questioned how inspectors can get a feel for a schools approach with just a two-day visit. And teachers have groaned at the thought of more change, particularly if it involves reams of extra work. A decade ago, schools were judged on almost everything under the sun, with reports hefty enough to give readers a hernia. Healthy lifestyles and economic prospects got equal billing with classroom learning. It was ridiculous. Thankfully, Ofsted visits are now tightly targeted. There are just too few of them. Since 2011, outstanding schools have been exempt from routine inspections. Its left parents in the dark, with nearly 300 schools going uninspected for 10 years. Ofsted has rowed back from scrapping this rule, although good schools will face longer inspections. Its also consulting on giving schools as little as 150 minutes notice before the Ofsted team arrives to start prep work, with the inspection the next day. Ultimately, the new framework is destined for only limited success unless we address other factors driving that narrowing of the curriculum. Its the Governments obsession with exam results and the squeeze on school funding. | https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/what-jobs-ofsted-style-inspections-2438715 |
Does Apple's Smart Battery Case come with a charging cable? | Best answer: It seems as though Apple's new Smart Battery Cases do not come with a charging cable, instead relying on Lightning cables or wireless chargers that you already have. The Smart Battery Case is the only thing in the box Since first launching the Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 6s, Apple hasn't included a charging cable in the box for the accessory, instead instructing customers to use the Lightning cable that came with their iPhone. This makes sense, as it saves Apple a little money, and if you have an iPhone, you'll have at least one charging cable. You can also charge your Smart Battery Case faster by using a Lightning-to-USB-C cable plugged into Apple's USB-C Power Adapter, which can provide 18 or more watts of power. The new Smart Battery Cases for the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all feature support for Qi wireless charging. This allows you to charge both your case and the iPhone in it at the same time. Just place your iPhone in its Smart Battery Case onto your wireless charger as you normally would, and you should be good to go. | https://www.imore.com/does-apples-smart-battery-case-come-charging-cable?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheIphoneBlog+%28iMore%29 |
Should Cronos Group Scale Up Its U.S. Business? | Cronos Group had a relatively solid 2018, driven by the legalization of recreational marijuana in its home market, Canada, and a $1.8 billion investment from tobacco major Altria group. While Cronos has been focusing its retail efforts on Canada as well as international markets such as Germany, Israel, and Australia, where its medical marijuana products are gaining traction, the U.S. could potentially be a significantly larger market for the company in the long run. In this note, we take a look at whats driving the cannabis market in the U.S. and how Cronos could potentially scale up its U.S. operations in the long run, subject to regulations. We have created an interactive dashboard analysis on whats driving Cronos Groups valuation, which allows users to modify any of our forecasts and drivers to arrive at their own valuation estimates for the company. The U.S. Marijuana Market As of November 2018, 32 U.S. States had laws allowing the use of medical marijuana, while 10 states (namely Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Alaska, Colorado, Michigan, Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts) allowed the use of the marijuana for recreational purposes. Other states including New Jersey have been closely considering the legalization of recreational marijuana. Sales of medical and recreational marijuana in the U.S. are projected to climb to roughly $22 billion by the year 2022, per the 2018 edition of the Marijuana Business Factbook, up from levels of between $5.8 billion and $6.6 billion in 2017. While much of the growth in the market will hinge on regulatory developments, the increasing interest from major corporates in the tobacco and alcoholic beverage space could also drive the industry. Overall, its safe to assume that the U.S. market for cannabis will be significantly larger than the Canadian market in the long term. The U.S. also took some steps towards the legalization of hemp a variety of cannabis that does not produce the psychoactive component of pot after it was removed from the controlled substance list post the passage of the 2018 farm bill. Hemp-derived cannabidiols were also legalized. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a popular extract used in beverages and health products. Per New Frontier Data, the hemp-derived CBD market will grow from a $390 million in 2018 to a $1.3 billion market by 2022. Cronos Could Leverage Altria Deal While Cronos is still in the process of scaling up its overall business (total revenues stood at just $3.8 million in Q318), the company will likely wait until marijuana is legalized at a Federal level in the U.S. before it moves into the mainstream market. However, its possible that the company could make a play in the hemp space, like its Canadian rival Canopy, which was recently granted a license by New York to process and produce hemp. Cronos partnership with tobacco major Altria, which is the producer of Marlboro cigarettes, could also help the company if it decides to scale up in the U.S. Altria has an extensive distribution reach, as well as significant experience on the regulatory front. Cronos could also use the sizable cash infusion from the Altria deal to double down on the construction of greenhouses and processing facilities. While annualized capacity stood at just about 6,650 kilograms as of Q3, the company is in the process of adding about 110,000 kilograms of capacity in the near term. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/01/17/should-cronos-group-scale-up-its-u-s-business/ |
Which Chicago Mascot Would Win in a Fight? | When a fan recently attacked the Blackhawks Tommy Hawk, the costumed creature didnt just take the beating on the beak. He fought back with an attempted powerbomb. Benny the Bull Photo: Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune Strength:Horns. They can inflict some serious damage but Weakness: could also easily wind up tangled in merch at a souvenir kiosk. Lethality: Squeeze the Mustard Bottle Photo: Courtesy of the Chicago Dogs Strength:Firepower. The Chicago Dogs mascot is essentially a giant mustard cannon. Weakness:When running on empty, he must be tipped upside down and tapped on his bottom to get any remaining fight out. Photo: John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune Strength:Inscrutability. From the Sox website: Some people think Im an alligator, frog or even a dirty sock. That sounds like an answer to a Jeopardy! question: What are three things I hope to never find stuffed inside my pillow case? Weakness:Suffers from identity issues. Lethality: This article appears in the February 2019 issue of Chicago magazine. Subscribe to Chicago magazine. Share | http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/February-2019/Which-Chicago-Mascot-Would-Win-in-a-Fight/ |
Why Is Japan So Bitter About Unstoppable Rise Of China? | This piece was reprinted by OpEdNews with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. - Advertisement - There used to be a pair of beautiful swings for children, not far from an old rural temple in Mie Prefecture, where I used to frequently power walk, when searching for inspiration for my novels. Two years ago, I noticed that the swings had gotten rusty, abandoned, and unkempt. Yesterday, I spotted a yellow ribbon, encircling and therefore closing the structure down. It appears that the decision had already been made to get rid of the playground, irreversibly. Abandoned swings Mie Prefecture (Image by Andre Vltchek) Permission Details DMCA One day earlier, I observed an old homeless man sleeping right under a big sign which was advertising a cluster of luxury eateries at the lavish Nagoya train station. - Advertisement - Homeless man at Nagoya station (Image by Andre Vltchek) Permission Details DMCA And in the city of Yokkaichi, which counts some 350,000 inhabitants, almost all but very few bus lines had disappeared. What had also disappeared was an elegant and unique, shining zodiac, which used to be engraved into the marble promenade right in front of the Kintetsu Line train station, the very center of the city. The fast ferry across the bay, connecting Yokkaichi with Centrair International Airport that serves Nagoya and in fact almost the entire area of Central Japan, stopped operating, as the municipal subsidies dried up. Now people have to drive some seventy kilometers, all around the bay, burning fuel and paying exuberant highway tolls and airport parking fees, to make it to their flight. What used to constitute public spaces, or even just rice fields, is rapidly being converted into depressing parking lots. It is happening in Central Japan, but also as far southwest as the city of Nagasaki, and as north as Nemuro. - Advertisement - No more public spaces, just parking lots (Image by Andre Vltchek) Permission Details DMCA Homeless people are everywhere. Cars (Japan now has more cars per capita than the United States) are rotting in the middle of rice fields and at the edges of once pristine forests, as they lose value rapidly, and it costs a lot of money to get rid of them properly. Entire rural villages are being depopulated, in fact turning into ghost towns. There is rust, bad planning and an acute lack of anything public, all over the country. Japan is in decay. For many years, it was possible, with half-closed eyes, to ignore it, as the country was due to inertia hanging on to the top spot of the richest nations on Earth. But not anymore: the deterioration is now just too visible. Suburban decay all over Japan (Image by Andre Vltchek) Permission Details DMCA - Advertisement - The decay is not as drastic as one can observe in some parts of France, the United States, or the UK. But decay it is. The optimistic, heady days of nation-building are over. The Automobile industry and other corporations are literally cannibalizing the country, dictating its lifestyle. In smaller cities, motorists do not yield on pedestrian crossings anymore. Cars are prioritized by urban planners, and some urban planners are paid, bribery by the car industry. Many areas can now only be reached by cars. There are hardly any public exercise machines, and almost no new parks. Japan, which prides itself on producing some of the most refined food, is now fully overwhelmed by several chains of convenience stores, which are full of unhealthy foodstuff. Abandoned houses - south Mie (Image by Andre Vltchek) Permission Details DMCA For generations, people were sacrificing their lives in order to build a prosperous, powerful and socially balanced Japan. Now, there is no doubt that the citizens are there mainly to support powerful corporations or in short: big business. Japanese used to have its own and distinct model, but now the lifestyle is not too different from one that could be observed in North America or Europe. For the second time in its history, Japan has been forced to 'open to the world' (read: to Western interests and to the global capitalist economy), and to accept the concepts that used to be thoroughly alien to the Asian culture. The consequences were quick to arrive, and in summary, they have been thoroughly disastrous. * After WWII, Japan had to accept occupation. The Constitution was written by the US. Defeated but determined to rebuild and join the ranks of the richest countries on earth, Japan began collaborating with the West, first supporting the brutal invasion to Korea (the so-called "Korean War"). It totally gave up on its independence, fully surrendering its foreign policy, which gradually became indistinct from that of the United States in particular, and the West in general. The mass media has been, since the end of the war to now, controlled and censored by the regime in Tokyo. Major Japanese newspapers, as well as the Japanese national broadcaster NHK, would never dare to broadcast or publish any important international news, unless at least one major US or British mainstream media outlet had set the tone and example of how the story should be covered by the mass media in the 'client' states. In this respect, the Japanese media is not different from its counterparts in countries such as Indonesia or Kenya. Japan is also definitely not a 'democracy', if 'democracy' simply means the rule of the people. Traditionally, Japanese people used to live mainly in order to serve the nation, which was perhaps not such a bad concept. It used to work, at least for the majority. However, now, they are expected to sacrifice their lives solely for the profits of corporations. People in Japan do not rebel, even when they are robbed by their rulers. They are shockingly submissive. Oma , Aomori Prefecture (Image by Andre Vltchek) Permission Details DMCA Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | https://www.opednews.com/articles/Why-Is-Japan-So-Bitter-Abo-by-Andre-Vltchek-China_Japan_Japan-190117-778.html |
Can Drones Be Good? | It was a cool day in Dallas last November, when a small quadcopter lifted itself off the ground of an American Airlines hangar and buzzed towards a Boeing 777. The drone, a DJI Mavic Enterprise, had been outfitted with a spotlight, but otherwise looked a lot like what you might see your neighbor flying in the backyard. The remarkable difference was that this particular aircraft had been programmed to inspect the hull of the much larger aircraft, the jet. It could do in a matter of minutes what it would take a maintenance crew hours to do. It was, in its own way, a tiny flying robot with a job. A small gaggle of journalists watched the drone slowly make its way around the airplane, spotting specially located indicators that resembled bullseyes on the fuselage and sending alerts back to a pilot. This was just a demo, though. The drone had been programmed to spot the innocent-seeming bullseyes, but the airline says it could just as easily spot damage. Currently, American and other airlines employ a group of workers on a cherrypicker to inspect aircraft between flights, but some think that drones could do the job just as wellor at the very least, drones could help streamline the process. That is, if the airline decides to make the demo a part of everyday operations. This is a tool of the future that should be in every professional technicians toolbox, said Lorne Cass, American Airlines VP of Operations and Industry Affairs, who went on to say that drones could also be used for all kinds of things, like spotting debris on runways. Photo: Adam Clark Estes (Gizmodo) That might be a tall order, if only because its incredibly problematic to fly quadcopters around airports. (Just ask the folks at Gatwick Airport.) Theres also the stigma surrounding unmanned aerial vehicles that refuses to go away. A lot of people dont like drones. Flying robots with increasingly powerful cameras and a growing number of tools sounds like the scariest parts of the dystopian future we were warned about. But as is often the case with emerging technology, theres another story to tell. Outside of the stunts and spectacles, a growing number of drones are doing work. Some of them are doing police work, which is potentially scary, but the vast majority of enterprise applications for drones is refreshingly positive. The rise of commercial drones has long been predicted, but its actually happening now. Companies like American Airlines and Union Pacific are experimenting with using drones in their daily operations. Meanwhile, state and local officials are finding ways that these aircraft can do things like streamline public works projects and help firefighters with search and rescue operations. Heck, even farmers have drones to watch their crops. The optimist would say that drones are already proving themselves to be much more than war machines or annoying toys. Drones also dont need to perform headline-grabbing feats like delivering Amazon packages or dropping medicine into the jungle to be good for the world. They just need to do basic, boring stuff. You know, chores. Its not as exciting as spying, but the most useful thing drones are doing these days is inspecting things. Putting a camera or sensor in the air allows you to fly it around hard-to-reach places, like the top of a Boeing 777. Meanwhile, increasingly powerful software can crunch terabytes of data efficiently enough to create so-called digital twins of physical spaces, like a bridge or a factory. Intel has been particularly focused on inspection drones for the past couple of years, and the company recently announced a new study that sent octocopters to inspect bridges in Cincinnati, Ohio and Minneapolis, Minnesota. These inspections involve an automated drone flight, during which a 36-megapixel Sony Alpha 7R camera takes hundreds of photos of the bridge. These photos are then stitched together to create a 3D model of the bridge with enough resolution to see even the slightest flaws in the structure. Once that digital twin is created, the inspectors can compare it to data captured on future flights to see how the bridge is changing. The sheer efficiency of using drones like this is a huge leap forward for jobs like this. Photo: Intel Corporation Today, if you look at how these inspections are done, the roads are shut down, and people on cherrypickers are doing the inspections, Anil Nanduri, the head of Intels drone division, told Gizmodo in an interview. With computing becoming so ubiquitous, you now have tools to do this in software. And with drones becoming more automated, we have the ability to make these processes repeatable. Advertisement Improving bridge inspections isnt just about preventing traffic jams, either. Much like a drone spotting damage on an airplane, this is a potentially life-saving innovation. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, over 9 percent of Americas bridges are structurally deficient, and since nearly four in ten bridges are over 50 years old, that number could increase as the infrastructure continues to age. At the same time, the current methods for doing inspections are limited and time-consuming. Inspectors cant always access every part of the structure, and, problems can be overlooked. If nothing else, data collection is sometimes inconsistent. Drones are uniquely equipped to solve some of these problems. The repeatable inspection workflow they can perform captures the same detailed images again and again. That means inspectors can see how the bridges or other infrastructure change over time. Considering the sorry state of Americas infrastructure, the need for more detailed inspections spans beyond bridges to roads, electrical grids, and pipelines. In some cases, drones can do the work better and faster than people can. That doesnt mean well be depending solely on robots to spot cracks in our Interstate system any time soon. They might help us get better at the task, though. The basic idea of automated aerial imaging goes beyond infrastructure. Drones are also proving themselves to be valuable in disaster scenarios. A squadron of unmanned aircraft descended on the area around Paradise, California last November, after the states largest wildfire ravaged the area killing at least 86 people and burning over 20,000 structures. In just two days, 16 teams of Northern California emergency responder agencies ended up conducting 518 flights to map 17,000 acres of the affected area and survey the damage caused by the Camp Fire. Its been called the biggest drone response to a disaster in American history. Romeo Durscher, DJIs director of public safety integration, was on the ground in Paradise and says that the aerial imagery captured during the fire represents the largest map ever created by multi-rotor aircraft. To do so, the teams involved used Phantom 4 drones flying at an altitude of 300 feet, which was a challenge since some of the firefighting aircraft were flying as low as 500 feet. Meanwhile, organizing the data and getting it online quickly was also a daunting task, especially since connectivity was minimal during the fire. The emergency responders hand-carried SD cards to San Francisco to upload the data to servers to create useful maps in the hours and days after the drone flights. In addition to local officials planning for recovery efforts, the victims of the fire were some of the first to see these maps. You have some rumors out there that some neighborhoods have survived, but nobody knows the full extent, Durscher said in an interview. Having the information, we heard from some of the residents that they finally realized their homes were gone and their cars were gone because they could finally see. Advertisement It was pretty simple, actually. Once the drone-wielding first responders got the aerial images organized onto a map that victims could access online, people could see the damage. In other wildfire events, it could be days or weeks before victims could know if they had a home to return to. For their part, local officials couldnt start rebuilding efforts without knowing what got destroyed. Thanks to the drones, everyone could start planning for the future before the fire had even been contained. This is only the beginning of drones playing a role in disaster recovery. The same aerial imagery techniques could be deployed in the event of an earthquake, a tornado, or a hurricane. In fact, its already happening. A growing number of companies are working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to provide drone-based disaster relief, and the use of unmanned aircraft is becoming increasingly common in local fire and police departments. The New York Police Department even has a fleet of drones for tactical operations now. DJI, for one, is banking on the idea that drones can help in an emergency. The same Mavic Enterprise drone that made an appearance at the American Airlines hangar in Dallas a few weeks ago is being marketed to search and rescue crews who could use available accessories like the spotlight or loudspeaker on a variety of missions. The company has gone so far as to participate in studies about how drones can find missing persons more quickly than human teams. It makes perfect sense. An eye in the sky is always an asset when looking for people, and its a lot more positive if those people are lost rather than, say, being hunted by the military. So if drones can find cracks in bridges and detail destruction in a disaster, it shouldnt come as a surprise that they can spot fertile soil on a farm. At least thats what Bill Gates believes. Last fall, the former computer geek and current philanthropist visited Dancing Crow Farms in Washington, a pilot site for a Microsoft Research project called FarmBeats that uses drones and other emerging technologies to give farmers an extraordinary amount of data about whats happening with their land. The classic concept for accomplishing this involves installing soil sensors that can measure temperature, moisture, and pH levels. The problem is that these sensors are expensive, sometimes costing several hundred dollars a piece only to cover a few square meters of land. Typically these sensors would also depend on prohibitively expensive, custom-built cellular base stations for connectivity, but the Microsoft project hopes to extend the range of these sensors cheaply by using unoccupied portions of the old UHF and VHF radio frequencies to transmit large amounts of data using old school TV antennas. It also employs drones to collect aerial imagery, including details about pests and crop health. Once all of this data is collected, farmers can eventually use a laptop and machine learning software built by Microsoft (obviously) to combine the aerial imagery with the sensor data to provide a more complex picture of whats happening with the land. And thanks to the magic of machine learning, even short drone flights over particular parcels of land could offer insight into the condition of the entire farm. Sometimes, the drone flights are simply scouting missions. Advertisement Sometimes when were flying the drones, its over areas that arent easily passable for humans, Sean Stratman, the owner of Dancing Crow Farms, told Gizmodo. The drone has literally saved countless hours of bushwhacking to find out that youre in the wrong spot to do it again. Photo: Microsoft Stratman went on to explain that the FarmBeats program helps him to see which of his crops do better on certain areas of the farm and to decide when to plant certain crops. Combined with the sensor data, the drone imagery creates heat maps that illustrate soil conditions, and Stratman says the maps are helping him predict the movement of microclimates on his farm. Better understanding the soil and how the weather affects it ultimately leads to better crop yields. Of course, thanks to its role in the Microsoft research, Dancing Crow Farms is unique in the agriculture world. FarmBeats is still just a research project, although Microsoft says its looking at ways to expand its reach. But at the end of the day, even the basic idea of integrating drones and aerial imagery into life on a farm could be extremely powerful. A human cant really do what a drone does, Microsoft researcher Ranveer Chandra said in an interview. I think its very complimentary. Instead of reducing the labor needed, this is basically providing a new view. Maybe thats the best way to think about the good that drones can do in the world. Theyre tools that take us places and let us see things we couldnt have otherwise seen. As with other new technologies, drones pose a threat to existing workforces, but the work of drones can be largely complementary. Whether that means helping farmers check on crops or firefighters find a missing person or mechanics spot damage on an airplane, we can do things with drones we couldnt do before. Just because the robots havent taken all of our jobs yet, doesnt mean they wont. Advertisement Skeptics are right to point out that flying robots also pose a unique threat. The fact that drones are becoming an essential tool for law enforcementa tool that could be misused or even abusedcannot be ignored. For instance, DJI recently teamed up with Axon, the Taser and body cam manufacturer, to sell drone technology to police departments. (Shortly after the partnership was announced, the NYPD rolled out its new fleet of DJI tactical drones.) Meanwhile, Axon is building up computer vision startups and has taken meetings with facial recognition technology companies. Theres a real possibility that drones installed for perfectly innocent and even altruistic reasons will end up getting used for surveillance or worse once in place. Even as we get our helper drones, the technology will concurrently become more menacing in the future. Other, broader issues abound. For privacy advocates, the very notion of an airborne camera also means that some people will want to keep their windows covered and their kids indoors, though incidents of peeping drones still seem few and far between. Security hawks will warn that consumer drones can be retrofitted to carry and drop bombs. So far this technology has so far only been reported in conflict zones. Air safety experts will also point to the chaos recently unleashed at Gatwick Airport near London, where mysterious drones flying near the runways led to hundreds of canceled flights. The FAA, for one, is taking steps to mitigate the anxiety towards and negative effects of unidentified drones. The agency just announced a new test program for the remote identification of drones. This concept would assign a sort of virtual license plate for the aircraft that authorities could use to identify and track drones. This would not only help civilians feel like theres a pilot accountable for that random quadcopter hovering near their homes but also aid commercial drone operators in securing proper clearance for certain missions. Before long, technology like this might help the drones themselves communicate with each other in midair and even cooperate on projects. A future that includes autonomous swarms of drones working together to help fix bridges or grow crops still seems several years off, however. For now, were left with experiments and research projects to showcase the potential good that drones can do as well as to illustrate how the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles are hardly just a threat. If all else fails, if we find out that drones make cumbersome inspectors or crappy farmers, there is an undeniable backup plan: Drones make damn good entertainers. | https://gizmodo.com/can-drones-be-good-1830831747 |
Why do employers still see job-hopping as a bad thing? | New research shows two-thirds of employers have opted not to interview someone who has had short stints at companies. We already know that in generations gone by, a 10-year tenure at a single company would be considered far more impressive than someone who had five two-year stints at different companies. But, with a rich job market and the ability to travel and move around in the industry becoming easier all the time, a more colourful CV has become far more acceptable. And yet, in new research conducted by Indeed, it seems that job-hopping is still viewed negatively by employers so much so that 65pc of employers surveyed said they have opted not to interview someone who has had short-tenure jobs at other companies. Indeeds research also found that 44pc of employers feel having three short-tenure jobs on their CV is considered job-hopping. Ive talked about job-hopping before because I know that jobseekers can worry about how their CV might be perceived before they get the chance to even meet an interviewer. In fact, in a HR study last year, IBM found that the average hiring manager spends just six seconds looking at CV so, if that hiring manager is inclined to view job-hopping as a negative, someone with a few short stints might be rejected faster than the time it takes to send another application. Making assumptions that job-hopping automatically means someone is not a worthy candidate is just as bad as assuming all millennials are lazy or all baby boomers are digitally inept This new research is incredibly worrying as it solidifies the idea in both employer and employee minds that job-hopping should be viewed as a negative trait when hiring the ideal candidate. Really, every candidate should be reviewed based on their own merit, whatever that might be. Employers might look at job-hopping as a red flag but when they choose not to interview someone based on that alone, what theyre missing is context. Any preconceived notions you may have about why someone moves jobs all the time will become clear in an interview setting. Unhappy days Job-hopping should not be viewed as disloyalty or a lack of staying power. It should be viewed as a need to grow and upskill or, at the very least, a refusal to settle for being unhappy at work. In fact, Indeeds research also highlighted that an unhappy workplace is the main reason for short stints. The statistics only get worse for women, too. Unhappiness at work was the reason behind short stints for 44pc of women compared to 36pc of men. In addition to this, LinkedIn research earlier this week highlighted the amount of people who are unhappy at work. Sadly, this does seem to be the case, with Indeeds survey showing that 25pc of people have stayed in a role for longer than they wanted to avoid being labelled a job-hopper. When employers continue to fuel the idea that job-hopping is a bad trait, it makes employees believe it too, which clearly forces many to stay in one job longer than they should, simply to do their time. While job-hopping is clearly still viewed as a bad thing by a lot of employers, staying put for too long can also imply a lack of growth or upskilling. Ive seen both sides of the coin. I know someone who was in the same job for more than a decade and another who changed jobs five times in less than three years. Both of these people are highly competent, extremely experienced and incredibly hardworking. Yet they both worried about how employers viewed their CV; the former feeling that staying still for too long looked bad, while the other worried about the negative connotations attached to job-hopping. The talent shortage across various industries may mean its a jobseekers market out there. However, for every one job an employer has, it is still likely that many candidates will go for it, which means there is still fierce competition. Jobseekers will do their best to prove to employers that theyre the single best candidate for the job and, unfortunately, that means having to balance the tightrope of figuring out how long is too long in one job or how many jobs is too many. Every candidate should be judged on merit and experience, because tarring everyone with the same brush will only limit your talent pool and cast aside valuable candidates. The truth is, someone who has shown extreme company loyalty might also have never bothered to upskill. Equally, a job-hopper might indeed be disloyal and always leave to go to the highest bidder. If you have these worries, by all means find out more at the interview stage. But making assumptions that job-hopping automatically means someone is not a worthy candidate is just as bad as assuming all millennials are lazy or all baby boomers are digitally inept. | https://www.siliconrepublic.com/careers/job-hopping-recruitment |
Is it possible to create a 10W gaming PC? | Small but powerful, the processor we have chosen to power this rig should keep the wattage down While phones and tablets can idle at sub-watt levels, even a modest PC gaming rig can happily suck down almost 200 watts of power without trying. If you're sat there browsing the web or furiously writing complaints about the neighbour's leylandii, all that power seems a bit of a waste of energy. You could jump on your laptop, but that's often still underpowered and you're left with an awful keyboard and trackpad to use, while upgrading it always feels a compromise. At the heart of this project is going to be the new breed of Intel Ivy Bridge processors. They're built with a 22nm process and, in some ways most importantly of all, Intel's new generation of integrated HD Graphics, which means we can do away with power hungry third-party graphics cards for our system. Sorry AMD and Nvidia. With so much integrated on to the super-efficient 22nm process, low-power states can be efficiently managed. While historically higher-power tasks now require far less juice as well, this is against a background of continued integration and ever more efficient processes; the number of ICs on a motherboard is down, the main chipset uses less power than ever and main storage and memory can be measured in a single watt. So let's see if we can get near that magical 10W mark The road to power efficiency Viable iGPUs started with Sandy When you think of PCs and power, you're more than likely thinking 800 Watt power supplies, 125 Watt TDP processors and multiple graphics cards, each of which could probably suck down enough juice to power a small English hamlet. That view of the PC world does exist and isn't even that uncommon. Even a modest gamer is going to use a system that's sucking its way through a couple of hundred Watts under load. Never mind someone like Jeremy Laird that's running Intel's latest six-core Extreme Edition kit. You don't even have to go to those extremes to rack up a multi-Watt power tally. Everything in a system adds up to the final power usage. From all the ICs on the motherboard to multiple DIMMs in their many slots, to arrays of RAIDs, every component adds to the overall power draw. While the headline components like the processor and graphics card consume by far the most power, as we'll see when we start chipping away at the power consumption, suddenly every Watt of power becomes an issue. We're not trying to demonise PC gamers and users here. On the contrary we love the high-powered rigs and the fact is these days the components comes with reasonable power savings, enabling them to power down usually to a single Watt making them more environmentally friendly than ever. Now that Intel has finally gotten around to producing usable integrated graphics, the answer to that question seems to be an emphatic yes. All that remains is figuring out how low we can go in power terms. Core exercises Small but powerful So we're going on a voyage of low-power discovery. Taking a look at why individual components have been chosen, why they're so much better than other choices and how they've managed to achieve such a low-power result. | https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/computing-components/is-it-possible-to-create-a-10w-gaming-pc-1144135 |
