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Are Water Rights Sufficient to Protect Water Users? | By The judiciary is the safeguard of our liberty and of our property under the Constitution, said U.S. Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes in Elimra, New York in 1907. That quote exemplifies the reason that five irrigation districts on tributaries to the San Joaquin River as well as the city of San Francisco filed lawsuits recently against the State Water Resources Control Board. They are defending their water rights. In December, ahead of the Water Board hearing, Governor Brown and Governor-elect Newsom both asked the Water Board to hold off and let the districts, the State, and the federal government finalize the voluntary agreements. But that didnt happen and the problem is now in Governor Newsoms lap as his Water Board will likely have to turn its attention to defending its decision in court. We file suit not because we prefer conflict over collaboration. On the contrary, we continue to encourage and participate in settlement discussions on our rivers, and support science on the Stanislaus. But we also have an indisputable responsibility to reserve our legal rights and protect our ag and urban customers, said Peter Rietkerk, General Manager of the South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID). Unfortunately, sometimes, the courts are your only recourse. The State Water Boards decision on December 12, 2018 doubles the amount of water the State will take away from farms growing food, the parks and sporting fields where our children play, and even the water we drink from our taps at home and bubbling out of drinking fountains at schools. And if flow requirements can be imposed on the San Joaquin River they can be imposed anywhere. The sad thing is there was an alternative available, but the Board has so far rejected it. Farmers in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, irrigation districts, the Department of Water Resources, Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Bureau of Reclamation, worked collaboratively at the behest of both Governors Brown and Newsom, to propose a voluntary plan designed to quickly accomplish more for fish and the environment without the drastic harm water users expect from the water cuts. Under these proposals farms and cities would still give up billions of gallons of water to the river during times that science tells us that its needed, as well as implement projects that improve habitat for fish, reduce predators and enhance ecosystems far beyond what the Boards water-only plan could achieve. The voluntary proposals, expected to produce more salmon than the plan adopted by the State Water Board with less harm to the economy, would have been a win for all farms, fish and folks. Our voluntary agreement will ensure water security and reliability, includes environmental improvements, enhances fish populations far beyond what is projected in the states current plan and most importantly, guarantees timely implementation, said Modesto Irrigation District Board Vice President John Mensinger. Their (the Boards) plan threatens not only Central Valley ag and urban water users, but also the water supply of more than two million people living in the Bay Area. There is still an opportunity for the Water Board to adopt a voluntary path toward ecosystem restoration and faster solutions to restore dwindling salmon populations. Mike Wade is Executive Director, California Farm Water Coalition. This article was originally published by Fox and Hounds Daily | http://www.capoliticalreview.com/top-stories/are-water-rights-sufficient-to-protect-water-users/ |
Are Chiefs fans really the loudest in the world? | The New England Patriots are preparing for a rare postseason road game this weekend, when theyll travel to play the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. While Tom Brady has a long list of postseason accolades, he hasnt been great away from Gillette Stadium. Hes 3-4 in his career playoff games on the road and now hell have to go to a notoriously loud stadium in Kansas City. But Patriots coach Bill Belichick isnt too worried about it. Look, the hardest thing about playing in Arrowhead is the Chiefs, Belichick told WEEI this week. They are a great football team, the top seed in the AFC this year. Obviously, they are very good and playing them anywhere is hard. They are good at home, but they are good everywhere. Were going to have to do a great job competing against the Chiefs and whatever else it is, it is. Crowd noise, theres nothing we can really do about any of that. What we can control is our performance and our execution and that is what were going to focus on. So the Patriots arent too worried about the crowd noise. The stats say they should. Chiefs fans are the crowd noise record holders The Guinness Book of World Records says no sports crowd in the world is louder than Chiefs fans at Arrowhead Stadium. On Sept. 29, 2014 during a Week 4 game against the New England Patriots Chiefs fans were recorded at 142.2 decibels. Thats louder than an aircraft carrier deck or a rock concert. The record was previous held by Seattle Seahawks fans, who were recorded at 137.6 decibels during a 2013 game. And before that it was European soccer fans who held the record when the crowd at a 2011 game in Turkey between Galatasaray SC and Fenerbahce was recorded at 131.76 decibels. Critics of the record would say that the Chiefs and Seahawks have stadiums that are designed to be loud on the field. Five teams the Cowboys, Jets, Packers, Giants, and Broncos averaged more fans per home game than the Chiefs, who had an average attendance of 75,972 in 2018. The Seahawks were down at 15th with 69,001 fans per game. In the case of CenturyLink Field in Seattle, the stadiums partial roof reverberates noise back to the field. But Arrowhead Stadium doesnt have as much structural help. It has a large amount of general bowl seating without many luxury suites and those luxury boxes arent enclosed. So mostly its just that the Chiefs have a whole bunch of fans yelling really loudly. So loud that theyve been asked by officials to quiet down multiple times. Heres an example in 1990 when Broncos quarterback John Elway asked the referee to quiet down Chiefs fans. @KyleBrandt goes back in time to remind the @Chiefs to "get their groove back" at home for his #PlayersWereExcitedToSee pic.twitter.com/Wo38W9mblE GMFB (@gmfb) January 5, 2018 It happened again two years later when Raiders quarterback Todd Marinovich couldnt get a snap off. 9/28/92: Raiders vs Chiefs on Monday Night Football. The Raiders have 3rd & 43 because of a personal foul and a delay of game. Arrowhead gets so loud that Todd Marinovich cant snap the ball, Elway style. This is an all-timer. pic.twitter.com/mzgfhS1m4f Chase Snyder (@ChasingSnyder) January 28, 2018 You probably wont see Bill Belichick or Tom Brady asking the officials to quiet Chiefs fans down Sunday, but one thing is for certain. You can expect Arrowhead Stadium to be rocking. | https://www.sbnation.com/2019/1/20/18176043/arrowhead-stadium-kansas-city-chiefs-loud-noise-record |
How many times have the Saints won the Super Bowl? | The New Orleans Saints will compete for a trip to Super Bowl LIII when the Los Angeles Rams visit the Superdome on Sunday. If the Saints prevail, they will reach the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history. In 2009, quarterback Drew Brees led New Orleans to a franchise-record 13 wins in the regular season before carrying the team to a Super Bowl win. That season, New Orleans defeated the Arizona Cardinals and outlasted the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship to advance to Super Bowl XLIV, where the Saints defeated Peyton Manning and the Colts 3117. The Saints famously attempted and recovered a surprise onside kick to start the second half of that game, taking a 1310 lead on the ensuing possession. The Colts went up 1713 before the Saints responded with 18 unanswered points, including Tracy Porter's game-clinching 74-yard interception return for a touchdown. Brees, who went 32-of-39 fpr 288 yards and two touchdowns, was named the game's Most Valuable Player. The Saints have not returned to the Super Bowl since. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/20/saints-super-bowl-history-how-many-times-wins |
When Did the Rams Move to Los Angeles? | The Rams relocated back to Los Angeles from St. Louis in 2016, when owner Stan Kroenke received approval from 30 of 32 NFL owners for his ambitious plan to move his team to California, where a new multi-billion dollar stadium would be built for the franchise. Kroenke paid a $550 million fee in 2016 to move the team. The Rams franchise was founded in 1936 in Cleveland, but moved to Los Angeles 10 years later, where the team remained for almost five decades. The Rams were based in the Los Angeles area from 1946 to 1994 before they relocated to St. Louis from 1995-2015. The Raiders also played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before moving to Oakland. There was a 21-year NFL absence from Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest media market, following both team's departures in the mid-1990s. While the Rams have played in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since returning to the City of Angels in 2016it's where they played between 1946 and 1979 before spending 14 seasons in Anaheimthe franchise will relocate to the new LA Stadium, which is currently under construction, once it is finished in the summer of 2020. The facility was originally supposed to be ready in time for the 2019 season but construction was delayed by an unusually rainy winter after breaking ground. The San Diego Chargers joined the Rams in Los Angeles and will share the new facility come 2020. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/20/when-did-rams-move-los-angeles-franchise-history-locations |
When is the Last Time the Saints Lost a Home Playoff Game? | The New Orleans Saints have played 10 home playoff games at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, but they haven't lost one since Jan. 3, 1993, when the Eagles posted a 26-point turnaround in an 8.5 minute span during the fouth quarter to defeat the Saints, 3620, at home in the wild-card round. Twenty-six years later, the Eagles' 26 points remains the most ever scored in the fourth quarter of an NFL postseason game. Saints quarterback Drew Brees is 86 all time in the postseason, but improved to 60 in playoff games at home after New Orleans extended the impressive streak last weekend with a 2014 divisional round win over the Eagles in the Superdome on Sunday, Jan. 13. The Saints' last road postseason loss came in 2017, when they fell to the Vikings in Minneapolis in the divisional round. The home winning streak will be tested once again this weekend, when the Saints host the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game. Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m. ET from New Orleans on Sunday, Jan. 20. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/20/new-orleans-saints-last-home-playoff-loss-nfl-postseason |
Why do the Saints have TB patches on their jerseys? | The Saints have worn jersey patches and helmet decals bearing the initials "TB" on their jerseys this season. The "TB" honors former owner Tom Benson, who died in March at age 90. Both the decal and patch feature a silhouette of Benson holding a Saints umbrella atop the letters "TB." Benson owned the Saints from 1985 until his death. His widow, Gayle, now owns the franchise in addition to the New Orleans Pelicans. After a first-round bye, the Saints beat the Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round to reach the NFC Championship. The Saints will face the Rams on Sunday in New Orleans for the chance to go to Super Bowl LIII. Kickoff from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome is set for 3:05 p.m. ET. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/20/saints-tb-jersey-patch-helmet-decal-tom-benson |
Has a Conference Championship ever gone to overtime? | Six conference championships have gone into overtime during the NFL playoffs, with five of those overtime games coming in NFC clashes. The 2014 NFC Championship between the Packers and Seahawks was the most recent championship game to need extra time. The two teams went into overtime at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Wash., after wrapping up regulation tied at 22 points apiece. The Seahawks secured the win with an overtime touchdown for six points. Seattle went into the Super Bowl with a 2822 conference championship win under its belt. The NFC championship also went into overtime during the 2011 playoffs, with the Giants defeating the 49ers by three, 2017, after an overtime field goal on Jan. 22, 2012.The 2009, 2007 and 1998 NFC championship games also went to overtime. The AFC Championship, on the other hand, has only gone into overtime once since 1970. The Broncos and Browns 1986 NFC Championship clash was locked at 2020 in regulation. Denver scored on a field goal to take the win, advancing to Super Bowl XXI where they fell to the New York Giants, 3920. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/20/conference-championship-overtime-nfc-afc-history |
What is the Saints choppa-style dance? | If you've never heard of Darwin "Choppa" Turner and his 2003 single "Choppa Style," the New Orleans Saints are here to help. "Choppa Style," the soundtrack of the Saints' season, has seemingly taken hold of every member of Who Dat nation. In November, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram and Michael Thomas could be seen dancing to the single during the Saints' blowout win over the Eagles. Drew Brees's kids broke out the dance in pajamas and Santa hats on Christmas Eve. On Dec. 9, the dance and refrain went viral when backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater introduced what he called the "Bike Life" dance to the New Orleans locker room, revving an imaginary handlebar's throttle. By the time the team geared up for the postseason, the motorcycle-themed dance became a bona fide craze and the Saints' unofficial anthem. The 2003 track peaked at No. 49 on the national R&B charts. The Saints were seen breaking out the moves before their 2014 win over the Eagles went final. The dancing continued well after the victory when Drew Brees threw an early birthday party on Jan. 14 and invited Choppa, a New Orleans native, to the bash. The Saints had plenty of reason to celebrate in 2018. The team's 133 regular season record was good enough to earn them the No. 1 seed in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Brees finished the season with 3,992 yards, 32 touchdowns and five interceptions and could very well be named the league's MVP by the end of the month. And if the Saints defeat the Los Angeles Rams for the NFC title and a trip to Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, they'll certainly have reason to continue to dance. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/20/new-orleans-saints-choppa-style-dance-explained |
How old is Vanessa Bauer and who has she partnered on Dancing On Ice? | Vanessa and Wes topped last weeks scoreboard but it was overshadowed by scandal (Picture: Rex) Dancing On Ice pro skater Vanessa Bauer has been at the centre of controversy this week amid her feud with Wes Nelsons girlfriend Megan Barton. Reports emerged on Sunday, hours before Vanessa and her skate partner Wes Nelson took to the ice, that she had ended her romance with her boyfriend Louis Nathaniel because of growing concerns about her closeness to Wes. Megan then threw major shade by sharing publicly on Instagram that she loved that you decide to announce your break up with your boyfriend on the night of your first performance with my boyfriend. However sources have since told metro.co.uk that Vanessa never announced her split. With Vanessa due to skate with Wes again on Sunday nights show, heres what you need to know about her. Advertisement Advertisement Vanessa, who is 22 years old, was born on May 23 1996 in Berlin, Germany. She is a former German national junior champion, having triumphed at the 2013 German Figure Skating Championships with fellow pro skater Nolan Seegert. Megan Barton Hansons feud with Vanessa has been in the headlines all week (Picture: Rex Shutterstock) She also worked on Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Harmony Of The Seas, but left her job in 2017 and moved to North London ahead of joining Dancing On Ice when it returned to screens the following year. Vanessa was previously dating circus performer and poi expert Louis Nathaniel, but they broike up in January after a two and a half year relationship. Vanessa previously skated with Jake Quickenden in 2018 with the pair going on to be crowned series champions. All of which means shes out to defend her title with Wes Nelson and the pair already made a confident debut in last Sundays show, scoring 25 from the judges to head last Sundays leaderboard. The series continues on Sunday night on ITV at 6pm as the 11 remaining couples perform to songs from classic musicals. If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you. | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/20/how-old-is-vanessa-bauer-and-who-has-she-partnered-on-dancing-on-ice-8365844/ |
What did Holly Willoughby say about Gemma Collins in Dancing On Ice row? | Holly Willoughbys comments about Gemma Collins caused a fair bit of controversy this week (Picture: ITV) Things have been flaring up off the Dancing On Ice rink this week as Gemma Collins found herself at the centre of behind-the-scenes controversy. Rumours that the Towie star was set to quit the show ran rife following comments made by Holly Willoughby over claims Gemma left the show last weekend before it was even over. Hollys remarks came on Mondays This Morning, as Kem Cetinay who is hosting the backstage action from this years series claimed that she had left Sunday nights show before it had even finished, saying she got bored. Advertisement Advertisement It came following reports that she showed up late to group dance rehearsals during the week, leaving the others wondering where she was. All of which prompted an outburst from Holly Willoughby as she said: I really love Gemma, Im a big fan of Gemmas and I think shes great on the show. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But, I think there needs to be a little bit of professionalism that comes into any work you do. Just a little pride in your work. You just shouldnt do that. And after Kem explained she had left early on Sunday, adding but she does love skating, Holly snapped: Thats absolute rubbish. Thats just a really good excuse to get out of stuff you dont want to do. I love that side of her but I think professionalism will always outweigh that diva behaviour. The reality star has said that both she and skating partner Matt Evers were left in tears by the speculation that she had quit the show and that it had affected her health. Advertisement Advertisement Gemma also admitted she was left broken by the rumours, and has nightmares about her teeth falling out. She also developed a cyst on her shoulder that was so big, it looked like an extra breast. Nothings ever broken me but this came close, she confessed. I had this huge cyst here. Fans of the GC can rest easy as in spite of all the reports she and Matt will indeed take to the ice this Sunday for this weeks musicals special Gemma said on Instagram: Its been such a tough week for myself and @themattevers we are all for the pantomime and the laughs but our hard work will not be questioned .. this was always going to come along at some point its a competition and WE WILL NOT SABOTAGED. Advertisement Poor @themattevers had been in tears and so have I . WE WILL NOT BE BROKEN we are carrying on and actually despite all the nasty rumours we are loving this. She has also demanded an apology from Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. Ive been told on the rumour mill that Phil and Holly have been told off, but a public apology would go a long way, she told The Mirror. Of Kem she added: Kem was the one who delivered the information. So it would be nice to have an apology from him as well. He called this week but never said sorry. It came after she said she didnt blame Holly and Phil for the way in which they responded to the rumours about her backstage antics. If I was sitting in their position and someone said, oh this girls left the show and shes not turned up to rehearsals and that, I would say the same thing, she told The Sun. Dancing On Ice continues on ITV on Sunday night at 6pm. If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you. | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/20/what-did-holly-willoughby-say-about-gemma-collins-in-dancing-on-ice-row-8365281/ |