Has RIM put BBM on the back burner? | Questions are being raised over the future of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) as reports suggest Research in Motion (RIM) is focussing its efforts elsewhere. We don't need to tell you that RIM has had a torrid time over the past couple of years, with network outages, riot-inducing allegations and declining sales seeing its BlackBerry range lose out to the likes of Apple and Android. Now the Wall Street Journal reports that sources familiar with the situation at RIM have revealed: "BBM is taking a back seat to chief executive Thorsten Heins' focus on pushing out the company's new phone and operating system later this year." Cook quashed BBM for iOS and Android BBM now has a host of competition in the mobile instant messaging world, with Apple's iMessage for iPhones, Samsung's ChatOn service and third-party, multi-platform Whatsapp all vying for a spot on your smartphone. According to the sources, RIM was planning to licence the BBM platform (codenamed SMS 2.0) to other manufacturers and carriers, theoretically allowing it to run on iPhones and Android devices, but this initiative was stopped by Tim Cook when he took control of the company. BBM is certainly far from dead and buried, with RIM recently launching the BlackBerry Curve 9320 which sports a dedicated button for the messaging service, but it looks like the core focus is now on the BB10 software and handsets which will be running it. From Wall Street Journal via Gizmodo | https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/has-rim-put-bbm-on-the-back-burner-1081882 |
Why X-Men superheroes will have a hard time in Avengers world? | Facebook After Avengers: Endgame, fans of Marvel Cinematic Universe are excited to see how Marvel Studios will bring superheroes from 20th Century Fox. There have been several theories that Deadpool, Wolverine, and other X-Men heroes will feature in some capacity in the future Marvel projects. However, Glass movie star James McAvoy says he does not understand how this merger of superheroes is going to take place in the first place. As per reports, the rights to use characters from Marvel comics have been divided between Disney and Fox. But as per an earlier report, following the Disney's acquisition of Fox in December 2017, fans of Marvel Cinematic Universe are soon going to see several of their superheroes like Fantastic Four coming to the Disney. Meanwhile, Sony has a firm grip over Spider-Man. While Marvel Studios has the rights to Peter Parker and his friends, Sony has all the villains. James McAvoy, who is earning all the love and appreciation for his character from M. Night Shyamalan's superhero movie Glass, plays a major role in X-Men world. In the X-Men movies, James McAvoy plays the young Charles Xavier/Professor X. Facebook / X-Men movies James McAvoy recently told Yahoo! that he is not entirely sure how X-Men characters are going to fit in the universe which is solely ruled by Avengers from the last two decades. In addition to this, when it was asked if he could see himself sharing space with his Glass movie co-star Samuel L. Jackson in future Marvel movies, the acclaimed star has this to say: "I don't know if the X-Men could go into the Marvel universe, I'm not sure," McAvoy said. But I think what's different about the Avengers universe anyway is you've only got a couple of superheroes in the world. There's a good amount, but there's like a couple of football teams' worth, you know what I mean?" Fans of James McAvoy are going to see him in the upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix. In the upcoming X-Men movie, he is going to reprise his role of Charles Xavier. The upcoming movie will also feature Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner in the lead role and is scheduled to release on June 7, 2019. | https://www.ibtimes.co.in/why-x-men-superheroes-will-have-hard-time-avengers-world-790170 |
Does Colin Kaepernick disapprove of Travis Scott's Super Bowl halftime appearance? | Travis Scott has received some criticism for accepting an invitations to perform at the Super Bowl 53 halftime show, and one of the people who apparently doesn't approve is former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. After performers such as Rihanna and Cardi B reportedly declined Super Bowl offers in solidarity with Kaepernick, who is litigating the NFL over collusion claims related to his protest, others were calling on Scott to do the same. The hip hop artist anticipated the backlash, so he "consulted" with Kaepernick to get his thoughts, according to a report from Variety. Scott reportedly didn't accept the deal right away and instead made the NFL donate $500,000 to a social justice organization called Dream Corps. MORE: Five worst Super Bowl halftime shows in NFL history From Variety: Scott and Kaepernick had at least one phone conversation before the rapper confirmed his Super Bowl appearance, sources tell Variety. A source close to Scott said that while the two did not necessarily agree, they emerged from the conversation with mutual respect and understanding, with the rapper taking the stance that everyone makes a statement in their own way and he felt that the money going toward Dream Corps, combined with the platform provided by the Super Bowl, will do some good. The source also said that Scott would not confirm his performance until the donation was locked in. However, a report from TMZ denied that there was "mutual respect" following the conversation between the two. Instead, TMZ claims "Colin was not supportive of Travis performing at the Super Bowl, and the [two] men disagreed. Multiple sources characterize the conversation as 'cordial and not hostile.'" Kaepernick himself seems to side more with the TMZ report as he's been retweeting messages that have been denying the original Variety report. He's shared sentiments from his girlfriend and radio personality Nessa as well has Hot 97 host Ebro. Editor's note: Some tweets contain explicit language Kap did not approve this bullshit! Get the fuck outta here.... https://t.co/yyMVAXQB3k El Viejo Ebro (@oldmanebro) January 16, 2019 There is NO mutual respect and there is NO understanding for anyone working against @Kaepernick7 PERIOD. #stoplying https://t.co/0HB6kcWJRG NESSA (@nessnitty) January 16, 2019 So youre trying to tell ME that Kaepernick, a man that has been Blackballed by the NFL, costing him his career, for protesting against police terrorism, gave the green light to . @TrvisXX, a man that insinuated that Mike Brown was at fault in his death, to partner with the NFL? https://t.co/FQG1q8J58Y L E F T (@LeftSentThis) January 16, 2019 Although Kaepernick hasn't released any comments on his own, he retweeted all of the tweets from above, seeming to suggest he sides with the overall message. Nessa also shared the following message on Instagram: "1. Artists dont get paid to perform at the big game. These performers are CHOOSING to do this for a 'look. ' 2. The fact that many people have told him dont support the organization that has blackballed [Kaepernick] for standing up for people and he still does it anyways, shows more about him than anything else. AND! If someone wants to work with the opposition then thats on them, BUT DO NOT have your team lie to reporters to insinuate Colin was okay with anyone working against him. PERIOD." As for Scott, he released this statement on the issue: I back anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in. I know being an artist that its in my power to inspire. So before confirming the Super Bowl Halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this important donation. I am proud to support Dream Corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change. Atlanta rapper Big Boi was also confirmed by the NFL joining the halftime performance led by Maroon 5. A petition has been made with over 86,000 signatures initially asking the performers to drop out. But the petition has been updated to say, "Tell the Artists to #TakeAKnee." | http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/colin-kaepernick-disapprove-travis-scott-super-bowl-halftime-appearance/9yucz3xcqsngzo7rhircaxb3 |
Why is Kenya an al-Shabab target? | At least 300 people have been killed in more than 20 attacks that the al-Shabab group has carried out in Kenya in the past five years. Based in the Horn of Africa, the al-Qaeda-linked group initially concentrated its attacks in Somalia, where it wants to impose a strict version of Islamic law and is fighting to overthrow the Western-backed government. But since 2011, the armed group has increasingly targeted Kenya. In 2013, it claimed responsibility for a deadly mall attack in Nairobi that killed more than 60 people. In April 2015, an attack on a university in the town of Garissa left at least 147 dead. In 2011, following a spate of kidnappings in its coastal region, Kenya sent its troops into neighbouring Somalia to target al-Shabab fighters, whom it blamed for the abductions. Al-Shabab denied involvement in the kidnappings. 5972187015001 Kenyan troops, backed by Somali soldiers, pushed al-Shabab out of several towns the group controlled in southern Somalia. The armed group then started carrying out deadly attacks in Kenya, saying they were in retaliation to Kenyan troops crossing into Somalia. "They invaded the Muslim land of Somalia ... it's our duty to take revenge," al-Shabab's spokesperson Sheikh Ali Dheere told Al Jazeera in 2014 after the group killed 28 people in an attack in Mandera. The group has also claimed responsibility for attacks in Djibouti and Uganda - two countries whose troops are part of a UN-mandated African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia fighting al-Shabab. A 2010 twin bombing by the group in Kampala left at least 70 dead. Four years later, a suicide attack at a restaurant in Djibouti killed three people. Burundi and Ethiopia have also contributed troops to the AU mission in Somalia but have not suffered attacks by the armed group. Kenya shares a long, porous land border with Somalia. Most of the armed group's attacks happened near this 600-kilometre boundary that fighters are able to cross easily. The communities living in this region - northern and coastal area - have long felt abandoned by the central government in Nairobi. 190115143008990 "I think the reason Kenya is hit more often is because it has greater vulnerabilities - more corruption and unaddressed history of marginalising populations particularly in the northeast and on the coast," Patrick Gathara, a Nairobi-based writer and political cartoonist, told Al Jazeera. After the collapse of the central government in Somalia, many of al-Shabab's top leaders, including current chief Ahmad Omar, have lived in Kenya. Several other senior figures, including the man suspected of masterminding the Garissa university attack, Mohamed "Kuno" Dulyadayn, who was killed in a joint raid by Somali and foreign troops, are Kenyan nationals. And, like many Somalis in Kenya, they had unpleasant experiences at the hands of authorities in Kenya before they joined the armed group. Kuno has repeatedly spoken of mistreatment family members have suffered in Garissa at the hands of Kenyan security forces. For him and many of the top leaders, it is personal revenge. Nairobi's significance Until 2015, Kenya had the biggest economy in the region before it was overtaken by Ethiopia. Two United Nations agencies - UN-Habitat and the UN Environment Programme - have their headquarters in the Kenyan capital. Several international companies like General Electric, Nestle, Heineken and Mastercard also have a strong presence in the country. "Nairobi hosts international high-value targets that the group can target to send a signal to western countries. Countries like Burundi are less strategic but also you will have to cross multiple borders to reach and hence risky," Abullahi Boru, a Horn of Africa security analyst, told Al Jazeera. Nairobi is also the African city of choice for international media houses to base their operations. Last year, the BBC opened its largest office outside the UK in Nairobi. China's CGTN also has its African headquarters in Nairobi. Analysts say the group knows targetting Kenya will bring big media coverage which it can in turn use to bolster its ranks. "Al-Shabab, like many groups of their ilk, are very well attuned to the reality that a huge media attention generates more recruitment opportunities," said Boru. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has promised to bring to justice all those who were behind the Nairobi hotel attack. The announcement might result in tit-for-tat attacks from the armed group. | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/kenya-al-shabab-target-190117054949463.html |
Is Agatha Christie whodunnit Black Coffee the perfect post-panto pick-me-up? | A big first night audience offered an answer. The mistress of the crime thriller, 43 years after her death, still affords some insurance against a post-panto box office hangover. Although on this particular night, with MPs murdering the Brexit deal in the Commons, any form of escapism had its merits. Black Coffee last seen in Newcastle when a professional company brought it to the Theatre Royal in 2014 dates from 1930 and marked Christies debut as a playwright. The scenario is that a scientist who has uncovered the deadliest properties of the atom, Sir Claud Amory, has had his valuable secret formula nicked from under his nose. (Image: Newcastle Chronicle) As tends to be the case in these situations, he also has a house full of potential suspects, including a debt-burdened son (Richard) and an Italian daughter-in-law (Lucia) whose dubious compatriot, Dr Carelli, dogs her footsteps. In terms of obvious motive, the characters are on a sliding scale of plausibility. Sir Clauds sister Caroline mostly knits and natters, daughter Barbara is a bit of a flapper, secretary Edwina Raynor doesnt look as if she would say boo to a goose and housekeeper Mrs Tredwell treads about inconsequentially. Assumptions of innocence, however, are unwise in a Christie plot and thats part of the fun. A period set passes muster although when fretting Lucia is offered perhaps another cushion behind your head, it would make more sense if there was a cushion there in the first place. Director Steve Hewitts cast belie their amateur status by turning characters on a page into real personalities. Gordon Mounseys Sir Claud may be a dry old stick but Ellen Johnson is a bubbly Barbara and Kate Scotts Caroline, with her stray balls of wool, is a real sweetie although either, of course, could be a thief and a murderer. Oh, yes. When Sir Claud offers his guests the chance to return the formula secretly, it proves to be his last gesture. The lights go down and when they come on again, hes dead in his chair. Then in comes Hercule Poirot, neat and exotic with his spats and tache and masterfully brought to life by Jake Wilson Craw, who goes light on the accent and makes much of the twinkle in the (private) eye. Fear of foreigners is a theme of the play. Carelli, in a nicely judged performance by Tony Sehgal, is an early prime suspect, although Emily Jeffreys wistful and haunted Lucia is high up the list. Xenophobia to Poirot is as water to a ducks back. Brushing aside Caroline Amorys blushing apologies after a dig at foreigners, the Belgian puts his fine-tuned sleuthing skills to work. As audience members we are toyed with. Surely not Adam Owers Richard who, while on his uppers, is the very image of a gallant English gent. The plot thickens but the mood stays light. Barbara flirts with Poirots assistant, Captain Hastings, while the great detective runs amiable rings round the local constabulary. Its good clean fun with a body at the heart of it. Poirot solves the case, of course. * For tickets got to: www.peoplestheatre.co.uk | https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/theatre-news/agatha-christie-whodunnit-black-coffee-15691873 |
Do White People Have Higher IQs? | Photo: iStock Explain Like Im a Racist 5-Year-Old Like the popular subreddit Explain Like Im 5," which simplifies complex issues into easily understandable, digestible bites, Explain Like Im a Racist 5-Year-Old breaks down complicated subjects on the intersection of race, economics and politics, making them so simple, even a bigoted toddler could understand them. Sick Kyle! Hey racist baby! Advertisement No, Im not sick. My dad taught me to salute everyone like this. Its for blind people. Oh, tiny Fhrer, you mean Sieg Heil. It has nothing to do with the visually impaired. Its my uniform. Im going to a meeting with my dad later. Were going to roast marshmallows on a burning cross. I think there will be donuts too because the invitation had KKK on it. No thanks, racist baby. I dont think black people are invited. Is it because white people are smarter. Oh, let me guess...Your dad. Actually, it was on the news. The white guy who discovered NWA recently explained that Africans have lower IQs. I think he won a prize for being the last person without a doorbell in 1962. Ummm... No, racist baby. Youre talking about Dr. James Watson. He discovered the double-helix structure of DNA. And he won a Nobel prize in 1962, not a no bell prize. Now hes under fire for saying that people of African descent are genetically less intelligent than whites. Im pretty sure there was something about Compton. He was talking about competence. He said that he was inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa because all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours, whereas all the testing says not really. Advertisement Watson added that while he wishes everyone was equal, people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true. See. I told you. He just said it. White people are smarter. Take it from the genius who discovered Doorbells with No Attitude. Hes a genius. Hold up baby bigot. Thats not what DNA stands for. Also, Watson is a molecular biologist. Taking his word on neuroscience and genetics is like taking your preachers word on financial investment. Advertisement This is a favorite claim of racists who dont read a lot. If you dont believe me, you should check my emails. I hear it all the time. Many white people actually believe they are genetically superior. Its where the idea of white supremacy comes from. But my mama says that studies show that white people perform better on IQ tests. Ive even heard her say that the IQ tests from around the globe show that white countries score higher. Well, your mom is correct. Most scientists agree that intelligence is genetic. There are studies of IQ tests that show Asian countries score the highest on IQ tests, followed by white countries. However, actual scientists usually disregard these studies because, when one reads the fine print, almost every study admits that the IQs from many of the countries (more than half, in some cases) are estimates or come from a small sample size. Advertisement But it is all pretty racist. Its an IQ test. Because the same studies show a correlation between gross domestic product (GDP) and IQ. Studies also show a relationship between health and IQ, rate of infectious disease and IQ, access to education and IQ, wealth and IQ etc. There is even a correlation between IQ and the temperature of the room. Its almost universally known: People with more money, better lives and more opportunity perform better on IQ tests. Advertisement Scientists and psychologist know that there are so many determinative factors and variation between countries and no study has ever been done with a large enough sample size from every country. It is only white people who look past all of these probable causes and conclude that race is the determinative factor. Some people say that even the idea of IQ tests are inherently racist because IQ testing derived from the eugenics movementthe idea that it is possible to improve the human race by preventing certain people from breeding. The man who invented the first IQ test, Alfred Binet, even argued that his own tests couldnt adequately measure intelligence. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Advanced Placement Exam have similar origins in racism and eugenics. Advertisement However, psychologists also know one other thing. No, my little kiddie Klansman. Scientists know that IQ doesnt mean shit. But you said earlier that scientists agree that intelligence is genetic. Yes. But there are many peopledumb people like the ones in my inboxwho dont understand that IQ is different from intelligence. The vast majority of researchers agree that IQ is an arbitrary measurement of a handful of things that white people agree they do well on. IQ testing just measures the aptitude a person has in these preselected categories Advertisement Intelligence is something else that isnt really quantifiable. Theres a guy named Howard Gardner who is the professor of cognition and education at Harvard University who theorizes that there are multiple intelligences Your words are getting too big. Youre being mean. Youre such an angry black man. OK, let me break it down. Advertisement Of course it does. OK. But you didnt ask what kind of math. Advertisement Well...OK, but I thought Intelligence and IQ dont measure what youve learned. Youre right, theyre not supposed to. But all tests, even math tests, ultimately measure language skills. If two students have the same aptitude in every subject, the one who reads better will perform better, even in math and science. So first we have to consider the language that the test is in and who understands it better. Now here is where intelligence gets trickier than just IQ: Lets suppose the final question on this intelligence test was a complex mathematical problem that required calculating an equation of the force, distance and geometry needed to throw a ball through a hoop. Imagine that the white kid figured it out in five minutes and just before he finished, the black kid, who only knew simple math, picked up a ball looked at the hoop for one second and threw the ball through the hoop cleanly. It has nothing to do with strength or quickness. IQ tests also measure logic. The brain of a person with perfect pitch is literally just comparing the frequency of vibration. A person who gets by on charisma and charm has essentially figured out human physiological body cues. OK, I understand that part. Also, I think I just pooped in my diaper. Because genetic traits and racial characteristics arent the same. And the fact that intelligence is genetic doesnt mean anything individually. Advertisement One great example is weight. Genetics is a factor in obesity and how easily a person can lose or gain weight. But no one knows how much of a factor genes play in that role and it varies from person to person. Environmental factors like diet, exercise and health are the major influences on weight. If I am from a country with a high obesity rate, my individual weight is still determined by a combination of nature and nurture. Similarly, if people from Japan are smarter than people from Zimbabwe, it doesnt mean an individual from Zimbabwe wont be the valedictorian or a kid from Japan will automatically get a great SAT score. Racist baby, it means that IQ is useless. It is an arbitrary definition of selected attributes while intelligence is a complex combination of genetics and environment. IQ tests cant measure intelligence any more than a 40-yard-dash and a bench press measures athletic ability Advertisement It is true that white people do better on IQ tests. It is true that, on average, white students perform better on the SAT. But people who make more money also do better on both. People who have more access to education do better on both. Better-educated, wealthier, and people who have more opportunity in America tend to do better in life. Those people get to make the rules and do shit like create studies validating how they got in their position. However, this means nothing individually. Kylie Jenner is a little whiter and a lot richer than Neil DeGrasse Tyson so, statistically speaking, she should have a higher IQ. Ill take Barack Obama, who grew up poor, and let you have Donald Trump in a spelling bee any day. Exactly. White people have more money, more access to schools and more opportunity, so they find it easier to ascribe their success to intelligence and genetics than privilege. Recent studies show that attributing any multifactored, environmentally influenced trait like IQ to race is unscientific at best and stupid in general. Advertisement But you will also find that the people who argue that white people are more intelligent are rarely intelligent white people. Its always the dumb ones who like to use ellipses as every form of punctuation. Of course not. Hes smart enough to find a tiny little KKK uniform for his son. I gotta give him some credit! Advertisement Actually, I made this myself out of diapers. Im gonna make a hood out of the one Im wearing if my mom can get the poop stains out of it. Or maybe Ill just say its chocolate Krispy Kreme icing. Youre a sick child. No, Im a racist baby. But Seig Heil to you, too! | https://www.theroot.com/do-white-people-have-higher-iqs-1831820560 |
Should I allow my kids to follow their own instincts when it comes to food? | Im not really into New Years resolutions, because a) Im contrary by nature and b) I cant think of any unique ones. So instead of the usual be healthier standby, Ive decided on an anti-resolution: this year, I will try to be honest and accept my familys food choices. I have written in the past about meal planning and my obsession with Excel spreadsheets. Author Virginia Smith-Sole says kids should not be forced to clean their plate, or eat all their vegetables. Boy plugs his nose in response to a bowl of vegetables. ( Dreamstime ) Yet despite my lists of menu options, I still feel like a food failure because, at the ripe old age of 11 and 13, my sons still dont like vegetables. Ive waited in vain for those mature taste buds to kick in, cooled my heels hoping for if you keep introducing healthy food they will eventually cave to work, and nothing. Mustafa still doesnt like tomatoes and most fruit. Ibrahim still negotiates his vegetable consumption like hes haggling on Kijiji: Mom, Ill trade you three green beans and two slices of red pepper for five mushrooms, and thats my final offer. I really have to work on my strategy. Last round, I ended up eating his vegetables for him. Article Continued Below All of this has been on my mind, especially after I read an article by writer and author of The Eating Instinct Virginia Smith-Sole https://www.mother.ly/child/9-ways-to-teach-your-kids-to-trust-their-instincts-about-food. She writes about our unhealthy relationship with food, the way that diet and healthy eating culture has ironically left kids without a natural eating instinct. Fed is best, Smith-Sole argues. How your kid eats matters more than what they eat; nutrition is not gospel. She also counsels that kids should not be forced to clean their plate, or eat all their vegetables. Her advice raises many questions. Like most people, my husband and I try to make healthy choices. We buy Brussels sprouts, broccoli, fruit and plastic tubs of salad greens. But I cant claim we eat all of it, every week. Sometimes, I dont make salad to accompany my lasagna. I usually dont have a platter of freshly sliced fruit to offer my kids as after-school snacks. I have been known to (hangs head in shame) allow soda pop with meals. The truth is, some weeks the healthy stuff sits neglected in the fridge. The reasons for this are plentiful were having a busy week, or someone (read: definitely my husband) brought home a few too many snacks on the last grocery run, or someone (read: possibly me) went on a holiday baking blitz and now we have eight dozen gingerbread cookies taunting us from the kitchen. So we overindulge. And then we cut back, look up keto-paleo-vegan recipes, decide to cut out pop, sugar and maybe wheat. Because trust me, trying to bribe a stoic teenager is an exercise in exaggerated sighs (his) and existential despair (mine). Maybe Smith-Sole is right. I should let my type-A Excel spreadsheets off the hook and let my kids follow their own eating instincts. Because the truth is, thats how I grew up. My mom was an indifferent (albeit unintentionally excellent) cook. She nightly produced healthy dinners with plenty of vegetables, pulses and protein but other meals were mostly forage-as-you-will. I ate a lot of bagels for breakfast. Yet as an adult I have developed a taste for cauliflower, homemade soup, various salads and even the occasional bit of fruit, if there arent any other options. Perhaps the best thing I can do for my kids is to continue to cook, and pass them bananas and strawberries to munch on when theyre distracted by YouTube. And try to ignore that there are now only three dozen cookies left. Dont judge me; Im only following my instincts. Uzma Jalaluddin is a Toronto-based writer and a freelance contributor for the Star. Reach her via email: [email protected] | https://www.thestar.com/life/2019/01/17/should-i-allow-my-kids-to-follow-their-own-instincts-when-it-comes-to-food.html |
Is live music returning to former downtown Huntsville venue? | A new music venue called The Mercantile is planned for the former location of Crossroads Music Hall, at 115 Clinton Ave. E. in downtown Huntsville. Crossroads closed in 2014 after a 17-year run that began at the old Heart of Huntsville Mall. Crossroads relocated downtown in 2003. A performance by Americana musician, Shoals native and future Grammy winner Jason Isbell was the final show there. Athens rock 'n' soul combo Alabama Shakes performed at Crossroads during their ascension from buzz-band to one of contemporary musics biggest young groups. From 2015 to 2018 the space was home to UG White Mercantile, a retailer selling everything from taffy to hiking boots. Pints & Pixels, a bar and restaurant offering a selection of vintage arcade games, is located upstairs on the buildings third floor. A website for The Mercantile, mercantilehsv.com, is live and touts a premiere music hall and event venue opening in summer 2019. The capacity is listed at 1,000. Venue features highlighted on the site include a green room and onsite overnight accommodations for talent, VIP mezzanine sections and top notch sound, light and stage equipment. AL.com will be updating this story. | https://www.al.com/life/2019/01/could-live-music-return-to-former-downtown-huntsville-venue.html |
Was bringt der Emmer Sozialinspektor finanziell? | Die CVP Emmen sieht einen Gegensatz zwischen den steigenden Sozialhilfekosten und der Sparwirkung des Sozialinspektors. Nun will sie Zahlen sehen. Beatrice Vogel In Emmen steigen die Sozialhilfekosten stetig obwohl die Gemeinde einen Sozialinspektor angestellt hat, der Missbruche aufdecken soll. Die CVP Emmen stellt dessen Sparwirkung in Frage, wie die Einwohnerrte Andreas Roos, Eddie Schubert und Franziska Magron in einer Interpellation schreiben. Sie mchten deshalb vom Gemeinderat wissen, wie viele Verdachtsflle dem Sozialinspektor seit 2014 zur Abklrung bergeben wurden und wie viele Rckerstattungen dessen Ermittlungen generiert haben. Zudem fragen sie, wie viel Geld durch Auftrge anderer Gemeinden eingenommen wurden. | https://www.luzernerzeitung.ch/zentralschweiz/luzern/was-bringt-der-emmer-sozialinspektor-finanziell-ld.1086138 |
Will meeting with TRS hamper electoral prospects of YSRC in Andhra Pradesh? | S Guru Srikanth By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: YSR Congress chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday endorsed Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Raos proposed federal front of regional parties and announced that the TRS supremo himself will visit Andhra Pradesh soon to further discuss the idea with him. The move came after a TRS team led by its working president KT Rama Rao called on Jagan at the latters Lotus Pond residence in Hyderabad. Jagan and KTR, after a working lunch, indicated that both sides were in broad agreement on the need for States to come together on to a single platform to cut the Centre down to size and ensure that their rights are not trampled upon. Both clarified that the talks were preliminary in nature and Jagan, evidently conscious of the political impact back home, pointed out that AP could have a better chance of securing special status if Telanganas 17 MPs support APs 25. KTR too sought to clear the air over the TRS alleged ambivalent attitude on special status, stressing that the party leaders, including KCR, had time and again supported the States case. Their joint presser was brief but in Andhra, it kicked up a storm with the TDP coming out all guns blazing to buttress its claims of a tacit understanding between the TRS, YSRC and the BJP. Delhi Modi, Andhra Modi, Telangana Modi have united. The clandestine deal among the trio is no longer a secret, tweeted Nara Lokesh, IT Minister and TDP general secretary. Not just Lokesh, several TDP ministers pounced on Jagan, reminding the people of KCRs past utterances against Andhras in an apparent bid to invoke Andhra sentiment. The YSRC hit back strongly, pointing out that it was TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu who had first wanted a tie-up with the TRS in Telangana. Who asked KTR for an alliance in Telangana polls, that too right in front of NTRs son Harikrishnas dead body? YSRC MP Vijayasai Reddy questioned. The verbal war notwithstanding, the question on everyones mind is the logic behind Jagans move to endorse KCR as it might impact the partys poll prospects if it is seen to be working in tandem with TRS. It should not be seen as an electoral alliance, as the objective of the meeting was never that. Hence there is no possible impact on the partys electoral prospects, former MP and YSRC senior leader YV Subba Reddy told TNIE. Chandrababu Naidu himself has gone on record, admitting that he had sought an alliance with the TRS before the Assembly elections in Telangana. It only shows TDPs insecurity, Buggana Rajendranath, another YSRC leader and PAC chairman, reasoned. The party argues that it is part of Jagans efforts to forge better relations with the neighbouring State and safeguard APs interests. For one thing, Andhra sentiment isnt as pronounced as the Telangana sentiment and in any case, TRS will not be contesting in Andhra. Nonetheless, if the TDP manages to turn up the heat, the YSRC, political observers warn, could find itself in a tricky situation if the talks with TRS materialise into something concrete like Jagan formally joining KCRs federal front. These are all ifs and buts for now. But perception matters in politics and the YSRC chief appears to be walking on thin ice. | http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/vijayawada/2019/jan/17/will-meeting-with-trs-hamper-electoral-prospects-of-ysrc-in-ap-1926107.html |