Will Berkshire Hathaway Finally Pay a Dividend in 2019? | Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B) is one of the best-known companies in the world, largely because of the popularity of CEO Warren Buffett. Seen as one of the greatest investors of all time, Buffett loves to invest Berkshire's money in stocks that pay dividend income -- but he's never seen it necessary to have Berkshire start paying a dividend of its own to its shareholders. Few longtime shareholders have complained about Berkshire's lack of a dividend payout, given its strong share-price gains. Yet there are still some who believe that Berkshire should pay a dividend, especially because it has so much cash on hand. Below, we'll weigh those arguments and see whether it's likely that it will pull the trigger on a dividend to shareholders in 2019. Stats on Berkshire Hathaway Metric Current Stat Net income, last 12 months $61.96 billion Free cash flow, last 12 months $21.5 billion Earnings per Class A share, last 12 months $37,678 Earnings growth from full-year 2017 38% Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Buffett on dividends Buffett isn't blind to the apparent disconnect between Berkshire's policy on choosing dividend-paying investments and its own choice not to pay dividends. In his 2012 shareholder letter, Buffett admitted that Berkshire Hathaway generates a huge amount of available capital and that he expects it to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. He then set out his hierarchy for the best uses of that capital: In Buffett's own words, "A company's management should first examine reinvestment possibilities offered by its current business -- projects to become more efficient, expand territorially, extend and improve product lines, or to otherwise widen the economic moat separating the company from its competitors." When profitable reinvestment opportunities are available, they can produce greater benefits for shareholders than receiving cash. After exhausting those reinvestment opportunities, Buffett says, "Our next step is to search for acquisitions unrelated to our current businesses." The test for such acquisitions is whether they'll make shareholders better off than they were before the acquisition took place. Third, a company can consider stock repurchases. Buffett's argument here is one that he's repeated several times: "[A stock repurchase] is sensible for a company when its shares sell at a meaningful discount to conservatively calculated intrinsic value." Buffett then acknowledged that dividends are a way for shareholders to draw income from their holdings. Yet he argued that shareholders end up better off if they simply sell off a portion of their shares to generate the equivalent income, because that allows Berkshire to continue to grow. In addition, shareholders can time their sales to obtain the best tax consequences -- something that dividend payments take out of investors' hands. Warren Buffett with a bunch of people in the background out of focus. More Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett. Image source: The Motley Fool. Even then, though, Buffett acknowledged the potential for a future dividend. His views rest on the assumption that Berkshire can continue to grow book value and sustain a premium in its share price. If those factors change, then he'd look at dividend policy again. Berkshire's ability to grow book value at a healthy rate relies on good investment ideas, and, unfortunately, they've been tough to find lately. That's driven Berkshire to loosen its guidelines on buying back its own shares, and it's also led to massive investments in some of the largest publicly traded stocks in the market -- investments that haven't always gone as well in the short run as some might have hoped. But it could also push Buffett toward considering a dividend as well. For now, though, Buffett seems content to use available capital for investing. As long as he's convinced that the long-term prospects of his investments will help Berkshire build up its book value over time, Berkshire shareholders shouldn't expect to start getting dividends. More From The Motley Fool Dan Caplinger owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | https://news.yahoo.com/berkshire-hathaway-finally-pay-dividend-163200746.html |
Is Aphria a Buy? | Aphria (NYSE: APHA) listed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange in 2018. At long last, it began selling products in the Canadian recreational marijuana market, and the company expanded internationally. Aphria's share price, however, still plunged more than 60% last year. But 2019 is already off to a good start, with the stock making a comeback. The Canadian marijuana producer posted solid results in its fiscal year 2019 second-quarter update. Marijuana leaf on top of U.S. cash More Image source: Getty Images. Potential risks The decision to buy any stock or not comes down to the risk-reward proposition. Let's start by looking at the potential risks that Aphria faces. Probably the biggest risk that's been on investors' minds lately relates to short-sellers' allegations that Aphria significantly overpaid for the LATAM Holdings acquisition and profited key insiders in the process. Aphria's board of directors established a special committee to review those allegations. This committee is made up of independent directors who joined the board after the LATAM transaction was completed. So far, however, the special committee hasn't announced its findings. The dark cloud hanging over Aphria related to the short-sellers' allegations could also prevent the company from picking up a big partner. Several of its peers have already lined up deals with major companies outside of the cannabis industry. Failing to secure a big partner would put Aphria at a competitive disadvantage in the global marijuana market. Aphria also continues to eat into its cash stockpile. It's possible that the company could have to issue more shares to raise cash in the not-too-distant future. Investors face a real threat of dilution in the value of their existing shares resulting from another stock offering. Another problem is that Aphria can't sell products that it can't make. The company hoped to receive approvals for its additional capacity at the Aphria One and Aphria Diamond facilities. However, Health Canada has a tremendous backlog. There's no guarantee that Aphria will get a green light anytime soon. If not, the company won't achieve the sales growth that it's hoping to generate. Even though Aphria stock is much lower than it was a year ago, it's still not cheap. A tremendous level of anticipated growth is baked into Aphria's share price. Anything that gets in the way of the company's growth would make a huge negative impact on Aphria stock. Potential rewards While there certainly are several real risks for Aphria, the stock holds the potential to deliver big rewards to patient investors as well. Starting on Aphria's home front, the Canadian recreational marijuana market is just getting started. Naysayers predicting weaker-than-expected demand for recreational marijuana have been proven wrong so far. Aphria lined up supply agreements with all of Canada's provinces plus the Yukon territory. In addition, the company partnered with North America's largest wine and spirits distributor, Southern Glazer's, to distribute recreational cannabis products throughout Canada. Another big market hasn't even opened yet in Canada. The country still has to finalize regulations for cannabis edibles and concentrates. Aphria plans to enter this market as soon as it can and has already started developing its strategy for cannabis-infused products. | https://news.yahoo.com/aphria-buy-162900094.html |
Is Cognex a Buy? | Machine vision specialist Cognex (NASDAQ: CGNX) is a much-admired growth company with significant exposure to many long-term growth trends -- the increasing use of automation and robotics in manufacturing and growth in e-commerce fulfillment centers, to name two. Everybody knows what you should do with such stocks -- buy on any significant near-term weakness caused by a downside shock as long as the long-term growth expectations are in place. Let's look at the arguments for and against. The case for buying Cognex stock There are three key reasons to buy the stock. First, the company's long-term growth depends on secular trends, which are augmented by cyclical factors. The bulls see 2018 as a year when some cyclical factors went against the company -- a moderation in capital spending by OLED/smartphone customers and slowing spending by customers in China -- but those issues shouldn't affect long-term prospects. Coins and cash More Image source: Getty Images. For example, as e-commerce grows as a share of global retail sales, it's likely that spending on e-fulfillment centers will increase dramatically -- that's good news for Cognex's machine vision solutions, which help logistics centers monitor and sort packages. Although logistics sales make up less than 10% of current sales, management sees them growing at 50% a year over the long-term. Moreover, even if consumer electronics and automotive markets (Cognex's two big industry verticals) are seeing slowing end-market conditions, there is still pressure on customers to automate production. Second, if you accept that Cognex is a long-term growth stock, its current cash flow valuation is starting to look attractive. As I've previously argued, a high-growth stock like Cognex is a good value if you can buy it on a free cash flow yield of around 3%. As you can see below, the current price-to-free-cash-flow multiple is around 37 times, or a free cash flow yield of 2.7% -- that's a good value for a stock that's capable of 20% revenue growth over the long term. CGNX Chart More CGNX data by YCharts Third, history suggests that it's usually a good idea to buy into Cognex when there isn't too much optimism baked in -- and a bad idea to buy in when there's a lot of optimism. For example, the company entered 2018 with management talking about market conditions being the best ever experienced, only to disappoint the market later in the year -- the stock declined 37% in 2018. | https://news.yahoo.com/cognex-buy-160600502.html |
What Are Crypto Executives Still Positive About After Massive 80% Bitcoin Drop? | By CCN.com: In 2018, with the exception of Bitcoin and several other crypto assets, the majority of cryptocurrencies fell by more than 90 percent against the U.S. dollar. Executives in the crypto space, especially those leading new initiatives and businesses in the emerging industry, believe that the bear market has presented companies with positive opportunities to rebuild the foundations of the asset class and the sector. Merits of a Crypto Bear Market The majority of blockchain projects developing protocols or decentralized applications (dApps) have conducted initial coin offerings (ICOs) or token sales in 2017. As such, the valuation of many blockchain companies has been dependent on the performance of tokens. During a bear market, as seen in previous years, cryptocurrencies with strong fundamentals tend to survive and demonstrate minimized losses. According to the data provided by ATHCoinIndex, most major crypto assets such as Ripple, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, and Cardano have fallen by 90 to 97 percent from their all-time highs against the U.S. dollar in the past 12 months. Meanwhile, Bitcoin, the most dominant cryptocurrency in the market, has dropped by 82 percent in a 12-month period. Bitcoin remains as one of the few crypto assets to have seen an increase in hash rate throughout the correction. Since January 2018, the hash rate of the Bitcoin network has increased from 15 exahash to 45 exahash, by at least three-fold. Considering the tendency of small market cryptocurrencies or tokens to fall by large margins in comparison to Bitcoin on a downward trend, during a correction, investors often acquire blockchain projects building long-term blockchain-related applications, protocols, and solutions at a substantially lower price. Sheri Kaiserman, the principal advisor of a U.S. investment and recruiting company Maco.la, said: We felt like the best way to make money is to buy the infrastructure companies the picks and shovels that are helping build the foundation. They are coming down in valuation, which is the best part of the crypto winter for us At the peak of the crypto market in late 2017, many blockchain protocols were valued at billions of dollars and the majority of the projects failed to showcase working products and active user bases. In the past 14 months, blockchain projects have fallen to a reasonable valuation, presenting opportunities for investors to acquire equity in infrastructure building companies. Easy to Pick up Talent Previously, CCN reported that the salary of blockchain developers in regions like Switzerland have increased to around $180,000, triggered by a growing interest in blockchain technology internationally. But, job offers in crypto, at least in the past year, have mostly been presented by blockchain companies that have obtained capital through token sales. As blockchain protocols began to decline in valuation and teams started to experience a funding crunch, developers and talent were let go. Spring Labs CEO Adam Jiwan told Bloomberg that it has allowed newly entering companies and existing established businesses to recruit more talent. The skepticism is warranted in many ways because this technology is nascent and untested at an industrial scale. Our hope is this presents us with a great opportunity to recruit talent, he said. appeared first on CCN. | https://news.yahoo.com/crypto-executives-still-positive-massive-162112694.html |
Is the Violent Dismemberment of Russia Official US Policy? | Authored by Philip Giraldi via OffGuardian.com: The Roman poet Ovids masterful epic The Metamorphoses includes the memorable opening line regarding the poems central theme of transformation. He wrote In nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas corpora, which has been translated as Of shapes transformed to bodies strange, I purpose to entreat Ovid framed his narrative around gods, heroes and quasi-historical events but if he were around today, he would no doubt be fascinated by the many transformations of the group that has defined itself as neoconservative.The movement began in a cafeteria in City College of New York in the 1930s, where a group of radical Jewish students would meet to discuss politics and developments in Europe. Many of the founders were from the far left, communists of the Trotskyite persuasion, which meant that they believed in permanent global revolution led by a vanguard party. The transformation into conservatives of a neo-persuasion took place when they were reportedly mugged by reality into accepting that the standard leftist formulae were not working to transform the world rapidly enough. As liberal hawks, they then hitched their wagon to the power of the United States to bring about transformation by force if necessary and began to infiltrate institutions like the Pentagon to give themselves the tools to achieve their objectives, which included promotion of regime change wars, full spectrum global dominance and unconditional support for Israel. The neocons initially found a home with Democratic Senator Henry Scoop Jackson, but they moved on in the 1970s and 1980s to prosper under Ronald Reagan as well as under Democrat Bill Clinton. Their ability to shape policy peaked under George W. Bush, when they virtually ran the Pentagon and were heavily represented in both the national security apparatus and in the White House. They became adept at selling their mantra of strong national defense to whomever was buying, including to President Obama, even while simultaneously complaining about his administrations weakness. The neoconservatives lined up behind Hillary Clinton in 2016, appalled by Donald Trumps condemnation of their centerpiece war in Iraq and even more so by his pledge to end the wars in Asia and nation-building projects while also improving relations with the Russians. They worked actively against the Republican candidate both before he was nominated and elected and did everything they could to stop him, including libeling him as a Russian agent. When Trump was elected, it, therefore, seemed that the reign of the neocons had ended, but chameleonlike, they have changed shape and are now ensconced both in some conservative as well as in an increasing number of progressive circles in Washington and in the media. Against all odds, they have even captured key posts in the White House itself with the naming of John Bolton as National Security Adviser and Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State. Boltons Chief of Staff is Fred Fleitz, a leading neocon and Islamophobe while last week Trump added Iran hawk Richard Goldberg to the National Security Council as director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction. Goldberg is an alumnus of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which is the leading neocon think tank calling incessantly for war with Iran. Meanwhile, the neocon metamorphosis is nearly complete as many of the neocons, who started out as Democrats, have returned home, where they are being welcomed for their hardline foreign policy viewpoint. Glenn Greenwald reports that, based on polling of party supporters, the Democrats have gone full-Hillary and are now by far more hawkish than the Republicans, unwilling to leave either Syria or Afghanistan. The neocon survival and rejuvenation is particularly astonishing in that they have been wrong about virtually everything, most notably the catastrophic Iraq War. They have never been held accountable for anything, though one should note that accountability is not a prominent American trait, at least since Vietnam. What is important is that neocon views have been perceived by the media and punditry as being part of the Establishment consensus, which provides them with access to programming all across the political spectrum. That is why neocon standard-bearers like Bill Kristol and Max Boot have been able to move effortlessly from Fox News to MSNBC where they are fted by the likes of Rachel Maddow. They applauded the Iraq War when the Establishment was firmly behind it and are now trying to destroy Donald Trumps presidency because Americas elite is behind that effort. Indeed, the largely successful swing by the neocons from right to left has in some ways become more surreal, as an increasing number of progressive spokesmen and institutions have lined up behind their perpetual warfare banner. The ease with which the transformation took place reveals, interestingly, that the neocons have no real political constituency apart from voters who feel threatened and respond by supporting perpetual war, but they do share many common interests with the so-called liberal interventionists. Neocons see a global crisis for the United States defined in terms of power while the liberals see the struggle as a moral imperative, but the end result is the same: intervention by the United States. This fusion is clearly visible in Washington, where the Clintons Center for American Progress (CAP) is now working on position papers with the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI). One of the most active groups attacking President Trump is Republicans for the Rule of Law, founded by Bill Kristol in January 2018, as a component of Defending Democracy Together(DDT), a 501(c)4 lobbying group that also incorporates projects called The Russia Tweets and Republicans Against Putin. Republicans Against Putin promotes the view that President Trump is not stand[ing] up to [Vladimir] Putin and calls for more aggressive investigation of the Russian role in the 2016 election. DDT is a prime example of how the neoconservatives and traditional liberal interventionists have come together as it is in part funded by Pierre Omidyar, the billionaire co-founder of eBay who has provided DDT with $600,000 in two grants through his Democracy Fund Voice, also a 501(c)4. Omidyar is a political liberal who has given millions of dollars to progressive organizations and individuals since 1999. Indeed, he is regarded as a top funder of liberal causesin the United States and even globally together with Michael Bloomberg and George Soros. His Democracy Fund awarded $9 million in grants in 2015 alone. Last week, the Omidyar-Kristol connection may have deepened with an announcement regarding the launch of the launch of a new webzine The Bulwark, which would clearly be at least somewhat intended to take the place of the recently deceased Weekly Standard. It is promoting itself as the center of the Never Trump Resistance and it is being assumed that at least some of the Omidyar money is behind it. Iranian-born Omidyars relationship with Kristol is clearly based on the hatred that the two share regarding Donald Trump. Omidyar has stated that Trump is a dangerous authoritarian demagogue endorsing Donald Trump immediately disqualifies you from any position of public trust. He has tweeted that Trump suffers from failing mental capacity and is both corrupt and incapacitated. | http://theduran.com/is-the-violent-dismemberment-of-russia-official-us-policy/ |
What Time Does the Lunar Eclipse Begin & End? | Tonights lunar eclipse is a sight you dont want to miss. Not only is this a supermoon that marks the moons closest orbit to the Earth, but its also a time when the moon appears red in the sky. On top of all of that, the moon is also passing through the only total lunar eclipse youll see in 2019. Thats why you dont want to miss the moment of total lunar eclipse tonight. The moment of greatest total lunar eclipse will be at 12:12 a.m. Eastern (11:12 p.m. Central/9:12 p.m. Pacific.) The moon will enter the umbra (the time of significant darkening) at 11:41 p.m. Eastern and begin to exit at 12:43 a.m. Eastern, according to NASA, which is the end of the total lunar eclipse. The UTC time for the maximum eclipse is 05:12:14 UTC (i.e. 12:12 a.m. Eastern.) Check out the link here to translate UTC to your local time zone. The eclipse will begin about 9:36 p.m. Eastern tonight, at which time the moon is going to start to slightly dim. By 2:48 a.m. Eastern, the entire event will be over. Heres a more exact schedule, as shared by NASA: 9:36 p.m. Eastern (6:36 p.m. Pacific, 8:36 p.m. Central): The edge of the moon will enter the penumbra. For the next 57 minutes, the moon will dim slightly as it enters the penumbra. You will only notice slight dimming. 10:33 p.m. Eastern (7:33 p.m Pacific): The edge of the moon will begin to enter the umbra, which will cause significant darkening. Some say the moon looks like it has a bite taken out of it during this time that gets bigger and bigger. 11:41 p.m. Eastern (8:41 p.m. Pacific): The moon is completely inside the umbra, which is the beginning of the total lunar eclipse. (The moon will be looking reddish orange around this time.) 12:12 a.m. Eastern (9:12 p.m. Pacific, 11:12 p.m. Central): The moment of greatest eclipse for the moon. 12:43 a.m. Eastern (9:43 p.m. Pacific): The edge of the moon begins to exit the umbra and enter the opposite side of the penumbra. This is the end of the total lunar eclipse. 1:50 a.m. Eastern (10:50 p.m. Pacific): The moon is completely outside the umbra, and is moving out of the penumbra. 2:48 a.m. Eastern (11:48 p.m. Pacific): The eclipse event is over. Heres a video explaining how the lunar eclipse works: | https://heavy.com/news/2019/01/lunar-blood-moon-eclipse-time-begin-end/ |
Does Sean McVay Have a Wife? Is the Rams Coach Married? | Rams head coach Sean McVay does not have a wife but is in a relationship with longtime girlfriend Veronika Khomyn. The couple have been dating long before McVay made history as the youngest coach in NFL history. McVay and Khomyn were an item when he was the Redskins tight ends coach. Khomyn made the move across the country from Virginia to Southern California when McVay took the Rams job. The couple lives in a $2.71 million home they purchased in Encino, California, per Trulia. McVay was surprised when Khomyn informed him that fans knew where they lived thanks to social media. Its all over TMZ yesterday, McVay told ESPN shortly after their home purchase. I closed on a place earlier this week. My girlfriend shes on social media, Im not she says, You know, its everywhere, where were living and all that stuff. Learn more about McVay and his girlfriend. After McVays 1st Playoff Win, the Couple Hit Up a Los Angeles Hot Spot McVay notched his first playoff win as an NFL head coach in the Divisional Round as the Rams topped the Cowboys. After the big win, McVay hit the town with Khomyn. According to TMZ, McVay and Khomyn went to Delilah in West Hollywood. Heres how Eater described the exclusive supper club. The place is meant to be a true supper club in a sense, with sit-down dinner that might consist of sliders, deviled eggs, or carrot cake, followed by bottle service and lots of music later in the evening. As for the Built Inc.-designed space itself, expect open opulence with dangling chandeliers and overstuffed armchairs. Wood and gold touches play off the brighter pink parts of the room, while a couple of long leather couches ring the tiled fireplace that acts as a focus for the room. Think 1920s plush decor, with a modern twist. Veronika Wore a McBae Shirt to the Cowboys-Rams Playoff Game After the Rams advanced to the NFC Championship, Khomyn showed off her outfit for the game on Instagram. Khomyn was wearing a shirt with her husbands face wearing sunglasses along with the word McBae. Khomyn was with McVay at the 2018 NFL Honors show where he won the NFL Coach of the Year award. McVays girlfriend was among the people the Rams coach thanked after winning the award for his quick turnaround in Los Angeles. McVay Comes From a Football Family McVay may be young, but the Rams coach has been around football for a long time. McVays grandfather, John McVay, worked in the 49ers front office and helped construct a dynasty in the 1980s. He was kind of the unsung hero, McVay told the Los Angeles Times. He was always in the background never was a guy that needed the creditI think there were a lot of things you subconsciously pick up that maybe you might not otherwise. The competitiveness, the interactions with the players, all those things that seem natural because youre around it. | https://heavy.com/sports/2019/01/sean-mcvay-wife-girlfriend-veronika-khomyn-instagram/ |
Was befindet sich hier unter dem Schnee? | Fragen und Antworten rund um die Kommentar-Funktion Warum dauert es manchmal so lange, bis mein Kommentar sichtbar wird? Unsere Leser kommentieren fleiig Tag fr Tag gehen Hunderte Meinungen zu allen mglichen Themen ein. Da die Verantwortung fr alle Inhalte auf der Website bei der Redaktion liegt, werden die Beitrge vorab gesichtet. Das dauert manchmal eben einige Zeit. Warum wurde mein Kommentar gelscht? Womglich wurde der Beitrag in einer Fremdsprache verfasst. Wir geben nur Kommentare in den Landessprachen Luxemburgisch, Deutsch und Franzsisch frei. Beitrge, die Beleidigungen, Verleumdungen oder Diffamierungen enthalten, werden sofort gelscht. Auch Kommentare, die aufgrund mangelnder Orthografie quasi unlesbar oder in Versalien geschrieben sind, werden das Licht der ffentlichkeit nie erblicken. Habe ich ein Recht darauf, dass meine Kommentare freigeschaltet werden? L'essentiel ist nicht dazu verpflichtet, eingehende Kommentare zu verffentlichen. Ebenso haben die kommentierenden Leser keinen Anspruch darauf, dass ihre verfassten Beitrge auf der Seite erscheinen. Schreiben Sie an [email protected] Hinweis: Wir beantworten keine Fragen, die sich auf einzelne Kommentare beziehen. | http://www.lessentiel.lu/de/videos/story/17583701 |
Did Danny Green break the GoDaddy curse by wearing C.J.'s PJs? | Any true Raptors fan knows the GoDaddy curse is real. Scroll to continue with content Ad It started two seasons ago, when Jonas Valanciunas introduced us to his Itty Bitty Ballers brand in a commercial with former teammates Patrick Patterson and Lucas Bebe Nogueira. The commercial was a hit, but the Lithuanian big man went on to post the second lowest point-per-game average (11.2) of his playoff career. Patterson, meanwhile, signed a three-year contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer of 2017 before suffering a knee injury two months later. Hes now playing pro ball in Spain. But the curse didnt show its true strength until Norman Powell revealed his musical talent with his own GoDaddy commercial during the 2017-18 season. Powells stock was rising after a breakout performance during the 2017 playoffs, when he average 11.7 points per game. He was rewarded with a four-year, $42 million contract extension ahead of the 2017-18 season. Then came the debut of his GoDaddy commercial and it was all downhill from there. Powell went on to post career lows across the board, averaging 5.5 points in 15.2 minutes per game while shooting .401 from the field and .285 from deep. The curse extended into the playoffs, when Powell averaged a measly two points per game. Enter C.J. Miles, the next Raptor to fall victim to the the dreaded curse. Miles dropped his funny yet unfortunately tragic CJs PJs commercial earlier this season but before fans had time to enjoy the laugh, attention quickly turned to the curse. Much like Valanciunas and Patterson and Bebe and Powell before him, Myles began to fall on hard times (and thats putting it lightly). Story continues The sharpshooter, known as one of the best pure shooters in the NBA, is averaging career lows in FG% (.301) and 3P% (.287) this season. His 5.0 PPG is his lowest average since he posted the same number in 2007-08 with the Utah Jazz. But then something incredible happened. Makes you think pic.twitter.com/RWguGGzqzO Yahoo Sports Canada (@YahooCASports) January 20, 2019 On the day Danny Green embraced the brand, wearing CJs PJs to the Raptors home game against the Phoenix Suns, Miles seemingly exorcised the GoDaddy demons, scoring 13 points on 3-5 shooting from deep. Miles mirrored that effort Saturday night against the Grizzlies, scoring 13 points on 2-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Now I know its only been two games, hardly enough of a sample size to make any kind of proclamation. But when youre talking about the end of a sports curse, it doesnt take much for fans to get excited. And clearly Im not the only one. The moment the GoDaddy curse ended pic.twitter.com/iGcCfLkCh0 Vivek Jacob (@VivekMJacob) January 18, 2019 i can't wait for the entire raptors team to show up to game 1 of the nba finals wearing CJ's PJs alex (@steven_lebron) January 20, 2019 LET'S GOOO NO MORE GODADDY CURSE IN HERE FOR CJS PJS #WeTheNorth #RTZ tim (@drummerboii98_) January 20, 2019 danny is wearing freds hat and hoodie. 40-point game coming. alex (@steven_lebron) January 20, 2019 More Raptors coverage on Yahoo Sports Canada: | https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/danny-green-break-go-daddy-curse-wearing-c-j-s-pjs-040240826.html?src=rss |
Is Jared Goff dating swimsuit model Christen Harper? | It appears Sean McVay isnt the only member of the Rams with a personal cheerleader. Quarterback Jared Goff is said to be dating swimsuit stunner Christen Harper, according to SportsGossip.com. An insider tells the sports site Goff is hiding her from everyone except some friends. The brunette beauty also was photographed at a past Rams game. While Goff, 24, and Harper do follow one another on social media, their rumored relationship is not yet Instagram official. It remains to be seen if Harper will be in New Orleans on Sunday, when the Rams face the Saints in the NFC Championship game. Should he defeat Drew Brees, Goff would punch his ticket to his first ever Super Bowl. | https://nypost.com/2019/01/20/is-jared-goff-dating-swimsuit-model-christen-harper/ |
Why are there fuel shortages in Mexico? | Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Authorities are now working to identify the victims of the pipeline explosion When thieves punctured a pipeline in the Mexican town of Tlahuelilpan, a geyser of high-octane gasoline was sent several metres into the air, More than 700 residents flocked to the scene to fill jerry cans. People spoke of a party atmosphere. Local petrol pumps had reportedly run dry, and people needed fuel for their cars. But two hours later, at least 73 people lay dead after an explosion tore through the scene. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Suspected fuel thieves have been blamed for rupturing the pipeline The answer is that the explosion comes amid a major government crackdown on fuel theft. While the public has been broadly supportive, it has led to supply issues in central Mexican states which are causing problems nationwide. Criminals known as huachicoleros have in recent years begun stealing from oil pipelines and selling fuel on the black market. A few litres of fuel are worth more than the daily minimum wage in Mexico. Gangs reportedly made 12,581 illegal taps in the first 10 months of 2018, the Associated Press reports - about 42 a day. Authorities estimate it costs Mexico more than $3 billion (2.3bn) each year. Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption President Lpez Obrador vowed to continue the fight against fuel thieves after the explosion Newly-elected President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador, known popularly as AMLO, has vowed to crack down on fuel theft. He announced a new policy last month to shut off major pipelines until they can be properly protected from illegal tapping. But the closures have disrupted supplies as distribution shifts from pipelines to tanker trucks. State oil company Pemex has insisted there are no shortages in Mexico, but admits there have been problems delivering the fuel. "We will not back down from our fight against fuel theft, a crime that damages the national economy and affects every Mexican directly in their finances," the company said in a press release. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Tanker trucks have replaced pipelines as the means to transport fuel President Lpez Obrador has also stressed the problems are only a distribution issue. "Even though it hurts a lot, we have to carry on with the plan to end fuel theft," he vowed after Friday's explosion. People in the capital Mexico City and surrounding central states have faced massive queues. Mexico City-based actress and singer Lorena Marcela Vignau Caballero told the BBC of the chaos when the policy began. "I panicked and filled up my tank the day they cut the pipes," she said, queuing for half an hour after midnight for petrol. Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption People have queued for hours outside petrol stations Traffic was even worse than usual in the city as people rushed to buy fuel. "It was madness," she said. "[Since then] we've tried as best as we can to run our errands on foot and not to use the car unless it's super necessary." Mayra Cisneros Omaa told the BBC her mother has been affected by the shortages in the city of Guanajuato in central Mexico. "She wasn't able to attend her mother's funeral because it was impossible to get gas," Ms Cisneros Omaa said. In the days before, her mother had lined up for 10 hours to buy petrol for the short drive home after flying back to the city from Cancn. Image copyright Maira Martinez Omaa Image caption This taxi driver had to push his cab in Guanajuato "They bought lunch for a taxi driver in the queue because he had to push his cab the whole time," she said. "He didn't have a penny on him since he hadn't been able to work for a few days." Polls show that the public broadly supports the president's new fuel measures - even though they have caused supply issues. But there have been some protests against the policy in affected states. Image copyright Reuters Image caption The measures have drawn some protests, like this one in Guadalajara The hashtag #DondeHayGasolina - meaning where is there petrol - has been trending on Twitter as Mexicans search for places to buy fuel. People are also using city-specific tags like #gasolinaCDMX for the capital city, known in Spanish as Ciudad de Mexico or CDMX. Online, Mexicans have poked fun at the shortages. A common meme posted on social media compares the country to Mad Max - a film series set in a dystopian future where gangs battle for scarce natural resources. "In the not too distant future in Mexico, we will give life to the famous film Mad Max," one said. Petrol stations have also tried to make light of the situation. One Twitter user posted a photo of a sign in a forecourt reading, "Don't blame us, you voted for AMLO". And some Mexicans queuing for petrol were saved from the boredom by a mariachi band. The musicians entertained a line of customers in Morelia in the central state of Michoacn. | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-46939165 |
Who wins the Brian Ross Trophy this week? | Over the last week, we saw two news stories that should cause a lot of indigestion for deans in journalism schools. Back in December 2017, ABC News suspended Brian Ross for "breaking" a story that turned out to be wrong about President Trump. Ross thought he got Trump, but the truth got the newsman! First, the New York Times published a headline about President Trump working for Russia. Unfortunately, those who actually read the story found that the text did not support the dramatic headline. BuzzFeed ran another juicy headline about President Trump. The allegation this time was that Mr. Trump had told Michael Cohen to lie to Congress. As expected, it caused an uproar, from Democrats to news people saying that "if true," then we got impeachment around the corner. Reserve your seats, because impeachment proceedings are coming, and very soon. Once again, the story fell apart. Professor Dershowitz nailed it with this post: As soon as I read the explosive BuzzFeed News report alleging there was evidence that President Trump had directed his former attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress, I was very suspicious. Even before the Office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller issued a statement Friday night saying that the BuzzFeed account was "not accurate," I wrote an op-ed for the New York Daily News raising questions about whether there was actually credible evidence that Trump suborned perjury or obstructed justice by telling Cohen to lie to lawmakers. It seemed obvious that there were no smoking gun emails containing any such direction from the president. Nor would there be eyewitnesses to any such alleged conversation. Like the professor, I was skeptical about the story. In fact, I was invited on Friday afternoon to record a Sunday "news review" and expressed my skepticism about the story. My exact words were "let's wait and see where this goes." I did not have to wait that long. The story was a dud in a few hours. Over the years, I've met a lot of good newsmen and newswomen. They take their jobs seriously and do their best to research the facts. I wonder how those serious news people feel after the New York Times' headline and BuzzFeed! Stay tuned! PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. | https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/01/who_wins_the_brian_ross_trophy_this_week.html |