What happens to the leftover embryos after couples have babies? | By Associated Press FORT MYERS: Tens of thousands of embryos are stuck in limbo in fertility clinics, leftovers from pregnancy attempts and broken dreams of parenthood. Some are outright abandoned by people who quit paying storage fees and can't be found. In other cases, couples are struggling with tough decisions. Jenny Sammis can't bring herself to donate nearly a dozen of her extras to research. She and her husband agreed to do that when they made their embryos 15 years ago, but her feelings changed after using some of them to have children. "I have these two gorgeous, smart people who came from this process," Sammis said. "These embryos are all like seeds that could become potential people. That reality to me was all abstract when they were in the freezer." Tank failures at two clinics in Ohio and California last year revealed hidden issues with long-frozen embryos, including some from the 1980s when IVF began. A few years ago, medical groups developed sample consent forms clinics could use for new patients, spelling out what could happen to unused embryos. But that hasn't resolved what to do with ones made long ago. "It's a real dilemma for these clinics," said Rich Vaughn, a Los Angeles lawyer who headed the American Bar Association's assisted reproduction committee for many years. "We don't quite know what to do with them and everyone's afraid to act" for fear they'll be sued if people surface decades later and want their embryos. The number is growing as more couples try IVF and because of changes in how it's done. The old way was to mix eggs and sperm in the lab and transfer multiple fresh embryos to a womb, hoping at least one would lead to pregnancy. Now, couples usually freeze many embryos, test for health problems and transfer the most viable one at a time to avoid multiple births. That often means leftovers once the desired family is complete. How many embryos are in storage isn't known centers don't have to report that. One study estimated there were 1.4 million in the US Researchers think 5 to 7 per cent are abandoned, though it's as high as 18 per cent at some clinics. Some define that as a year of no contact or storage payments after reasonable efforts to find the owners; others draw the line at five years. Some clinics search social media and hire investigators to find owners when abandonment is suspected. "It has vexed our field" from the start, said Dr. Mark Sauer, a fertility specialist at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School who is on the ethics committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. It also has vexed couples, many of whom never expected so many leftovers. Sara Raber of New York's Long Island had five extras after conceiving two children. "Your goal, in the beginning, is just to get pregnant," so making a lot of embryos seems necessary because you don't know how many tries it will take, she said. But disposing of extras brings a finality to family building that's different for IVF couples than it is for those who conceived naturally. "You're making a conscious decision not to have a baby anymore," said her husband, Howard Raber. "That's what makes it hard." Even after the Rabers agreed to donate theirs to research, which usually means to a fertility clinic to let staff practice IVF, the paperwork sat on her desk for months, Sarah Raber said. In Arlington, Virginia, Sammis is having a similar struggle. "I get to the point of signing the papers and I just can't deal with it," she said. Sammis said a friend who couldn't decide what to do with her embryos moved away and "didn't give the fertility center her forwarding address ... That was her way of dealing with it." When couples have abandoned embryos, "it was largely because they did not want to be responsible for making a very difficult decision. They would rather let the program do it," Sauer said. Andrea Braverman, a health psychologist at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, said it's not an easy choice. A study of 131 couples in Canada found that one third had not returned for frozen embryos after five years. Another study found that up to 70 per cent of couples delayed a decision for at least five years and many changed their minds about what they thought they'd do after they had IVF. "This is a fluid decision. It is not a one-and-done," Braverman said. Dr. Craig Sweet, who runs a fertility clinic in Fort Myers, Florida, knows the problem well. About 18 per cent, or 300, of his clinic's frozen embryos, are abandoned, some for 25 years. A study he did found that couples were more likely to abandon embryos if they had stored them a long time, had a low education level, already had many children or owed the clinic money. One of his patients with more than a dozen leftover embryos forged her husband's signature on forms giving permission to use them because she wanted more children and he did not. The plan fell apart when the clinic insisted on seeing him personally. "Things happen. Life happens, divorce happens, depression, financial changes" many things can lead a couple to disagree about using embryos, Sweet said. The courts view an embryo as something between person and property, said Susan Crockin, a reproductive law expert at Georgetown University. When it's in the lab as opposed to being in a womb, "people have equal rights to it" and most courts will not allow one member of a couple to use an embryo over the other's objection, she said. The actress Sofia Vergara and her ex-fianc Nick Loeb fought over frozen embryos they made, but a court said Vergara could not be forced to procreate against her wish and denied Loeb use of the embryos after the couple split. States may try to rewrite legal precedents. Last April, Arizona's governor signed legislation allowing one member of a divorced couple to use embryos created during a marriage even if the ex-spouse doesn't want a child. Clinics try to avoid being in the middle. "What we tell couples is that if you're divorced, nobody gets to transfer the embryos until we get something from a court" that says who has control of them, said Dr. Richard T. Scott Jr., scientific director of Reproductive Medicine Associates, one of the nation's largest clinics with centers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida. In 2005, Sweet began requiring patients to agree not to destroy unused embryos. He also started Embryo Donation International to provide embryos to couples willing to use them to have children. He accepts embryos from 62 facilities in North America and has more than 400 available; 50 to 60 were used in 2017, he said. "It just didn't make sense to us that people were discarding perfectly normal, useful embryos," he said. His IVF coordinator, Rebecca Ruano, had 18 leftover embryos after the birth of her twins and agreed to donate the extras to people unable to have children. "I was not willing to destroy or donate them to science. We worked too hard for them," she said. Frozen embryos remain viable for decades as far as anyone knows. Last year, the National Embryo Donation Center in Tennessee reported a birth using an embryo that had been frozen for 24 years. Sweet supplied a Chicago woman an embryo that had been frozen for 17 years and made one request: "When the baby is born," he said, "I want you to see if you can register the kid to vote." | http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2019/jan/17/what-happens-to-the-leftover-embryos-after-couples-have-babies-1926314.html |
What is the Framework for Decolonizing HSIs? | Gina A. Garcia Thurs, Jan 17th, 6 PM Presentation/MCC Theater This session will focus on moving theoretical ideas about how to best serve Latinx and other marginalized students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) into practice. Garcia argues that in order for HSIs to achieve equitable outcomes and experiences for students, they must first acknowledge the coloniality of power that prevents students from succeeding. In this talk, Dr. Garcia will break down the nine dimensions of the framework, and how to implement these ideas in practice. Dr. Gina Ann Garcia is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Administrative and Policy Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. | https://www.noozhawk.com/calendar/detail/what_is_the_framework_for_decolonizing_hsis |
Which Character From The Office Should Cross Over to Steve Carell's Space Force ? | Fans of The Office got great news earlier this week when it was announced that Steve Carell AKA Michael Scott from The Office is teaming up with the show's creators for a new workplace comedy. According to Netflix, which will bring this new comedy to life, Carell will work with executive producers Greg Daniels and Howard Klein once again for the new show, Space Force. The show won't be about a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but it will be about the employees tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed services called The Space Force. It loosely stems from the idea that President Donald Trump discussed back in summer of 2018, about having a team responsible for protecting us in space/from things in space, but it will be totally fictional and with The Office team at the helm, totally funny. Even though Space Force isn't The Office reboot fans have been wanting, and the characters from the show don't exactly make sense in this new comedy world, it doesn't mean we can't dream about seeing a few characters crossover to the Netflix comedy someday. | https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/1006151/which-character-from-the-office-should-cross-over-to-steve-carell-s-space-force?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories |
Who could be next on private equity's shopping list? | Cashed up private equity investors were very active buying up New Zealand companies last year and are expected to remain on the hunt this year. Apax's $2.56 billion offer for Trade Me is still to be finalised with a vote due in April amid other regulatory approvals but industry players widely expect the deal to go ahead. While Restaurant Brands shareholders have until March 12 to accept the $881 million bid for up to 75 per cent in the Kiwi company being made by Mexican investment company Finaccess. Slade Robertson, managing director of Devon Funds Management says he expects merger and acquisition activity to remain at an elevated level this year. Advertisement "This will be driven by the very low levels of interest rates globally and by the significant levels of liquidity that exist across the private equity networks," he told Stock Takes this week. There is plenty of talk around the markets on which company could be the next potential target. Fletcher Building has already attracted speculation with its beaten up share price prompting some to suggest it could be open to a takeover. But another company which is being talked about is Z Energy. The fuel retailer has been a bit unloved by the share market in recent times. In November, the share price hit $5.18 - its lowest point since May 2015 - after suffering a 21 per cent decline in first half earnings and announcing a dividend that was five cents less than investors were expecting. The stock has bounced back a little since then, trading at $5.74 yesterday. Despite being out of favour with investors, Craigs Investment Partners has retained a "buy" recommendation on the stock, based on its assessment of Z's earnings prospects. "We have raised our 2019 EBITDA forecast from $414m to $429m and dividend from 34c to 40c," Craigs research analyst Grant Swanepoel said in an industry update. Z Energy suffered a poor performance in the first half because of margin compression and oil-driven negative accounting impacts, forcing management to downgrade the company's EBITDA guidance to a range of $400-435m. "Since then the oil price has fallen, reversing the accounting impacts and easing the pressure on retail margins," Swanepoel said. "While we have reduced our target price from $7.42 to $6.69 to reflect lower expected industry margins over time, due to upside to our target price we keep a 'buy'. "Since last guidance, the metrics have improved," he said. He noted that since the November guidance, the Brent oil price has fallen 35 per cent. The retail margin has also been far stronger than anticipated a $6m improvement on prior expectations. This has been partially offset by the recent fall in refining margins, hence a lower Refining NZ rebate and dividend, Swanepoel said. Refining NZ is 15.4 per cent owned by Z Energy. Swanepoel told Stock Takes that it was difficult for Z Energy to manage investors' expectations given the wild swings in oil prices over the last few months. "The organic performance of the business is improving again," he said. Among the downside risks to its valuation and estimates, Craigs said an increase in competition could leading to lower sector margins being achieved. A Government-ordered review of the fuel prices could also damage industry margins. Z Energy is expected to issue an operational update over the next week or two. | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12191802 |
Was The Facebook "10 Year Challenge" A Way To Mine Data For Facial Recognition AI? | Last week a new Facebook challenge went viral asking users to post a photo from 10 years ago and one from today captioning how did aging effect you? Now being called the 10-Year Challenge. Over 5.2 million, including many celebrities, participating in this challenge. It follows closely after the Bird Box Challenge and the Top Nine Photos of the Year Challenge but this one has caused quite a stir and some concern from users. Speculation arose about the motive behind this viral challenge and had users questioning if this was a ploy by Facebook to use for facial recognition data. Kate ONeill, a writer for Wired, wrote an op-ed exploring the possibility that this was more than just a fun challenge to share with friends. Imagine that you wanted to train a facial recognition algorithm on age-related characteristics and, more specifically, on age progression (e.g., how people are likely to look as they get older). Ideally, you'd want a broad and rigorous dataset with lots of people's pictures. It would help if you knew they were taken a fixed number of years apartsay, 10 years, said ONeill. However, many people have argued that Facebook already has access to these photos since the challenge often asked people to share their first profile picture to their current. ONeill argued that people dont always upload in chronological order and many people have profile pictures other than themselves like cartoons, family members, animals, political statements, etc. This challenge gives Facebook the opportunity to have a clean version of who you are by the context you add such as telling your age in the photo, year or other given information that you share in the post. According to NYU Professor Amy Webb, this photo challenge is a perfect storm for machine learning. Webb is currently working on an upcoming book on how AI can manipulate humans. Facebook insists that they were not involved in the start of this challenge and had no benefit from it going viral. "This is a user-generated meme that went viral on its own. Facebook did not start this trend, and the meme uses photos that already exist on Facebook," the company said. "Facebook gains nothing from this meme (besides reminding us of the questionable fashion trends of 2009). As a reminder, Facebook users can choose to turn facial recognition on or off at any time." However, with 2.2 billion users uploading hundreds of millions of photos a day, its not to say that the algorithm for facial recognition will not benefit from a challenge like this adding more to their already robust database of faces. Facebook has been working with facial recognition technology for the past few years with things like tagging photos and now recognizing photos you may be tagged in, even if you are not connected with the person who posted the photo on the social platform. So even if you do turn it off, your face still lives somewhere in the platform. "You can delete cookies. You can change browsers. And you can leave your smartphone at home," says facial recognition expert Alvaro Bedoya, executive director of Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy & Technology. "But you can't delete your face, and you cant leave it at home." While the most likely scenario for Facebook to use this technology is for targeted advertising and personalized experiences, since this is where their profit comes from, the concern is with how it could be used outside Facebook if they were to sell or share this technology. Facebook currently says that it has no plans to make peoples facial recognition data available outside of the platform, there is no law stopping them if they want to and therefore they can change their minds at any time. This is not an unlikely case since both Amazon and Google have been caught sharing their technology. Google photos use their technology to recognize not just people in the photos but can categorize by objects in a photo. For instance, if you search car in your photos it will bring up every image in your library that the algorithm recognized as having a car, even in the background. Google recently faced a lawsuit for scanning and saving the biometric data of a woman who was unwittingly captured in 11 photos taken by a Google photos user on their Android phone. The lawsuit was dismissed by the claim that the plaintiff didnt suffer concrete injuries but it raised concerns about privacy when there are camera phones everywhere now. Imagine being able to find the person who was in the background of your 2004 vacation photos at the beach in a matter of seconds online. Amazon took some heat from The American Civil Liberties Union for selling facial recognition technology to the government, specifically law enforcement agencies, such as police departments in Orlando and Washington County, Oregon. She mentions how this could be a major concern for the privacy of citizens. The police could use the technology not only to track people who are suspected of having committed crimes, but also people who are not committing crimes, such as protesters and others whom the police deem a nuisance, said ONeill. Many people dont realize how their face can be connected to the rest of their available information just like an instant background check, except more accurate. A recent study said that an average American citizen is on a camera an average of 75 times per day and each day the number grows of those that have facial recognition technology. While this benefits crime prevention and can keep people safe, it is an eerie statistic. Retailers are now using the information to identify convicted shoplifters and alert loss prevention agents in just under a second. While this can help prevent loss for companies, this creates a major concern of targeting innocent shoppers and invading the privacy of those shoppers. There are some great use cases to defend the technology. The technology gives social media the opportunity to recognize trans people who have transitioned over the last 10 years and may not be recognized in the facial recognition technology from previous photos. Recently, Uber had an issue where a transgender Uber driver in Iowa had to travel two hours because the apps facial recognition was unable to identify her identity. This technology could help prevent this from happening again. Another best-case scenario, as ONeill points out, is the ability to find missing kids who have aged. Just last year, police in New Delhi tracked down 3,000 missing kids in four days using the facial recognition technology. However, this raises the question of how young we should be doing facial recognition and where is the line between children and adults being tracked with this technology. So individually, all of these facial recognition technologies are innovative and great for certain reasons. However, when combined they can become a dangerous tool for hackers and tracking. Many of us provide more information than we even know to our social media and dont question where that information is going or how its being used. But with all the data breaches and questionable choices from Facebook recently, it is probably a good idea to question these technologies. Especially since there is very little that is public about how this technology is being used and no federal laws governing the use of it. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolemartin1/2019/01/17/was-the-facebook-10-year-challenge-a-way-to-mine-data-for-facial-recognition-ai/ |
What's The Outlook Like For Transocean In 2019? | The last few years have proved challenging for offshore drilling major Transocean, which saw its day rates and contracting activity post significant declines. While things are likely to look up for the company over 2019, driven by a large number of planned offshore projects, the recent decline in oil prices and a continued oversupply of deepwater rigs could still prove a challenge. In this note, we take a brief look at what lies ahead for Transocean and the broader deepwater market in 2019. We have also created an interactive dashboard analysis on the expected outlook for Transocean, which you can use to arrive at your own revenue and EPS estimates for Transocean. Offshore Activity Is Expected To Pick Up This Year Big oil companies are likely to approve about 110 offshore projects this year, up from 96 projects in 2018 and 43 projects in 2016, according to Rystad Energy. While this is likely to increase demand for drilling rigs and drillships over the year, the market is still meaningfully oversupplied, with Wood Mackenzie analysts estimating that about 30% of deepwater rigs could remain idled this year. That said, Transocean should be well-poised to take advantage of the growing activity, as it has been upgrading its fleet, by scrapping older, less sophisticated rigs while taking advantage of the depressed market to acquire newer rigs. In September 2018, the company announced an agreement to acquire Ocean Rig in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $2.7 billion. Ocean Rig has a fleet of 11 high-spec ultra-deepwater drillships (two of which are currently under construction) and two harsh environment semi-submersibles, which are currently much sought-after. Ocean Rigs modern fleet, and its presence in important offshore markets including Brazil, West Africa, and Norway, could allow Transocean to better take advantage of an upturn in the market. Transoceans Dayrates And Utilization Could Improve While Transoceans day rates have taken a beating in recent years (Q3 ultra-deepwater rates declined to $341k from $449k in the year-ago period) the company noted that rates for ultra-deepwater drillships were likely to increase through 2019 and 2020. Contracting activity has also been picking up. In December, the company contracted a newbuild drillship to Chevron for five years in the Gulf of Mexico starting in the second half of 2021, adding a contract backlog of about $830 million. Current Decline In Crude Oil Prices Crude oil prices have declined by close to 40% over Q4 2018, driven by stronger supply and concerns of an economic downturn. However, its possible that prices could recover in the medium term amid potential production cuts by OPEC, Russia and several other producers early this year as well as weaker-than-expected production from existing shale wells in the United States. Moreover, as offshore and deepwater projects have long lifecycles, operators could push forward with investments to bolster their capacity over the long run after multiple years of subdued investments. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/01/17/whats-the-outlook-like-for-transocean-in-2019/ |
Cant we handle a few rebellious students? | The sedition charges against former JNU student leaders Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and others have rekindled an old debate. Its ironical that an archaic colonial law, devised by the British to jail Indian leaders during the freedom movement, is now being used against university students! Or against 80-year-old Assamese intellectual Hiren Gohain, or journalists and activists. It took Delhi Police three years to get what it cites as evidence against Kanhaiya, et al. corroborated. Even if, for arguments sake, it is taken to be a viable charge (though a wee tangential), the timing of the chargesheet, in the run-up to general elections, has led to questions on the real motive. More so because, in the interim, Kanhaiya had become a star speaker of sorts at media conclaves and such like. Both Kanhaiya and Khalid have been airing their views quite freely, while repeatedly underlining their allegiance to the Constitution and integrity of India. In Gohains case, where certain statements made by him and others at a protest rally against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill are cited, the action was swift. The Supreme Court, in a Constitution Bench judgment in 1962, had circumscribed the instances where sedition law can be used: indulging in violence or inciting violence against the Indian state. Angry words or sloganeering is not considered seditious, however upsetting it may be for some citizens. Recall that the Akali Dal, in the heyday of the Punjab crisis, had burnt the tricolour and the Constitution. It went on to run governments in Punjab in alliance with the BJP and is part of NDA-II. The nation needs to ponder what kind of democratic rights it wants. JNU was listed as one the top 10 Indian institutions by the HRD Ministry in 2018. Academic excellence needs freedom to think, articulate and question. | http://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/editorials/2019/jan/17/cant-we-handle-a-few-rebellious-students-1926161.html |
What About Open Borders? | There are things that go unquestioned in the national discussion. Because this is a country wrapped in fear and self-importance, the basic, unchallenged premise determining how we behave, how we spend our money, is that we need to protect ourselves . . . from The Enemy. Theres always an enemy lurking at the core of our fear that is simplistic and human. The enemy is not, for instance, global warming, except in an abstract and basically meaningless sense, the defeat of which would require a collective global effort. Nor is the enemy nuclear disaster or accident, which could be addressed by (heaven forbid) disarmament. Such solutions have enormous complexities, of course, but these complexities are not part of the national conversation, let alone the actions of government. Instead, we choose to armthat is, to simplifyour fears, via bloated military budgets and, as is now becoming overly apparent in the age of Donald Trump, turning our border into a sacred fetish. It certainly doesnt if youre one of the people targeted by the racism. For instance: The Secure Fence Act, passed by President George W. Bushs administration with considerable Democratic support, appropriated billions of dollars to pay for drones, a virtual wall, aerostat blimps, radar, helicopters, watchtowers, surveillance balloons, razor ribbon, landfill to block canyons, border berms, adjustable barriers to compensate for shifting dunes, and a lab (located at Texas A&M and run in partnership with Boeing) to test fence prototypes. The number of border agents doubled yet again and the length of border fencing quadrupled. This was in 2006, as Greg Grandin points out at TomDispatch, in his timeline of border fortification. That was just one step in our national journey toward utter border paranoia. We need drones and helicopters, blimps and surveillance balloons, not to mention razor wire, to protect ourselves from . . . Only because of Donald Trump is this ongoing national paranoia now part of the flow of news. As Trump stomps for his Great Wall, shutting down the government until Congress (the Dems) approve its multi-billion-dollar funding, a tiny, malnourished question may have slipped past the Border Patrol agents. This question is the opposite of Trumps wall and Bushs Secure Fence Act. Its the opposite of the Japanese internment camps FDR built during the Big Two, as the U.S. launched the process of creating illegals in imaginative new ways (and, as Grandin pointed out, the recycled posts and wire mesh from one of the internment camps were used to build an early border fence in California in 1945). I realize the idea of open borders is a troubling one. Of course we need to protect our borders! It certainly doesnt if youre one of the people targeted by the racism. As Gary Younge, writing last fall in The Guardian, confessed: . . . borders have always been a tense issue for me. To be black and on the move in the West is to be an object of suspicion. The documents are supposed to speak for themselves; but somehow there was always more explaining to do. And these personal objections are intimately connected to a more sweeping philosophical and political opposition. That is to say, borders are psychological as well as physical. According to a 2013 report from the Migration Policy Institute: The U.S. government spends more on federal immigration enforcement than on all other principal federal criminal law enforcement agencies combined, and has allocated nearly $187 billion for immigration enforcement since 1986. In fiscal 2012, the federal government spent nearly $18 billion on immigration enforcement. Yet as far as I can tell, were less secure than ever. While borders, just as any lines of definition, have a purpose, I fear that purpose is trivialized, mocked and ultimately obliterated by their militarized overprotection, which comes at a cost that we pay and a cost that we do not pay. Since 1994, more than 7,500 migrants most of whom are fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries have died trying to cross over deadly terrain, the American Friends Service Committee notes. The construction of more walls will only worsen the existing human rights catastrophe. They wont come without problems, as critics of this column will be sure to point out. However, if we really moved that way as a nation if we truly began believing that solutions to the difficulties that envelop Planet Earth begin with openness and compassionate connection perhaps an unexpected benefit would be that we had embarked on a different sort of journey: one that kept asking us for more openness, more understanding, not more razor wire, rifles and drones. | https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/01/17/what-about-open-borders |
Could a Green New Deal Save Civilization? | The idea is infectious. The energy transition is currently going way too slowly; it needs money and policy support. And many people would need job retraining in order to work in re-engineered, renewable-powered industrial systems. In the 1930s, the New Deal programs of Franklin Roosevelt helped create jobs while also building critical infrastructure, including rural electrification, roads, bridges, and government buildings. Today, as we confront the requirements to produce energy sustainably; to use it differently in transportation, manufacturing, and agriculture; and to reverse the current trend toward increasing economic inequalityin effect, to save and reinvent industrial civilizationthe need is arguably much greater. The public champions of the Green New Deal (GND) in the U.S. include Democratic progressive representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Deb Haaland, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Antonio Delgado. The idea is also supported by writer-activists Naomi Klein and Van Jones; by the Green Parties in the US and Europe; and by the Sierra Club, 350.org, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and the Climate Mobilization. The proposals currently circulating in Washington aim to provide 100 percent renewable energy in 10 to 20 years while supporting job retraining and aiding communities impacted by climate change. Some proposals also include a carbon tax (often with a fee-and-dividend structure that would rebate funds to low-income people so they could afford more costly energy services), incentives for green investment, public banks, measures to re-regulate the financial system, and the first steps toward a global Marshall Plan. "Unfortunately, the more deeply we think about the Green New Deal, the more roadblocks we tend to see. As a result of a decade of delay, the energy transition needs to happen even more rapidly now than it did in 2008 if catastrophic climate change is to be averted." My organization, Post Carbon Institute, published one of the earliest Green New Deal proposals back in December 2008 (we called it the Real New Deal). At the time, the nation was in the throes of the Global Financial Crisis, and we were hopeful that the incoming Obama administration might be open to some radical thinking. As things turned out, our white papersome of which seems a bit dated nowwas almost completely ignored. Nevertheless, we now have the benefit of ten years of hindsight, and of the opportunity to reflect during that interval on the potentials and drawbacks of a government program aimed to transition the American economy so that it can better survive the 21st century. What follows are some thoughts based on that decade of reflection. 1. The fact that so many years have elapsed makes the job bigger and more desperately needed. Unfortunately, the more deeply we think about the Green New Deal, the more roadblocks we tend to see. As a result of a decade of delay, the energy transition needs to happen even more rapidly now than it did in 2008 if catastrophic climate change is to be averted; and, in the meantime, Americas energy usage has grown. So the job now is both bigger and harder. Thus solutions have to be even more radical, implying more adjustment, effort, and pain. A truly effective Green New Deal was a monumental challenge in 2008; it is likely to be more so now. 2. The political challenges to a Green New Deal were formidable then, and have grown over time. Todays political scene (certainly in the US, but also in many other countries) is more polarized than it has been for many decades, and increased polarization tends to result in more time spent arguing and backbiting, and less time spent actually solving problems. Right-wing populism is on the rise in many countries around the world, feeding a tendency to blame government technocrats for perceived failures. If the energy transition picks up steam, there will be winners and losers, and nearly everyone will have to sacrifice and adjust in various, significant ways. If sacrifices are seen to be unfair or unnecessary, blame may be the handiest recourse. Especially if policies are clumsily designed or implemented, the blowback may be swift and brutal (as the French government has learned via the yellow vests movement). In the face of all these pitfalls, timidity on the part of politicians seems understandableeven if the consequences of failure to act are ultimately suicidal. Politics has become a self-reinforcing feedback loop: failure to address problems makes peoples lives miserable; as a result, many people lash out in increasingly extreme ways, feeding polarization and fake populism; then polarization further reduces societys ability to solve problems. Rinse and repeat. 3. There are financial hurdles to a Green New Deal. From a financial perspective, the two central notions of the Green New Deal are that (1) deficit spending can effectively be used to jumpstart a major industrial shift and provide full employment, and (2) the economic consequences of increased deficit spending can be absorbed or blunted if government acts wisely. Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) provides theoretical support for the latter assumption. So far, so good. But there are two hitches. Yes, at least in principle, but a Green New Deal would be only the first step." First: a skewed approach to deficit spending in response to the 2008 global financial crisis has led to a financial policy environment thats not especially conducive to a Green New Deal. After 2008, deficits ballooned and the Federal Reserve Bank conjured up trillions of dollars via its quantitative easing program. But nearly all of the money created went straight into the financial system, not to the needed energy transition or to provide full employment (as Post Carbon Institute advised in our Real New Deal white paper). Unemployment did fall slowly over the years, but only as a temporary side effect of the injection of so much fresh cash into the financial system. A more direct side effect was the inflation of additional bubbles (including a short-lived spike in domestic oil and natural gas production, which has worsened the climate and energy crisis), whose inevitable bursting will create dire conditions in which politicians and financial leaders will call for more central bank heavy lifting and more government deficits. In that context, proposals for using the governments money creation authority for other grand projects (like making society more fair and sustainable over the long term) may once again be given low priority in the rush to put out financial fires. Second: you can print money, but you cant print energy and natural resources; and more of the former without more of the latter causes inflation, which can be managed only up to a point. So, in the real world (that is, our world of finite energy and resources), MMT deficit spending can provide more economic equality, and a better way of managing the monetary system and hence the economy (since taking the power of money creation out of the hands of private banks opens the possibility to do away with bubbles, manias, and financial crashes). But, given the fact that the global economy has already overshot limits to annual drawdown of Earths resources, even MMT cannot avert an overall decline in average material standard of living as the century wears on. And that is likely to make a lot of people unhappy and dissatisfied. See political challenges, above. 4. The transition has to be systemic. Achieving sustainability requires not just the building and installation of a vast number of solar panels and wind turbines, but also a major redesign of energy-using infrastructure (essentially, a redesign of our transportation, housing, food, and manufacturing systems) and the shift to a shrinking or steady-state economy. We at Post Carbon Institute have had the opportunity to study the requirements for a redesign and replacement of energy-using infrastructure in some detail, as explored in the book Our Renewable Future (co-authored with David Fridley); and also the shift to a shrinking or steady-state economy, as unpacked in my book The End of Growth. Yes, at least in principle, but a Green New Deal would be only the first step. Other policies that would also be needed include: Reforms to financial system, beyond what is envisioned in the Green New Deal proposals offered so far. These might include MMT, as well as reforms long advocated by proponents of degrowth or a steady-state economy, including 100 percent reserve requirements for banks (effectively removing their money-creation powers). Reforms to economic measures and targets. GDP, which simply measures the amount of money sloshing through the economy annually, is currently our main measure of economic health. But it is a perverse and misleading one. It needs to be supplemented or even replaced with measures that directly track the factors that reliably contribute to the happiness and welfare of families and communities (see chapter 6 of The End of Growth). Universal basic income or a universal job guarantee. Policy proposals along these lines are being supported by some of the same people who support a Green New Deal, with some analysts arguing the greater efficacy of one over the other. The ideas make sense in the context of the existing economy, but will need rethinking as the days of GDP growth come to an end. Not everything that needs to be done in the course of the energy-economic transition will come with a salary. Rather than continuing to think in terms of jobs, we should think instead of all the possible ways to organize meaningful work while providing for everyones basic needs. Reforms to the political system. Currently our elected representatives seem incapable of grasping the nature of our collective predicament, or of contemplating the truly radical measures required if we are to avert utter and irremediable economic, social, and environmental collapse. One reason for this failure of imagination is the degree to which politics is anchored in money. The beneficiaries of the status quo literally pay lawmakers to keep society headed on its current track to perdition. This can change only if we somehow manage to get money out of politics. Separation of private money and state is as vital as separation of church and state for running a functional democracy. Changes to the information ecosystem (i.e., social media). A successful transition will require near-unanimity in terms of public awareness of the crises facing us, and of willingness to sacrifice for the good of society as a whole (this is sometimes described as a wartime level of common commitment). Currently social media (and corporate media generally) drive us in the opposite directiontoward tribal allegiance and suspicion of outsiders. Either we will need some different versions of social media that are designed to build solidarity by helping us find common ground with one another, rather than stoking backbiting and division, or we will need to collectively abandon social media. During WWII the government essentially co-opted the entertainment industry for propaganda purposes, an anti-democratic effort which the American people tolerated. Here is an instance where there are no unambiguously good answers. An overarching goal of reducing energy and materials consumption, expressed through an integrated suite of practical strategies and tools for achieving that goal while minimizing human misery and social disruption. This is, in effect, a restatement of the items above, but its important to keep in mind that they are not scattershot proposals for improving this or that area of human existence, but logical requirements stemming from a central goalaverting irreversible societal and ecological catastrophe resulting from population and consumption overshoot accompanied by worsening pollution dilemmas (primarily, of course, climate change). Policy makers and ordinary people alike will need to start from, and maintain, this integrated framing of issues if the project is to have any hope of success. So, in sum, a Green New Deal that would fully address the climate/energy crisis would have to be far broader in scope than what is currently being proposed. Ultimately, we will need to mobilize society as a whole with a World War II-level of effort. Again, whats required is not simply to provide jobs to the un- or underemployed while building large numbers of wind turbines and solar panels; we will all need to live very differently and make some sacrifices. Given the already dangerously high and increasing level of economic inequality in the country, it would make sense to ensure that sacrifices fall mostly on those who are currently well-off, while the benefits of job creation are targeted toward those who are already feeling the pinch. A Green New Deal is needed. Its an idea that deserves support from politicians and advocacy organizations. That said, it will be a difficult policy to negotiate in detail and much tougher to pass into law. But, in such a volatile political landscape, almost anything is possibleeven a practical version of a Green New Deal that addresses our shared crises with the most equitable rules and institutions we can muster. | https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/01/17/could-green-new-deal-save-civilization |