When will the Super Blood Wolf Moon astronomical event appear over Ireland? | Get daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Irish stargazers are in for a treat as a total lunar eclipse and a supermoon will be visible this month. People in North and South America, Africa, and parts of Western Europe will have the chance to see the Super Blood Wolf Moon. The next time people will be able to see this phenomenon will be 2022. (Image: Getty) Irish astronomy enthusiasts will be able to view the total eclipse shortly before sunrise on Monday. The full moon will be in the earths shadow from 3.34 am to 6.51 am, Breakingnews.ie reports. The eclipse will be lasting about an hour, starting at 4.41am. While the moon will be visible during the eclipse itll be in a shade of red, hence the name blood moon. According to the Old Farmers Almanac, the January full moon is often called the Wolf Moon which might date back to Native American tribes when wolves would howl outside villages. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now | https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/super-wolf-blood-moon-ireland-13873720 |
Will the blood moon be visible in South Africa? | Strictly speaking the blood moon will not be visible in South Africa regardless of where you are in the country. The eclipse will begin at about 04:30 SAST but the moon will dip below the horizon before the earths shadow stretches across the whole of the moon. Part of the eclipsed moon may still be visible on the horizon until it completely sets. Stargazers in Cape Town and the West coast will see the most of the eclipse but even they will not see the moon turn completely red. The height of the eclipse will take place at 07:12 SAST but the moon will not be visible in South African skies at that time. The next blood moon fully visible in South Africa will be on May 26 2021 though another partial eclipse will be visible in January of 2020. During the first phase of an eclipse the partial outer shadow of the earth, known as the penumbra, stretches over the face of the full moon, this process will begin at 04:26 SAST and will be the only part of the eclipse visible in South Africa. The second phase of an eclipse sees the earths fuller and darker shadow, the umbra, stretch across the face of the moon causing it to appear red and giving it the name blood moon. This phase starts at around 07:12 SAST but takes place after sunrise and is not visible in South Africa. South Africans will need to content themselves with live streams of the remainder of the astronomical event. Total Lunar eclipses are a freak cosmic event that we can enjoy because of the current distance of the moon from the earth, but the moon is inching away from the earth, at the glacial pace of 4cms per year, and in a few billion years (roughly four times the length of the month of January) the earths shadow will no longer completely cover the moons surface. Blood Moon lunar eclipse: Everything you need to know The reason the moon doesnt fall into total darkness is that some light reflects off the earth and onto the surface of the moon. This light is refracted through the earths atmosphere giving the moon an eerie glow. If one were standing on the moon, looking back at the sun, one would see the black disk of Earth blocking the entire sun, but also a ring of reflected light glowing around the edges of Earth. | https://www.thesouthafrican.com/will-the-blood-moon-be-visible-in-south-africa/ |
What's Up With These NFL Next Gen Stats? | Photo: Harry How (Getty) Dating back a few years, the NFL has put microchips in players pads to track their movements in games. Since the beginning of the 2017 season, the company that sends you shit in the mail and provides the architecture for a lot of the internet has slapped its name on the statistics generated by those microchips. Some of these stats are clearly accurate and illuminating. For example, in last weeks Patriots-Chargers game, the Pats ran the ball 82% of the time when Sony Michel was in the game and threw 97% of the time with James White in instead. Cool! Also, no microchip required. But some of the more extreme bits of data are at least worth interrogating. As a former runner, coach, and track writer, Im always interested in data around speed. (Two tidbits about the 40-yard dash: about 500 men in the world have run faster than the equivalent of John Rosss NFL combine record. And the fastest women in college track would be among the very fastest NFL players at any position.) So here are two alleged Next Gen Stats that caught my eye this season: Heres my highly scientific rebuttal: the Raiders punter is not faster than Alvin Kamara or Kareem Hunt. This one is less insane than it seems; Townsend ran 4.84 in the 40, while Kamara ran 4.56 and Hunt ran 4.66. But it still seems...not right. Not as off as this one, though: 15 miles an hour is not fast; thats roughly a 15-second 100 meters, or a hair below Philip Riverss top speed. Advertisement If that data were accurate, it would say something pretty interesting about NFL running backsthat their job is almost entirely predicated on shiftiness, elusiveness, and intelligence, not speed. Obviously the proverbial burst is more important than full-steam-ahead speed, which is whats being measured above. It does take a very long time to get to full speed. The best sprinters in history, who get up around 28 miles per hour by the end of the 100 meters, run their first 10 meters in 1.6 seconds or sojust under 14 miles an hour. So maybe what that stat is really telling us is that 15 mpha speed attainable by just about every player in the NFL who would carry the ballis only something you can reach on breakaway runs, and those guys just get the most breakaway runs. The other possibility is that the NFL is a little too confident in the quality of its microchip data, and its two Silicon Valley partnersthe chip company and the e-commerce/cloud computing companyare creating overdetermined information from borderline voodoo science. But that doesnt sound like them. | https://deadspin.com/whats-up-with-these-nfl-next-gen-stats-1831907947 |
When was the last time the Chiefs went to the Super Bowl? | One win stands between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Super Bowl, a stage the team has not played on in 49 years. The Chiefs became the second AFL to defeat an NFL team in an AFL-NFL World Championship Game in 1970, taking down the Minnesota Vikings 237 in Super Bowl IV. Kansas City hasn't been back to the Super Bowl since. Kansas City reached Super Bowl I after winning the AFL Championship in 1966, but the Chiefs lost to the NFL's Green Bay Packers. In 1962, in the pre-Super Bowl era, the franchisethen the Dallas Texanswon the AFL by beating the Houston Oilers in overtime. The Chiefs rank behind only the Detroit Lions and the New York Jets for the longest Super Bowl drought in the NFL. The Lions have not made it back to to the big game in 61 seasons, while the Jets haven't appeared in a Super Bowl in 50. Chiefs Super Bowl History Super Bowl I: Packers 35, Chiefs 10 Super Bowl IV: Chiefs 23, Vikings 7 The Chiefs host the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 6:40 p.m. ET. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/20/kansas-city-chiefs-super-bowl-history-last-time |
Have the Chiefs ever won the Super Bowl? | The Kansas City Chiefs are one game away from booking their ticket to Super Bowl LIII. The Chiefs haven't made it to the big game in recent memory, but should they make it past Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Sunday, it won't be the first time they'll have played for a Super Bowl ring. After winning three AFL championships in 1962, 1966 and 1969, the Chiefs became the second AFL to defeat an NFL team in an AFL-NFL World Championship Game, taking down the Minnesota Vikings 237 in Super Bowl IV. Kansas City's defense held the Vikings to just 67 rushing yards, forced three interceptions and recovered two fumbles en route to the win. Len Dawson was named the Super Bowl MVP after going 12-of-17 for 142 yards for one touchdown and an interception. The team's victory in 1970 remains the Chiefs' only Super Bowl victory and their last appearance to date. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/20/have-kansas-city-chiefs-ever-won-super-bowl |
What is Blue Monday and why is it the most depressing day of the year? | Blue Monday is commonly the Monday that starts the third week in January, which is believed to be the most depressing day of the year. For most people, it is the time where you start feeling the strain of December's constant alcohol and chocolate diet, while bank accounts are still looking relatively empty as you wait to be paid for the first time since the January sales. The first Blue Monday took place on January 24, 2005 and although there is no actual science behind the theory, life coach and happiness consultant Cliff Arnall believes that several factors contribute towards the day. As reported by the Mirror Online, Cliff has published a formula stating how things like the weather, debt, the amount of time that has elapsed since Christmas and how we feel about failed New Year's Resolutions can bring a person's general mood and motivation down. It was originally started as a PR invention, but is now known nationwide as an annual event. Mind, the Mental Health charity, says it has no basis in scientific research. "Here at Mind, we think its dangerously misleading," it says on its website. "Those of us who live with depression know that those feelings arent dictated by the date. "Implying that they are perpetuates the myth that depression is just 'feeling a bit down', something that doesnt need to be taken seriously." The Samaritans are also aiming to change it to Brew Monday, by offering a cuppa and chat at events across the UK - the Samaritans helpline is also free to call all year around. | https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/what-blue-monday-most-depressing-2449639 |
What's next for champ T.J. Dillashaw following UFC on ESPN+ 1 loss? | (Also see: Sean Shelbys Shoes: Whats next for Henry Cejudo and UFC on ESPN+ 1s other key winners?) T.J. Dillashaw missed his opportunity to become a simultaneous two-division champion Saturday when he lost to Henry Cejudo in the UFC on ESPN+ 1 headliner. Bantamweight champ Dillashaw (16-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) experienced a stunning 32-second TKO loss when he challenged flyweight champ Cejudo (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in the main event matchup, which took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and streamed on ESPN+ following televised prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+. Dillashaw was upset with the result, claiming an early stoppage by referee Kevin MacDonald that stole his opportunity to make history inside the octagon. Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on the future of the 135-pound champ. For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 1, check out the UFC Events section of the site. Gallery Henry Cejudo def. T.J. Dillashaw at UFC on ESPN+ 1: Best photos view 12 images | https://mmajunkie.com/2019/01/whats-next-matchmaker-tj-dillashaw-ufc-on-espn-plus-1-loss-henry-cejudo |
Was ist das Geheimnis der Festkrper? | Auf einen Blick Die neuen Wunderstoffe 1980 beobachtete der deutsche Physiker Klaus von Klitzing erstmals ein ungewhnliches Verhalten von Elektronen in Festkrpern. Zwei Jahre spter deckten vier Forscher auf, dass das abstrakte mathematische Gebiet der Topologie die exotischen Phnomene erklrt. Erst im letzten Jahrzehnt realisierten Physiker, dass die bizarren Zustnde keine Ausnahme waren. Sie erkannten eine neue Materialklasse, die gleichberechtigt neben gewhnlichen Isolatoren und Leitern steht. Im Oktober 2016 sah sich Thors Hans Hansson mit einer schwierigen Aufgabe konfrontiert: Er musste der Weltffentlichkeit den Physik-Nobelpreis erklren. Es ging dabei um das wenig dankbare Thema der Topologie, ein abstraktes mathematisches Gebiet, von dem zu diesem Zeitpunkt selbst mancher Naturwissenschaftler noch nie gehrt hatte. So kam es, dass Hansson vor den laufenden Fernsehkameras eine Papiertte zckte, und nacheinander eine Brezel, einen Bagel und ein Zimtbrtchen auspackte. Topologen, sagte er, wrden das Gebck nicht durch ihren Geschmack, sondern gem der Anzahl ihrer Lcher unterscheiden. Ein Zimtbrtchen ist also nicht nur ser als eine Brezel, es hat vor allem zwei Lcher weniger. Aus Sicht eines Mathematikers htte Hansson statt dem Zimtbrtchen also auch ein Vollkornbrot in die Tte packen knnen topologisch gesehen sind beide Krper identisch. Vor dem Backen htten sich ihre Teigmassen ineinander verformen lassen, ohne dass sie dabei zerreien. Und darauf kommt es in der Topologie an. Fr viele Beobachter war Hanssons Auftritt auch deshalb berraschend, weil es abstrakte mathematische Themen eher selten ins Rampenlicht schaffen. Aber das Nobelkomitee trug damit einer Entwicklung Rechnung, die unter Experten lngst hohe Wellen schlug: Der Siegeszug der Topologie beim Verstndnis der Phnomene in Festkrpern ... | https://www.spektrum.de/magazin/was-ist-das-geheimnis-der-festkoerper/1614270 |
Is there a way to get my printer to print more consistently? | Columnist Eyal Goldschmid answers your computer questions. (Photo: FILE PHOTO) Q: I have a Windows 10 PC. When I try to print an email or something from a website, the page that prints comes out very light and almost unreadable. But when I print information from a program like MS Works or Quicken, the page prints perfectly fine. I've tried adjusting some printer settings to fix this but did not have any luck and my printer ink is full. Rich Meiklejohn, Sebastian A: Typically, when one sees faded printing, it indicates that that your ink levels are low or that the ink has been exhausted from a cartridge. If ink levels are full, then the problem may be caused by something faulty inside the printer, such as a blocked jet head or ink sticking to a roller instead of a page, which can sometimes happen if you are printing in an area with high humidity. But in all those cases, the issue would happen across the board, not selectively depending on the program you are using. If you are able to print normally via one channel (Works, Quicken) and not another (a web page or email), then the problem would most likely be caused by an incompatible version of the programs you are using, a default printer calibration found inside a program's print settings or an outdated printer driver. Start with the programs themselves. Please go to the manufacturer websites for your browser and email program, respectively, and download and install the latest versions of the programs. This should ensure the issue is not one of compatibility between the programs and Windows 10. You can find the latest versions of each program by performing a Google search on the applications, such as (latest version Google Chrome Windows 10). After doing that, try printing again and see if the problem continues or not. If so, then update the drivers for the printer. Drivers are programs that help your computer communicate with its hardware peripherals, like printers and monitors. Sometimes, after completing a Windows or program update, device drivers will need to be updated manually so they can stay in sync with the updates. In Google, type "latest printer driver Windows 10 (your computer make and model)." This should lead you to the printer manufacturer's support site, on which you can download the latest drivers for the device. If you already have the latest drivers installed, then the installation program will tell you so and you can move to the next step. If they are not installed, please install them and see if the problem continues or not. If so, then see if a print setting in your web browser or email program is causing this to happen. Launch your email program or browser, open a page or message you are having trouble printing, and click file, then print, then properties, and scour through the print settings console there, searching for an odd setting that may be activated. Given the information above, you will want to look for a line that tells the printer to avoid or conserve black ink or something similar to that. (Each printer has a different setup for this, so without knowing your printer make and model it's hard to offer more specific instructions than this.) If you find such a setting, modify it accordingly and the printer should print normally again. If you cannot find such a setting, then contact your printer's manufacturer support team for additional suggestions and advice. Then make a point to visit this website. At it, you'll find countless emojis, ranging from facial expressions to animals to food and more; each can be inserted into a message with just a few keystrokes. To use, simply browse through the emoji categories found in the site's main navigation and locate an emoji of your liking when you find it, highlight it with your cursor, copy it (CTRL+C) and then paste it into your email as needed (CTRL + V) and your done. No app downloads and updates, no unwanted advertisements. To use on your smartphone, simply bookmark the site and use the same way. Contact Eyal Goldshmid at [email protected] Read or Share this story: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/life/columnists/2019/01/20/tech-support-why-inconsistent-results-printer/2513285002/ | https://www.tcpalm.com/story/life/columnists/2019/01/20/tech-support-why-inconsistent-results-printer/2513285002/ |
Is Leslie Jones being hypocritical by slamming the new Ghostbuster? | Ghostbuster fans are quite excited ever since Sony released a teaser of the franchise that will hit the theatres again in 2020. But not all are happy, especially Leslie Jones, who starred in the all-female remake of the original movie in 2016. The reason behind her anger, Sony ignored the last movie and will make it from scratch by paying homage to the 1984 classic and continuing from there. "So insulting. Like f**k us. We dint count," Leslie said on Twitter. "It's like something trump would do," she tweeted. "(Trump voice) 'Gonna redo ghostbusteeeeers, better with men, will be huge. Those women ain't ghostbusteeeeers' ugh so annoying. Such a dk move. And I don't give fk I'm saying something!!" The 2016 reboot had received quite a flak from the audience because the cast was all woman. The sexist aggression to the 2016- movie generated quite a stir leading up to the movies release. Though, post release critics were not that harsh but the public sentiment was primarily negative and they refused to buy whatever the film was selling. This lead to Sony entertainment suffer loss and the worldwide collection was also not up to the mark. "The 2016 remake failed in the box office, both in the US and internationally. It was a bad movie with bad writing. Get over it, it stank, and the global audience noticed it," said an user in response to Leslie's tweet. So, this time Sony hired bought Ivan Reitman's son Jason Reitman to direct the new Ghostbuster movie that will be a continuation from the original movie. But as was said by Leslie that the cast of the new film would be an all-male cast is not entirely true. Infact, no details of the cast has yet been revealed, apart from the fact that two of the main characters in this sequel to the original movies will be kids, reported by We Got This Covered. It also said that they will be a 13-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. So insulting. Like fuck us. We dint count. Its like something trump would do. (Trump voice)Gonna redo ghostbusteeeeers, better with men, will be huge. Those women aint ghostbusteeeeers ugh so annoying. Such a dick move. And I dont give fuck Im saying something!! (@Lesdoggg) January 19, 2019 Fans did not hold back on tweeter after the tweet went viral. "Go focus on that movie career you don't have. And let the fans get excited for the sequel they waited for," a sick burn from one of the users comment on Twitter. Another user explained, "I expected better than this of you.All this does is feed the hatred by continuing the narrative your movie failed due to sexism when it actually failed because it has no respect for the franchise. Not your fault, but you're better than this childishness." Clearly, fans are trying to stress on the point that the movie was bad. Just bad. It did not had a bad cast, but the film in total was just bad because it did not pay any homage to the original and also the movie was just bad. | https://www.ibtimes.co.in/leslie-jones-being-hypocritical-by-slamming-new-ghostbuster-790394 |
Is Religion Anti-Intellectual? | All the discord and vitriol in our culture boils down to how you would answer. Border walls, gay marriage, abortion, national defense, school choice -- where you stand on these issues and the myriad others comprising our daily tussle is for the most part defined by how you answer this question. Your answer, yeah or nay, draws a very hard line. The professional philosopher John G. Messerly begins with this question in his recent Salon piece, Religion's smart-people problem: The shaky intellectual foundations of absolute faith. Dr. Messerlys answer to the question he poses is not surprisingly a resounding no. He begins establishing the foundation for his argument by citing statistics showing only 14% of professional philosophers and a mere 7% of members of the National Academy of Sciences hold any religious beliefs. Unlike earlier ages when belief in a Creator was overwhelmingly accepted, the discoveries of modern science and philosophical progress have rendered the idea of an immaterial intelligence as the ultimate source of the universe to the very fringe of intellectual discourse. Messerlys great lament is that while the highly educated have relegated traditional belief in a creator to nothing more now than cultural mythology, the masses havent followed. Religious belief still remains widespread despite all the pontificating to the contrary by the academy. In sounding like an attempt to excuse the ineffectiveness of materialism to eradicate religiosity, Messerly cites a couple of reasons for such societal intransigence. First, homo sapiens has a genetic predisposition for religious beliefs and practices. Through natural selection, religion provided an advantage to survival such as social cohesion and cooperation. (Is this not a good thing?) He then cites social dysfunction and lack of an effective social safety net as driving functions for religious beliefs. Messerly reduces religion to simply a coping mechanism for the stress caused by poverty, incarceration rates, income inequality, teenage births, abortions, corruption, etc. Messerly then goes on to insinuate (though he admits no causal relationship has been established) that the best countries to live in have the lowest rates of religious believers. Oh yes, he cites the UNs list of the 20 best countries to live in and the countries at the top of the list like Norway, Australia, Sweden, and Canada are also the least religious. The rating is said to be established by GDP per capita, education, and health. Honestly, I dont trust any data coming out of the UN (does East Anglia ring a bell?) and maybe they put Norway at the top specifically because they are the least religious. Religion tends to get in the way of world government, you know. From this data Messerly then summarizes by writing, There are good reasons to doubt that religious belief makes peoples lives go better, and good reasons to believe that they make their lives go worse. I think he was stamping his feet as he typed this in. Messerly then turns to affirming the overwhelming body of evidence of biological evolution. Its pretty obvious that he is in over his head in affirming really anything associated with scientific evidence. He just asserts with no premises in support, which probably satisfies your typical Salon reader. And what he affirms, the standard unguided natural selection acting on random mutation assertion of the materialists, is just so twentieth century. The evolutionary theory that the Messerlys of the world just accept is being steadily dismantled. Darwins theory has been totally refuted by the fossil record. Search the web for the Cambrian Explosion and judge the evidence for yourself. The transitional forms that Darwin insisted must exist for his theory to become law are nowhere to be found. Science has been looking for 150 years now and the record is a sparse as it was when Darwin expressed doubt in his own theory. Of course, Darwin had no idea of the existence of DNA and its role in protein synthesis. Today we know an enormous amount about the genetic code and its role in biological life. We understand what it does, but we have absolutely no idea how such a sophisticated set of instructions and their sequencing could have self-assembled through natural unguided processes. The most brilliant software engineers in the world cannot begin to duplicate the eloquence we see in the DNA code. It clearly displays the earmarks of intelligence to those willing to see. Messerly continues by smugly asserting anecdotal evidence that the more educated one becomes, the less likely one will attain or retain religious beliefs. I actually concur in this sense, the more time you spend in the rigid, censoring, intolerant, secular academy, the more you will be conditioned to conform with the naturalistic party line. Just mention intelligent design in a college faculty room and see what happens to your prospects for tenure, department chair, or even continued employment. Thank you, Ben Stein. Messerly then turns to fideism in his final attempt to discredit religious belief. He essentially asserts that there really is no sound evidence to support belief in a supreme being. Therefore, religious followers are reduced to living by unfounded fairy tales. Lets take a look at some of the evidence that secular science has provided us about our existence: The universe had a beginning. At some point in the finite past everything that comprises the universe sprung into being. Prior to this nothing existed. Not even quantum vacuums. Something caused the universe to spring into existence. The highly speculative multiverse does not help secular arguments here. The physical properties of the universe are set to values so precise that it is virtually impossible to have happened simply by chance. Biological life is infused with information. Information in the form of specified complexity a la DNA, only comes from a mind. John G. Messerly needs to set aside his naturalistic fideism and take a hard look at the real evidence uncovered by secular science before accusing theists of unfounded belief. | https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/01/is_religion_antiintellectual.html |
Which MacBook has the best battery life? | Share Apple devices are known for a lot of things. Their it just works, ethos, aesthetic beauty, closed software ecosystems, and somewhat inflated price tags. One area they tend to only do reasonably well though, is battery life. Laptops which can count extensive battery life on their feature lists include the likes of the Microsoft Surface Book 2 and the HP Spectre Folio. But just because those laptops are better at lasting longer on a single charge, doesnt mean MacBooks are terrible. In fact, if you know which MacBook to opt for and configure it appropriately, you can eke out plenty of battery life for a full day of work or play on a number of Apples notebooks. MacBook Air (2018) Apples MacBook Air has always been designed as a sleek, entry-level MacBook option which prioritizes portability and aesthetics over other aspects, like performance. However, in the current line up of MacBooks, its proved to be the longest lasting by both the specifications and our own testing. There are two models of MacBook Air currently available from Apple with their own various configuration options. Although they both claim to deliver the same 12 hours of battery life of general usage, the 2018 version is the more efficient of the two. Its use of a modern, eighth-generation processor makes it not only more powerful, but more conservative with its power usage. Both models feature a 54 watt-hour battery, but Apple claims that you can get 13 hours of iTunes playback on the contemporary model, versus 12 hours on the older variant. In our MacBook Air review, we found that the modern MacBook Air was capable of playing 1080p video on a loop for 10 hours, or around eight hours of web browsing. You may be able to extend this further by keeping screen brightness low, and keeping background applications to a minimum. Configuration options are limited, but sticking to smaller storage capacities and memory will provide a minute benefit for extending battery life. Apple also recommends keeping your device up to date and to avoid extreme ambient temperatures when using your MacBook. MacBook Pro 15-inch Apples MacBook Pro range is where the real heft and power can be found with all sorts of hardware options for those who need some more grunt for their MacOS tasks. As far as MacBooks go, the battery life isnt bad either, but youll want to choose specific models and consider you configuration to get the most out of it. Whether you opt for the 13 or the 15-inch MacBook Pro, Apple promises up to 10 hours of video viewing and web browsing, but wed suggest the larger of the two options. Although it starts at a higher price, it comes with a much larger battery as standard 87 watt hours versus just 58 watt-hours in the 13-inch model. All of that extra power is required to run the more capable Intel Core i7 or Core i9 CPU options, the dedicated graphics chip, and the larger and higher resolution screen. But as long as you arent performing intensive tasks which maximize the potential of those components, you should see an overall extension in your battery life. We found the 13-inch model with an Intel Core i5 CPU managed over 10 hours in our video loop test. Wed expect the 15-inch model to last a little longer. If you want to spec your MacBook Pro for extended battery life, wed recommend the Core i7, over the Core i9 processor, and limit yourself to 16GB of memory unless you explicitly need more than that. Wed also recommend choosing the Radeon 555X GPU as it will likely consume slightly less power when in use than the 560X alternative. We cant promise itll make a big difference, but you could always disable the Touch Bar too. MacBook Pro 13-inch with Touch Bar (2018) As much as we would recommend the MacBook Pro 15 over the 13 when it comes to battery life, the larger of the two is complete overkill for all but the most heavy-duty of professionals. Its also a lot more expensive, which is why the MacBook Pro 13 is also a viable option. Its battery wont last quite as long, but it wont start blinking as soon as you turn it on either. Since 2016 Apple has sold the MacBook Pro 13 with a much smaller battery than its predecessors, which is a shame for those who value battery life over everything else. However, the latest 2018 models sport a slightly larger one than in recent years with 58 watt-hours of power. You could opt for the 2017 model without the Touch Bar, but that one has 54 watt-hours and with a slightly less efficient seventh-generation Intel CPU, its not going to measure up in general computing. In our testing we found the MacBook Pro 13 capable of just under 10 and a half hours of video looping at 1080p and in general usage it could make it through a full workday. You would want to keep a charger handy if you planned to use it constantly, however, especially if you were running some demanding tasks throughout. MacBook (2017) If you dont want to buy the MacBook Air but the MacBook Pro is too expensive or powerful for your needs, you could opt for a standard MacBook instead. We wouldnt recommend it considering its pricing and the capabilities of its competition, and it has the worst battery life of all Apples laptops, but it does remain an option nonetheless. Equipped with a 41.1 watt-hour battery, this laptop is rated by Apple as capable of 10-hours of web browsing and general usage, or up to 12-hours of iTunes movie playback. In our review we found it could manage eight-hours of video playback at 1080p. In general office use, our review MacBook tended to drain its battery in just over eight hours. Thats enough to give you most of a full workday with careful usage, but it falls well behind the capabilities of the Air and MacBook Pro and is not the system wed recommend if battery life is a major concern of yours. | https://www.digitaltrends.com/apple/macbook-best-battery-life/ |
What driver does Spider-Man use? | Why, he plays golf, of course! English actor Tom Holland who plays Peter Parker and his iconic, web-slinging alter ego in the Avengers franchise on the big screen took part in the pro-am ahead of this weeks Sony Open in Hawaii. The 22-year-old had a high-profile star for company, too, as he played alongside former world No.1 Jordan Spieth and Patrick Rodgers. Golfers salute retiring tennis great Andy Murray New bag for top Scottish caddie Connelly If his Instagram account is anything to go by, it looked like he enjoyed the day. Yep, thats the brand new Callaway Epic Flash driver that Holland is using. > > > DON'T MISS OUT REVIEW OF THE CALLAWAY EPIC FLASH DRIVER Judging by his social media activity, the London actor is a pretty keen and handy-looking player Jason Dufner signs very weird sponsorship deal Holland will reprise his role as Spider-Man in Avengers: Endgame, which is set to hit cinemas this Spring, which is widely tipped to break all box office records. The previous three installments of the Avengers franchise have grossed more than $5bn worldwide. | https://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/what-driver-does-spider-man-use?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bunkered+%28Bunkered+Golf+Magazine%29 |
Should the Chargers move on from Sam Tevi? | The Chargers offensive line gave up pressure on 31.8% of their passes during 2018. Thats good for 19th in the NFL. Right tackle Sam Tevi weathered the storm early on in the season, but as Tevi played more and put more snaps on tape, defenses found out how to beat him. Tevi is a good run blocker. He really helped the Chargers in that aspect. As far as protecting the quarterback, not so much. PFFs numbers on Tevi this year didnt enstill confidence: On the opposite end of the spectrum, Los Angeles Chargers Sam Tevi, a second-year Utah product drafted in the sixth-round in 2017, struggled mightily in terms of pass-blocking efficiency. He allowed 41 hurries, 12 hits and eight sacks across his 483 pass-blocking snaps, good for a mark of 92.9. Only Oakland Raiders Kolton Miller (93.1) and Houston Texans Julien Davenport (93.2) came close to matching his disastrous performance in pass protection. There will be a couple of free agents that are available that would be upgrades from Tevi. If Anthony Lynn is serious about being aggressive, the team will look to upgrade from Tevi. Certainly. There are some athletic limitations that Tevi cant help and defenses expose. Tevi is susceptible to speed rushes to the outside. With the type of athletes that are coming off of the edge on defense, Tevi is a guy that you have to end up hiding, or replacing. | https://chargerswire.usatoday.com/2019/01/20/should-the-chargers-move-on-from-sam-tevi/ |
Could the Seahawks be among teams interested in Kareem Hunt? | Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt was released by the team on Nov. 30 after a video surfaced of him allegedly assaulting a woman at a Cleveland hotel in February. Hunt was then placed on the commissioners exempt list and faces possible discipline following a league investigation. On Sunday morning, ESPNs Adam Schefter tweeted multiple teams are now interested in signing the running back. Multiple teams have expressed interest in Hunt, and it now appears the former Chiefs running back will have a job sooner rather than later, one league source told ESPN, Schefter writes. Multiple teams interested in former Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt, who now is expected to have a job sooner rather later, per source.https://t.co/UiBjFBnqk1 Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 20, 2019 The Bears were the first team to openly acknowledge that they would consider signing Hunt, but there are others, according to sources, Schefter continued. Schefter did not specifically name any other potential suitors in his report. Prior to his release, in 11 games played, Hunt logged 181 carries for 824 yards and seven touchdowns. He has reportedly been undergoing daily anger management counseling since removed from the roster. The Seahawks have not been a team to shy away from troubled players and coach Pete Carroll has been a big advocate of second chances. But with the emergence of Chris Carson in his second season and rookie Rashaad Penny late in the year, running back isnt a high priority for Seattle. The Seahawks would be best suited focusing on re-signing their own free agents regardless of what Hunt could bring to the table. And while Seattle wasnt specifically mentioned in Schefters report, it would be surprising if Hunts name wasnt tossed around in numerous front offices around the league. Currently on the exempt list, Hunt would have to be reinstated before he could sign with any NFL team. | https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2019/01/20/could-the-seahawks-be-among-teams-interested-in-kareem-hunt/ |