Who Wrote The NFL Theme Song For Fox? | BATMAN ON STEROIDS- THE CREATION OF THE NFL THEME SONGS AMAZING STORY From what I have learned, the gentleman who wrote the now theme song for FOX NFL is a man named Scott Schreer. Scott is really something. The name you don't hear...but boy do you hear his music. He has received 6 Emmy nominations, and has written sports themes for a bunch of organizations. I've read the story and it's amazing how this theme song was created. Schreer was contacted to compose something unique and in a hurry. He pulled together over 40 instrumentalists to play on a few different ideas, and had those ideas ready by the deadline. Thinkstock READ THE AMAZING FULL STORY ABOUT SCOTT SCHREER The powers that be like one part of one song, and another part of the other...They pieced them together and the rest is history. It's an amazing story. CLICK HERE for the full story. | http://wjon.com/who-wrote-the-nfl-theme-song-for-fox/ |
What Happened to Offsets Solo Album? | Last November, it was announced that Offset would be releasing his debut solo album on his 27th birthday, December 14, 2018. It was slated to be the last entry in the trilogy of Migos solo records, following Quavos QUAVO HUNCHO and Takeoffs The Last Rocket, which both arrived last fall. But December 14 came and went, and the album never arrived. A month later, neither Offset nor his representatives have provided an explanation for the missed release date or confirmed a new one. A brief taste of the album arrived on November 30, when a new Metro Boomin-produced song called Red Room was released at midnight. It was mysteriously wiped from all streaming services by the following morning. Later that day, Offset tweeted L E A K E D, S M H, seemingly in reference to the song. However, Red Rooms release had been accompanied by an official press release and according to a representative, the songs removal was due to a tech issue. Before the new year, Offset reassured his fans that the album was still coming. On December 15, he took to Instagram to write, Its still on the way. On December 29, he tweeted a set of question marks to indicate that there would be a new release date. ? (He didnt.) Its unclear if Offsets album delay has something to do with the drama unfolding in his personal life. On December 5, Offsets wife, Cardi B, announced via an Instagram video that the two had split up. On December 14the day his album was supposed to come outOffset posted an apology video on Instagram directed at Cardi, asking her to take him back. Two days later, he interrupted her headlining set at Rolling Loud with a giant rose display that read: TAKE ME BACK CARDI. She looked thoroughly unamused, they exchanged a few words, and he walked solemnly off stage. (While it appears as though the couple reconnected over the holidays, its currently unclear if they are officially back together.) In a New York Times profile of Offset, the album is described as being introspective and more revealing than his previous work. In November, Cardi tweeted that the project brought her to tears. | https://pitchfork.com/news/what-happened-to-offsets-solo-album/ |
Are we headed towards high noon for democracy? | About Henry Ergas Henry Ergas AO is a columnist for The Australian. From 2009 to 2015 he was Senior Economic Adviser to Deloitte Australia and from 2009 to 2017 was Professor of Infrastructure Economics at the University of Wollongongs SMART Infrastructure Facility. He joined SMART and Deloitte after working as a consultant economist at NECG, CRA International and Concept Economics. Prior to that, he was an economist at the OECD in Paris from the late 1970s until the early 1990s. At the OECD, he headed the Secretary-Generals Task Force on Structural Adjustment (1984-1987), which concentrated on improving the efficiency of government policies in a wide range of areas, and was subsequently Counsellor for Structural Policy in the Economics Department. He has taught at a range of universities, undertaken a number of government inquiries and served as a Lay Member of the New Zealand High Court. In 2016, he was made an Officer in the Order of Australia. | http://catallaxyfiles.com/2019/01/18/are-we-headed-towards-high-noon-for-democracy/ |
Could GCEA cut ties with Tri-State? | A recent move by a Montrosebased electric cooperative to buy out its contract with wholesale power provider Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association indicates a growing trend. Utilities across the West are adding renewable energy to their mix and ending reliance on fossil fuels. Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) is among the latest to announce plans to end its contract Tri-State, citing lower costs and greater availability of renewables. DMEA is the second co-op to announce its intentions to buy-out of Tri-State, with several other co-ops eyeing similar moves. DMEA has also asked the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to adjudicate a just, reasonable and nondiscriminatory exit charge from Tri-State. Yet, DMEA isnt alone. Leaders of the local co-op say the possibility has been considered. We have raised the question in the boardroom and said, Is this something we should look at, said GCEA CEO Mike McBride. Our initial conclusion is that it would be more costly for our members. Tri-State provides wholesale power to 43 electric co-ops and public power districts that collectively serve more than a million consumers across nearly 200,000 square miles in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming. However, Tri-State currently caps local renewable energy production at 5 percent for its member co-ops, requiring them to obtain 95 percent of their electricity from the association. DMEA reached that cap two years ago. Still, according to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Tri-State is currently the largest solar generation and transmission cooperative in the nation with nearly a third of the energy consumed by Tri-States members derived from renewable energy. And this past week, Tri-State announced plans to more than double its emissions-free renewable energy with a new utility-scale solar project north of Trinidad, Colo. Construction of the Spanish Peaks Solar Project is expected to begin in 2022. The project is anticipated to be completed in 2023. Despite those efforts, DMEA indicated more drastic measures were needed to address its needs. DMEAs wholesale power costs from Tri-State have been escalating at an unsustainable rate, said DMEA CEO Jasen Bronec. Tri-State's annual reports show that average member rates have increased 56 percent since 2005, which is more than double the increase in the Consumer Price Index over the same time period. This stands in stark contrast to the overall energy market in which prices have decreased significantly over the same period. In 2017, Taos, N.M.-based Kit Carson Electric Cooperative also parted ways with Tri-State, paying the supplier $37 million to exit a long-term contract. Like Kit Carson, DMEA will partner with Guzman Energy, a Colorado wholesale power provider, upon withdrawing from Tri-State. Room to increase renewables While the push for alternative energy is apparent, many factors come into play for GCEA, leaders say. For one, the GCEA board has long sought to maintain a diverse energy portfolio. Were really working toward finding and building local resources to use the 5 percent, and we advocate for responsibly increasing that percentage with Tri-State, said CEO McBride. GCEA is currently under the 5 percent cap actually, totaling less than 1 percent. However, three projects are in the works which aim to add more local renewables. The projects which would bring GCEA to 3.5 percent include two 0.5-megawatt solar arrays and an expansion of a community solar garden. On top of local projects, McBride advocated for members to participate in GCEAs Green Power Club a program that uses renewable energy certificates representing current year production from specific projects. In this case, the renewable is Colorado wind power. McBride noted that while members of the community have voice support for transitioning to renewables, participation in the Green Power Club program is still under 10 percent. Its a step toward and a way for members to tell the GCEA board that theyre serious about having renewables by participating in that program, added McBride. McBride also pointed to the range of services benefitting GCEA that currently fall under Tri-States purview including maintenance of power lines, substations and transformers. Keeping rates reasonable GCEA board member Mark Daily agrees that while working toward a cleaner future is a top priority, its also important to keep rates reasonable. My sense is that nobody likes rate increases, he said. I think its dangerous to look at any one individual solution to the complex problem of how we keep the lights on. GCEA analyzed Kit Carsons annual filings with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission. We believe that their costs have increased substantially since buying out of Tri-State. Both their wholesale power costs and their operation and maintenance costs are up, explained McBride. Daily also cautioned against comparing DMEA to the local electric co-op noting that load complexities and size of the two associations are much different. For instance, DMEA serves 28,000 members while GCEA serves 10,000. The popular press seems to think that Delta-Montrose is doing the right thing, said Daily. But nobody is going to know if thats true or not for probably another 20 to 30 years. Right now, we see this as a large risk, McBride added. (Kate Gienapp can be reached at 970.641.1414 or [email protected].) | https://www.gunnisontimes.com/content/could-gcea-cut-ties-tri-state-0 |
How many of the 13 unrestricted free agents will the Chargers sign? | The Chargers will be faced with some challenging decisions coming up. They have 13 unrestricted free agents. Most fans would like to sign the majority of them to the roster. Thats the real question. Thats where it gets tricky. Lets go through five names on the list. Brandon Mebane: Mebane is 34. He is also the unquestioned leader of the defense. It might not show in the stats, but he is the voice on that side of the ball and well respected. Mebane went through more than any of us could imagine last year. Tyrell Williams: We went over Williams a couple days ago. Due to money, its a safe bet to assume Williams walks away. Adrian Phillips: Youre not going to let an All-Pro walk away. Not at Phillips age. Not with his versatility. Denzel Perryman: Perryman has clear value. When hes healthy. The problem is he is never healthy. That makes Perryman replaceable. Darius Philon: Philon is the type of role player you want on your roster. Philon had 8.5 sacks the last two years. He has flashed every now and then, and continues to improve as a player. Philon should return to the Chargers on a reasonable deal. Well talk about the other free agents later on. | https://chargerswire.usatoday.com/2019/01/17/how-many-of-the-13-unrestricted-free-agents-will-the-chargers-sign/ |
Which Artists Are Performing at the 2019 Grammys? | There are seven new reasons to watch the 2019 Grammy Awards, if you're into that sort of thing: Cardi B, Kacey Musgraves, Post Malone, Janelle Mone, Shawn Mendes, and Dan + Shay. The Recording Academy has announced they'll all be performing at this year's ceremony, to take place in Los Angeles next month. Missing from the list, you might notice, are Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Their A Star Is Born duet "Shallow" is nominated for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year. But this is just the first announcement, so who knows what surprises are in store. (Lady Gaga is a Grammys regular; she performed her Joanne track "Million Reasons" at the 2018 ceremony, which could easily have taken place one million years ago.) Related | SOPHIE's Grammy Nomination Is a Groundbreaking Moment Among those who have been tapped to take the stage in 2019, Kacey, Post, Janelle, and Cardi are all competing in the same category, for the coveted Album of the Year. Tension! Alicia Keys is hosting music's night of nights, which is fun check out the nominees here. | http://www.papermag.com/grammys-2019-performers-2626283228.html |
Are Bigg Boss 12s Srishty Rode & Rohit Suchanti More Than Friends? | Srishty Helped Rohit Sort His Social Media Mess! Recently, Srishty and Rohit's sweet banter on social media has grabbed attention! Recently, Rohit's Instagram was hacked. He had to delete the account and create a new one. Srishty helped him by promoting his new official handle. Srishty Shared She shared his account's snapshot and captioned it as, "His account was hacked and deleted!!! But he is back!! Please do give a warm welcome @rohitsuchanti96." Srishty & Rohits Cute Banter! Recently, he flirted with Srishty when she posted a picture on Instagram by commenting, "Peace begins with your smile @srishtyrode24 all the best for your FIRST FILM so happy for you keep shining." Srishty replied, "@rohitsuchanti96 awwww thank you." Fans have been gushing over Srishty's post and their mushy interaction on Instagram. A few of them even wanted them to be real couple. Just when we thought something is brewing between Srishty and Rohit, Srishty took to Twitter to clarify the rumours. That's news to me as well." - (sic) | https://www.filmibeat.com/television/news/2019/are-bigg-boss-12-srishty-rode-rohit-suchanti-more-than-friends-srishty-rohit-cute-banter-281665.html?utm_source=/rss/filmibeat-fb.xml&utm_medium=23.50.225.204&utm_campaign=client-rss |
Will US shutdown delay Honolulu police corruption trial? | HONOLULU (AP) - The partial U.S. government shutdown is affecting an upcoming trial on corruption-related charges against a now-retired Honolulu police chief and his former deputy prosecutor wife. Katherine Kealohas attorney is asking to postpone the trial scheduled for March. A judge appointed separate taxpayer-funded attorneys for Katherine and Louis Kealoha after determining they couldnt afford a defense team against allegations including orchestrating the framing of an uncle for stealing their home mailbox in an attempt to discredit him in a family, financial dispute. Attorney Cynthia Kagiwada says shes not being paid during the shutdown, now in its fourth week, depriving her client of adequate trial preparation. Louis Kealohas attorney, Rustam Barbee, says hes also not being paid. He says hell wait to see what happens with the shutdown before also seeking postponement. Copyright 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. | https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jan/17/will-us-shutdown-delay-honolulu-police-corruption-/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Front-TheWashingtonTimesAmericasNewspaper+%28Front+Page+-+The+Washington+Times%29 |
Does Cannabis Use Cause Schizophrenia? | Yes. Brain scientists know very little about the underlying biology of psychotic conditions, other than that hundreds of common gene variants are likely involved. Schizophrenia, for instance, is not a uniform disorder but an umbrella term for an array of unexplained problems involving recurrent psychosis, and other common symptoms. Even so, there is circumstantial evidence for a biological mechanism. Psychotic disorders tend to emerge in late adolescence or early adulthood, during or after a period of rapid brain development. In the teenage years, the brain strips away unneeded or redundant connections between brain cells, in a process called synaptic pruning. This editing is concentrated in the prefrontal cortex, the region behind the forehead where thinking and planning occur and the region that is perturbed in psychotic conditions. The region is rich with so-called CB1 receptors, which are involved in the pruning, and are engaged by cannabis use. And alterations to the pruning process may well increase schizophrenia risk, according to recent research at the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard. In a 2016 analysis, scientists there found that people with the disorder often have a gene variant that appears to accelerate the pruning process. Experts may debate whether cannabis use can lead to psychotic disorders, but they mostly agree on how to minimize ones risk. Psychotic conditions tend to run in families, which suggests there is an inherited genetic vulnerability. Indeed, according to some studies, people prone to or at heightened risk of psychosis seem to experience the effects of cannabis differently than peers without such a history. The users experience a more vivid high, but they also are more likely to experience psychosis-like effects such as paranoia. The evidence so far indicates that ones familial risk for psychotic disorders outweighs any added effect of cannabis use. In a 2014 study, a team led by Ashley C. Proal and Dr. Lynn E. DeLisi of Harvard Medical School recruited cannabis users with and without a family history of schizophrenia, as well as non-users with and without such a history. The researchers made sure the cannabis users did not use other drugs in addition, a factor that muddied earlier studies. The result: there was a heightened schizophrenia risk among people with a family history, regardless of cannabis use. My study clearly shows that cannabis does not cause schizophrenia by itself, said Dr. DeLisi. Rather, a genetic predisposition is necessary. It is highly likely, based on the results of this study and others, that cannabis use during adolescence through to age 25, when the brain is maturing and at its peak of growth in a genetically vulnerable individual, can initiate the onset of schizophrenia. | https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/health/cannabis-marijuana-schizophrenia.html |
Will Disneyland fans want to see a nighttime show without fireworks? | Disneyland plans to roll out a new nighttime spectacular on Main Street USA that is heavy on projection mapping technology but without fireworks most nights as Sleeping Beauty Castle undergoes a months-long rehabilitation wrapped in construction scaffolding. Mickeys Mix Magic swaps Disneylands familiar nightly fireworks show for a laser, lighting and projection show set to a new musical score. The projection show will transform the buildings along Main Street U.S.A. and the facade of Its a Small World into a canvas painted with animated scenes set to music. The new show will be complicated by the upcoming downtime for the Fantasmic nighttime spectacular and the water screens on the Rivers of America that normally serve as a secondary stage for the projection mapping imagery employed during nighttime spectaculars. Mickeys Mix Magic is the marquee attraction in a new lineup of entertainment at the Disneyland Resort that includes a revamped parade, food festival, seasonal events tied to Valentines Day and the Lunar New Year and a yearlong celebration of Mickey Mouses 90th birthday. The new events and entertainment are all part of a concerted push to keep Disneyland and Disney California Adventure full of visitors ahead of the debut of Star Wars: Galaxys Edge in June. Mickeys Mix Magic lights up the night at Disneyland Park with a new high-energy projection show celebrating the one and only Mickey Mouse. The nightly extravaganza creates a family-fun dance party throughout the park with DJ Mickey spinning the new celebration song, Its a Good Time along with new, fun takes on favorite Disney songs. On select nights, Mickeys Mix Magic is enhanced with the addition of fireworks. Disneyland Resort is located in Anaheim, Calif. (Courtesy of Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort) Mickeys Mix Magic lights up the night at Disneyland Park with a new high-energy projection show celebrating the one and only Mickey Mouse. The nightly extravaganza creates a family-fun dance party throughout the park with DJ Mickey spinning the new celebration song, Its a Good Time along with new, fun takes on favorite Disney songs. On select nights, Mickeys Mix Magic is enhanced with the addition of fireworks. Disneyland Resort is located in Anaheim, Calif. (Courtesy of Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort) Sound The gallery will resume in seconds Mickeys Mix Magic lights up the night at Disneyland Park with a new high-energy projection show celebrating the one and only Mickey Mouse. The nightly extravaganza creates a family-fun dance party throughout the park with DJ Mickey spinning the new celebration song, Its a Good Time along with new, fun takes on favorite Disney songs. On select nights, Mickeys Mix Magic is enhanced with the addition of fireworks. Disneyland Resort is located in Anaheim, Calif. (Courtesy of Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort) Mickeys Mix Magic lights up the night at Disneyland Park with a new high-energy projection show celebrating the one and only Mickey Mouse. The nightly extravaganza creates a family-fun dance party throughout the park with DJ Mickey spinning the new celebration song, Its a Good Time along with new, fun takes on favorite Disney songs. On select nights, Mickeys Mix Magic is enhanced with the addition of fireworks. Disneyland Resort is located in Anaheim, Calif. (Courtesy of Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort) Birthday Celebration Disney has already kicked off what is expected to be a year-long celebration of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouses 90th birthday. The Get Your Ears On birthday celebration will be the theme for a parade, nighttime spectacular and a Valentines celebration as well as food and merchandise throughout both parks. Nighttime Spectacular Mickeys Mix Magic dance party starts Friday, Jan. 18, with DJ Mickey spinning alternate electro-swing house music takes of familiar Disney songs as well as a new theme song, Its a Good Time. The projection show will employ more than two dozen video projectors and nearly 100 rooftop-mounted lighting fixtures throughout the park. The show features original animation of Disney characters amid kaleidoscopic patterns projected on the storefronts along Main Street USA and the Small World facade. The nighttime spectacular includes songs from The Jungle Book (I Wanna Be Like You), The Aristocats (Evrybody Wants To Be A Cat), Aladdin (Friend Like Me), the Haunted Mansion attraction (Grim Grinning Ghosts), Coco (Un Poco Loco) and Frozen (Let It Go). The water screens on the Rivers of America will serve as another viewing area for Mickeys Mix Magic after Fantasmic returns from its seasonal rehabilitation, which runs from Monday, Jan. 21 until March. Fireworks will be added to the Mickeys Mix Magic projection show on select nights, which is expected to be on busy holidays and weekends. We created this as a non-fireworks show and then added fireworks to it, said Steven Davison, executive creative director for parades and spectaculars at Disney parks. Some nights there are fireworks and its kind of crazy. Some nights its a big dance party. The Get Your Ears On celebration continues at the Tomorrowland Terrace with a nightly dance party featuring Disney characters dancing to popular Disney songs. Returning Parade Mickeys Soundsational Parade returns to Disneyland starting Friday, Jan. 25, with a new emphasis on Mickey and Minnies 90th birthday. The 2011 Soundsational parade went on hiatus last year to make room for the Pixar Play Parade, which moved from Disney California Adventure to Disneyland in 2018. The parades popularity and longevity surprised Davison. I thought it was going to last two years, maybe three years Davison said. Its still going strong today. Its really a fun and infectious parade. The returning Soundsational parade will be led by a 25-foot-long float inspired by a super-sized version of a classic Mickey Mouse wooden pull toy. Chip and Dale will follow with a 12-foot-tall birthday cake float celebrating the twin birthdays. A marching drum line will add a live beat to a procession of Disney characters, including Aladdin, Peter Pan and Mary Poppins. The parade will feature more than two dozen Disney characters and more than 60 additional performers. The design of the parade floats were inspired by musical styles ranging from military marches to Latin rhythms. The Soundsational floats include: Never Land unit with Tinker Bell playing mushrooms with her magic wand drum sticks Princess and the Frog unit with a riverboat made from musical instruments Tangled unit featuring Rapunzels 34-foot-tall tower Jungle Book unit with King Louie, Tarzans Terk and dancing monkeys The grand finale Mary Poppins unit boasts penguins riding carousel horses, flying kites and 11 chimney sweeps dancing to Step In Time. Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes the Share Your Ears Cheeseburger available at Smoke Jumpers at Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Disneys push for potion purple includes a Purple Glove Macaron made with blackberry and currant buttercream and blackberry-currant jam center available at Jolly Holiday Bakery Caf at Disneyland and Clarabelles Hand Scooped Ice Cream and Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Caf inside Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Sound The gallery will resume in seconds Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes Mickeys Party Hat Macaron available at Cozy Cone in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. The treat is filled with candy confetti that falls on to the plate when its cracked open. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes the Fun Wheel Linzer Cookie available at the Cappo Cart inside Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes a Steamboat Willie Black & White Cooke available at Trolly Treats in Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes A Cheesy Celebration Hot Dog available at Award Weiners in Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes Mickeys Chocolate Cup and Brownie available at Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Caf in Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes movie themed treats served during the Classic Afternoon Tea at Steakhouse 55 inside the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes Mickey Mouse Club Dessert available at Jolly Holiday Bakery Caf at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes a Steamboat Willie-themed candied apple available at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On merchandise celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes a new Steamboat Willie-themed popcorn bucket exclusively for annual passholders available at the Disneyland Resort later this month. Photographed in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includesMickey Celebration Cake available at the Plaza Inn inside Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Disneys push for potion purple includes a Purple Glove Macaron made with blackberry and currant buttercream and blackberry-currant jam center, Taro Pancakes, and Lavender Milk Tea with lemon popping pearls, purple whipped cream, and lavender sugar in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On merchandise celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes new pins available at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On merchandise celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes new t-shirt designs available at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On merchandise celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes a canvas bag with various Mickeys available at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On merchandise celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes tumblers available at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On merchandise celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes new t-shirt designs available at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes Cookies n Cream Bread Pudding available at Pacific Wharf at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Disneys push for potion purple includes Taro Pancakes available at River Belle Terrace at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes Mickey Whoopie Pie available at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes Pad Thai Spring Rolls with a hidden Mickey Shrimp, Sweet-and-sour flavored noodles, scrambled eggs, vegetables and cashew-hoisin dipping sauce available at the Bengal BBQ starting February 19. Photographed in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes Mickey Hat Dessert available at Rancho Del Zocalo at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes Spectacular Mickey Pizza with pepperoni in the shape of Mickey Mouse and peppers and onions to represent confetti available at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta inside Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes Smoked Salmon Salad with salmon arranged in the shape of Mickey Mouse and cucumber, red onion, fried capers, heirloom tomato, croutons and lemon crme Fraiche at Caf Orleans at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On food celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes the Foot Long Hot Diggity Dog available in Mickeys Toontown at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On merchandise celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday includes new mugs available at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Get Your Ears On merchandise celebrating Mickey Mouses 90th birthday available at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, on Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Food and Merchandise The Get Your Ears On food line-up includes everything from donuts and churros to pizza and burgers. The challenge for Disneyland chefs is adding a back story to every new dish or dessert they make for the park, said Disneyland culinary director John State. Thats the difference between us and anybody outside of these gates, State said. Thats what makes us unique: The storytelling. The Mickey beignets are particularly cute with red icing pants, yellow M&M buttons, mini Oreo ears and red, black and yellow sprinkles. The Share Your Ears cheeseburger combo is the showstopper with a large burger topped with two mini burgers that create the familiar three-circle Mickey Mouse shape. Each slice of the Spectacular Mickey Cheesy Pizza has a large slice of pepperoni connected to two smaller pepperoni slices that make for a not-so-hidden Mickey that cries out to be posted immediately to Instagram. The new Get Your Ears On line of merchandise features a modern take on the classic pie-eyed images of Mickey and Minnie. Its really just about celebrating Mickey and celebrating being at the park, said Disneyland merchandise strategist Ashley Cortez. Were really just looking at what Mickey was in 1928 to what he is today and just celebrating all the years in between. | https://www.dailybreeze.com/2019/01/17/will-disneyland-fans-want-to-see-a-nighttime-show-without-fireworks/ |
Could the #10YearChallenge Really Improve Facial Recognition Tech? | DAVID MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images Over the past week, the #2009vs2019 meme challenge, alternately known as the #10yearchallenge and #HowHardDidAgeHitYou, has become the latest social media trend ripe for think piece fodder. While the challenge inspired a host of discussions about social media narcissism and gendered norms, author and consultant Kate ONeill put her own spin on the meme in a tweet raising the privacy implications of posting age-separated photos of oneself on Facebook. Me 10 years ago: probably would have played along with the profile picture aging meme going around on Facebook and Instagram Me now: ponders how all this data could be mined to train facial recognition algorithms on age progression and age recognition Kate O'Neill (@kateo) January 12, 2019 The post generated enough buzz and discussion on Twitter that ONeill expanded it into an article in Wired, in which she argued that Facebook or another data-hungry entity could exploit the meme to train facial recognition algorithms to better handle age-related characteristics and age progression predictions. She noted that the clear labeling of the year in which the pictures were taken, along with the volume of pictures explicitly age-separated by a set amount of time, could be quite valuable to a company like Facebook. In other words, thanks to this meme, theres now a very large data set of carefully curated photos of people from roughly 10 years ago and now, ONeill wrote. While ONeills perspective seems to have elicited generally favorable reactions on Twitter, some tech journalists and commentators questioned the premise. Writing in New York magazine, Max Read argues, If youre one of the 350 million people or so whos been on Facebook since 2009or if youve uploaded older photos to the platform after joiningthe worlds biggest social network already knows what you look like now, in the past, and probably in the future, too. Indeed, Facebook automatically collects data from pictures that users upload for its facial recognition features. You actually have to opt out of the service to keep this biometric info private. Read further posits that if Facebook were to engineer a meme trend like #2009vs2019, the goal would more likely be to boost its stagnant user engagement numbers, rather than to improve its facial recognition software. Facebook has also denied that this challenge was part of a larger scheme: The 10 year challenge is a user-generated meme that started on its own, without our involvement. Its evidence of the fun people have on Facebook, and thats it. Facebook (@facebook) January 16, 2019 To be clear, everyone in this debate agrees that theres no evidence at all that Facebook engineered this meme trend with the goal of harvesting data for its facial recognition software. ONeill writes that her tweet was meant to be semi-sarcastic and that the point of the article was not to specifically accuse Facebook of any impropriety, but rather to raise awareness about the importance of human data and how it can be used. So its best to evaluate ONeills postulate as a thought experiment. Most companies that employ facial recognition technology, including Facebook, find it useful for matching images of people with their identities. Quantity is usually more important than age separation in this case. For an entity like Facebook the more images of a person you can get, the more effectively you can build a profile for them, says Jake Laperruque, who serves as senior counsel at the Constitution Project and does work with facial recognition and privacy. [Facebook] already has a mass database of photos, which is what they really want. He also noted that recent pictures would be more useful. The question becomes more complicated if we take as a given that Facebook is developing age recognition and progression technologies. Theoretically, the data extracted from this meme could help such technologies become more sophisticated. Any time you have multiple pictures of an individual in different poses, indoors and outdoors, thats really useful, says Anil Jain, a computer science professor at Michigan State University who studies biometric recognition. But to make the system tolerant to time differences, we also need multiple faces of people at different ages. Jain adds that this would be most useful for identifying other old pictures of a person, as face recognition technologies tend to see a significant dip in performance in trying to match images of people taken more than seven years apart. Hard to say. In truth, we dont really know much about any specific age-related facial recognition initiatives at Facebook. Alexis C. Madrigal writes in the Atlantic, however, Facebook isnt building an age-progression machine-learning system; it almost certainly already has one. The idea, again, is that having people post age-separated photos in this limited meme context really isnt going to augment whats already possible with Facebooks massive trove of user pictures. We do know that Microsoft developed a site in 2015 that tried to guess the ages of people who submitted photos, though there were reports that it was missing some ages by decades. A startup in the U.K. is also currently piloting a facial recognition system at grocery stores that can supposedly detect whether a customer is old enough to purchase alcohol, but the results of the trial have not been publicized. While the plausibility of a #2009vs2019 facial recognition scheme is still under debate, the impulse to be wary of biometric data collection is a step in the right direction. Says Laperruque, People are taking the right approach to start wondering about these things when they give companies their data and biometric information, but Facebook has been without permission opting individuals into their facial recognition for many, many years. | https://slate.com/technology/2019/01/10-year-challenge-facebook-facial-recognition.html |