How many more heavy hits can Claude Puel take at Leicester City? | As Diogo Jota found the bottom corner of Kasper Schmeichel's net in the third minute of added time to inflict a fourth defeat in five games on Leicester City, Molineux exploded. Jota and his team-mates formed a writhing mound of golden clad celebratory flesh and they were soon joined by manager Nuno Espirito Santo, not adverse to public displays of emotion that has antagonised his peers in the past. Santo received the most meaningless managerial red card ever for his celebrations, a ruling designed to stop the opposition bench from becoming agitated by such celebratory pitch invasions. In the past it was Neil Warnock who told Santo what he thought in an economic use of the English language, choosing just two words. As the carnage around him played out, Puel looked like a man who had taken another heavy blow to this nether regions. He has taken a fair few of them in recent weeks. Forget Jamie Vardys appearance as Spider-man in training on Thursday, it has been more like the Batman TV show from the 1960s for Puel. BAM! Victor Camarasa fires in a spectacular 92nd-minute winner for Cardiff City at the King Power Stadium after Puels side have dominated the game. BIFF! Padraig Amond smashes home the 85th-minute penalty which knocks Puels City out of the FA Cup to create an embarrassing giantkilling. KAPOW! City gift Southampton two goals and then fail to break down ten-man Saints determined rearguard action. THWACK! City are seconds away from what would have been a satisfactory point after battling back twice, going 2-0 down in the first 12 minutes, and then 3-2 down, when his excited young side naively push for the winner, leaving them criminally exposed at the back. ZAM! Ruben Neves delivers a pass that dissects what is left of his rearguard, and not for the first time in the game, to find Raul Jimenez out wide. Jota has been too shattered to get back onside and is 20 yards beyond Citys defence, but when Raul delivers a low cross he is back onside and there is no way anyone can stop him from scoring the winner. OUCH! The heavy hits on Puel havent been limited to the pitch either. For some time there have been media reports his job is on the line, and the awkward questions about his future have been increasing in recent weeks. Then there are the fans, who are growing increasingly frustrated and unhappy with what they have been seeing, and while it used to be confined to social media and message boards, now it is manifesting itself in the stands. After another shocking start to the game - the 15th time in 23 league games City have gone behind - the Wolves fans teased Puel. Youre getting sacked in the morning, they sang. Some of the traveling City fans applauded their approval. Some joined in the song. Puel is a man under siege. The brickbats are coming from all angles. (Image: Clive Mason/Getty Images) That sage of wisdom, Sylvester Stallone, wrote: Life isnt how hard you can hit, it is how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. Thats how winning is done. Winning is really all that counts at this stage. One of the sticks used to beat him with was the style of play. City did have one of the best defensive records in the division, but their style of play was deemed negative and boring, even when they won. At Molineux he fielded a young attacking three of Harvey Barnes, Demarai Gray and Ricardo Pereira behind Jamie Vardy and with Ben Chilwell bombing on from left-back too City offered their biggest attacking threat in weeks. It was entertaining. Unfortunately, they were also a shambles at the back. That hasnt been the case since Bournemouth away. Their cause wasnt helped either by an injury to Harry Maguire, their best defender. However, consistently in recent weeks it has been the midfield that has been Citys problem. There were extenuating circumstances behind the decision to allow Vicente Iborra to return to Spain, issues away from the pitch and City took a compassionate decision to let him go. That has left a ball-playing hole in his midfield options. City simply dont have a player of Nevess vision. After the promise of his first two seasons, Wilfred Ndidi looks bereft of confidence and hugely out of form. (Image: Mike Egerton/PA Wire) Papy Mendys ability to break up play may have been a feature of the first half of the season, but in possession he is not positive enough to get City moving in the right direction. Too often he chooses to play triangles with the back four rather than turning and looking ahead. Still Puel refuses to bring in that creative midfielder. Perhaps the answer is already in his squad. Perhaps James Maddison can be that player. Only time will tell, but there may not be too much time. There may not be an appetite at the club to make changes as there has been more pressing matters in the wake of the tragic helicopter crash. Vice-chairman Aiywatt Srivaddhanaprabha is still dealing with the loss of his father Vichai, processing his personal grief while also dealing with the upheaval it will have caused at King Power and at City, working to secure the future during a time of uncertainty. There has been much to do and still do. He has yet to announce he is stepping up as chairman, and may not do so this season. In the meantime there may not be the desire internally to create more instability, especially when the club are still in a healthy position in the table. However, if the growing unrest continues among the supporters and that continues to manifest itself they may have to give their fans what they want. Not all the fans want Puel out, of course, but it is a growing number that do. In the end even the pro-Puel fans may believe that a final knock-out blow would be the compassionate thing to do if he keeps taking punishment like this. | https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/how-many-more-heavy-hits-2449703 |
Who is singing the national anthem at Super Bowl 2019? | Gladys Knight, an Atlanta native and "Empress of Soul," will sing the Super Bowl 53 national anthem prior to kickoff in 2019. Knight, a seven-time Grammy Award winner, joins a long list of performers chosen to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross and Garth Brooks, among many others, have performed the "Star-Spangled Banner" to set the tone for the biggest game of the year. Super Bowl 53 will be aired nationally on CBS and the national anthem will be televised prior to the start of the game on Feb. 3. The festivities and game will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Here's everything to know about the Super Bowl 53 national anthem, including a full list singers throughout the game's history. Gladys Knight has been chosen to sing the national anthem at Super Bowl 53. The seven-time Grammy Award winner and Atlanta native's biggest hits include "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "That's What Friends are For," both Billboard Hot 100 singles. She also has 11 No. 1 R&B singles, as well as six No. 1 R&B albums. Knight is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with The Pips. Knight will be joined by performer and deaf activist Aarron Loggins on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf. Loggins will be signing both the national anthem and "America the Beautiful" during the pregame festivities. Super Bowl 53 is on Sunday, Feb. 3. on CBS. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Maroon 5 is headlining the Super Bowl halftime show in 2019. They will be joined on stage by rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi, an Atlanta native. The national anthem of the United States of America is the "Star-Spangled Banner," written by Francis Scott Key in 1814. List of past Super Bowl national anthem singers | http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/who-is-singing-the-national-anthem-at-super-bowl-2019/19tqaap4kjpx1owcsceoyh31a |
How long does the Fitbit Alta HR battery last? | Best answer: The Fitbit Alta HR has a battery life of up to seven days, although your mileage may vary depending on what features you use. The Fitbit Alta HR should give you a battery life of up to seven days According to Fitbit, the Alta HR can offer up to seven days of battery life between charges. As with any device, your battery life will vary depending on how you use the Alta HR. The various features of the Fitbit Alta HR will all steadily chip away at your battery, so you'll want to make sure you're keeping an eye on it. The Alta HR has a number of capabilities that will drain your battery faster the more you use them. All-day sync is a big one. This feature continually updates the Fitbit app on your phone with new fitness data. Turning it off can save battery life not just on your Fitbit, but on your phone as well. The Fitbit app will still update with the latest data from your Alta HR whenever you open it. Other features that can drain your battery faster include checking your heart rate constantly and having notifications for calls, messages, and movement reminders turned on. If you're seeing significantly lower battery life than the seven days Fitbit advertises for the Alta HR and you've turned off all the intensive features, you might need to reset your device. If that's the case you'll need to follow Fitbit's instructions for resetting the Alta HR. After a reset, your Alta HR should see a battery life improvement, again, depending on how you use it. | https://www.imore.com/how-long-does-fitbit-alta-hr-battery-last?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheIphoneBlog+%28iMore%29 |
Is MoneyGram International a Buy? | 2018 was not a good year for money-transfer specialist MoneyGram International (NASDAQ: MGI). A planned acquisition by China's Ant Financial was nixed after the federal government objected to it on national-security grounds. Later in the year, the company agreed to a $125 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), chiefly over laxity in policing fraudulent use of its services. Forward guidance was cut significantly when news of the settlement was made public. To no one's surprise, these incidents made MoneyGram a pariah among investors, with the share price cratering by nearly 85% during the year. The question that this brings up, of course, is whether that makes the stock a bottom-feeder buy now. Let's explore. A plaque that says "Money transfer" sitting atop foreign coins and bills. More Image source: Getty Images. Jilted and punished The Ant Financial ruling and the FTC settlement were both hard blows. Together they put MoneyGram on the mat. The former really hurt, since the sale price -- $1.2 billion, or $18 per share, in cash -- was pumped up by a bidding war between the Chinese company and Euronet Worldwide (NASDAQ: EEFT), which had tried previously to buy the company in 2007. Anyway, Ant Financial initially offered the equivalent of "only" around $880 million before Euronet Worldwide entered the fray. Ant Financial and Euronet Worldwide surely saw a quick way to expand by buying MoneyGram. Their potential acquisition had 2.4 billion accounts that could access MoneyGram services at around 350,000 locations around the world. Growth was in the cards, too, with the total number of global migrants (an obvious demographic for international transfer-specialist MoneyGram) rising at times precipitously during this decade. MoneyGram probably also looked good in the wake of the then-new Trump administration's aggressive stance on immigration, particularly from south of our border. That's because MoneyGram does a brisk business in U.S.-to-Mexico remittances. The theory was that these would rise in the wake of a tougher immigration regime. The company's results indicate this hasn't happened. Revenue dropped both sequentially and on a year-over-year basis in the first three quarters of fiscal 2018. The company's most recent (Q3) tally of $347 million was well below the peaks that occurred shortly before Trump took office. Compounding this, a raft of smaller competitors are always biting at the heels of established operators like MoneyGram. When MoneyGram is profitable, its margins are thin -- after all, international money transfer is a volume business. Companies in this segment have to make their services attractive enough to win customers, while ensuring that the agents involved in the transactions get a small cut of the payments for their work. This doesn't leave a lot left for MoneyGram's pocket, and the FTC settlement won't help. Concurrent with announcing its deal with the regulator, the company revised its estimate for a full-year fiscal 2018 annual revenue decline to roughly 10% from the previous projection of 4% to 6%. MoneyGram also now believes EBITDA will come in about 15% lower on a constant-currency basis (former estimate: 8% to 10%). Leave this one at the altar At the beginning of fiscal 2018, MoneyGram launched its Digital Transformation Initiative, an attempt to move much of its business onto various e-platforms. This feels late to me, since many other corners of the finance business spent heavily on digital assets quite some years ago, and no longer require major initiatives to get there. | https://news.yahoo.com/moneygram-international-buy-200900507.html |
Does Patrick Mahomes Have a Wife? Is Chiefs QB Married? | Patrick Mahomes does not have a wife but is in a relationship with longtime girlfriend Brittany Matthews. The couple began dating at Whitehouse High School in Texas and have been together ever since. Mahomes and Matthews remained together despite going to different colleges. Mahomes played college football at Texas Tech, while Matthews played soccer at UT Tyler. The couple now lives in Kansas City as Mahomes has emerged as the Chiefs franchise quarterback. After a brief stint as a pro soccer player in Iceland, Matthews now runs a personal training business in Kansas City. After Mahomes led the Chiefs to a playoff win over the Colts to advance to the AFC Championship, Matthews celebrated by posting a photo of the couple after the game. Just a few East Texas kids that had to grow up a little faster than expected, Matthews posted. Learn more about Mahomes girlfriend. Mahomes Loves Matthews Competitive Nature When Matthews was a college athlete, Mahomes did an interview with UT Tyler athletics discussing what he admired about his girlfriend. Mahomes and Matthews share similarities with their competitive drive and work ethic. I am extremely proud of the level of play she has gotten to because all of it is from hard work, Mahomes told UT Tyler. Her competitive nature is one of the many things I love about her. She hates losing and wants to be the best. She works extremely hard to be great and it inspires me to work just as hard. Matthews Step-Father Died After a Chiefs Game Earlier This Season It has not been all good news for the couple as Matthews lost her step-father earlier this season. Paul Massey collapsed at a Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium and was taken to a local hospital where he later died. Matthews opened up about the tragedy on Instagram. Today is a day I will never forget! Directly after this picture I sprinted to the front entrance to see my step dad passed out! He did not come back from this and he was called to heaven today! I KNOW 100% he is so happy up there with his kids looking down on us cheering loud that his chiefs won today! Thank you everyone for the prayers and sweet text! We will miss you Paul So So So Much! I will take care of mom for you!, Matthews posted on November 11, 2018. Matthews Is Passionate About Health & Fitness Matthews no longer plays soccer and now runs her own personal training business. Matthews Instagram is full of workout tips and motivational posts on how to live a healthy life. Matthews detailed the services she provides on her personal training website. | https://heavy.com/sports/2019/01/patrick-mahomes-wife-girlfriend-brittany-matthews/ |
Do I need to have a strong personality to be a leader? | My boss is a big personality the type who loves the stage and rallies staff with rah-rah enthusiasm. He gave me a resolution for 2019 to be a more vocal leader like him, but that isnt really my style. Im much more reserved, but people seem to enjoy working for me too. Big personalities often get the most attention because, well, they call attention to themselves and the media likes to cover big personalities. But that isnt a prerequisite for effective leadership or success. Authentic integrity, talent, respect, encouragement, humility, recognition and reward are leadership qualities that will always be successful regardless of whether they are wrapped in rah-rah enthusiasm or quiet calm. You do you, and let your staff and the performance of your team be the best indicators of your leadership success. I have a bathroom for patients at my dental office where I keep supplies such as paper towels, toilet paper and cleaning products. Lately Ive been noticing that my supplies have been dwindling down. I know what your problem is. Youre not giving out enough free samples of floss and toothbrushes so patients are helping themselves to whatever they can get their hands on. Granted, my dentist shoves the equivalent of a roll of paper towels between my cheeks and gums. I think its just another sadistic dentist fetish. Because Im thinking maybe moving the supply closet out of the bathroom could solve your problem. Gregory Giangrande is a chief human resources and communications officer in the media industry. E-mail your career questions to [email protected]. Follow Greg on Twitter: @greggiangrande. His Go to Greg podcast series is available on iTunes. | https://nypost.com/2019/01/20/do-i-need-to-have-a-strong-personality-to-be-a-leader/ |
Does the Quality of Solar Equipment make a Difference? | A deeper take on whether South Africans should consider quality equipment from a reputable supplier. CAPE TOWN, WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA, January 20, 2019 / EINPresswire.com / -- The South African economy rarely reaches the news with a positive headline. And when it happens, the Rand usually piggybacks on what is happening internationally. It has yet to grow based on local changes, instead of bask in the glory or downfall of an overseas economy.Based on this knowledge, which directly influences living expenses in general, it is understandable that people want to save. This creates the problem of whether to focus on quantity or quality. And as with everything in life, not all solar panels are created equal. For example, monocrystalline panels look like polycrystalline at face value. But they are essentially different in terms of construction.Monocrystalline panels make use of a solid silicone cell, whereas a polycrystalline panel is a combination of small cells. Both are efficient and effective while they have distinct differences, but where these panels were developed is what individuals should really be concerned about.Picking up a solar panel at the local hardware/convenience shop can help depending on what it will be used for. However, it can turn out to be a guessing game once the panel is in use. Because without proper information about the panel, the output, or even a warranty of some kind, it is no surprise that so many South Africans still believe solar is not worth the investment.The difference between buying panels off the street and going through an experienced supplier like Solar Advice is the knowledge and guarantee of the equipment being bought. For instance, Solar Advice provides specific details about panel brands, capabilities, specific warranties, and anything else that a consumer should be aware of. In addition, clients can ask for advice if there is something that is not clear to them.At the end of the day, quality solar equipment means there is a level of expectancy. An expectancy to be durable and efficient for years to come, as supposed to only for a few months, which is the risk when investing in equipment that does not even have the proper packaging. Investing in quality solar equipment also means someone specific can be held responsible.And while the prices of solar equipment are reaching a peak in terms of affordability, there is no better time like the present for South Africans to invest in their independence. Keeping in mind that solar arrays pay for themselves fairly quickly, it only makes sense to install quality equipment the first time. EIN Presswire does not exercise editorial control over third-party content provided, uploaded, published, or distributed by users of EIN Presswire. We are a distributor, not a publisher, of 3rd party content. Such content may contain the views, opinions, statements, offers, and other material of the respective users, suppliers, participants, or authors. | https://www.einpresswire.com/article/474159988/does-the-quality-of-solar-equipment-make-a-difference |
Why is it ok for Parliament to have another vote on Theresa Mays failed Brexit deal but not the public? | Get daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Last weeks huge defeat for Theresa Mays Brexit plan should have had major consequences for the UK Government. It was the greatest House of Commons defeat for an administration in the democratic era. At any other time it would surely have led to the resignation of the Prime Minister and, especially as the ruling party has no majority, almost certainly a general election. But the following day, Tory MPs who voted in their droves before Christmas to depose Mrs May as their party leader, dutifully walked through the noes lobby to help defeat Labours vote of no confidence in her government. Nevertheless, a 230-vote majority against the Brexit deal should have meant the end of it at least so far as MPs were concerned. Yet it remains on the table like the unpalatable remains of a turkey once Christmas Day has come to an end. It seems likely that it will be offered up to MPs in an identical or barely changed form in a weeks time. Leaks from Brussels suggest that diplomats have been dumbfounded by Mrs Mays continuing attempts to get EU leaders to change their minds and give her further concessions over the Irish border backstop. She has been told on countless occasions that the EU will not budge on its stance nor that it will shift its red lines and give the UK privileged access to the customs union and single market unless it agrees to abide by their rules. In terms of the customs union, that means no independent trade deals with non-EU countries, and in terms of the single market it means allowing freedom of movement. But despite the huge defeat her deal suffered, and the lack of movement she has once again encountered at the EU, Mrs May retains the hope that she will be able to resuscitate the remains of her turkey and somehow persuade MPs it is the best that can be achieved. With such an outcome in mind, she will propose a further vote to take place next week. The Prime Minister has shown little evidence that she understands irony, but if she did she would understand why she is being accused of hypocrisy. Her argument against a new referendum is based on her view that we have already had one Peoples Vote on June 23 2016. The referendum resulted in a 51.89% vote in favour of Leave and a 48.11% vote for Remain. That, so far as Mrs May is concerned, was the end of the matter in terms of any more direct public involvement. Never mind that much more knowledge about what Brexit would mean in practice has come to light since. Never mind that lies were told by the Leave campaigns, and that they broke electoral law. Mrs May says the result of the 2016 referendum must be regarded as sacrosanct and that it would be an affront to democracy to hold another one. The same strictures do not, however, apply to a further vote on the same, or much the same, issue in the House of Commons. MPs may have rejected her deal by an unprecedented margin, but that doesnt prevent her from trying to get it through again. Before last weeks vote there was speculation that if it was defeated, government whips would hold it again and again until it was passed by MPs. Better sense appears to have prevailed in the end, but the idea of bringing it back for another go hasnt disappeared entirely. The contradiction between the Prime Ministers intransigent rejection of a Peoples Vote and her embrace of a further vote for MPs on her own deal is hypocrisy on a grand scale. Her stance would be worthy of condemnation in any circumstances, but it is infinitely more serious because Brexit will affect the prosperity and life chances of millions of people in successive generations. Here's how it might work Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now Parliament has no enthusiasm for Mrs Mays deal, yet she and the team around her are trying to bully MPs into accepting it. If theyre in favour of the hardest of Brexits, theyre being told that their failure to vote for her deal will imperil the chances of any kind of exit deal going ahead. And if theyre opposed to a no deal Brexit, theyre being told that by rejecting the Prime Ministers deal theyre making it more likely that no deal will happen. If Mrs Mays rejected deal goes ahead as a result of such manoeuvrings of if no deal happens by default our departure from the EU will be one of the least thought-through major political decisions in modern political history. The only fair way forward the only democratic way forward is for MPs to agree they cant reach a consensus and hand the decision back to the people with a Peoples Vote. | https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/ok-parliament-another-vote-theresa-15706829 |
Who was behind the Manbij attack? | The Daesh terrorists are back in business. In Manbij, the group carried out a bombing that claimed 19 victims, including four Americans. Having emerged in Iraq, Daesh has served as a convenient tool to turn the Syrian crisis into what it is today. Since the organization seized control of large chunks of territory in Iraq and Syria, a four-year campaign reduced it to rubble.Yet there is a clear attempt now to breathe new life into the near-dead terrorists. It is no secret that various intelligence agencies have used Daesh to accomplish their goals. Clearly, the group's comeback in Manbij was closely related to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria. To identify the puppet masters behind the assault, all one has to do is find out who opposes the U.S. withdrawal and remember that the terrorist organization, the People's Protection Units (YPG) who are the PKK's Syrian affiliate, recently threatened to release thousands of Daesh fighters from their custody. It wouldn't hurt to recall that certain Gulf states have also been subtly putting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) into motion. Last week's bombing encouraged all parties that have been exploiting Daesh terrorism for three years. Some observers say that the U.S. must abort its withdrawal because Daesh hasn't been completely defeated yet. Others think that the withdrawal is indeed a good idea. Finally, there are commentators who blame the whole thing on Turkey. In his Washington Post column, David Ignatius claimed that Turkey's military pressure and attacks by the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) had facilitated the Daesh attack. "Worried about Turkish threats," he argues, the YPG militants "couldn't concentrate full-time" on the fight against Daesh and weakened local security. Ignatius adds that "Turkey's obsession" with the PKK/YPG threat "may have helped put U.S. forces at risk." Finally, The Washington Post columnist recalls U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's speech in Cairo "when America retreats, chaos often follows" and urges Trump not to "abandon the sacrifices Americans have made" in northern Syria. The United States followed misguided policies in response to the rise of Daesh and during attempts to finish off the group. U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan created hotbeds of radicalism in the Middle East. It is no secret that Daesh militants joined forces in Iraqi prisons. Yet the Obama administration bears more responsibility than any other side for failing to manage the fallout of the Arab revolts. At the time, Washington adhered to a policy that facilitated the spread of militias, proxies and terrorist organizations from Libya to Syria and Yemen. To make matters worse, the White House openly supported a terrorist organization, the PKK/YPG, in the name of fighting Daesh, ignoring repeated warnings by Turkey, its strategic partner. Today, as Washington mulls over withdrawing its troops from Syria, Turkey tries to figure out how to address a terror threat that its NATO ally has fueled in recent years. The Turks have to try and decide what to do if the U.S. fails to keep its promise to take back American weapons from the YPG militants. Indeed, Mike Pompeo is right: the U.S. withdrawal fuels chaos in Syria. But what the Americans did in Iraq and Syria, not the withdrawal itself, is to blame. Having armed a designated terrorist organization with thousands of truckloads of weapons, the U.S. is now attempting to eliminate the negative side effects of its misguided policy. For those reasons, Ignatius' attempt to assign blame to Turkey was laughable at best. Accusing Turkey, which launched Operation Euphrates Shield against Daesh and seeks to take over the fight against Daesh when the U.S. withdraws, is nothing more than PKK/YPG propaganda. Meanwhile, a senior leader of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), Saleh Muslum, whom the U.S. continues to protect, keeps issuing threats involving Daesh prisoners in their custody. If Turkish troops set foot in northern Syria, he says, the PKK/YPG might free Daesh prisoners. Those excuses won't cover up the truth. Whether or not Washington leaves northern Syria, it is compelled to work with Turkey in the area. The Americans must coordinate their actions with the Turks to solve the problems they created and prevent the chaos that their withdrawal could possibly fuel. | https://www.dailysabah.com/columns/duran-burhanettin/2019/01/21/who-was-behind-the-manbij-attack |
Was ist ein ETF? | Brsengehandelte Fonds (ETFs) haben die Welt im Sturm erobert und die Investoren strzten sich auf sie, um die Chancen, die sie bieten, zu nutzen. Insgesamt haben die Investoren laut Statistiken des Investment Company Institute bis Oktober 2018 etwa 3,5 Billionen US-Dollar in ETFs investiert, und Hunderte von verschiedenen ETFs sind zum Kauf verfgbar. Die Beliebtheit von ETFs beruht auf ihren einzigartigen Eigenschaften und Merkmalen. Im Folgenden gehen wir detailliert darauf ein, was ETFs sind und warum sie Investoren ntzen. Vor allem jedoch haben ETFs die Tr zu einer Vielzahl von Investitionen geffnet, zu denen viele Anleger noch nie Zugang hatten. Mit ihrer Effizienz, Diversifikation, Einfachheit und breiten Ausrichtung bieten ETFs Vorteile, die kein anderes Anlageinstrument bieten kann. Brsengehandelte Fonds sind Krbe mit verschiedenen Anlagearten, zusammengefasst zu einer einzigen Einheit, die dann an die Anleger Anteile ausgibt, welche anschlieend an groen Brsen gehandelt werden. Jeder Anteil eines ETFs gewhrt seinem Eigentmer einen proportionalen Anteil am Gesamtvermgen des brsengehandelten Fonds. ETFs verfolgen im Allgemeinen verschiedene Indexe, wobei jeder Fonds mit dem Ziel investiert, die Renditen des vom Fonds gewhlten Indexes zu erreichen. Es gibt einige ETFs mit Portfoliomanagern, die aktiv ihre eigenen Anlagen auswhlen. Aber aufgrund der Offenlegungsregeln, die von solchen Fonds verlangen, dass sie den Anlegern tglich berichten, in welche Aktien sie investieren, whlen die meisten Manager, die Geld mit aktiven Managementstrategien verwalten wollen, andere Organisationsformen als ETFs. Die meisten ETFs gelten steuerlich als registrierte Investmentunternehmen. Das bedeutet, dass sie selten Krperschaftsteuern auf Fondsebene zahlen, aber alle steuerpflichtigen Einnahmen, die sie einbringen, an ihre Aktionre weitergeben mssen. Daher haben beispielsweise ETF-Anleger mit Fonds, die in Dividendenaktien investieren, Anspruch auf ihren Anteil an den Dividenden, die der ETF aus seinem Anlageportfolio generiert. Fonds sammeln in der Regel Dividenden ber kurze Zeitrume und verteilen die Summe in regelmigen Abstnden, z. B. vierteljhrlich oder jhrlich. Ein einzigartiger Aspekt von ETFs ist, wie seine Anteile erstellt und eingelst werden. Anstatt direkt mit den Aktionren zusammenzuarbeiten, setzen die meisten ETFs spezielle Market Maker ein, um den Handel zu erleichtern. Diese Market Maker knnen neue ETF-Anteile schaffen, indem sie die vom Fonds gehaltenen Basiswerte oder andere Anlagen kaufen und an das ETF-Unternehmen liefern, das wiederum Anteile ausgibt, die der Market Maker verkaufen kann. Umgekehrt kann der Market Maker einen groen Teil der ETF-Aktien an das Fondsunternehmen liefern und die entsprechenden Anlagepapiere wieder zurckerhalten. Diese Struktur stellt sicher, dass der Markt fr ETFs effizient bleibt, und sie trgt auch zu einigen der Steuervorteile bei, die wir dir im Folgenden nher erlutern werden. Die Vorteile von ETFs haben zu ihrer nahezu allgegenwrtigen Nutzung an den Finanzmrkten beigetragen. Der grte Vorteil fr die Anleger von ETFs ist, dass sie nicht viel Geld haben mssen, um in brsengehandelte Fondsanteile zu investieren, und jede Aktie ihnen Zugang zu einem gut diversifizierten Portfolio von Anlagen gibt. Die meisten ETF-Aktien werden fr 100 US-Dollar oder weniger gehandelt, aber schon eine Aktie gibt dir einen kleinen Bruchteil an Dutzenden oder gar Hunderten von verschiedenen Unternehmen. Wenn jemand nur ber begrenzte Geldmittel verfgt und diese investieren will, muss er sich sonst im Gegensatz dazu entscheiden, Aktien von nur einem oder zwei einzelnen Unternehmen zu kaufen, und riskiert so, alles zu verlieren, wenn diesen Unternehmen etwas passiert. Natrlich hat so jemand auch die Mglichkeit, dramatische Renditen zu erzielen, wenn diese einzelnen Unternehmen besonders gut abschneiden, was bei einem gut diversifizierten ETF weniger wahrscheinlich ist. Dennoch sind die meisten Anleger mit dem stetigen Gewinnpotenzial der brsengehandelten Fonds zufriedener. Neben der einfachen Zugnglichkeit findest du ETFs, die fast die gesamte Bandbreite der an den Finanzmrkten verfgbaren Anlagewerte abdecken. Aktien-ETFs sind bei Weitem am hufigsten, aber du kannst auch Fonds finden, die auf andere Anlageklassen abzielen. Anleihen-ETFs, Rohstoff-ETFs, Devisen-ETFs und hybride ETFs, die mehrere Arten von Vermgenswerten mischen und abgleichen, sind jederzeit verfgbar. Darber hinaus unterscheidet sich die Art und Weise, wie ETFs mit diesen Anlageklassen umgehen. Einige ETFs zielen darauf ab, dir die grtmgliche Abdeckung in einer bestimmten Anlageklasse zu bieten und einen ganzen Markt in einem einzigen Fonds abzubilden. Andere ETFs decken bestimmte Teilsektoren einer Anlageklasse ab, sodass man von Trends profitieren kann, die eine Branche betreffen. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass es so viele ETFs auf dem Markt gibt, sind die Chancen, einen zu finden, der deinen speziellen Wnschen entspricht, besser, als man denkt. Fr budgetsensible Anleger bieten ETFs auch eine relativ kostengnstige Anlagemglichkeit. Die meisten ETFs erheben keine hohen Verwaltungsgebhren, da sich die Verantwortlichkeiten des Fondsmanagers darauf beschrnken, alles Notwendige zu tun, um die Performance des Index zu verfolgen, den der ETF als Referenz gewhlt hat. Das erspart den ETFs die Kosten fr die Bezahlung von Anlageexperten, die bestimmte Anlagen gegenber anderen auswhlen, in der Hoffnung, den Markt zu bertreffen. Wenn du die typischen Gebhren, die ETFs erheben, mit denen hnlicher Optionen fr ein diversifiziertes Engagement in einer bestimmten Anlageklasse vergleichst, wirst du oft feststellen, dass der ETF die kostengnstigste Option bietet, die verfgbar ist. Das Einzige, was du bei diesem letzten Punkt beachten solltest, ist, dass es einige Kosten gibt, die nur ETFs verursachen. Da ETF-Aktien an Brsen gehandelt werden, musst du in der Regel eine Provision an dein Brokerunternehmen zahlen, um Kufe und Verkufe von bestimmten ETFs ttigen zu knnen. Viele ETF-Anbieter, die auch ber angeschlossene Brokerunternehmen verfgen, erlauben es ihren eigenen Brokerage-Kunden, ETF-Aktien ohne Provision zu kaufen und zu verkaufen. Das verschafft sowohl den ETFs als auch der Brokerage-Abteilung einen Wettbewerbsvorteil gegenber ihren Mitbewerbern. Doch selbst wenn du am Ende eine Provision zahlst, hat der Anstieg der Zahl von Discount-Brokern es viel weniger schmerzhaft gemacht, diese Kosten zu tragen, als es noch vor einigen Jahren der Fall war. Viele Anleger, die sich gerade erst mit ETFs vertraut machen, haben bereits Erfahrungen mit Investmentfonds. Das ist logisch, denn der Investmentfondsmarkt ist lter und etwas grer als der ETF-Markt. Trotz der Popularitt der ETFs ist das Fondsvermgen von mehr als 18,4 Billionen US-Dollar deutlich grer (Stand Oktober 2018). Der Investmentfondsmarkt ist jedoch im vergangenen Jahr um weniger als 1 % gewachsen, verglichen mit einem Wachstum von fast 7 % bei den ETF-Vermgen, sodass ETFs die Lcke irgendwann schlieen knnten. Investmentfonds haben viel hnlichkeit mit ETFs. Es handelt sich um Pools von Investitionen, die einem bestimmten Anlageziel entsprechen, und die Investoren knnen Aktien von Investmentfonds zu kleinen Betrgen kaufen, um Zugang zu einem diversifizierten Portfolio von Investments zu erhalten. Indexfonds verfolgen spezifische Richtwerte wie die meisten ETFs, aber es gibt mehr aktiv verwaltete Investmentfonds als aktiv verwaltete ETFs. Investmentfonds werden bei der Bestimmung der Einkommensteuerpflicht ebenso als regulierte Investmentunternehmen behandelt. Es gibt eine groe Auswahl an Investmentfonds, die Anlageklassen wie Aktien und Anleihen sowie bestimmte andere Arten von Anlagen abdecken. Wie ETFs leiten Investmentfonds die Kosten an ihre Investoren weiter. Die Ausgaben fr Indexfonds sind ziemlich hnlich wie die, die ein ETF-Investor zahlen wrde. Doch dort enden die Gemeinsamkeiten, denn aktiv verwaltete Investmentfonds befinden sich in einer ganz anderen Liga in Bezug auf die Kosten. Typische aktiv verwaltete Investmentfonds berechnen jedes Jahr etwa 1 % des Anlagevermgens als Gebhren. Im Vergleich dazu betrgt dieser Satz bei einem breiten Spektrum von ETFs und Indexfonds weniger als ein Zehntel davon. Der Verlust an Anlagerendite, den Gebhren fr das aktive Management darstellen, ist einer der grten Faktoren fr das relative Wachstum der ETF-Branche im Vergleich zu Investmentfonds. Ein wichtiger Unterschied zwischen Investmentfonds und ETFs ist, wann du Aktien handeln kannst. Bei Investmentfonds kannst du Fondsanteile nur am Ende des regulren Handels an Werktagen kaufen und verkaufen. Auch wenn du morgens als Erstes eine Order eingibst, passiert bis zum Ende des Handelstages nichts. Das kann zu bedeutenden Verzgerungen fhren, die wiederum zur Folge haben knnen, dass du einen ganz anderen Preis fr deine Investmentfondsanteile bekommst, als du es ursprnglich zum Zeitpunkt deiner Kauf- oder Verkaufsorder erwartet hast. Im Gegensatz dazu kannst du bei ETFs jederzeit handeln, wenn der Markt geffnet ist, und schnell auf Nachrichten reagieren. Manchmal kann das bedeuten, dass man eine Gelegenheit nutzt, die bis zum Ende des Tages bereits wieder verschwunden sein knnte. Investmentfonds haben auch einige negative steuerliche Eigenschaften, die die meisten ETFs vermeiden knnen. Insbesondere bei aktiv verwalteten Investmentfonds muss der Fonds, wenn er Anteile seiner Beteiligungen mit Gewinn verkauft, die daraus resultierende Kapitalertragssteuerpflicht an seine Aktionre weiterreichen. Diese Berechnungen erfolgen in der Regel am Jahresende und wenn du deine Investmentfondsanteile in einem regulren steuerpflichtigen Konto hltst, dann kann es sein, dass du am Ende erhebliche Betrge an Kapitalertragssteuer zahlen musst. Das gilt auch dann, wenn du Ausschttungen automatisch in zustzliche Fondsanteile reinvestierst. Der Fiskus wird nicht zgern, diesen Kapitalzuwachs als Ergebnis des Investmentfonds zu besteuern selbst wenn du das Geld nie anfasst. Wie du unten sehen wirst, knnen ETFs einige dieser Steuerfallen vermeiden und es den Anlegern ermglichen, mehr von ihrem hart verdienten Geld zu behalten. Weniger bekannt als Investmentfonds oder ETFs sind geschlossene Fonds. Dieser relativ kleine 270-Mrd.