Are continuous turn lanes actual travel lanes? | This week's traffic safety question was submitted by Cedris, of Zellwood. He asks, "Are continuous turn lanes actual travel lanes?" If you dont know what a continuous left turn lane is, often you find them in areas that have a high volume of businesses that include four or more travel lanes. The lane allows drivers turning onto a road to continue driving instead of stopping to wait at a light or a stop sign. A continuous left turn lane is not a travel lane, however, I like to call it a transitional area. As with any lane, a continuous turn lane is designed for drivers to do just that -- make their turns. It is not a place to bypass stopped traffic or enter in order to complete a turn that may be several blocks or even miles down the road. When using the center left continuous turn lane, as with any traffic movement, you must always be very careful since opposing traffic also uses this lane. The continuous left turn lane is also a good spot for drivers to pull into and wait for opposing traffic to pass prior to entering their travel lane. In summary, this is a travel lane that is shared by all sorts of different traffic in order to make your movements that much easier. Sharing is caring, even on our roadways. Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/ask-trooper-steve/are-continuous-turn-lanes-actual-travel-lanes |
Is Denzel Dumfries de beste rechtsback in FIFA19? | EA Sports heeft een nieuwe Squad Builder Challenge uitgebracht die jou beloont met een fantastische versie van PSV-verdediger Denzel Dumfries. In FIFA 19 Ultimate Team zijn er veel opties beschikbaar voor de rechtsbackpositie, zoals Flashback Juanfran, FUTmas Santiago Arias en misschien wel de allerbeste optie, Kenny Lala. EA Sports heeft nu echter een nieuwe speler aan dat rijtje toegevoegd. In de nieuwe 'Squid Builder Challenge' is namelijk een opgewaardeerde Denzel Dumfries beschikbaar. De nieuwe SBC-competitie is uitgebracht voor Ultimate Team voor de Premier League en de Eredivisie, met nieuwe en speciale roze versies van bestaande cards. De nieuwe kaart voor Dumfries brengt hem meteen naar het goud met een upgrade van liefst tien punten. Hij krijgt daardoor een algemene rating van 83. Op het eerste gezicht lijkt zijn card niet heel speciaal met 90 snelheid, 80 dribbelen, 60 schieten, 82 verdedigen, 84 passing en 90 fysiek. Een kaart met 83 punten en weinig 'chemie-opties' in de Eredivisie zal veel gamers waarschijnlijk niet echt interesseren. Maar als je eenmaal naar de in-game statistieken kijkt, realiseer je je dat Dumfries alles heeft wat je maar kan wensen: 87 acceleratie, 91 sprintsnelheid, 80 schietkracht, 99 voorzetten, 89 korte passing, 82 dribbelen, 86 staande tackle, 84, sliding tackle, 91 springen, 91 conditie, 92 kracht en driesterren-skills. Snelheid, kracht, sterke tackles en perfecte voorzetten - deze speler kan in jouw team een beest zijn aan de rechterkant van het veld. En Dumfries wordt nog beter als je beseft dat hij een goede band heeft met n van de gevaarlijkste spelers in FIFA 19, Hirving Lozano. De Mexicaanse vleugelspeler is n van de snelste en meest behendige speler in het spel en hij is soms bijna niet te stoppen. Dus stel je eens voor dat je op die rechterflank ng een speler met een geweldige snelheid en kracht kan opstellen... Bovendien kun je Dumfries ook koppelen aan Virgil van Dijk en Matthijs de Ligt - twee exceptionele centrumverdedigers. Om de kaart van Dumfries te bemachtigen, moet je een spelersgroep creren en samenstellen voor alle achttien clubs uit de Eredivisie. Met een beetje research zou je die uitdaging moeten kunnen voltooien met ongeveer 130.000 coins, wat best een mooie prijs is als je daarmee n van de beste rechtsbacks uit FIFA 19 tot je beschikking krijgt. Aangezien er in het Team van het Jaar geen echte rechtsback werd uitgebracht, is deze kaart van Dumfries zeer waardevol. | https://www.goal.com/nl/nieuws/is-denzel-dumfries-de-beste-rechtsback-in-fifa19/1huyhpcjvaoqm1beucx7xkvst5 |
Is Kenya containing the threat from al-Shabab? | Nairobi hotel attack, that killed 21 people, raised concerns about security situation in Kenya. Al-Shabab has long threatened Kenya's security with attacks targeting civilians and members of its military. Dozens were killed on Tuesday when five gunmen attacked a hotel complex in Nairobi. The latest assault raised questions about the country's ability to ensure people's safety. Presenter: Dareen Abughaida Guests: Mustafa Yusuf Ali - Horn of Africa security analyst Stig Jarle Hansen - Author of an upcoming book: Horn, Sahel and Rift: Fault Lines of the African Jihad Nerima Wako Ojiwa - Political analyst and executive director of Siasa Place, an NGO that works to encourage women and young people to participate in politics. Source: Al Jazeera News | https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2019/01/kenya-threat-al-shabab-190117175706567.html |
Is Amazons Voice Assistant Alexa a modern Trojan Horse? | Florent Hacq Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jan 15 If you are not familiar with Homers classic poem, The Odyssey, here is a quick reminder of how the Trojan horse episode unfolded: After 10 years of unsuccessful siege trying to take over the city of Troy, the Greeks decided to change their approach. They built a huge wooden horse which they left in front of the city of Troy and pretended to sail away. The Trojans, thinking the Greeks had finally given up, pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy and threw a big party. That night, a little group of Greek soldiers who had in fact hidden in the giant wood construction, crept out. They opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, who had sailed back under cover of night and easily destroyed the city of Troy thus ending the war. The Gift of Alexa Amazon pushed most of its own tech products (kindle, tablets, TV fire sticks, and speakers) during Black Friday 2018 but the lion-share of the merchandising placements and the heaviest discounts went to its range of Alexa-powered Echo smart speakers. Amazons homepage during Black Friday week. Alexa is a voice-controlled virtual assistant created by Amazon in 2014. It gives users the ability to control products throughout their home, listen to music, order products online and more. You can ask Alexa pretty much anything (including useless stuff), order a pizza or get some laundry detergent delivered next-day, all of this from the comfort of your sofa and without even needing to type anything. During Black Friday, you could grab the Alexa-powered Echo Dot for as little as 19.99, a 60% discount vs. the normal retail price (49.99). Now 60% discount might not sound like such a big deal (especially for Black Friday), but it is when you break down the production costs. According to firm ABI research, the total cost of components used to produce the Echo Dot sits around 27 ($34.87 exactly). This cost, which does not include labour, shipping, power consumption, and so on, would mean that Amazon lost at least 7 for each Echo speaker sold on the Black Friday deals (Amazon said they sold millions). This specific example tries to illustrate a bigger point: Amazon is and has been structurally losing money with Alexa (reportedly hundreds of millions of dollars in 2017 alone). Remember the Trojans One lesson from Homers Trojan horse episode is that an unexpected gift should always be looked at twice. After all, if the tech giant is willing to slash prices and lose hundreds of millions of dollars on a new product line, there must be a good reason. Here are three: 1) Hey Alexa, make customers buy more Alexas main purpose is to make sure Amazon consumers, well, consume. This comes as no surprise: if you have an Alexa device sitting in your kitchen, you will inevitably end up buying more stuff from Amazon as well as further embedding yourself into the whole ecosystem by using it services (Amazon music, Audible). For each Echo device sold, Amazon therefore banks on increasing the average spent per customer; a strategy referred to as creating customer stickiness, which Amazon has been excelling at for more than 13 years with its loyalty programme called Prime. Amazon customers can, for 79 per year ($119 in the US), become Prime members and get free next day delivery, as well as access to services like Amazon music or Amazon video and other benefits. For customers, Prime combines convenience and great value (the real value of the program has been estimated at $785/year). For Amazon, its the best way to push customers to spend more and more often. Prime members spend on average more than twice as much on Amazon as non-Prime members (this gap keeps growing) and 46% of Prime shoppers make a weekly purchase on Amazon vs. 13% for non-Prime. In its infancy, Prime was often criticised for being a money drain but given how instrumental the programme has been to the companys growth in the past 10 years, Amazon can only hope Alexa follows the same footprints. 2) Hey Alexa, boost Amazons private label brands sales Amazon has become the default product-search engine of the web with more than 50% of consumers starting their product search on Amazon (vs. only 28% on Google). The search query data (i.e. what people type when searching for a product) combined with a goldmine of user information, put Amazon in a unique (unfair?) position to figure out exactly what customers want and they can produce these items cheaper than anyone else thanks to economies of scales and cheap access to capital. Enter Amazon private labels. You might be familiar with Amazon Basics, the brand which launched in 2009 (with a handful of low-cost, generic phone cables) and that now offers more than 1,500 products. Well this is only the tip of iceberg: Amazon.com now houses more than 120 of its own private labels (nine times more than in 2016) but only occasionally displays that they are owned by Amazon. These brands include for instance Mama Bear (diapers), Happy Belly (coffee), Solimo (razors), Rivet (furniture), several apparel and jewellery brands as well as a brand called Wag (pet food) which sounds surprisingly close to the UK pet food brand Wagg Amazon private labels are expected to reach $25 billion in sales by 2022 and will play an increasingly important role for Amazon. Total sales across Amazon private label portfolio are expected to reach $25 billion by 2022 Amazon works like a search engine: 90% of its users start with a search query and only 30% ever go to page 2 of results. Therefore the key for a brand to succeed on the site (let alone exist), is to rank on top of page 1. With voice ordering, customers cant scroll through product listings anymore. Instead they must rely blindly (literally) on Alexas recommendations, typically two product results for voice-activated shopping searches. According to Bain, Amazon first recommends its own private label products 17% of the time, despite the fact that these products make up only 2% of products sold. In other words, Amazon tends to favour its own brands vs. other brands thus further reducing an already very crowded virtual shelf. When one accounts for the fact that voice search is predicted to reach 50% of total product search by 2020, this is pretty bad news for small and medium brands who are seeing their chance to rank on top of page 1 seriously reduced (bigger brands will most likely pay to keep getting the best placements). Given how much SMEs have contributed to Amazons growth and success over the past decade this is tough (did anyone say Nucleus?). 3) Hey Alexa, spy on customers The use of the word spy here is voluntarily provocative as I dont believe Amazon wants to spy on its customers. However, it is not news that the Four (Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon) are collecting an unprecedented level of personal users data to better understand their customers behaviours and habits (i.e. sell them more stuff) and the rapid adoption of smart speakers and AI powered voice technology takes customer stalking to another level. The answer is yes and no. Yes, it does, as it is the only way it can respond to the trigger word Alexa when customers dictate a command. But no, this information isnt recorded, stored or used in any way. Amazon has no incentive to do so: its too much data to analyse and too big of a risk to take with customer trust, a big value of Amazons. However, all voice requests, labeled as Alexa interactions, are recorded, stored in the cloud and linked to a specific Amazon customers account. Amazon analyses all those interactions in order to improve its services. This new set of data goes well beyond online shopping (it also includes questions asked to Alexa, messages sent via the assistant,) and will give Amazon deeper penetration into the private lives and desires of its consumers. The new data will be combined to existing user data from Amazon (e.g personal addresses, browsing history, search queries, order history, reviews) to build even more accurate customer profiles and further personalise the shopping experience (think recommendations). This will eventually enable Amazon to you guessed it, sell more stuff. But theres something else. In the past 5 years Amazon branched out into a new and very lucrative (higher margin) business: advertising. While Amazon doesnt sell its customer data, Amazon Media Group (AMG) its media branch, gives brands the ability to market their products to Amazon customers both on and off Amazon (on news sites for instance) based on demographics, shopping history or browsing behaviour. Amazons ad business has been growing extremely fast (AMG revenues doubled year-on-year to $4.6 billion in 2018) but still only represents 4.2% of a $111 billion digital ad market dominated by Facebook and Google. And this, in my opinion, is the main reason for Amazons aggressive move into the smart speaker market. By positioning Alexa as the new operating system of millions of households worldwide, Amazon could access an unprecented amount of data and offer an extremely granular level of insight into its customers. This would put AMG in a great position to capture a bigger share of the digital ad market and catch up with its competitors. Conclusion Amazon announced last Tuesday that Black Friday was the biggest holiday shopping weekend ever for Echo devices, with millions sold worldwide and that Echo dot was the #1 selling product on Amazon globally, from any manufacturer, in any category. Yes, the market for smart speakers is significant and growing fast (estimations value it at 3.5bn in the UK and $27.8bn worldwide in 2022) but the stakes are higher: Alexa has the potential to become the new operating system of millions of customers around the world, thus reinforcing Amazons position both as an online retailer and as an advertiser. It depends on what angle you look at it from. For other tech giants, this is bad news. Alexa reinforces Amazons already very strong advertising business which will eventually capture market shares from the two biggest digital advertisers (Facebook and Google) as well as potentially compete with existing smart phone operating systems (Apples iOS and Googles Android). Responses to Alexa are different: Google and Apple both sell their own smart speakers (respectively Google Home and Homepod) featuring their proprietary voice-controlled virtual assistant and have a similar approach to users data. Facebook on the other end, recently announced that its new Portal smart speakers will be equipped with Alexa. For brands selling on Amazon, Alexa presents both opportunities and threats. It has the potential to completely reshape search, merchandising and advertising on Amazon thus rewarding companies who understand the new landscape and take the right actions. There is a risk though that some companies (mainly SMEs) will get left behind as Amazon uses Alexa to increasingly push its own brands and big brands who pay for preferential placements. It is probably too early to say but given that half of all UK households will own a smart speaker by 2022, it is only fair to ask the question. Here, the differences between Alexa, Google Home or Siri become somewhat irrelevant. All three companies argue that, in order to offer the best possible experience with technology, they need to capture, store and analyse users data. Their hidden agenda, as discussed earlier, is the monetization of data through advertising (although to a lesser extent for Apple ) which seems to leave customers faced with the Faustian bargain of convenience vs. privacy. Snips, a French start-up which raised 22 million to date, is working on a block chain-based AI assistant which stores and process users data locally instead of sending it to the cloud. Snip directly challenges Amazon and Googles approach by offering a decentralized machine learning solution which guarantees privacy. As consumers become increasingly aware of the privacy concerns with voice assistants, there might be more opportunities for innovative companies with such solutions. | https://medium.com/@florenthacq/https-medium-com-florenthacq-is-amazons-voice-assistant-alexa-a-modern-trojan-horse-f0d2df77f668 |
Why Wasn't Brian Kilmeade Struck Down By Lightning? | Fox and Friends completely ignored Rudy Giuliani's insane CNN interview last night. However, they found time to attack Dems for trying to block Trump's heinous border wall. "How dare anyone obstruct a president?" they asked, forgetting how they celebrated when Sen. Mitch McConnell said he'd do everything he could to make President Obama a one-term president. During their second hour of airtime, while still ignoring Giuliani, F&F aired complaints about the government shutdown only from Trump surrogates. They were bolstered by having a Trump-loving live audience sitting on stage with them throughout the broadcast. Steve Doocy said, "It does look unfortunately that this could be the tone that the Democrats are going to take for the next two years. Just whatever the president suggests, stop. just stop." They have goals too." Oh my god, Brian. During the Obama presidency, every Republican politician insisted out loud that they were there to obstruct and block every policy, every legislation, every judge nomination from the White House, as a matter of principle. Ainsley Earhardt said they asked their audience members if Nancy Pelosi should shut down State of the Union address. They all were against it, obviously. That's why they were invited on television. Every conservative and Republican politician and pundit that complains about the Democrat obstructionism should be struck by a giant lightning bolt spelling out the word "hypocrisy." . @kilmeade Dude, you're the "professional" here. Asking a bunch of your viewers for help to make Trump's shutdown go better is weak. You guys have lost this fight. pic.twitter.com/vrVR2Ri49w Christopher Swartout (@chrisswartout) January 17, 2019 | https://crooksandliars.com/2019/01/why-wasnt-brian-kilmeade-struck-down |
When is The Grand Tour season three on Amazon Prime and what can we expect? | 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 The Grand Tour is heading back to Amazon Prime for a third season. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will all be returning behind the wheel and there will also be a game to accompany the series. It allows fans to drive as recklessly as the hosts, all from the comfort and safety of their own home - it'll be released in an episodic format on Playstation 4 and Xbox One from the beginning of the series. Watch the trailer for The Grand Tour season three above. Amazon has confirmed that the new series will return to Amazon Prime on Friday January 18, 2018. That's quite a lot later than the first two seasons. Season one and two ran from November 2016 to early February the following year. The second season started a bit later in December 2017, also with a February end date. As usual, each episode is set to be released weekly. (Image: Publicity Picture) The Grand Tour is exclusively on Amazon Prime Video so if you don't have Amazon Prime then you won't be able to watch it. But you can get a 30-day free trial . The studio parts of series two were filmed in a tent in the Cotswolds, close to Jeremy Clarkson's house. But the filming locations outside of the studio are a lot more adventurous. Mongolia and Columbia are two of the highlights for season three but they also filmed in China, the US, Azerbaijan and Georgia - so as the title of the show suggests, we're in for another grand tour around the world. Richard Hammond appeared on Good Morning Britain to discuss the show and said that they'd a terrifying experience in Columbia. (Image: ITV) The trio had to drive their cars over a small and incredibly unstable bridge above a fast-flowing river. "You know sometimes you have to play up on camera?" Richard said. "Not required on that." He added that the experience had left him "shaking all over". In lighter news, they will also be returning to the test-track that they fondly refer to as the "Eboladrome" because of its resemblance to the shape of the Ebola virus. The Grand Tour returns to Amazon Prime on Friday January 18. | https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/grand-tour-season-three-amazon-15694652 |
When will Simon Dobbin's attackers get out of prison? | Get daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Nearly four years ago Simon Dobbin's life was changed forever when he was attacked by around 25 men leaving him paralysed and unable to walk or talk. Now Simon's wife Nicole says that ten of Simon's attackers have already finished their prison sentences. Simon, an avid Cambridge United fan, and his friends had spent the afternoon of March 21, 2015 in the Blue Boar Pub watching an England Rugby game following a U's away game against Southend. (Image: Warren Gunn) However, a group of men then entered the pub in search of Cambridge United fans prompting Simon and his friends to leave and head to the train station. But before they reached Prittlewell train station, Simon became separated from the rest of the group after he took a wrong turning. At around 7.15pm he passed The Railway Tavern in East Street heading towards the train platform, when a large group of around 25 men came out of the pub and set upon him. Simon was knocked unconscious and suffered swelling on the brain in the attack which only lasted about 90 seconds, yet when paramedics reached him it took seven minutes to restart his heart. He was put in an induced coma and spent four months in Addenbrookes Hospital, followed by eight months in rehabilitation. He was left unable to walk or talk, and returned back to his home in Mildenhall, Suffolk, in March 2016 but requires 24-hour care. Talking to Cambridgeshire Live about DIY SOS coming to their house Nicole Dobbin said: Out of the 12 men that did this to Simon, ten of them are now out of prison. The show will give the loved ones of those men the chance to see what they really did to Simon and how they took his life away. "Simon is very much aware of whats going on. Before he was outgoing and loved life. They have taken all that away." Twelve convicted (Image: Essex Police) Of the 25 men who reportedly set upon Simon, nine were convicted for violent disorder. They were sentenced on July 17 2017; Ryan Carter, of no fixed address or occupation was sentenced to five years in prison Thomas Randell, a consumer credit employee of Seaforth Avenue, Southend was sentenced to five years in prison Alexander Woods, of Fairmead Avenue, Southend and no occupation was sentenced to five years in prison Jamie Chambers, a removals operative, of Southchurch Avenue, Southend was sentenced to four years in prison Lewis Courtnell, a fence installer, of Stadium Road, Southend was sentenced to three and a half years in prison Scott Nicholls, a construction worker, of Little Spenders, Basildon was sentenced to three and a half years in prison Matthew Petchey, unemployed, formerly of Lascelles Gardens, Rochford was sentenced to three and a half years in prison James Woods, a chef, of Fairmead Avenue, Westcliff was sentenced to three and a half years in prison Rhys Pullen, a telecommunications engineer of Bridge Road, Wickford, was sentenced to 16 months Three others: Greg Allen, Phil McGill and Micheal Shawyer were convicted at the same trial of conspiracy to commit violent disorder and received jail sentences between three, and two and a half years. A thirteenth man, Ian Young, an electrician, of Brightwell Avenue, Westcliff, was convicted of assisting an offender and admitted possessing a pepper spray. He was given an 18-month sentence suspended for two years and was ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work. Most of Simon's attackers would only serve half of their sentences in prison, serving the remainder of them free but on parole. Rhys Pullen was 21 when he pleaded guilty to attacking Simon and received a 16-month prison sentence, meaning he s now out of jail. If he was released early on good behaviour it could have been as little as eight months inside. (Image: Keith Jones) It's now been 18 months since the 12 were sentenced, which means only those with the longest sentences are likely to still be in prison. | https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/simon-dobbin-diysos-attackers-prison-15693988 |
Who Will Blink First in Fight Over Border Wall Funding? | WASHINGTON (AP) Of all the issues at stake as President Donald Trump and Democrats wrangle over his prized border wall, the latest snag is whether bargaining over the proposal should come before or after shuttered government agencies reopen. It sounds like one of those perplexing snits that frustrates Americans and prompts them to blame both parties for Washingtons dysfunction. But its actually a consequential dispute about wholl have leverage, now and later, as the partial shutdown enters its 27th day Thursday, setting a dubious record for duration. If Trump blinks first and temporarily halts the shutdown so negotiators can seek agreement, the White House and some Republicans worry therell be no incentive pushing Democrats to cut a deal. Yet Democrats fear that if they negotiate while the shutdown persists, it would encourage Trump to use such brinkmanship in the future. Hed think the pressure tactic had worked, and hed have plenty of opportunities to do the same in the near future, they say. Later this year, Congress and Trump will have to renew the governments borrowing authority or face the first federal default, which many believe would batter the economy. By autumn, lawmakers will also need to approve a fresh round of spending bills for next year, providing opportunities for Trump to threaten a new shutdown for whatever issue he deems worth highlighting as his 2020 re-election campaign revs up. The Democrats No. 2 Senate leader, Dick Durbin of Illinois, likened the situation to a family whose ornery uncle lives upstairs and threatens to turn off the electricity every time they talk about building an addition. You say to yourself, Am I going to encourage him to shut off the electricity every time theres a family discussion over an issue? Durbin said. Youve got to tell the uncle upstairs, Thats unacceptable. That same desire to maintain leverage is whats helped keep many Republicans on Trumps side. Underscoring that, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said Republicans were divided over a proposal by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Chris Coons, D-Del., for a three-week respite from the shutdown while negotiators seek agreement on wall money. Trump has previously spurned the idea. To strike a deal temporarily reopening government, the commitment from Democrats would have to be pretty strong to get something done on the wall, Rounds said. Otherwise, he added about Trump, If its just seen as a weakening of his position, then he probably wouldnt do it. Graham, who is close to Trump, has been among the most outspoken Republican advocates of temporarily halting the shutdown. If you open the government back for a defined period of time, youve lost nothing if you cant reach a deal, Graham said in an interview. I havent had one Democrat come up to me and say, Lets do a deal with the government shut down. Theyre all saying, Theres something we can do, but we just cant do it now. Because if you do it now, theyll shut down the government next year for something else. I share that sentiment. Trump is demanding $5.7 billion to build more than 200 miles of his proposed Southwest border wall, and has refused to sign spending bills reopening government lacking that money. Democrats say they wont give him any wall funds but have been willing to provide $1.3 billion for other types of border security, like technology and some physical barriers. Polls this month show more Americans blaming Trump than Democrats for the shutdown, a comfort to Democrats and a concern for a growing number of Senate Republicans including some seeking re-election in 2020 from swing states like Colorado and Maine. But majorities of Republicans polled agree with Trump that theres an immigration crisis at the Mexican border and blame Democrats for the shutdown. That means GOP senators abandon Trump at their own peril. All this helps explain why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has refused to force a solution to the standoff. McConnell is known for brokering bipartisan agreements in the past. But ever since Trump walked away from a pre-Christmas deal to avert the shutdown that both parties thought the White House backed, McConnell has said its up to Trump and congressional Democrats to craft a compromise. McConnell has ruled out sending legislation reopening the government to Trump for a certain veto. Some have mentioned that tactic as a way of letting vulnerable GOP senators demonstrate they want to end the shutdown, but many Republicans have no desire to defy Trump and risk retribution from the presidents loyal legion of voters. The number of people ready to end the shutdown is a pretty good-sized number, said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member of his partys Senate leadership. But the number of people willing to take actions that they know the president doesnt agree with and wont be successful is a much smaller number, if that number exists at all. | https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/01/17/who_will_blink_first_in_fight_over_border_wall_funding_139203.html |
Was wusste die Deutsche Bank? | Die Deutsche Bank soll Medienberichten zufolge schon frh von umstrittenen Dividendengeschften zu Lasten des deutschen Staates gewusst haben. Nach Informationen von "Sddeutscher Zeitung", NDR und WDR war das Geldinstitut bereits im Mrz 2007 darber informiert, dass Banken und Fonds den Fiskus mit sogenannten "Cum-Ex"-Geschften systematisch betrogen haben. Das gehe aus internen E-Mails hervor. Die Deutsche Bank habe aber davon abgesehen, die Bundesregierung zu warnen und sich stattdessen entschieden, bei den Aktien-Geschften als Dienstleister mitzuverdienen. Die Deutsche Bank erklrte, sie habe an einem organisierten "Cum-Ex"-Markt weder als Kuferin noch als Leerverkuferin teilgenommen. Als groer Marktteilnehmer sei man jedoch in solche Geschfte von Kunden eingebunden gewesen. Bei den umstrittenen Aktiengeschften nutzten Investoren eine Lcke im Gesetz, die am Ende dazu fhrte, dass die Finanzmter Kapitalertragsteuern erstatteten, die gar nicht gezahlt worden waren. Europaweit soll sich der Schaden auf mehr als 55 Milliarden Euro belaufen. | https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/cum-ex-geschaefte-was-wusste-die-deutsche-bank.1939.de.html?drn:news_id=967472 |
When Will Shameless Return With All-New Episodes? | Its the beginning of the end for Emmy Rossums Fiona on Shameless (cue the Boyz II Men classic Its so Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday). The second-half of Season 9 will feature Rossums final episodes on the longest-running original scripted series in Showtimes history. With both Rossum and Cameron Monaghans Ian exiting the series (at least for now), big changes are in store for the always volatile Gallagher family. Heres everything you need to know! Shameless returns with all-new episodes beginning Sunday, January 20 on Showtime. New episodes of Shameless air from 9:00-10:00 p.m. on Showtime. Titled The Apple Doesnt Fall Far From the Alibi, heres the IMDB synopsis of the next all-new episode (Season 9, Episode 8) of Shameless: Fionas downward spiral continues and Debbie steps in to pick up the slack at the Gallagher house. Ingrid ropes Frank into fulfilling her lifelong dream. Yes! The first eight seasons of Shameless are available to stream on Netflix. Shameless isnt currently streaming on Hulu, but you can add Showtime to the platform for $8.99 a month. You can catch up with Shameless Season 9 on Showtime.com or Showtime Anytime. HOW TO LIVE STREAM SHAMELESS: If youre a Showtime subscriber, you can live stream Shameless via Showtime Anytime, the Showtime Anytime app, or on Showtime.com. No problem! You can sign up for a free trial of Showtime here. You can add Showtime to your Amazon Prime account for $8.99 a month. You can sample Showtime on Prime with a 7-day free trial. Shameless episodes are also available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime. Where to stream Shameless | https://decider.com/2019/01/17/when-does-shameless-return-2019/ |
When Will The Grand Tour Season 3 Arrive on Prime Video? | The gang from The Grand Tour are about to return for Season 3! Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May will soon be back to wreak vehicular havoc when Amazons immensely popular racing series returns for Season 3. Part comedy, part documentary, the team will once again be driving new and exciting automobiles from manufacturers around the world. Heres everything you need to know. The Grand Tour Season 3 premieres Friday, January 18 on Prime Video. You wont have to wait one extra minute to begin streaming the new season of The Grand Tour. Season 3 is scheduled to premiere on Amazon at 12:00 a.m. in each respective time zone, which means you you can watch The Grand Tour Season 3 on January 18 at the stroke of midnight. You bet! Ahead of The Grand Tour Season 3 release date, Amazon dropped a trailer for the new season back in November. Nope. This series is streaming exclusively on Prime Video. No official announcement has been made regarding The Grand Tour Season 4. Series 1 debuted in November of 2016. Season 2 premiered in December of 2017. With Season 3 hitting Amazon on January 18, its going to be awhile before we see Season 4. The earliest date would, seemingly, be January of 2020. Where to stream The Grand Tour | https://decider.com/2019/01/17/the-grand-tour-season-3-start-date/ |
Who Is the Unicorn on The Masked Singer? | Where to Stream: The Masked Singer More Options Oops, we did it again. After last nights performance of the Britney Spears classic, we got too invested in the identity of the mysterious Unicorn on Foxs The Masked Singer. And this time we think we know the secret behind this mythical creature. One of the odder additions to 2019 television, the reality competition show The Masked Singer follows a group of fully costumed celebrities as they sing/duel against one another. All we know about these fully covered performers is a mysterious list of clues and that theyre famous in some way. Its a show that encourages people to blurt out insane sentences like Corbin Bleu is ABSOLUTELY the Monster, yet it still remains addicting fun. Last night we finally learned the identity of The Masked Singers creepiest performer, The Deer. However, we have another more pressing question on our mind. Weve got a few ideas. Everything We Know About the Unicorn on The Masked Singer It all comes down to the clues, and in Week 3 we have a lot of them. The Unicorn first appeared in The Masked Singers first week where they revealed three key clues. They were born in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country. Their childhood should have been magical but it wasnt, hinting at some past trauma. And somehow Beverly Hills 90210 is connected to this star. Part of the Fox shows opening sequence appeared during their first clues segment. The Unicorns second appearance brought out a couple more intriguing details. Even though they wish to exude model behavior, according to the unknown celebrity, they feel as though theyve been lacking confidence because I lost my sheen. Basically were on the lookout for a wealthy star with a troubled past who likely dabbled in modeling and is possibly connected to either Charlie or Martin Sheen. Maybe. Heres Who the Judges Think the Unicorn Is on The Masked Singer During Week 1, both Robin Thicke and Jenny McCarthy suspected this hidden performer was a 2000s-era starlet. The names Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan were thrown into the mix. Nicole Scherzinger disagreed, pointing out that the performer was almost certainly someone who was older and not a trained singer. Both Lohan and Hilton had brief music careers. In Week 3, the judges diversified their guesses a bit. After the Unicorns performance of Oops! I Did It Again Scherzinger put her money on the horned horse being Denise Richards. She later altered her guess, stating that they may also be a gymnast since a gold medal appeared in their Week 2 video. That guess was immediately struck down when the Unicorn coyly said she was only a gymnast in the bedroom. Scandal. Thicke went with Gabby Douglas, and McCarthy proposed Mary Lou Retton. The Unicorn Might Be Were putting our money on either Tori Spelling or Denise Richards. Not only did Spelling star on Beverly Hills 90210, but her father Aaron Spelling was also a producer for the series. Plus she notoriously talked about her difficult early years in the book Stori Telling. Thats three major clues checked off. That being said, the Richards argument does hold water. The actress may not have had as wealthy of a childhood as Spellings but she did have a notoriously rocky marriage with Charlie Sheen. We wont know anything for sure until someone unmasks this horse, but cmon. Its Tori Spelling. Where to stream The Masked Singer | https://decider.com/2019/01/17/the-masked-singer-unicorn/ |
Will The Shutdown Hurt Trumps Re-election Chances? | The partial government shutdown is beginning to drag on President Trumps approval rating, which is at its lowest point in months. As of early Wednesday evening, his approval rating was 40.2 percent, according to our tracking of public polling, down from 42.2 percent on Dec. 21, the day before the shutdown began. Its his lowest score since last September. And Trumps disapproval rating was 54.8 percent, up from 52.7 percent before the shutdown. His net approval rating, -14.6 percent, was at its lowest point since February 2018. There shouldnt be much doubt that the shutdown is behind the negative turn in Trumps numbers. While there have been other newsworthy events over the past few weeks, such as turnover among Trumps senior staffers and a wobbly stock market, the shift is well-timed to the start of the shutdown on Dec. 22. Trumps approval ratings had been steady at about 42 percent for several months before the shutdown. Since then, theyve been declining at a fairly linear rate of about half a point for every week that the shutdown has been underway, while his disapproval rating has increased by half a point per week. Trumps increasingly negative ratings match polling showing Americans growing concerned about the shutdown and disliking Trumps handling of it. In a Marist College poll that was released this week, for example, 61 percent of respondents said the shutdown had given them a more negative view of Trump, while just 28 percent said they felt more positively toward him. So all of that sounds pretty bad for Trump. The glib answer is probably not. Were a loooong way from the presidential election. And presidential approval ratings, as well as those for congressional leaders, typically rebound within a couple of months of a shutdown ending. A shutdown in October 2013 that caused a steep decline in ratings for congressional Republicans didnt prevent them from having a terrific midterm in 2014, for instance. Also consider the insane velocity of the news cycle under President Trump. Moreover, there hasnt been that much of a shift, so far. In the context of the narrow historic range of President Trumps approval ratings, which have rarely been higher than 43 percent or lower than 37 percent, a 2-point shift might seem relatively large. But its still just 2 points, when many past presidents saw there numbers gyrate up and down by 5 or 10 points at a time. But I wonder if that answer isnt a little too glib. There are some reasons for Trump and Republicans to worry that the shutdown could have both short- and long-term downsides. For one thing, theres no particular sign that the shutdown is set to end any time soon. And if the decline in Trumps approval rating were to continue at the same rate that it has so far, it would take his political standing from bad to worse. By Jan. 29, for example, the day that Trump was originally set to deliver the State of the Union address before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi disinvited him from addressing Congress, his approval rating would be 39.3 percent, and his disapproval rating would be 55.9 percent. By March 1, at which point funding for federal food stamps could run out, his approval rating and disapproval rating would be 36.9 percent and 58.4 percent, respectively, roughly matching the lowest point of his presidency so far. In addition, because this is already the longest shutdown in U.S. history, past precedent for the political impact of shutdowns may not be fully informative. Theres the possibility that the shutdown ends not with a whimper (with Trump caving or with he and Pelosi anticlimactically reaching a compromise) but instead with a literal or proverbial bang, such as the government bungling a response to a natural or man-made disaster. A prolonged shutdown could also materially affect the economy, although there could be some catch-up growth later. A temporary decline in GDP or consumer confidence probably wouldnt affect Trumps re-election, although a long-term decline obviously would. Despite those possibilities, Id still put a lot of weight toward our historical priors, which contain relatively good news for Trump. With almost 22 months to go until the election, its too early for either approval ratings or economic data to be highly predictive of a presidents re-election chances. Furthermore, approval ratings tend to rebound after shutdowns, and in any event, the decline in Trumps numbers hasnt been all that large, yet. Nonetheless, if I were hoping for Trumps re-election, there are two indirect reasons that the shutdown and its fallout would worry me. One has to do with his relationship with the congressional GOP; the other with his strategic posture toward his re-election bid. The shutdown may have frayed Trumps relationship with Republicans in Congress Republican leaders in Congress didnt want the shutdown in the first place. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and former Majority Whip John Cornyn originally thought theyd talked Trump out of shutting down the government I dont know anybody on the Hill that wants a shutdown, and I think all the presidents advisers are telling him this would not be good, Cornyn told Politico on Dec. 18 before Trump shifted strategies in response to right-wing pressure. Meanwhile, two of the most vulnerable Republican senators Colorados Cory Gardner and Maines Susan Collins have called for an end to the shutdown. Another, North Carolinas Thom Tillis, has called for a compromise with Democrats on the border wall and DACA, a deal that the White House rejected last year. So it isnt entirely surprising that Republicans in both the House and the Senate have starkly and sometimes sarcastically critiqued Trumps shutdown strategy. Congressional Republicans are not a group Trump can easily afford to lose. They have a lot of power to check Trumps presidency, from modest measures such as treating his Cabinet nominations with more scrutiny to extreme ones like supporting his impeachment and removal from office. Obviously thats getting way, way ahead of ourselves, and Trumps approval ratings remain very strong among Republicans for now. That may constrain how much members of Congress push back against the president. But the conventional wisdom is arguably too dismissive of the possibility of an inflection point. Richard Nixons approval ratings had been in the low-to-mid-80s among Republican voters for years, but they suddenly fell into the 50s over the course of a few months in 1973. He resigned in August 1974. The shutdown has prompted Trump to double down on his all-base, all-the-time strategy But if Trump wants to get re-elected, his biggest problem isnt what Republicans think about him; its what the rest of the country does. The lesson of the midterms, in my view, was fairly clear: Trumps base isnt enough. The 2018 midterms werent unique in the scale of Republican losses: losing 40 or 41 House seats is bad, but the presidents party usually does poorly at the midterms. Rather, its that these losses came on exceptionally high turnout of about 119 million voters, which is considerably closer to 2016s presidential year turnout (139 million) than to the previous midterm in 2014 (83 million). Republicans did turn out in huge numbers for the midterms, but the Democratic base which is larger than the Republican one turned out also, and independent voters strongly backed Democratic candidates for the House. Plenty of presidents, including Obama, Clinton and Reagan, recovered from poor midterms to get re-elected. But those presidents typically sought to pivot or triangulate toward the center; we dont know if the political rebound occurs if the pivot doesnt. Instead, Trump has moved in the opposite direction. Despite some initial attempts at reaching out to the center, such as in passing a criminal justice bill in December and issuing trial balloons about an infrastructure package, Trumps strategy of shutting down the government to insist on a border wall was aimed at placating his critics on the right, such as Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, and members of the House Freedom Caucus. Maybe Trump took some of the wrong lessons from 2016. Trump may mythologize 2016 as an election in which he was brought into the White House on the strength of his base, but that isnt necessarily why he won. And even if it was, trying to duplicate the strategy might not work again: Given that, perhaps 2018 is a better model for 2020 than 2016. In the midterms, voting closely tracked Trumps approval ratings, and he paid the price for his unpopularity. According to the exit poll, midterm voters disapproved of Trumps performance by a net of 9 percentage points. Not coincidentally, Republicans also lost the popular vote for the House by 9 percentage points. Theres plenty of time for Trumps numbers to improve, but for now, theyre getting worse. So while the shutdowns consequences may not last into 2020, it has been another step in the wrong direction at a moment when presidents have usually pivoted to the center. | https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-shutdown-is-hurting-trumps-approval-rating-but-will-it-hurt-him-in-2020/ |
Did Junie Become the Newest Member of the Kings Street Team? | Even though the Kings Street Team Auditions were held prior to the season, on Monday, one more applicant made a case for inclusion in future on-court pump-ups; Iman Tayla Shumpert Jr. Not only is she the youngest member, but she takes the cake for the cutest on the Street Team as well. All eyes were on her as she made her way to the court to give the fans some free mini-basketballs. She even got a shout-out from her mom, Teyana Taylor, who caught her first appearance on camera too. Become one of the already 400,000-plus that follow the newest Sacramento crowd-hyping star on Instagram. | https://www.nba.com/kings/did-junie-become-newest-member-kings-street-team |
Who is Nick Boles? And how is he trying to delay Brexit? | Nick Boles was elected as an MP in 2010 and was a minister in two departments David Camerons Government between 2014 and 2016. He is campaigning against Britain cutting ties with the European Union after Brexit. His proposed Private Members Bill the EU Withdrawal (Number 2) Bill - aims to put MPs in control of the Brexit process. It demands an extension to the Article 50 process to allow negotiations to continue beyond exit day - March 29. Yes. Mr Boles had planned to let the cross-party Commons Liaison Committee of senior backbenchers draw up an alternative Brexit plan. However... | https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/01/17/nick-boles-trying-delay-brexit/ |
Why Are Students Using Online Essay Writing Services? | Recent years, we have witnessed a huge growth of popularity of online essay writing services among students of all academic levels. Lots of students use these professional services to buy cheap custom essays, especially, at the end of the semester when they are really pressed for time studying for the exams and completing final papers. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed with the amount of coursework, young people prefer to hire an experienced writer from a reliable essay writing service to help them cross the finish line. Essay writing services are online platforms where you can easily get fast and affordable writing help with any type of college assignment by any deadline. You can hire a freelance writer to create a model essay for you. Besides, you can submit your draft essay and have it checked by a qualified writer or an experienced editor. Still, many people consider these services controversial. They think that students who use them are actually cheating. Real Reasons Why Students Buy Essays There is a common misconception that only ESL students who have a poor command of English use paper writing services. Its true because foreigners really have trouble with writing academically. But the problem is that practically every student may need professional writing help at some point in their academic career. The system of higher education is mostly made up on writing, and multiple academic papers are assigned in practically every class. Even most talented and hard-working students often find it impossible to meet all the coursework requirements and have to delegate their writing assignments to professional writers. Students who study at the most prestigious universities are actually the most regular clients because the amount of coursework is huge and they just cannot afford to fail. Thats why a lot of people order custom papers online when they cant meet tough deadlines for numerous college papers assigned by their professors. Since paper writing services provide all types of assignments in various subject areas, students take advantage of the opportunity to easily solve practically any writing dilemma. Its common knowledge that many students who enter colleges and universities have poor writing skills because they were not taught to write academically at high school. High school students typically have to take tests with multiple choice questions. Its impossible to become a strong writer in a short period of time, and college students have to look for writing help. With so many assignments and so little time, young people turn to online writing agencies out of desperation. Besides, the majority of college and university students have to work part-time or even full-time to earn their living and pay their bills, especially now when costs for higher education have skyrocketed. Students often have to skip classes and have no time for completing all their essays and research papers on time. Its really hard to combine full-time studies with a part-time or full-time job, and students live under constant pressure. Essay writing services give working students a good opportunity to relieve stress at least for a while. Essay writing services provide quick and affordable assistance with all types of academic papers. They promise to deliver original papers, and if you deal with a trustworthy custom writing company, you can be sure that your assignment will be written from scratch. The content is always based on the customers requirements. Professional writers take care to properly reference all the sources according to the requirements of a specific citation style. Thats why when students decide to purchase essays on reliable online essay writing services, they can be completely sure that the academic content they get is unique and 100% plagiarism-free. And all custom writing companies guarantee complete privacy and security, so no one will ever know that students have used their services to improve their GPA. Its up to you to decide how to use your custom essays. But if you want to have a successful college career, you should use them as tools that can help you improve your own writing skills. Since all papers are strong in content and style, you should consider them as perfect templates you can follow for writing your own academic papers and practice a lot to push your writing skills to the next level. | http://cascadebusnews.com/students-using-online-essay-writing-services/ |
Should Gladys Knight Have Said Yes To Performing The National Anthem At Super Bowl 53? | The NFL has announced that legendary soul singer Gladys Knight, who was born and raised in Atlanta, will perform The National Anthem at Super Bowl LIII. In a prepared statement, the beloved seven-time Grammy winner said she is "proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country in my hometown of Atlanta." She went on to say "The NFL recently announced their new social justice platform Inspire Change, and I am honored to be a part of its inaugural year." Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has not played professional football since the 2016 season and no NFL team has been willing to hire, has an ongoing lawsuit against the NFL. He charges that teams illegally colluded with each other to keep him out of the league over objections to his refusal to stand for The National Anthem, choosing instead (and being joined by other NFL players) to "take a knee" when the song played before his games. Some fans have shown enthusiam since the announcement... This will be awesome. Let us know on Facebook. | https://v103.radio.com/blogs/mike-jordan/gladys-knights-will-sing-national-anthem-super-bowl-53 |
Do Our Dentists Hate Us? | Pebbles in your mouth, bones you can see. The closest thing we have to proof that God doesnt exist. Yes, it seems were just alone here, pointlessly dying on Earth with our rotting mouth bones. But at least we have dentists to care for us. I recently underwent the search for a new dentist. It had been a fairly unreasonable amount of time since Id seen my last dentist, because that dentist scared me. She was not very kind about a number of things, including a procedure I needed, imminently, that would have cost thousands of dollars. She seemed very unhappy with me for needing this costly procedure. Well, Im certainly not getting that done, I thought, leaving her office. (The procedure was a root canal, and I did, in fact, have it done recently.) (I have dental insurance now.) So when I eventually asked around about a new dentist, I had two qualifications: that they take my insurance and not be upset with me. My dentist is actually nice! I heard from some. Mine will be tough with you, but they actually arent too mean, from another. I think my brother likes his dentist, from another who, I think we can agree, was reaching. A common thread seemed to be the idea that dentists are generally upset, but that my friends were under the care of outliers. My question for you is she said. Have you heard this from patients? My answer for her was mostly the story I told above, but I did think the question deserved more prodding. On Twitter, I asked if anyone had a similar feeling. They did. To protect the innocence of the many who kindly and eagerly told me their dental woes, I will keep them anonymous. Ive grown to fear judgment from my dental hygienist and in turn dentist far more than any mouth pain, said anonymous dental patient (ADP) No. 1. Even though Im now flossing regularly, they always have something negative to say, like Im flossing too hard, or Im not making enough of a C shape with my floss when I do it. I did have a dentist who was upset about my lack of flossing and brushing habits, said ADP No. 2. It wasnt just an impression I got, they were pretty upfront about it. Every dentist Ive ever visited has scolded me for not flossing, not flossing enough, not flossing correctly, not flossing after every meal, and maybe even one said something about flossing after gum. Damn. Its rough out there for ADP No. 3. I like my dentist now fine, but my childhood dentist still haunts me, ADP No. 4 told me. Starting around first grade I had a cavity at almost every visit. Then, he never gave me enough novocaine and, when I would cry while he was drilling, he would stop, ask me if I could feel it, and when I answered yes he would say, no you cant and keep going. I used to go to a dentist that was horrible. The entire appointment was dragging me for not flossing. I very literally got yelled at by one dentist for the state of my teeth during an appointment. I once had a dentist get rather upset and tell me I brushed my teeth too vigorously, at which point I officially gave up and just accepted that my efforts at dental hygiene are futile. Et cetera, et cetera. It would seem the experience is not uncommon. So, back to the question. Im a general dentist, and I was really thinking about this, but I cant ever remember being mad or angry at a patient for for anything, really, NYUs Dr. Hilburg told me. She said she could see how, sometimes, any health-care provider might be frustrated if their patient hasnt followed through on the plan they were told to follow. Not because they were angry at them, but because they were looking out for the health of the patient. Ive had new patients that come in and seem almost apologetic that they havent been to the dentist in a number of years, or months, or whatever it is, she said. And what I say to them always is theres no reason to feel guilty. Youre here right now, so lets move forward. And thats that. (For the sake of full disclosure, I had one ADP tell me their dental hygienist told them exactly this, after they hadnt been to the dentist in many years. After the first stretch it was mostly to avoid judgmental comments from the dentist. When I finally went last year, I was very sheepish about it being a long time but the dental hygienist said, Well, youre here now! and that felt better.) We never, ever try to make patients feel embarrassed in any way. But it is a pretty common feeling, Dr. Ramin Tabib of NYC Smile Design told me. Theyre worried that we may need to lecture them. My feeling is that its not a necessary feeling, and it shouldnt be there. If its embarrassing you that you havent flossed, Tabib said, were not about to make you feel worse about it. Just to educate you. Hm. It is a tactic sometimes thats been used by dentists to I dont know, I wont say browbeat, he said, but to control the situation. They feel like by talking in a certain way to a patient theyll have the authority, and the patients will never question anything. I think thats the wrong approach. I do hear it, patients come in telling me about it. If other dentists feel annoyed or angry at their patients, I dont know about that. Thats certainly not me or my father. This is Dr. Sivan Finkel, a cosmetic dentist who has a stylish dental practice called Dental Parlour in Manhattan (with his father). But he said. What we do is not so much about blaming the patients, or scolding the patients, its about making the patients own their issue. By that he means, asking a patient to be honest about their dental history and current routine so they can understand why the teeth are in the state theyre in, and what needs to be done to fix and maintain them. Then, if we kind of put our foot down and tell a patient, listen, you have to stay on top of this, you have to take care, you have to own your problem, its not about scolding them or placing the blame. But if theyre about to embark on us doing all of this beautiful work for them, and sometimes its expensive. So we dont want to do something thats not going to last. Sounds scary to me. Still, he said, We certainly shouldnt ever make our patients feel bad, or ashamed that they dont floss, or they dont do this. Hm. While I did hope to get a dentist to go on record saying she curses her patients nightly even offering dentists anonymity to do so I suppose its not particularly surprising that no one did. Part of the dentists code, I assume. Perhaps it is a problem of perception. I emailed with Abigail Marsh, associate professor of psychology at Georgetown University, about the potential emotional disconnect. Much emotional communication is inherently ambiguous, and our own expectations, learning history, personality, and current affective state can all change the way we perceive others emotions, she said. If we expect someone to be angry with us, for example, were more likely to seek signs that they are angry, and interpret any ambiguousness as a sign of anger; if we think theyre likely to be disappointed, we might interpret the same ambiguousness as concern. People misperceive others emotions all the time! she said. Marsh explained that even in a controlled laboratory setting, people only accurately recognize simple emotions (like happiness, anger, fear, and disgust) about 70 or 80 percent of the time. And those averages dont show the breadth of individual variation. People vary considerably in their sensitivity to different emotions. Richard Zinbarg, psychology professor and department chair at Northwestern University, backs her up. Speaking over the phone, he explained his research into whether anxiety influences the interpretation of emotions, particularly when the emotions are ambiguous. Our research has produced results that suggest that the anxiety level of the perceiver is associated with a tendency to read ambiguous faces as if theyre angry or disgusted, Zinbarg said. So if the dental patient is anxious, like, oh, Ive been a bad boy, they wanted me to floss and I didnt, oh, jeez, it kind of triggers some buttons leftover from childhood when we didnt meet our parents expectations. It could be, he proposes, that the dental professional isnt angry at all and, instead, is just a very breezy neutral. No. But the research does provide a potential explanation. Finally, I spoke with Lisa Feldman Barrett, professor of psychology at Northeastern University and author of How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. She explained that what she thinks is happening when a person attempts to perceive another persons emotional state: Mainly, that the perceivers brain is just trying to reconcile its own internal sensations (like a funny feeling in the stomach, or an increased heart rate) with the sensations outside of it (like someones scowl or happy face). So a raised heartbeat or a scowl can mean many different things to a brain. So [a persons experience] is constructed by the person making sense of their own internal sensations, and the sensations from the world. Its a little heady (like teeth), so she explained further. If you and I were face-to-face instead of talking over the phone, you would be not only getting acoustical cues from my voice, but you would also get cues from the movement of my face, and my body movements, and so on. My brain would be, at once, trying to make sense of those cues and my own internal state. And my brain, she continued, would also be trying to make sense of my own internal state and so on and so forth. So, my brain is making sense of the whole array, including my movements and sensations, and youre doing the same. And the accurate perception of a persons emotional state arises, she thinks, when those two are aligned. Its seems its simply very hard to be alive and interact with people, which was always my suspicion. I think another piece of the puzzle is that theres a stereotype, or a belief, in our culture, she said, that people scowl when theyre angry and smile when theyre happy. Sometimes people do scowl when theyre angry, but they also do other things with their face, or nothing at all. And sometimes people scowl just because theyre concentrating really hard. This stereotype causes people to misperceive things in each other. And I think this commonly happens under high arousal states where theres a lot of pressure, and people are feeling really worked up. Im guessing this is just a guess, just a reasoned speculation based on what I know my guess is that in a dentists office, the patient is in a high arousal state, because who wouldnt be. And probably the dentist is concentrating really hard and problem solving. (Are they upset because they interpret the disrespect we pay to our teeth as disrespect paid to them, which is something I did not explore in this piece because it is already very long but would like to include in this parenthetical?) Hm, its tough to know for sure. Stay in touch. Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily Email By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. | https://www.thecut.com/2019/01/why-does-it-always-seem-like-our-dentists-are-mad-at-us.html?utm_source=nym&utm_medium=f1&utm_campaign=feed-part |
How does UVA guard Duke? How does Duke guard UVA? | Twitter Facebook Google+ WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Email Duke and UVA have top five offenses and top five defenses. First, the elephant in the room: Zion Williamson. I dont think, at the outset, that you approach Williamson with a single guy. No such guy a Shutdown Zion Williamson Guy exists, not in college, not in the NBA. You dont stop Zion Williamson, as the saying goes: you only hope to contain him. What you will see will depend a bit on how Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski approaches his Tre Jones problem. Most likely, its a little of both, to see what works. When Duke goes big, I think you see Tony Bennett counter, lineup-wise, with what has been his starting lineup for the past month: Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, DeAndre Hunter, Mamadi Diakite, Jack Salt. In that configuration, I think Hunter starts out on Williamson, to try to take away Williamsons dribble-drive game, make him one-dimensional, in the post, with help when he gets the ball in the post from post-to-post doubles from Salt or Diakite. Id expect, too, to see Diakite get some defensive possessions on Williamson against the Duke big lineup. Hunter can hold his own against either DeLaurier or Bolden in the post, and youd force Duke to recognize the switch and run a set for Williamson to get the ball on the wing. You basically tell Diakite in this setting, sag, give him space for a jump shot, let Williamson be a jump shooter, then close out. You could try Salt, but, no, actually, I dont know that you could try Salt. That just invites a clear-out and an ESPN highlight. If Duke goes small, if you can call White at 67 and OConnell at 66, alongside Williamson (67), R.J. Barrett (67) and Cam Reddish (68) going small, the best defensive lineup might be Guy, Jerome, Hunter, Diakite and Braxton Key. With this lineup, you can rotate three guys on Williamson: Diakite, Hunter and Key. Post-to-post doubles are still key here, and rotations behind the doubles are even more important, with three Duke guys spotting up on the three-point line, and Barrett cutting backdoor, as the price to pay for getting caught out of position. Williamson, to his credit, is the top-rated defender in the Duke rotation, per sports-reference.com. Part of the reason for that is that he has been playing the four defensively, and playing post D at 67, 285 in college, youre not going to get a lot of college kids who can compete, strength-wise, with a guy that NFL left tackles would need help from a tight end or running back to protect the blind side. I wrote yesterday about how the loss of Tre Jones impacts the Duke offense. What his absence means defensively is, yes, you dont have him hawking the opponent point guard and streaking into passing lanes, but another impact is on what it means for where Williamson needs to be able to check. If Coach K goes big, that means Williamson is at the three, which puts him on Hunter. Now, Hunter, on the defensive end, gives up 60 pounds to Williamson, which invites Williamson to take Hunter into the post to use his size and strength to his advantage. But Williamson being stuck on Hunter when Duke is on defense invites Hunter to take Williamson away from the basket, which does a couple of things. One, Hunter has the advantage there, either dribble-driving or shooting the open three if Williamson sags to prevent the dribble drive. Two, pulling Williamson away from the hoop makes it harder for him to patrol the lane for the help side block that ESPN has also come to love. So, chess match: as much as the big lineup looks great on paper, the need on defense may force Duke to go with the smaller, three-and-D lineup with their Big Three alongside White and OConnell, which allows Williamson to guard whoever Virginias big is Diakite or Salt leaving him free for rim protection. I wrote yesterday that the absence of Tre Jones may make it hard for 59 freshman Kihei Clark to have much of an impact on this one. Clark was the defensive MVP of Virginias 81-59 win over #7 Virginia Tech on Tuesday, getting in the head of Hokies senior guard Justin Robinson to the point that Robinson ended up getting Td up in the second half of a frustrating nine-point, two-assist night. Clark got 30 minutes off the bench Tuesday night. Im not sure what he gets Saturday at Duke. The two ways I see Duke going lineup-wise to account for the loss of Jones has them going basically big either way. The smallest guy on the court in either scenario is 66. Clark, if you believe that hes actually 59, is giving up nine inches to everybody. I suspect that Krzyzewski will give some bench minutes to 62 sophomore guard Jordan Goldwire, but by and large, he likely goes to a point-guard-by-committee approach, with Barrett at 67 the primary. Id love it if Clark got some minutes on Barrett and had anything resembling the level of success that he had checking Robinson Tuesday night, but, cmon, that would be incredibly ballsy for Bennett to even try. Virginia gets a lot of credit for how hard it makes life for opponents to run offense, but it can be just as hard or harder on the defensive end keeping up with the Mover-Blocker for 20, 25 seconds, constant screens and cuts, running a marathon and fighting through bumps 60 times over the course of two hours. Thats what Barrett and Reddish can look forward to on Saturday, assuming Duke plays straight-up. Both Jerome and Guy are threats from the perimeter, on dribble-drives into the lane and dump-downs to bigs cutting to the rim, and the way Virginia initiates is unlike anything Duke has seen and will see. The wear and tear that you get from having to keep up has as much to do with the effectiveness of the Pack Line as the hard hedge, the post-to-post double and the backside rotations. Which is why it wouldnt surprise me to see Krzyzewski go zone: either sprinkling it in for stretches, or just chucking the man entirely. With the size that either lineup that Im expecting Duke to use being almost absurdly big, the effect could be Syracuse-like in terms of what youd see in terms of impact on jump shooters. Youre talking at least 66 at the top and on the wings, and crashing down on the high-post entry pass at the free-throw line. One thing a zone does is concede tempo to UVA, because youre not going to get a lot of run-outs from a 2-3. You could look at that, though, and say, might as well concede tempo anyway, because, it is Virginia were playing here. Forget the live-ball turnovers, which arent going to come, and try to out-Virginia Virginia, in essence. There would be a surprise element to this strategy, for sure. Duke used zone last season to cover up for deficiencies in that groups defensive abilities, but this years Duke team has proven to be borderline-elite in the man-to-man. But that was with Tre Jones. Id suspect that Bennett is working at least some on zone offense in anticipation. Column by Chris Graham Related News From Around the Web Shop Google | https://augustafreepress.com/how-does-uva-guard-duke-how-does-duke-guard-uva/ |
Are celebrity perfumes still relevant? | While new-wave brands like Glossier, Phlur and Pinrose are taking a direct-to-consumer approach to scent, these indie companies lack one major selling point that was, at one time, nearly synonymous with the industry: a celebrity endorsement. Though countless stars from Charlize Theron to Nick Jonas have served as the face of a luxury brand like Dior or Gucci, even more have created their own branded scents. Jennifer Aniston, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, David Beckham, Diddy, Rihanna and many more have all mixed and hawked their own personal cocktails. Paris Hilton is on her 26th perfume; Britney Spears has made 24. Perhaps the very first celebrity perfumer was Elizabeth Taylor who, in partnership with Elizabeth Arden, created Passion in 1987, followed by White Diamonds in 1991, the latter of which quickly became one of the top-selling fragrances of all time. At five percent of our overall business, celebrity fragrances will always have a place in the market and on our website, Fragrance.coms Fragrance Expert and VP of Business Development Patti Kapla told Page Six Style. Celebrities are products themselves, and their fragrance is an extension to that product line. People will always want to look, dress, act and ultimately smell like their favorite celebrities. In search of the best, most exotic scent, glamour queen Taylor sourced ingredients for White Diamonds from 15 countries, including Egypt, France, India, Morocco, Croatia and Ukraine. A total of more than 60 fresh flowers are used to make every single bottle, which has perhaps contributed to its long-lasting success and luxurious reputation. Matt Harkins and Viviana Olen, founders and curators of the THNK 1994 Museum whose most recent collection, The Fantasy of Celebrity Perfume, featured glittering illustrations of star fragrances ad campaigns by artist Miriam Carothers count Taylor as a marketing genius. [In the White Diamonds commercial] shes just covered in diamonds and wearing a white dress and playing poker with all these hot guys, Olen gushed. She tips her diamonds into one of their hands and she says These have always brought me luck, and its just like, wow, you can get a little piece of Elizabeth Taylor who wouldnt want that? In terms of the benefits that come with a branded scent, Kapla said its a way to keep the promotional tour rolling and give fans the 24/7 access they crave. For the celebrities, their product extensions keep them relevant in the market when they might not be releasing an album, touring, being out in the public eye, she explained. Harkins agreed, pointing to Spears as the best example. Her ads are so great because her most recent album came out and there were only one or two singles, not many music videos, and everyone was like, We want more Britney content,' he said. So instead of releasing more music, she comes out with a commercial for her new My Prerogative perfume and its better than most music videos that are produced today. Harkins also pointed out that each Spears commercial was essentially a mini movie that featured the singer as, for example, a goddess running through the forest being chased by a lovestruck hunter. In terms of marketability, however, Kapla, Harkins and Olen agree that splashy campaigns arent the only key to gaining and sustaining customers it comes down to whats in the bottle. So its a good thing that many of Spears scents are genuinely great; Midnight Fantasy even got a four-star review in the New York Times. If Chanel No. 5 were a Jolly Rancher flavor, this would be it, former scent critic Chandler Burr wrote in 2009. Our top sellers are iconic scents that have withstood the test of time, Kapla said. I believe that indie brands and luxury brands have surpassed the sales of celebrity fragrances, and so the oldies are still relevant. There are fewer celebrity launches than in the past when the market was inundated. Unsurprisingly, Elizabeth Taylors White Diamonds tops the list of Fragrance.coms ten best-selling celebrity scents. Its followed by Jennifer Lopezs Glow (launched in 2002) and Sarah Jessica Parkers Lovely (2005). J.Lo holds two other spots in the top ten for her later fragrances, while others on the list include Jessica Simpson, Spears and Gloria Vanderbilt. One notable (and somewhat surprising) celebrity on Fragrance.coms top list is Usher. His eponymous eau de toilette was released in 2007, and yet seems to still be relevant to the sites shoppers, who mostly range in age from 25 to 44. Usher is Usher hes a classy guy with a classy fragrance hes tried and true and it smells good, Kapla explained. Other male heartthrobs, like Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes, have also tried their hand at fragrances targeted at their rabid (mostly female, primarily young) audiences. Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes will always have a following, Kapla said. [But] today I believe that its more about the scent and how it smells on you then the name or celebrity endorsement. Leave it to Kim Kardashian West, however, to disprove the notion that shoppers wont buy a scent based solely on whos selling it. Over the past few years, the beauty mogul has disrupted the industry with her direct-to-consumer KKW Fragrance scents, which her fans happily snap up before even having the chance to sniff them first. When Kardashian launched her three KKW Crystal Gardenia scents for $60 each in 2017, she sold $10 million worth of the stuff in a single day, according to TMZ; her sold-out KKW Kimoji Hearts perfumes sold the same amount in just four days, according to the outlet. The experience of flipping through a tabloid and then seeing a perfume thats offering kind of like the essence of that celebrity is something that doesnt exist anymore because of social media, Harkins explained. But Kardashian, in a way, has managed to capture that same magic with savvy, headline-making PR stunts, like sending Valentines to her enemies to promote Kimoji Hearts or selling scents in bottles shaped like (and made from an exact mold of) her own famously curvy body. Even when the press is negative as when designer Jean Paul Gaultier pointed out the striking similarities between his fragrance bottle and Kardashians, or when Vibes Media sued the superstar over her Kimoji Vibes perfume it all still seems to boost Kardashians bottom line. The question now is whether Kardashian can sustain this sort of momentum. Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds continues to be an enormous success well after the death of its namesake, having raked in $1.5 billion in sales (and counting), according to a rep from the estate. Four bottles are sold per minute; one bottle every 15 seconds globally. And its the sole celebrity scent on Fragrance.coms list of all-time bestsellers, holding its own against iconic entries like Calvin Klein Eternity and Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue. So while Kim Kardashian may be playing a valuable role in keeping celebrity fragrances relevant, she still has a ways to go in order to keep up with Taylor. | https://pagesix.com/2019/01/17/are-celebrity-perfumes-still-relevant/ |
Will Canadas Harsh New Drinking & Driving Laws Be Effective? | The country has been tending towards a police state for some time. Nowhere are the losses of individual rights accepted by so many people as when these rights are taken away in order to combat drinking and driving. The new amendments to the Criminal Code that came into effect on Dec. 18, are not only draconian but some of the provisions border on the absurd. While some in the media have addressed the fact these amendments infringe upon peoples rights, little has been said about whether or not these changes to the law will be effective. Under the old law, police who lawfully stopped a motorist could demand breath samples be given into a roadside screening device only if the officer had a reasonable suspicion the driver had alcohol in his or her system. The reasonable suspicion would be formed if the officer could smell alcohol or observe other indicia of impairment. The new law does away with the need of reasonable suspicion. Any driver who is lawfully stopped by a police officer can be required to provide breath samples even if there is no evidence the person had been drinking. It didnt take long to see the results of these new amendments. In Ontario, empty liquor bottles as well as empty beer bottles can be returned to a beer store for a refund. Taking liquor bottles back to beer stores for refunds is done in the name of recycling. On Jan. 5, Art Lightowler, a 70-year-old resident of Mississauga, took three cases of empties back to the beer store. He was seen committing this horrendous act by a police officer who waited for the senior to drive off. After Lightowler drove away he was stopped. The officer told him the three cases of empties were a lot, he was obviously a drinker and he was then asked when he last had a drink. Lightowler said he last drank around midnight the day before. The cop then demanded he provide a breath sample. Lightowler asked what would happened if he refused to take the breath test and was told he would be charged with a criminal offence and would be looking at a minimum fine of $2,000 and a licence suspension for one year (penalties for drinking and driving offences were increased under the new law). Lightowler provided a sample, passed and was allowed to go on his way. (Toronto Sun, Jan. 10) A lot of people are criticizing the cop for stopping Lightowler. But the stop was done in compliance with the new legislation. Simply being in possession of three cases of empties does not provide a reasonable suspicion someone is driving drunk but that is no longer necessary. The stop wasnt completely arbitrary or random. Instead of being criticized, the cop should be given a raise for thinking outside the box and for quickly understanding the Trudeau governments new law. Man stopped for breathalyzer after Beer Store visit As bad as the above was, there was another change to the law that is much worse and that is being ignored by much of the Trudeau-loving media. The law has been changed so a police officer can demand a person provide breath samples up to two hours AFTER the person has been driving. This is the most draconian section of the new law and was supposedly passed to get around the following situation. Police are advised a certain vehicle is driving erratically. By the time it is located, it is parked in a driveway and the driver is in the house drinking. It is impossible to know how much, if any, alcohol the driver had in his or her blood at the time of driving. Under the new law, if the person ends up being charged with an offence, the onus is on them to prove they had not been driving illegally within the preceding two hours. This change also avoids the situation where someone drinks a lot of booze quickly and speeds home so if they are stopped, the alcohol has not yet been absorbed into their blood. Police now can simply wait up to two hours for the alcohol to be absorbed. Lawyer Daniel Brown gave the following example. A husband and wife go to a bar and the husband drives. He plans to drink but his wife will not and she will drive home. Police could enter the bar and, within two hours of the man driving, demand a breath sample. If he fails or refuses to blow he can be charged criminally. It matters not he was completely sober when he drove to the bar or that he had no intention of driving home after drinking. The onus is on him, not the state, to prove he did not drink and drive. If he has thousands of dollars to pay for lawyers and toxicologists, he has a chance of meeting this reverse onus and getting off. (CBC, Jan. 11) The government justifies this abuse of peoples rights by saying they are essentially no big deal; the law if justified for the greater good of combating the evil of drinking and driving. And its no big deal to avoid problems with the police. People like Lightowler will just have to learn to make three trips to the beer store to return three cases of empties. And in Browns example, if the wife could drive home she could damn well have driven to the bar. Not only are these changes in the law bringing Canada into a true police state where people are guilty unless they prove they are innocent, these changes are not likely to do anything to decrease drinking and driving. As Brown pointed out, it is almost unheard of that someone drinks quickly and then drives before the alcohol can be absorbed into their bloodstream. And, it is not that frequent that someone who is suspected of drinking and driving will make it to a place where they can drink before police show up. Lightowler returned his beer bottles during the day on a Saturday. Yes there are some people who drive drunk during the day and these are mainly the hard core drinkers who most often, not always, have visible signs of impairment. In some places, most notably Toronto, there are a shortage of police officers. It has recently been reported, police will not respond to shoplifting reports unless the alleged shoplifters are still on the premises. The police officer who stopped Lightowler would have been better off driving around hoping to find real drunk drivers than watching the senior go into the beer store, waiting for him to leave, following him and stopping him. And we are always told, there is a shortage of courtrooms, judges and prosecutors. Charging people with a drinking and driving offences where there is no evidence they had any alcohol in their system when they were behind the wheel will result in more trials; trials of criminal charges that should never have been laid in the first place. And will police making these stops stick to old white guys like Lightowler or will they stop young black males. They will be tempted to stop young black males hoping they will be able to arrest them for drinking and driving, take them into custody and hopefully find a gun or two. This law will give a new meaning to the term DWB (driving while black) and if blacks are stopped in any number there will be cries of racism. We are losing more and more of our rights under feel good laws that do absolutely no good. Only YOU can save CFP from Social Media Suppression. Tweet, Post, Forward, Subscribe or Bookmark us Arthur Weinreb is an author, columnist and Associate Editor of Canada Free Press. Arthurs latest book, Ford Nation: Why hundreds of thousands of Torontonians supported their conservative crack-smoking mayor is available at Amazon. Racism and the Death of Trayvon Martin is also available at Smashwords. His work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com. Older articles (2007) by Arthur Weinreb Please adhere to our commenting policy to avoid being banned. As a privately owned website, we reserve the right to remove any comment and ban any user at any time.Comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence and death, racism, anti-Semitism, or personal or abusive attacks on other users may be removed and result in a ban.-- Follow these instructions on registering | https://canadafreepress.com/article/will-canadas-harsh-new-drinking-driving-laws-be-effective |
When is Tin Star starring Tim Roth returning to Sky Atlantic? | Tin star refers to the sheriffs badge, as worn by former London undercover police detective Jim Worth (Tim Roth) as he and his family begin their new life in the supposedly-sleepy town of Little Big Bear the edge of the Canadian Rockies. Advertisement Series one of the drama aired on Sky Atlantic in 2017, and has since broadcast on Channel 4. And for existing fans, a second series is on the way! Even better, youll be able to watch episode one of series two first and for free with RadioTimes.com from 24th January. Sky Atlantic has now officially confirmed a launch date for series two of Tin Star, which will arrive on 24th January 2019. The second series will again consist of ten episodes. In series one we met Jim Worth (Tim Roth), a former London detective beginning anew as police chief in the (fictional) idyllic town of Little Big Bear in the Canadian Rockies. He left behind his dangerous life as an undercover officer and his alter ego: Jack Devlin. But Jims life was shattered by the opening of an oil refinery nearby, which heralded a wave of drugs, prostitution and organised crime in the town. By taking a stand, he unleashed a sequence of (extremely) bloody and tragic events that recalled his violent, alcoholic past as the line between hero and villain became increasingly blurred. The drama also stars Mad Mens Christina Hendricks as North Stream Oil PR Elizabeth Bradshaw, and Rogue Ones Genevieve OReilly as Jims wife Angela Worth. Abigail Lawrie plays daughter Anna Worth. After that explosive series one finale and its extremely high body count, Roth returns as the Canadian Police Chief as we head back to Little Big Bear. According to Skys synopsis, After being left destroyed by the chaos that had followed Jim and his alcoholic alter ego Jack Devlin from the UK, this new series picks up where we left our unlikely hero, cut off in the remote Rockies wilderness with his grieving and shell-shocked family struggling to come to terms with their ordeal. As she seeks refuge from her own parents, Jims daughter Anna is taken in by the God-fearing Nickel family Pastor Johan (John Lynch) his wife Sarah (Anamaria Marinca) and daughter Rosa (Jenessa Grant) and hidden with the Ammonites, a religious community close to Little Big Bear. Yes! And it looks just as dark as youd expect with Roth, Hendricks, OReilly and Worth all returning to the cast. | https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-01-17/tin-star-2/ |
Why GoT creators wishes there were no Game of Thrones season 8 trailers? | Game of Thrones' season eight teaser-trailer was released earlier this week and fans from around the world are coming up with different theories. As of now, fans are still awaiting a full-length trailer of the upcoming season but as per the showrunners, they do not wish the fans to see the forthcoming trailer. Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss has recently announced that the much-awaited trailer will show footage from the upcoming season, despite their utter desire to not give away anything to the fans ahead of the show's official premiere in April. Weiss told Entertainment Weekly that he wishes there was no trailer saying, "I just want somebody to say, 'Trust me, go see this.'" David Benioff added that Eraserhead movie director David Lynch stated that he wished there were no trailers, and it's true for Game of Thrones as well. In addition to this, they stated that the inspiration to hold back full footage before the final season begins came from Jonathan Nolan and JJ Abrams' Westworld. "We went and saw Ready Player One with our kids and they played the Westworld trailer and it looked great. And we were like, 'Ah, we should do that.'" Meanwhile, Game of Thrones star Kit Harington opened up about the show's final episodes. As per Kit, who plays the role of Jon Snow in HBO's epic fantasy drama series, he is particularly not pleased but very satisfied. As per Esquire, he told Zoe Ball on her radio show that he is excited for the fans of Game of Thrones to view the season eight. "I think it's going to be extraordinary, hopefully, it'll change TV again like it did originally, and break boundaries. I think it might." Kit Harington further added that the whole experience of wrapping up the fantasy show has left him feeling like he has finished reading a book. "But you have this grief that it's over, and it's the exact same with nine years doing this show. No matter how it ended, or how it does end, there's always this bit of you that's like, 'oh'; there's this loss around it," Harington further said. | https://www.ibtimes.co.in/why-got-creators-wishes-there-were-no-game-thrones-season-8-trailers-790175 |
What's on in Edmonton this weekend? | No need to hunker down this weekend. All sorts of events are on to keep you hopping, and we're hooking you up with a list. Arts and culture Inferno is a combination of theatre and circus featuring local artists on at the Westbury Theatre from Jan. 17-20 and Jan. 24-26. Padmanadi just one of the Edmonton restaurant being featured in this year's edition of Chinatown Dining Week. (Chinatown Dining Week) Chinatown Dining Week is showcasing eight restaurants and some of their best dishes in two-course, $15 fixed price menu from January 17 to the 27. You can celebrate the year of the pig with the Lunar New Year Night Market and Tet Concert at the Edmonton Convention Centre on Saturday night. If you are looking to take a stroll down the aisle, you might want to stop in at Bridal Fantasy first on at the Edmonton Expo Centre Sunday afternoon. Also Sunday afternoon, a celebration of Robert Burns and all things Scottish is on at Rutherford House. Sports Rogers Place will be hopping with hockey, with the Edmonton Oilers taking on the Calgary Flames on Saturday night and the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night. The Oil Kings face off against the Calgary Hitmen on Saturday afternoon. It's also game on for Minor Hockey Week in Edmonton with play on at various venues until Sunday. Athletes competing in 2015 in front of crowds at the Edmonton Expo Centre in a competition on again this weekend. (CBC) Swing and Skate is sliding into Belmead community hall from noon until 4 p.m. Saturday, featuring Dave Babcock and his Jump Orchestra and dancers from Sugar Swing. The Cold Snap classic is back.The Alberta cheerleading competition springing its way into the Edmonton Expo Centre Jan. 18-20. Music Edmontonian Nuela Charles is performing at The Club over at the Citadel Theatre. (Citadel Theatre) Soulful and skilled Edmonton singer songwriter Nuela Charles is taking to the stage of The Club over at the Citadel Theatre with performances on Friday and Saturday night and a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Sunday. If you're down with creativity and cool beats, the Boreal Electroacoustic Music Society (BEAMS) is hosting an event Saturday night at the Ortona Armoury Arts Building, featuring 12 live acts. Northern Lights Folk Club is presenting Newfoundlander Matthew Byrne and the local husband-and-wife duo 100 Mile House on Saturday night at Parkview community hall. A celebration of the music of Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd and the best of the '90s can be had Fridays and Saturdays until Feb. 23 complete with a laser light show in the renovated Zeidler Dome at the Telus World of Science. Outdoors The white stuff and the winter sports you can do in it are all part of World Snow Day on Sunday out at Strathcona Wilderness Centre, including hot chocolate and ski demonstrations. The lights are still on over at the Alberta Legislature to enjoy until the end of January. (Adrienne Lamb/CBC) The grounds of the Alberta Legislature , featuring more than 500 trees adorned with 180,000 LED lights, will be twinkling until the end of January. Jasper in January is continuing, with special deals on skiing, outings, food and drink until Jan. 27. The towering Ice Castles in Hawrelak Park are open every day except Tuesday. Book ahead online for discount tickets and to avoid sellouts. | https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/adrienne-lamb-weekend-event-edmonton-1.4980978?cmp=rss |
Should Men Be Angry About the Toxic Masculinity Gillette Ad? | Sure, if they want to be. Being angry at a corporation for one of their ads isnt usually a productive use of anyones time but, since no one has to kill their own dinner or chop down trees to build their homes anymore weve all got to fill those extra hours with something. Angry is a usefully vague, malleable term to use when someone wants people to pay attention to their coverage of anyones reaction to anything. When you read that men are angry about the Gillette ad the actual emotion the tweet/headline/post/blog is referring to is probably closer to annoyance than fury. But it might not be! Maybe if you click that link youll get to see some alpha meathead who thinks hes super tough unironically cry and scream and break some shit. Im clicking on that all day. You probably wont get anything that awesome, though. What youll mostly see is complaining. Expressions of irritation. Almost nothing that someone could honestly qualify as passionate. Observing people express whatever level of displeasure they have about a thing on Twitter and then using their complaints to 1) support the idea that most people like them must be sensitive about that issue, 2) to represent their displeasure with the issue as heightened as possible, and 3) to suggest these people must, in all likelihood, be against any ideas or people related to the thing they find irritating as well is at best stretch, but more likely just dishonest. (A lie.) Its also good content. Using some tweets about a specific thing to represent an entire groups broader opinion is like pulling negative Yelp! reviews from a Mexican restaurant in Cleveland and assuming most Clevelanders hate Mexican food. And then going a step further and positing that they also must probably support building a wall on the border. A huge wall. One armed with drone cannons that only give one warning to illegal immigrants before firing. And the warning should be in English only, because those drone cannons are technically in America, and in America we speak English, dammit. Or, maybe the restaurant just sucked. A lot of (but not even close to most) men were annoyed by the Gillette ad asking if our current state of affairs is the best a man can get. A smaller plurality of men was genuinely angry about the ad. And maybe like twelve of those guys hated the ad and also think that teaching boys to be accountable and decent is an attack on masculinity by liberal homosexual coastal elites who ultimately want to leave men with two options: become transgender or be imprisoned in a stasis chamber so that the new feminine society may harvest your sperm in order to reproduce. I wasnt upset about the ad, but it made me roll my eyes. Not because Im pro-sexual harassment or because I think the Gillette ads general message has been said enough already. We should be teaching everyone accountability, empathy, and decency in perpetuity. Especially men, who statistically find themselves in positions of power in more situations and across more walks of life more often than women (at least for now). And because, more importantly, men also account for the overwhelming majority of violent crime in America. The vast majority of men do not commit violent crimes, and violent crime rates are generally dropping, but men still commit most violent crimes and we should keep those rates heading in the direction theyre currently going. Teaching accountability, empathy, and decency to boys will help accomplish that. Mostly, though, I find myself annoyed at the Gillette ad because its not actually trying to make the world a better place. And it was bad. Its a transparent attempt by a massive corporation that as recently as 2016 has been accused of profiting from child slave labor to make money by scoring cheap internet woke points off the #MeToo movement. Or, actually, thats not annoying. Thats fine. These people use baby slaves. Of course theyll prey on our emotions. Whats annoying is all the people congratulating them for the message. Yeah men. Your razor company knows the right thing to do, why dont you? (If the government told Gillettes parent company Procter & Gamble that every cent theyre taxed was going to go to Planned Parenthood but if there was no Planned Parenthood anymore they wouldnt have to pay any taxes at all every single Planned Parenthood in the country would mysteriously burn to the ground overnight.) Of course, saying my entire objection to the ad is because a big mean soulless corporation made it is an easy cop-out. I watched the ad. I have thoughts on the content of it independent from what I think of its source. My main takeaway is that the ad was pandering, and poorly at that. It wasnt attempting to reach the men who need to hear this. It pandered to the sort of man who is constantly internally congratulating himself for being one of the good ones because of the way he votes and for taking the morally right side in Facebook comment section arguments. To the sort of guy who would retweet this. To him and every other woke virtue signaler on social media. The ad was never made to convert. Gillettes ad wasnt all bad. The part with the mom hugging the boy while the cyberbullying messages popped up and the part with the kid watching the example his dad is setting when he chases the bullies off were both affecting images. But the ad wasnt good. The idea that boys will just torture and beat the shit out of each other unless someone tells them not to is outrageous. The ad is so clumsily put together that this inadvertently became its central theme. They might as well have had a mascot named Wokey the Bear walk out and say, Only YOU can prevent serial killers. Itd be offensive if it wasnt the product of incompetence. Then there was the endless line of men repeating boys will be boys. This made me laugh out loud. Every second of the cookout scene was truly, laughably terrible but that shot in particular looked like it was the low point in a student film that was desperately trying to make you think, man. It was the artistic equivalent of a film about consumerism showing mindless people dressed in grey being moved single file into and out of a Walmart on a conveyor belt. Not even a stoned fifteen-year-old would find that deep. And if the fifteen-year-old was an unsupervised boy hed be too busy electrocuting neighborhood cats to watch it anyway. This is just my experience, but I dont recall, as a young boy, having carte blanche to beat the shit out of other kids at cookouts. What boys will be boys really describes is that well knock over trash cans or challenge each other to a game of HORSE where the winner gets to throw a tennis ball at the losers nuts. Yes. Not really, but also not the end of the world. No. And there is a huge difference. Something both the people stanning this Gillette commercial and the terrible men who initially co-opted and bastardized boys will be boys should understand. Actually, the terrible men dont matter. Theyre terrible. But the rest of you should know better. Its also a cop-out for me to crap on the Gillette ad without really offering any sort of alternative. Even though advertisements and corporations shouldnt be to whom were looking for guidance on social issues, there are ways to portray a healthier version of what men can be without Gillettes heavy-handed, lowest common denominator messaging. This new Angel Soft commercial is a perfect example of that. Its okay to cry. Its okay to be sensitive. Its okay to care. Men having empathy makes the world a better place. You get all of this without a fucking narrator shouting, bEinG mEaN iS MeAn doNt dO tHaT in your face. Because a competent group of artists and advertisers made this commercial. The Gillette commercial wasnt good. Its core message is obviously a valid one but the execution was trash. Its intentions werent pure either. It was made to get the razor brand attention (and it succeeded wildly). But its also not worth getting upset over. Its too dumb to get upset over. Or to celebrate. Promoting accountability and decency isnt though. Yeah. They can be better about it now. Well probably still need to be better about it 200 years from now. We can always improve. Everyone can always improve. Ill never object to that message, but that message can still be delivered poorly, or condescendingly, or disingenuously. And when it is it deserves to be dismissed and made fun of. It warrants annoyance. The delivery. Not the message. | https://rare.us/rare-news/across-the-u-s-a/gillette-ad/ |
Are Facials Supposed to Make Things Worse Before They Get Better? | Im not one of those people who gets a facial and immediately glows. Apparently, thats a thing that happensIve read about it in interviews with celebrities; Ive seen it in real time on Instagram Storiesbut my personal #postfacialglow is defined by redness, inflammation, and weeks of breakouts and sensitivity that make radiant, clear skin the stuff of dreams. I discovered this about a month before my wedding. I had gotten my first-ever facial weeks earlier in preparation for the big day, and my skin did not react well. She assured me that my skin was just purging: a not-so-glamorous term for the exacerbation and expulsion of clogged pores and pimples that sometimes accompanies invasive skincare treatments like extractions and chemical peels. In another week or two my skin would look better than ever, she promised; and she was right. A week latera full month after my facialmy pores had fully purged and my skin was smooth, clear, and yes, glowing. But the fact that I had to crawl through skincare hell to get there seemed a little suspect. Considering the fact that many aestheticians and some dermatologists recommend getting a facial every four to six weeks, I wondered if facials are really supposed to get worse before they get better. Some facials can cause extreme reactionsbut that doesn't mean it's normal or should be expected. Despite popular belief, some facials can be quite harsh on the skin, Joshua Zeichner, M.D., a dermatologist at Zeichner Dermatology in New York tells SELF, noting that those with acne , rosacea , and sensitive skin are at the highest risk for post-facial irritation. Besides breakouts and inflammation, It is not uncommon for people to develop dry or rough skin after a facial as well, Dr. Zeichner says. The fact that these reactions arent uncommon doesnt necessarily make them normal, though. Dermatologists maintain that a properly-performed facial should not cause any of the aforementioned reactions for longer than a day or so. There are such a range of facials available that I think that that there is an appropriate facial for almost any skin type, Sejal Shah, M.D., of Smarter Skin Dermatology , tells SELF; noting that sensitivity is more likely in someone with more reactive skin. That would likely include anyone dealing with chronic skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea, though it might also include someone prone to cystic acne . So if you're dealing with a specific skin condition, Dr. Shah suggests being cautious and only considering facials that are specifically tailored to treat those conditions. For people with rosacea , you might want to steer clear entirely, adds Dr. Zeichner. If you have moderate or severe rosacea, I do not recommend facials because the skin tends to be extremely sensitive, he says. If you experience a severe post-facial reaction lasting more than a few days, you can usually trace it back to one of three things: extractions, product irritation, or chemical peels. Most facial treatments involve extractions, a method that manually cleans pores of bacteria and built-up oils, makeup, sunscreen, and environmental grime. Extractions can help clear congested pores and ultimately clear the pimple, Dr. Zeichner tells us. But oftentimes, they leave your skin irritated afterwards. Although those with particularly acne-prone skin will likely experience purging after extractions, Sharon Holtz, the spa director at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, tells SELF that it isnt necessarily something to worry about. Facials stimulate the skin and turn it on, she says. The skins response is to function, and thats healthy. It can result in breakouts, but it should be rare. In most cases, these breakouts will calm down in a day or two. But in my personal experience, post-extraction pimples are anything but rare or briefand according to Dr. Shah, this is a sign that the aesthetician didnt fully clear the pore of bacteria. If the pore is not completely cleared during extractions, you may notice an acne flare after the facial as the residual contents come to the surface naturally, she explains. "If any heavy products are applied to the skin during the facial, it may block the pores and create new pimples, Dr. Zeichner adds. But a post-facial freak-out could also be the result of your skin not tolerating certain ingredients, which is especially the case for people with certain skin conditions. Especially if you have sensitive skin or rosacea, you may not be able to tolerate the same products used in the facial; as they contain ingredients that you are not normally using on your face. Potentially irritating ingredients include exfoliators, brightening agents like Vitamin C, and heavy oils. If you know that your skin is reactive when introduced to new products, always ask about what the aesthetician will be using before scheduling your facial, and see if you can avoid all of the above. Another important reminder: If you are on any prescription medications for your skin, touch base with your dermatologist before getting a facial, Dr. Zeichner advises, as some pills and topicals (like isotretinoin and steroid creams, respectively, can make skin more prone to scarring from extractions). Run through the list of possible facial ingredients with your dermatologist to get their blessing, as they may be able to flag any specific things that wont react well with your skin. Chemical peels are designed to exfoliate the skin in such a way that removes the top layer of dead skin cells and stimulates cell turnover for younger-looking skin. After a peel, you should expect some redness and peeling or flaking skin, Dr. Shah says. Your skin may also be more sensitive than usualbut with some light peels, you may not experience either and just have a glow. Any redness or flaking skin from a chemical peel should subside within a week, per Dr. Shah; she calls these symptoms normal post-treatment effects. Though, again, your mileage may vary based on your skin type (noticing a theme yet?). If your skin is extra-sensitive (like mine! ), you should probably avoid chemical peels in the first place; the same goes for those dealing with conditions like eczema, psoriasis, cystic acne, and rosacea. (Although its worth noting that in some cases, dermatologists will recommend gentle chemical peels as a course of treatment for these issuesbut its best to work one-on-one with your derm to explore your options.) Using strong products like certain acids and retinol on freshly-treated skin can make symptoms worse. You can mitigate the risk of irritation after a facial by following a few simple rules. For one, avoid powerful products like acid exfoliators and retinoids in your skincare routine for at least a week after a facial, as they can exacerbate existing inflammation. Instead, Make sure to stick to gentle skin care products, including a hydrating cleanser and light moisturizers, Dr. Zeichner says. If there is an individual pimple, you can spot treat it with a salicylic acid treatment, but be cautious not to apply it to areas that dont need it, as you dont want to cause irritation to skin that may already be sensitive. Finally, dont touch your faceno matter how good it feels. One of the biggest causes of breakouts after facials is from people putting their hands on their face, feeling how amazing their skin feels after their facial, Holtz says, which can expose freshly-opened pores to bacteria. The same can be said for makeup. You should wait for 30 to 60 minutes after your facial before applying cosmetics, to allow your skin to cool, she tells SELF. The short answer: Typically, no. Your skin, no matter how sensitive, should not be experiencing extreme irritation after a facial (barring chemical peels). If the aforementioned symptoms sound pretty standard to you, you may want to consider switching aestheticians and talking to your dermatologist before scheduling any more facials. They can help you figure out if it was a specific treatment that screwed with your skin or maybe a combination of ingredients that didnt mesh well with you. The key is for the aesthetician to be experienced and have a true understanding of what the individual skin is needing, Holtz explains. Personalization in facials is key. After speaking with Holtz (who seemed truly horrified to hear about my characteristic post-treatment purging), I decided to set up an appointment at her Terranea Spaand for the first time in my life, I walked out of a facial with an instant, selfie-worthy glow. It just goes to show that even though facials can be harsh, they dont have to be. Its simply a matter of understanding your skinand finding an aesthetician that does too. Related: | https://www.self.com/story/skin-results-from-facials |
Will Poroschenk vor seinem Abgang noch einen grsseren Krieg entfachen? | Poroschenkos letzte Amtsmonate als Prsident des blutigen ukra-faschistischen Kiewer Regimes der Ukraine deuten drauf hin dass er die Gleisen immer mehr auf Krieg und Eskalation im Donbass stellt, um aller Voraussicht nach den Militrischen Ausnahmezustand / Kriegszustand ausrufen zu knnen und so doch noch an der Macht zu bleiben, da er bei der im Mrz 2019 anstehenden Prsidentschaftswahlen mit Beliebtheitswerten von aktuell weit unter 10% kaum mehr normale Chancen hat irgendwie wiedergewhlt zu werden. Auf der anderen Seite ist er ein superreicher Oligarch und Milliardr, der nichts desto trotz nicht unter suizidverdchtig einzustufen ist. Die USA wollten den Kriegsbeginn & Eskalation schon viel frher von Poroschenko haben, doch der zgert den Start der Grooffensive immer weiter hinaus, da er gewiss versteht, dass es ziemlich sicher auch seinen endgltigen Untergang bedeuten wird. Die Unzufriedenheit der USA zeigt sich zuletzt auch darin, dass der US-dominierte IWF (Internationale Whrungsfonds) dem Kiewer Regime seit April 2017 keine Gelder mehr gibt. Die USA liefern nunmehr nur noch Waffen. Wozu versteht wohl jeder. Via Brgerinitiative fr Frieden in der Ukraine | https://uncut-news.ch/2018/10/15/will-poroschenk-vor-seinem-abgang-noch-einen-groesseren-krieg-entfachen/ |
Will Delivery Sales Constitute A New Source Of Revenue For McDonald's By 2021? | McDonalds (NYSE:MCD) reported a strong quarter Q3 beating consensus expectations, with revenues at $5.37 billion and earnings at $2.10 per share. Global comparable sales increased by 4.2%. The companys long-term goal is for 95% of McDonalds restaurants to be owned by franchisees and this is expected to be completed by the year 2021. This strategy has helped the company cut costs and thus improve margins, and consequently, their earnings. The company is expected to continue its strong performance for the 4th Quarter and finish the year strongly. Delivery is touted to have a huge potential in increasing revenue in the medium and long term for McDonalds. As of now the company has approximately 11,500 (out of 37,800+) restaurants which are capable of Delivery. This number stands at about 30% of Total restaurants. The Delivery sales revenue from these restaurants is 10% of its Total revenue. Thus, Delivery Sales revenue to Total Revenue is a mere 3%. where we estimate the overall revenue for McDonalds and how much of the same can be contributed by Delivery Sales. You can modify our assumptions to see the impact any changes would have on the Total Revenue, segment-wise revenue and Delivery Revenue. We estimate Delivery Sales to reach about 8.6% of Total Revenue as of 2021. This is on the back of the assumption that Delivery will be available in about 50% of the Total stores and it will contribute nearly 17% of the Revenue from that store. Thus, according to our estimates, Delivery Sales would be contributing approximately 9% of overall revenue by 2021. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/01/17/will-delivery-sales-constitute-a-new-source-of-revenue-for-mcdonalds-by-2021/ |
Which NFL team tried to sign 43-year-old Matt Hasselbeck this season? | Matt Hasselbeck is 43 years old and last played in the NFL during the 2015 season, but that didn't stop one team from reaching out to see if he could help lead them to the playoffs. SIGN UP to watch every NFL game and RedZone during the 2018 postseason on DAZN In an article by The Ringer's Kevin Clark exploring how age doesn't seem to be affecting quarterbacks, he revealed an interesting piece of information in his interview with the retired quarterback. Clark writes, "Hasselbeck got a call from a contending team this year asking whether he was in shape and available to sign. He is 43." MOCK DRAFT: Kyler Murray goes early; Eagles, Colts find new playmakers Clark doesn't identify the team, aside from calling them a "contending team," so we're left to guess which one it is. Some have taken "contending" to mean a playoff team, but none of those teams had a need for a quarterback. We're thinking this was more end-of-the-season contending. So, let's try and find out which team it was with some guesses. Washington Redskins This seems like the most obvious choice. After Alex Smith and Colt McCoy went down, Washington needed a quarterback as it was still in the race to win the NFC East. Washington still had a shot at the division title with just two games left on the schedule, so perhaps the team thought Hasselbeck could have helped more than Josh Johnson. The Redskins also seem like the type of franchise that would be bold enough to try a move like this. They're known for bad roster decisions, so trying to sign a QB who retired three years ago seems right up their alley. MORE: Foster mess restores Redskins as gold standard for unaccountability Tennessee Titans Another possibility would be the Titans, a team Hasselbeck spent two years with during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Tennessee was in the thick of the playoff race all the way until the end of the season in a win-and-you're-in matchup against the Colts. Tennessee had to rely on Blaine Gabbert in that game following an injury to Marcus Mariota. It might have been a better decision as Gabbert struggled in the game, throwing two interceptions and finishing with a poor 60.3 quarterback rating. Buffalo Bills This team doesn't seem quite as a likely as the other two, but I could see Buffalo reaching out at some point in the middle of the season. The Bills already coaxed 35-year-old Derek Anderson out of retirement for two games before his injury. The team then turned to historically-bad Nathan Peterman and Matt Barkley before rookie Josh Allen returned from his injury. Buffalo had perhaps the worst quarterback struggles of any team this season, so it's possible it felt desperate enough to reach out to Hasselbeck. MORE: Ranking new NFL coaches based on Sean McVay connections Cincinnati Bengals The Bengals were in the playoff hunt until Week 15 when they were eliminated. The team finished the season with Jeff Driskel playing the last six games. Driskel averaged just 153 passing yards per game in that stretch, eclipsing the 200-yard mark just once. In other words he wasnt good. The Bengals offensive coordinator was Bill Lazor, who was Hasselbecks QB coach for a season in Seattle. Perhaps some familiarity in the offense could have played a part in Lazor reaching out. | http://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nfl/news/which-nfl-team-tried-to-sign-43-year-old-matt-hasselbeck-this-season/1gylu4cyvlfkr1okschw1fxqc1 |
Whats the Local Impact of the Shutdown on Cities? | Government workers and their supporters hold signs during a protest in Boston. Michael Dwyer/AP Local officials are bracing for a confluence of funding crises barrelling toward transit, housing, food assistance, and well, everything else. The mayors are watching the clockmost of the time, helplesslyas the federal governments partial shutdown finishes its fourth week, with consequences slowly mounting for their cities and residents. Already, essential federal subsidies that help low-income people pay rent have expired, and if the shutdown crawls into a second monthwhich many think is likelythe impacts to federal food aid recipients could be catastrophic. Thus far, many cities have been working to provide for their residents where the federal government isnt. Our cities and counties are the safety net, and well continue to have that safety net, said Nan Whaley, the mayor of Dayton, Ohio. Due to staggering competence, your local government will remain open today. Mayor Svante Myrick (@SvanteMyrick) January 9, 2019 But soon, the longer-term impacts of prolonged federal government absence will start to trickle down to cities in far more dramatic ways. On top of those impacts to their residents, mayors are grappling with halted, slowed, or imperiled federal funds for development, transportation, police, and other projects. The lack of federal funds will affect public safety, road repair, housing, and other essential services, Steve Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, and the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said in a statement. Less funding for food assistance, escalating demand In Dayton, Ohio, one of Mayor Whaleys biggest concerns is food pantries. In two weeks they wont have any funding for the storage of food, she said. While the Department of Agriculture will continue providing food to local food banks in the area, according to the Dayton Daily News, the department wont be able to shoulder the transportation and storage fees. A spokesperson for Daytons food pantry told the Daily News that storage costs typically run about $14,000 a month. The communitys in the process of trying to fill that void, but its rather expensive, Whaley said. But food pantries across the country are bracing for an even bigger crisis. Furloughed workers without pay could mean a sudden and dramatic uptick in customers, straining supply and budgets even more, and if the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) loses funding, pantries supplies will dwindle as another rush of people come their way. Here at the street level its us trying to save peoples lives and make our communities better. According to the Washington Post, USDA will provide SNAP benefits through February by moving up the distribution date to January 20before its money is set to expire. If the shutdown continues long past that, another creative solution will be required to keep benefits flowing through March. Counties may foot the bill to keep opioid services running Local nonprofits rely on federal grant funding to provide support to victims of violence, drug abuse, and more. And the consequences of lapsed funding for some of them can be so dire that cities are anticipating trying to foot the bills themselves. In Cincinnati, Hamilton County could be forced to step in and provide additional funding to keep anti-opioid centers open should the shutdown extend past 30 days. No matter what is debated on the top level, here at the street level its us trying to save peoples lives and make our communities better, Newtown police Chief Tom Synan, who is also co-chair of the Hamilton County Heroin Coalition, told WCPO. Cities are changing fast. Keep up with the CityLab Daily newsletter. The best way to follow issues you care about. Subscribe Loading... This is part and parcel with a common refrain from local community and nonprofit leaders who are grappling with ground-level consequences of a shutdown they have no control over. Mayors and local government officials dont get to indulge in the luxury of partisan politics, said Benjamin. When the government shut down, grants from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) became inaccessible. These grants are reimbursement-based: Nonprofits spend to support survivors and victims and then seek reimbursement from the government. And the longer the shutdown goes, the more likely they will run out of money waiting for federal reimbursements to start moving again. If no ones there to process the applications or the requests for reimbursements, we are very concerned we wont get funding, Amanda Meyers, executive director of the Wichita Family Crisis Center, told the Wichita Eagle. Without the funding we wont be able to keep the doors open. Across the country, community-based nonprofits are struggling to keep doors open. You count on being able to submit that monthly reimbursement request because thats what youre making payroll, North Carolinas Carousel Center director Amy Feath told WWAY3. The center provides therapy for victims of assault. The looming threat of home loss Millions of Americans live in public housing or make ends meet with the help of government-sponsored rent subsidies that help keep them in their homes. As the shutdown churns forward, those renters increasingly face eviction and housing insecurity, as CityLabs Kriston Capps reported last week. Renters who receive Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance have seen their monthly payments end, and could face eviction at any point. The public housing operating fund and the housing choice voucher program received funding through February, but should the shutdown extend past that, local housing authorities that help connect low-income renters to stable housing would run out of money. In response to this, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sent notices to landlords with federally subsidized tenants asking them to use their reserves rather than evict tenants, says the Washington Post. The Post also reported that the Office of Personnel Management released a letter urging renters to trade chores for rent from their landlords. (OPM later called this a mistake.) Some transit agencies will have to tap reserves or take out loans should the shutdown continue. And with so many residents facing issues, mayors and municipalities havent been able to figure out how or if they can even help, aside from encourag(ing) our private-sector partners, our corporate citizens to be understanding, said Benjamin. But that doesnt always work. In D.C., which has the most furloughed workers of any city, landlords were a mixed-bag on whether they would provide extensions or assistance to furloughed tenants. Some said they would do the right thing while others said normal protocol will be followed, according to a survey by DCist. Nearly 800,000 federal employees have been furloughed as a result of the shutdown. Last Friday, most of them missed their first paychecks. This particularly impacts cities with the largest federal workforces, and that means more than just Washington, D.C.though that city is particularly affected by the shutdown. To make ends meet, some federal workers have been thrust into the gig economy. The Washington Post reports that many furloughed workers from across the country are selling their belongings en masse on Craigslist to make ends meet. Buzzfeed reports that furloughed workers are being targeted online with ads to become Uber, Lyft, and Postmates drivers. But in some places, even that may not be able to help. In D.C., taxi, Uber, and Lyft drivers report income losses of up to 75 percent, according to Washington City Paper, as the citys huge federal workforce waits at home for government operations to resume, and its shuttered museums fail to draw normal amounts of tourists. For the most part, cities are powerless to help residents facing loss of income. Across Ohio, nearly 7,000 workers are furloughed because of the shutdown, and many of those cuts are in the Dayton area. Theres not much the city can do for that number, Daytons Mayor Whaley told CityLab. But a few local officials are trying to step in. This week, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Webster Bank announced a partnership to provide interest-free loans to essential federal employees who are working but cant receive a paycheck. And a few cities, including San Jose and Atlanta, are considering footing the bill for some federal airport employees working without pay, in an effort to at least keep airport operations running smoothly. Infrastructure plans and disaster recovery could reach a standstill Small cities rely on federal funding for crucial housing and infrastructure projects, and to recover from disasters. These funds, via Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), wont be cut off entirely. According to HUD. these grants specifically related to disaster relief will continue to reach municipalities that need them. Non-disaster related funds can be a different story while HUD workers are furloughed. "We rely on the individuals at HUD to work with us to ensure that these funding sources continue. If it was another two or three weeks of shutdown, and these individuals were not working, we would have to stop our Community Development Block Grant program and the projects that we intend to fund this year, until such time as we receive the funds from the federal government," Erie County, New Yorks county executive Mark C. Poloncarz said in a statement. According to the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding, grant funding from HUD, including CDBG and homeless assistance grants, will be delayed. At some point, the federal government may not have funds available to reimburse local jurisdictions for program and project expenses, which would require cities and counties to halt funding to nonprofit organizations that rely on this funding, says the CHCD report. At the same time, funding for emergency and disaster preparedness is under stress. Should the shutdown continue, furloughed National Weather Service staffers will miss important trainings and the service may have to delay launching a new-and-improved forecasting model. Transportation funding will start to run dry Nearly 90 percent of employees at the Federal Transit Administration have been furloughed, putting local transportation grants and funding in uncertainty. "U.S. mass transit systems have temporarily lost financial aid that supports a wide range of needs, from daily maintenance and service to ongoing repair and expansion projects," the credit rating firm Moodys wrote in a report. Were finding that, in many cases, our members need those dollars, and theres no one there to answer the phone and to release the funds, Paul Skoutelas, the president and CEO of the American Public Transportation Association, told Governing. Grants are either waiting to be approved or have been approved, but theres nobody to activate those funds. So agencies are experiencing cash-flow issues around that. Some transit agencies will have to tap reserves or take out loans should the shutdown continue. In many cases, our members need those dollars, and theres no one there to answer the phone and to release the funds. For example, Moodys highlights the New Jersey Transit System, for which federal funding covers all of its debt service and 43 percent of its capital improvements. Transit grants from the federal government are usually distributed in the early spring, so for now things are okay. That would change if the shutdown extends close to or past the normal distribution date. According to the Department of Transportations shutdown report, the FTA wont be able to distribute grant money or reimbursements, which usually help cover transit agencies operating expenses. The report also says that FTA employees wont be able to provide environmental, legal, civil rights, and other reviews essential to advancing projects to the point of obligation, meaning that new transit project plans will stall until the shutdown ends. According to NASDAQ, New Yorks MTA depends on funding from the federal government to help fund a quarter of its capital-improvement plan, and Los Angeles metro-expansion project has had funding interrupted as well. Meanwhile, officials in Oklahoma announced that they would delay bids on transportation projects worth $137 million until they could be sure about federal funding. The shutdown is nearing 30 full days, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called on the president to postpone his State of the Union address until the government reopens. But the impasse remains: Congressional Democrats wont give the president his wall, and the president wont accept anything less than it. Municipal and local officials, frustrated and exasperated, are grappling with the results. The U.S. Conference of Mayors released a statement last week pillorying the federal government for failing to solve this problem, and more action could be on the way from the nations mayors. The start of [the U.S. Conference of Mayors convening] is on January 22 in Washington. 250 mayors are gathering there, and prayerfully, this is resolved by then, said Benjamin. If its not, it will be the top of the agenda. | https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/01/shutdown-cities-mayors-impact-housing-transportation-food-wages-infrastructure/580570/ |
Why Has the American Farm Bureau Been Successful for 100 Years? | Its a bit ironic that Sears is teetering on verge of liquidation and the American Farm Bureau Federation is still going strong after 100 years. In the early days of the Farm Bureau movement, Julius Rosenwald, president and later chairman of Sears, made financial grants to counties willing to hire an agricultural agent. This helped lead to the growth of county Farm Bureaus. When the American Farm Bureau Federation was formed in Chicago in 1919, its mission was to promote, protect and represent farmers by coordinating the work of state Farm Bureaus. One reason for its success is its impeccable timing. A year earlier the nation was in the grips of the worst flu pandemic in history. Prior to that was World War 1, so 1919 was the first year farmers could really get together on a national organization. The automobile and telephone were coming on and that meant farmers were less isolated and more able to join together. The American Farm Bureau met an immediate need. Agriculture was the nations biggest business, but it had no voice or seat at the table with the major economic interests of the daybusiness, manufacturing, railroads and labor. Throughout its history the American Farm Bureau Federation had outstanding leaders. The quality of leadership at all levels is a key reason for Farm Bureaus growth and success. Edward A. ONeal of Alabama was AFBF president during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. Farm Bureau history almost ended there. It was the worst of hard times for agriculture. But ONeal had the ear of the newly elected U.S. president, Franklin Roosevelt. He convinced Roosevelt that drastic action was needed and the result was the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, the first farm bill. Farm Bureau action helped end the Great Depression. Farm Bureau is a grassroots organization and that is another reason for its success. It was organized first at the county level. State Farm Bureaus and the American Farm Bureau followed. Shortly after AFBF set up shop in Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress, the Farm Bloc was formed. This bipartisan group of senators and representatives passed farm legislation that had been bottled up for years. Farm Bureau pioneered grassroots lobbying and still uses this strategy effectively today. Farm Bureau also has been the voice of reason over the years. During the farm credit crisis of the 1980s the American Farm Bureau was criticized because some farmers wanted the voice of agriculture to be a shout. But the organization never subscribed to tractorcade protests and strikes to get its way. During the crisis, Farm Bureau did what it does best: find a solution to the problem. The result was a debt restructuring program that eventually helped those farmers who could be saved from bankruptcy. From its early years, Farm Bureau has always been inclusive of women and young people. The same year the amendment giving women the right to vote was ratified, 1920, the American Farm Bureau formed a womens committee, and two women were featured speakers during the general session of its annual convention. Farm Bureau started a rural youth program in the 1940s that is a major success today. Now called the Young Farmers & Ranchers program, it focuses on developing farm and community leaders for the future. Throughout its history the American Farm Bureau has been incredibly innovative. It was most likely the first organization to produce its own motion pictures. These silent films were often shot on location and then edited in Chicago, which preceded Hollywood as a film capital. The films were used for recruitment and also addressed topics like fire safety. As early as 1933, AFBF was investigating the possibilities of producing alcohol motor fuel from corn and other farm commodities. In the 1950s it focused on expanding world trade. A Farm Bureau staffer who was an army officer in charge of food distribution in Europe after the war devised a plan to send badly needed surplus farm products overseas. Public Law 480, better known as Food for Peace, became the most important foreign food assistance program ever undertaken by the government. The American Farm Bureau also facilitated the growth of state Farm Bureau insurance companies that served the needs of farm families with inexpensive insurance products. In 1948, Farm Bureau fire and casualty companies along with AFBF formed a national reinsurance company, American Agricultural Insurance Company, to backstop large insurance risks. Insurance products tailored to rural needs played a significant role in the growth of Farm Bureau membership. Finally, the American Farm Bureau has been successful because it is respected worldwide and represents the strong values and beliefs of rural Americafreedom, faith in God and country, hard work, perseverance and more. One of its strongest beliefs is the freedom to own private property. Farm Bureau has been a strong defender of property rights because without it, American agriculture as we know it would not exist. Unfortunately for Sears, the retail marketplace may no longer need it, despite the many years it served American families so well. But the American Farm Bureau is still vitally needed as it starts its second century. | http://krvn.com/agricultural/why-has-the-american-farm-bureau-been-successful-for-100-years/ |
Is ESPN+ worth it in 2019? | When ESPN+ launched in back in April of 2018, the service didnt offer much to entice viewers to sign up for a monthly subscription immediately. At the time, I wrote that ESPN+ was only worth it if you were a hardcore golf or MLS fan but ESPN promised that more content was on the way. With the UFC about to make its debut on ESPN this weekend, its a perfect time to take a closer look at the updated lineup. What is ESPN+ ESPN+ is an over-the-top subscription service that provides subscribers with access to live coverage of UFC, NHL, MLB, MLS, college sports, European soccer and tennis, among other sports. A monthly plan costs $4.99 per month, or you can sign up for a yearly plan for $49.99. You can access ESPN+ content through the WatchESPN App on mobile and home devices. The ESPN+ video library also includes the full catalog of ESPN 30-for-30 documentaries, along with several new ESPN+ original series, such as More Than An Athlete with LeBron James, and Duke basketballs Earn Everything. You can see the full list of included shows here. ESPN+ grants you access to paywalled articles on ESPN.com (previously called ESPN Insider content). If you want to browse through Mel Kipers latest mock draft, for example, youll need an ESPN+ subscription. ESPN+ has developed into a solid streaming package for sports fans especially if youre a UFC fan or a college sports fanatic. ESPNs five-year rights deal with UFC began at the start of the year, and Fight Night 143 on Saturday night will be the first in a long list of events that will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+. If you want to watch Fight Night cards live, ESPN+ is suddenly a must-have for UFC fans. ESPN has also loaded a large amount of on-demand UFC content to the ESPN+ library, including a catalog of classic pay-per-view fights, and weekly MMA show Ariel & The Bad Guy. For tennis fans, ESPN+ is the only way to catch all the action at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. For hockey fans, ESPN+ includes coverage of more than 180 NHL games during the regular season. Soccer fans get access to Serie A, the Dutch Eredivisie, the English League Championship and the EFL Cup. Verdict: The UFC was a major get for ESPN, and Fight Night coverage alone will justify the cost of a subscription for many fight fans. If you dont care about MMA at all, paying for an ESPN+ subscription is a tougher call but you should still find enough content to get value out of the platform. | https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/01/is-espn-worth-it-in-2019-ufc |
Could the Patriots special teams be the secret to the AFC Championship Game? | The last time the Patriots and Chiefs met, they seared a few images into the collective memory of the NFL. Rob Gronkowski carrying New England into scoring range on its final two possessions, first with a vicious arm that sparked a 39-yard completion and then his 42-yard over-the-shoulder grab with less than a minute left. Tyreek Hill flying 75 yards to a game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter and Kareem Hunt gunning 67 for another in the third. Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady trading laser throws all game, the future of the NFL dueling the leagues present and past. But forgotten amid the fireworks are the special teams plays that quietly, yet equally, marked the 43-40 shootout. New England would prefer to erase these moments from memory. Aside from Gostkowskis steadiness, special teams were largely a disaster for the Pats that night. Captain Matthew Slater says his post-game notes detailed how particularly poor the Pats had been in kick coverage. I saw that today, and I certainly havent forgotten how we played against these guys," Slater said Tuesday. "It was terrible, so were going to try and avoid a repeat of that. Now Albert McClellan was not around for those mid-October failures. Neither was fellow linebacker Ramon Humber. Signed in November as free agents, theyve immediately stabilized New Englands special teams, which ranked 20th in DVOA back in Week 8. On Dec. 9 at Miami, McClellan blocked two punts. Since then, he and Humber have helped limit opposing kick returners including All-Pro dynamo Desmond King to a combined one return of 30 yards or more. The Patriots' punt and kick return units finished rank well above average, a function of the teams upgraded personnel and experience. Everyone is kind of just adding their input to it," McClellan said Wednesday of special teams meetings. "Its a great formula so to speak with all of the people combining their ideas together and coming up with one solution or one idea. It keeps the unit strong. "Nate (Ebner) and Slate (Matthew Slater) are our leaders, and they do a good job of asking questions and asking what we see and how we normally play it coming from other places and then how we do it here and why its either better or worse. Its great communication. And as the Patriots have rebounded past respectability, here come the Chiefs. Ranked second in the league by DVOA, Kansas Citys special teams have been a season-long strength. Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub is widely respected. And so are his return men, Tyreek Hill and Tremon Smith, who torched New Englands defensive and special teams coverage in October. They got some home run hitters, McClellan said. "Youve got to be disciplined. Youve got to be laser-focused. Everything comes into play: your assignment, your technique, communicating everything. Its not just one person, its not just one thing. Its combining everything and hopefully your formula is better than theirs. However lately, Kansas Citys special teams have presented big-play opportunities for opponents. The Chiefs currently rank 11th in weighted DVOA, a metric that weighs recent game performances more heavily than those in September and October; meaning lately theyve been slipping. Just last weekend the Colts blocked a Kansas City punt and returned it for a touchdown. And only two teams blocked more punts than the Patriots over the regular season: the Saints and the Rams. In the kicking game Sunday, balls wont travel as well through the frigid cold, and altitude is not a factor at Arrowhead Stadium. Gostkowski must be on point, and there will be opportunities for Patterson a top-five kick returner this season as well as Hill and Smith to change field position. Though you may just see Hill. Toub raised the possibility this week Kansas City could deploy him as its starting punt returner and kick returner. Hill certainly has the attention of New Englands defense. He may now command it in two phases. Yet for all the focus on the Chiefs, the Patriots may prove equally as dangerous in the cold weather. Their specials teams took one on the chin during round one. And now, in whats expected to be a tightly contested rematch, they have the potential to deliver a decisive blow in round two. | https://www.masslive.com/patriots/2019/01/could-the-patriots-special-teams-be-the-secret-to-the-afc-championship-game.html |
Which Character From The Office Should Cross Over to Steve Carell's Space Force? | Fans of The Office got great news earlier this week when it was announced that Steve Carell AKA Michael Scott from The Office is teaming up with the show's creators for a new workplace comedy. According to Netflix, which will bring this new comedy to life, Carell will work with executive producers Greg Daniels and Howard Klein once again for the new show, Space Force. The show won't be about a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but it will be about the employees tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed services called The Space Force. It loosely stems from the idea that President Donald Trump discussed back in summer of 2018, about having a team responsible for protecting us in space/from things in space, but it will be totally fictional and with The Office team at the helm, totally funny. Even though Space Force isn't The Office reboot fans have been wanting, and the characters from the show don't exactly make sense in this new comedy world, it doesn't mean we can't dream about seeing a few characters crossover to the Netflix comedy someday. | https://www.eonline.com/news/1006110/which-character-from-the-office-should-cross-over-to-steve-carell-s-space-force?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories |
Are Facebook employees writing positive Portal reviews on Amazon? | Earlier today, New York Times tech reporter Kevin Roose took to Twitter with a funny story. It looked like Facebook employees were writing positive reviews for Facebooks video chat device Portal on Amazon. Reviewing your employer's products is definitely against Amazon's rules. It's also not exactly an indicator of confidence in how well they're selling organically! pic.twitter.com/vcXzderCXZ Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) January 17, 2019 BuzzFeed News reporter Ryan Mac chimed in after catching the fact that one of the reviewers listed their name as Tim Chappell, who is on LinkedIn as Facebooks Head Of Supply-Chain & Strategic Sourcing AR/VR Products. It sounded like an elaborate prank by some bored person on the internet who had decided it would be good for laffs to write Portal reviews in the names of Facebook employees. Plus, as Roose pointed out, reviewing your own product violates Amazons rules. Nope! Facebook executive Andrew Boz Bosworth replied to Roose, not denying it was true, but denying that it was a concerted effort issued from on high at FB HQ. He also quoted an internal post from the Portal launch that said the company unequivocally did not want Facebook employees to engage in leaving reviews for the products that we sell to Amazon. He said the reviews would be taken down. Now its up to a prankster to put them back up. | https://www.fastcompany.com/90293903/are-facebook-employees-writing-positive-portal-reviews-on-amazon |
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