-Dollar-Markt mischt einige Attribute von Investmentfonds und ETFs. Geschlossene Fonds hneln strukturell Investmentfonds und es gibt sie schon viel lnger als ETFs. Geschlossene Fondsanteile werden jedoch an Brsen gehandelt, was ihnen die gleichen Vorteile eines sofortigen Handelszugangs bietet, wie sie ETFs haben. Der wesentliche Unterschied zwischen ETFs und geschlossenen Fonds besteht in der Anzahl der insgesamt ausstehenden Aktien. Brsengehandelte Fonds verfgen ber Mechanismen, mit denen bestimmte Marktteilnehmer die Mglichkeit haben, groe Blcke von ETF-Aktien bei dem Finanzinstitut, das den ETF verwaltet, zu kaufen und an Einzelanleger weiter zu verkaufen. Im Gegensatz dazu steht bei geschlossenen Fonds immer nur eine feste Anzahl von Fondsanteilen zur Verfgung. Das Unternehmen, das den geschlossenen Fonds verwaltet, hat nicht die Mglichkeit, neue Aktien nach Belieben auszugeben. Stattdessen sind alle nachfolgenden Angebote von Aktien so zu handhaben, wie wenn ein brsennotiertes Unternehmen neue Aktien im Rahmen von Nebenangeboten mit Registrierungs- und regulatorischen Anforderungen ausstellt. Da geschlossene Fondsunternehmen das selten tun, spielen Angebots- und Nachfrageberlegungen bei den Anlegern, die einen Fonds suchen, eine wichtige Rolle fr den Kurs geschlossener Fonds. Wenn jeder an einem bestimmten Fonds interessiert ist, dann knnten diese Aktien durchaus mit einer Prmie gehandelt werden, die ber dem liegt, was der proportionale Wert der zugrunde liegenden Vermgenswerte des Fonds vermuten lsst. Wenn ein bestimmter Fonds in Ungnade fllt, dann knnen die Aktien jedoch auch viel billiger handeln, als es dem Wert der im Fonds gehaltenen Vermgenswerte entspricht. Da Fondsanleger nicht verlangen knnen, dass der Fonds die zugrunde liegenden Anlagen zu Geld macht, knnen diese Bewertungen jahrelang bestehen bleiben. Geschlossene Fonds sind hufig in Ungnade gefallen, weil sie tendenziell aktiv verwaltet werden und noch hhere Gebhren haben als traditionelle Investmentfonds, geschweige denn typische ETFs. Dennoch gibt es Bereiche an den Finanzmrkten, in denen geschlossene Fonds weiterhin prosperieren. ETF-Anleger knnen in der Regel ein besseres Geschft machen, indem sie brsengehandelte Fonds mit hnlichen Anlagezielen nutzen. Wie bereits erwhnt, unterliegen ETFs blicherweise der Besteuerung. Wenn ein ETF Aktien hlt, deren Dividenden steuerlich begnstigt sind, erhalten auch die Aktionre die Vorteile dieser Behandlung. Ebenso mssen Inhaber von ETFs, die in steuerfreie Anleihen investieren, in den USA keine Ertragssteuern auf die Zinszahlungen zahlen, die sie von ihrem ETF erhalten. ETFs haben einige wichtige Steuervorteile gegenber Investmentfonds. ETFs und Investmentfonds sind beide verpflichtet, die jhrliche Steuerpflicht an ihre Aktionre weiterzugeben, aber Investmentfonds neigen dazu, in ihren Anlageportfolios hufiger zu handeln als ETFs. Das fhrt zu einer hheren Kapitalertragssteuerpflicht, die im Jahresvergleich an die Aktionre der Investmentfonds weitergegeben wird. Umgekehrt knnen ETF-Anleger es weitgehend vermeiden, Steuern auf Kapitalgewinne whrend dieses Zeitraums zahlen zu mssen, solange sie ihre ETF-Anteile behalten. ETFs werden in verschiedene Kategorien unterteilt: Aktien-ETFs konzentrieren sich auf den Besitz einzelner Aktien. Anleihen-ETFs besitzen in erster Linie Anleihen. Rohstoff-ETFs investieren ihr Geld in verschiedene rohstoffgebundene Anlagen. Der weitaus grte Teil des Vermgens in ETFs ist in Aktien investiert, weniger als 20 % in Anleihen, Rohstoffe und hybride ETFs. In diesen Kategorien gibt es weitere Unterteilungen. Bei Aktienfonds wird fast dreimal so viel Geld in US-amerikanische Aktien-ETFs investiert wie in internationale oder globale Aktien-ETFs. Von den fast 2,1 Billionen US-Dollar an Geld, die fr US-Aktienfonds ausgegeben werden, befinden sich etwa 1,7 Billionen US-Dollar in breit aufgestellten ETFs, die versuchen, weite Teile des gesamten Aktienmarktes abzudecken. Im Vergleich dazu werden nur etwa 375 Mrd. US-Dollar in fokussiertere ETFs investiert, die auf bestimmte Sektoren oder Branchengruppen innerhalb des Marktes eingehen. Die meisten Aktien-ETFs gewichten ihre Aktien nach der Marktkapitalisierung der von ihnen gehaltenen Unternehmen, sodass die Position eines Fonds in einer Aktie mit einer Marktkapitalisierung von 10 Mrd. US-Dollar doppelt so hoch wre wie die einer anderen Aktie mit einer Marktkapitalisierung von 5 Mrd. US-Dollar. Es gibt jedoch bemerkenswerte Ausnahmen von dieser Regel, wobei einige gleichgewichtete Strategien anwenden, whrend andere unterschiedliche grundlegende Unternehmenskennzahlen wie Gewinn oder Dividende verwenden, um zu entscheiden, wie viel sie von jeder Aktie besitzen wollen. Zustzlich zu diesen Kategorien gibt es noch einige andere Arten von ETFs, mit denen du vertraut sein solltest: Leveraged ETFs bieten Renditen, die ein Vielfaches der Rendite des zugrunde liegenden Index betragen. Dabei wird beispielsweise ein beliebter Leveraged ETF aufgelegt, um tgliche Renditen zu generieren, die dem Doppelten der Rendite des S&P-500-Index entsprechen. Wenn der S&P an einem Tag um 1 % steigt, dann sollte der ETF um 2 % steigen. Wenn der Index um 1 % fllt, verliert der ETF 2 %. Inverse ETFs werden so eingerichtet, dass sie sich in die entgegengesetzte Richtung des zugrunde liegenden Index bewegen. Daher wrde beispielsweise ein inverser S&P-500-Fonds um 1 % steigen, wenn der S&P an diesem Tag um 1 % fallen wrde, aber der ETF wrde 1 % verlieren, wenn der S&P um 1 % steigen wrde. Inverse ETFs knnen auch mit Hebel genutzt werden, um ein Vielfaches der Umkehrung der tglichen Rendite des Index zu erzeugen. Es gibt auch einige brsengehandelte Produkte, die berhaupt keine Fonds sind. Einige Finanzunternehmen strukturieren Produkte als Fremdkapital, wobei brsengehandelte Schuldverschreibungen wie ETFs an wichtigen Brsen erhltlich sind. Diese sogenannten ETNs haben viel gemeinsam mit ETFs, aber ein wichtiger Unterschied ist, dass ETNs Schuldenverpflichtungen darstellen. Es besteht daher ein Kreditrisiko und im Gegensatz zu den meisten ETFs muss ein ETN keine Vermgenswerte halten, die sich auf den Index beziehen, den er verfolgt. Vier einfache Tipps, um den richtigen ETF fr dich zu finden Mit Hunderten verschiedener Angebote zur Auswahl gibt es keinen perfekten Satz von ETFs, der fr jeden geeignet ist. Um jedoch eine mageschneiderte Liste von ETFs zu erstellen, die zu deiner individuellen Anlagestrategie passen, solltest du diesen vierteiligen Plan in Betracht ziehen: Entscheide zunchst, wie viel von deinem Geld du sehr breit ber alle Anlageklassen verteilen mchtest. Anleger, die einen ausgewogenen Investmentansatz mit einer leichten Ausrichtung auf schnelleres Wachstum anstreben, knnten sich beispielsweise dafr entscheiden, 60 % ihres Geldes in Aktien-ETFs und 40 % in Anleihen-ETFs zu investieren. Konservativere Anleger wrden wahrscheinlich weniger Geld in Aktien investieren, whrend diejenigen, die ein aggressiveres Wachstum anstreben, ihre ETF-Zuweisungen fr Anleihen reduzieren knnten. Zweitens: Finde heraus, ob du dich mit einem breiten Engagement am gesamten Aktien- oder Anleihenmarkt wohlfhlst oder ob du es vorziehen wrdest, einen anspruchsvolleren Ansatz zu verfolgen. Es ist einfach, breite Diversifizierung bei ETFs zu finden, die einige der beliebtesten Aktien- und Anleihenmarktindizes am Markt abbilden, wie den S&P 500 oder den Dow Jones Industrial Average. Die Auswahl einzelner Branchen oder Industriegruppen wird viel individueller, aber in der Regel findest du ETFs, die auch das anbieten. Drittens: Wenn es keinen zwingenden Grund dagegen gibt, eliminiere jeden ETF, der mehr als 0,10 % an Gebhren berechnet. Es mag bermig geizig erscheinen, auf diesem Schritt zu bestehen, aber sobald man genug angelegt hat, summieren sich selbst kleine Prozentstze, die in die Gebhren flieen, zu einer Menge Geld. 1 Mio. US-Dollar in einen ETF zu investieren, kann dir einen Haufen Geld sparen, verglichen mit den 10.000 US-Dollar pro Jahr, die ein Investmentfonds mit einer Kostenquote von 1 % berechnen wrde aber sogar 0,10 % Gebhren bedeuten, dass du jedes Jahr 1.000 US-Dollar in die Taschen deines ETF-Anbieters steckst. Wie du unten sehen wirst, gibt es einige Umstnde, unter denen es unmglich ist, einen guten ETF mit einer so niedrigen Kostenquote zu finden, der den spezifischen Bereich abdeckt, fr den du dich interessierst. Aber selbst dann ist es eine lohnende Aufgabe, den kostengnstigsten verfgbaren Anbieter zu finden. Sobald du schlielich gnstige ETFs identifiziert hast, die mit den Anlagezielen bereinstimmen, von denen du denkst, dass sie langfristig am besten fr dich funktionieren, schaue, ob du irgendwelche Deals abschlieen kannst, die deine Gebhren noch weiter senken werden. Wenn du ETFs aus einer bestimmten Fondsfamilie magst, schaue nach, ob es eine Mglichkeit gibt, Zugang zu diesen Fonds zu erhalten, ohne Provisionen zu zahlen. Insbesondere wenn du regelmig dein Investmentkonto aufstocken mchtest, kann die Suche nach einer provisionsfreien Option dir im Laufe deines Lebens eine Menge Geld sparen. Wo du am Ende stehen wirst, wird sich natrlich stark von dem unterscheiden, wo ein anderer Investor landet. Aber keiner von euch hat unrecht. Solange du dich wohlfhlst und du gut mit dem Risiko leben kannst, sollte dir das Befolgen des einfachen vierstufigen Prozesses oben eine gute Auswahl an die Hand geben. Um dir einen Eindruck davon zu vermitteln, welche ETFs am ehesten zu diesen Kriterien passen, stehen dir in der folgenden Tabelle vier solide Optionen zur Verfgung. ETF Verwaltetes Vermgen Kostenquote 5-Jahres-Gesamtrendite SPDR S & P 500 (WKN:A0AET0) 240 Mrd. USD 0,09 % 52 % Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets (WKN:A1JX51) 56,1 Mrd. USD 0,14 % 12 % iShares Core MSCI EAFE (WKN:A1W1BK) 52,8 USD Mrd. 0,08 % 8 % Vanguard Total Bond Market (WKN:A0NDKC) 36,6 Mrd. USD 0,05 % 13 % DATENQUELLE: FONDS Jeder dieser ETFs deckt einen anderen Teil des Anlageuniversums ab. Der SPDR S&P 500 war der erste groe brsengehandelte Fonds, der Investoren zur Verfgung stand. Er zielt darauf ab, die Rendite des S&P-500-Index zu erreichen, indem er alle 500 US-Unternehmen besitzt. Im Gegensatz dazu konzentrieren sich die oben aufgefhrten ETFs von Vanguard und iShares auf internationale Aktien, wobei der Vanguard-Fonds auf Schwellenlnder fokussiert ist, whrend der iShares-Fonds Aktien von Unternehmen mit Sitz in etablierten Industrielndern besitzt. Beachte, dass der ETF der Schwellenlnder eine Kostenquote ber der bereits erwhnten Schwelle von 0,10 % hat das liegt daran, dass Investitionen in diese kleinen internationalen Mrkte teurer sind als hnliche Investitionen in den USA , aber sei versichert, dass die Ausgaben des ETFs von Vanguard zu den niedrigsten in dieser Kategorie von ETFs gehren. Schlielich verfgt der Vanguard Bond ETF ber einen diversifizierten Anteil an festverzinslichen Wertpapieren. Dazu gehren Schatzanweisungen, Schuldtitel verschiedener Regierungsstellen und Unternehmensanleihen. Lass dich von ihren Renditen nicht tuschen: Obwohl es eine schwierige Zeit fr internationale Aktien und den Anleihenmarkt war, haben sich diese Fonds im Vergleich zu ihren Konkurrenten gut behauptet. Wirf einen genaueren Blick auf ETFs ETFs sind eine groartige Mglichkeit, langfristig zu investieren, und ihre Kombination aus langfristigem Wachstum und niedrigen Kosten kann sie zu einem wertvollen Instrument in der Anlagestrategie eines jeden Investoren machen. Das Universum der ETFs zu durchqueren kann wie eine gewaltige Aufgabe erscheinen, aber in Wirklichkeit gibt es Dutzende von groartigen ETFs, die dir alle helfen knnen, deine finanziellen Ziele zu erreichen. Dieser Artikel wurde von Dan Caplinger auf Englisch verfasst undam 09.01.2019 auf Fool.com verffentlicht. Er wurde bersetzt, damit unsere deutschen Leser an der Diskussion teilnehmen knnen. The Motley Fool hat keine Position in einer der erwhnten Aktien. Motley Fool Deutschland 2019 | https://www.focus.de/finanzen/boerse/was-ist-ein-etf_id_10208500.html |
Can the protests in Sudan succeed? | President Omar al-Bashir remains defiant despite growing calls for him to end his 30-year rule. Nationwide protests have been taking place in Sudan almost every day for a month. They are the longest in decades and the most significant in the country's recent history. The demonstrations were prompted by a rise in bread and fuel prices. But the protesters quickly turned their attention to other issues and are now demanding the resignation of President Omar al-Bashir. Bashirs response has been a crackdown by security forces. Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds arrested in recent weeks. Presenter: Richelle Carey Guests: Abdel-wahab El Affendi - professor of politics at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies Alex De Waal - research professor and Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University Source: Al Jazeera News | https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2019/01/protests-sudan-succeed-190120193030497.html |
Will Trump pull U.S. out of South Korea for Kim Jong Un? | The concern in some quarters in South Korea is that Kim Jong Un will, in the anticipated second summit, offer to give up some elements of his nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs in return for a withdrawal of American forces. The core goal of the Kim familythe goal that anchors its legitimacyis to rule the entire peninsula, and the Kims have thought they could, one way or another, unite the two rival states if there were no Americans there. Accordingly, no American president has been willing to accept any bargain contemplating the removal of U.S. forces. Even President Jimmy Carter, who was once determined to withdraw all U.S. ground troops, ultimately was persuaded to keep Americans in the South precisely to avoid a coerced or forced unification. | https://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2019/01/will-trump-pull-u-s-south-korea-kim-jong-un/ |
What time does the McDonalds breakfast stop and what is on the breakfast menu? | Nah, neither have we. Ben & Jerry's launches Valentine's ice cream to raise money for refugees Making hash-browns and pancakes yourself is fine, but sometimes the effort is just too much to bear, especially if youre hung over or about to start a killer day at work. McDonalds always comes through with the satisfying, filling and often beautifully greasy combo of breakfast foods that we desperately need when were worse for wear, or just hungry for a but of comfort. If you want a bit of a lie-in, though, youll want to know when McDonalds finish serving breakfast. No point rushing for no reason, after all. (Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Breakfast starts and ends at different times at different restaurants. Advertisement Advertisement A general rule though, is that it starts when the restaurant opens, or if the branch is open 24 hours, itll start at 5am. Breakfast also ends at most locations in the UK 10.30am. McDonalds have said previously that, Items on our breakfast menu are cooked slightly differently and at a different temperature from items on our main menu. Beautiful, greasy, eggy deliciousness. (Photo illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Unfortunately we dont have enough space in our kitchens to accommodate the cooking and preparation of our breakfast and main menus at the same time. The 10.30am cut off enables us to accommodate our breakfast lovers and allow the customers who enjoy our main menu offering to get it before 11am. You can check the opening times for your local restaurant here. After that, the lunch service will start, so unfortunately McMuffins will be out of the question. Second of all, the menu is as follows: McDonald's Breakfast Menu Breakfast wraps Sausage / Bacon egg and cheese bagels Toasted bagels plain / with jam / light cream cheese 5 different incarnations of the Egg McMuffin, including: Sausage Double Sausage Bacon Double Bacon Classic egg and cheese Pancakes with syrup and optional sausage Bacon rolls Quaker Oat So Simple plain / Apple and cherry porridge Hash-browns Cheesy Bacon Flatbreads Chocolate covered / sugar doughnuts Blueberry / Chocolate muffins Pineapple sticks Triple chocolate cookies Tropicana Orange Juice Various coffees, hot chocolate and tea Advertisement Advertisement | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/20/what-time-does-the-mcdonalds-breakfast-stop-and-what-is-on-the-breakfast-menu-8363586/ |
Is Ajax wel zo rijk als gedacht? | Op de eerste speeldag na de onthulling van het borstbeeld van Johan Cruijff bij de hoofdentree van het stadion met zijn naam, kon Ajax koploper worden. De club en de spelers die zich al veel langer de beste van Nederland wanen, nu dan toch op de daarbij behorende plaats, na het 2-2 gelijkspel van PSV even eerder in de achttiende speelronde bij Emmen. Lees verder na de advertentie De kleine Lamprou, invaller-doelman, bleek menig schot te machtig Niet dus. Die goede voetballers van Ajax verspeelden tegen Heerenveen net zo makkelijk een 3-1 voorsprong, en warempel in de slotfase nog een 4-3 voorsprong (4-4). Dwaze cijfers, te dwaas, voor een rijk geachte club, na zon misstap ook nog van de concurrent. Trainer Ten Hag was boos. Zijn spelers hadden taken verwaarloosd, zei hij met recht. Is Ajax wel zo rijk, kon na deze malle middag ook de vraag zijn. De toch al gammele defensie moest bij gebrek aan een linksback na het uitvallen van de kwetsbare Sinkgraven geforceerd worden herschikt. De kleine Lamprou, invaller-doelman, bleek menig schot te machtig. Frenkie de Jong en Ziyech, ze hadden weer veel moois in gedachten, maar klinisch doordrukken, nee, dat konden ze niet. | https://www.trouw.nl/home/is-ajax-wel-zo-rijk-als-gedacht-~ae1f4470/ |
Why are Black NFL coaches expected to be perfect? | Wait a minute. Mike Florio posted this article on profootballtalk.nbcsports.com on Dec. 2, 2014: Teams can still trade for head coaches. The league office has confirmed that trades can indeed be made of head coaches. There has been a precedent established in Pittsburgh sports as far as trading a player for a manger but that was initiated because of dire circumstances. Lets rewind the clock for a minute. Richard Paloma posted this article on whitecleatbeat.com in 2016. In November 1976, Finley made an unheard of deal: he sent his manager, (Chuck) Tanner, to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for catcher Manny Sanguillen and $100,000. This was only the second time in MLB history where a manager was part of a baseball trade. In 1960, Indians manager Joe Gordon and Tigers manager Jimmie Dykes were traded for each other. The Pirates were in need of a skipper, with Danny Murtaugh retiring from his fourth tour of duty as manager after the 1976 season due to stated health reasons. Only three months after stepping down as manager Murtaugh would die from a stroke in December of 1976. Lets break this down a little bit. The Pirates wanted to their organization to remain stable so they made a very bold move to at least attempt to assure the continuation of smooth sailing for their franchise. The Pirates were not a losing organization. They were not in the process of rebuilding, they only needed a manager to step in and keep the ship sailing. When Danny Murtaugh was alive and in good health, Pittsburgh had their manager. The current Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin, is alive and well. Tomlin has not even reached the age of 50. He has never had a losing record. At the time that he coached Super Bowl XLIII, he was the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl in NFL history. Danny Murtaugh was 59 years old when he died. The final World Series that Danny Murtaugh won was in 1971 at the age of 54. The Pirates traded for Chuck Tanner because of the death of Danny Murtaugh. It now seems as if a significant segment of the Steelers fan base is trying to kill and bury the career of Mike Tomlin. Well, just because. Well, because the leadership of certain key players is not leadership at all. Its Me-dership as well as the pseudo-leaders being infected with the, throw their teammates under the bus syndrome. It seems that if you are an African American NFL head coach, the fans and many of the sports writers dont just expect you to be exceptional; they demand perfection.do dah. *** Correction: In my Voices from the Wilderness column from Jan. 9, I must clarify that Chris Moores Black Horizons show was the longest-running African American TV program until it was canceled in 2012. Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier Also On New Pittsburgh Courier: | https://newpittsburghcourieronline.com/2019/01/20/why-are-black-nfl-coaches-expected-to-be-perfect/ |
Have we seen the last of Roger Federer? | Approaching 38, Federer's stunning fourth-round exit marked only the second time in 16 years the Swiss has not reached Melbourne Park's semi-finals. Federer told the Herald Sun last month he is yet to schedule beyond the end of this season. As world No 3 - with a rankings slip to about No 6 now unavoidable - it's hardly crisis time. In ending Federer's 17-match Open winning streak, Stefanos Tsitsipas drove the most decorated man in grand slam history to distraction. And, as uncharacteristic errors flowed from Federer's normally impregnable forehand wing, there were equally unfamiliar flashes of irritation and frustration. Roger Federer waves goodbye to the crowd after his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Picture: AAP Images As outstanding as Federer has been over the past two seasons, with three majors crowning a brilliant revival, his past three losses at the highest level were not at the hands of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray. At Wimbledon, sabotaged by a wrist complaint, Federer let slip a two-sets lead over eventual finalist Kevin Anderson. In New York, John Millman proved too formidable in the US Open's heat and, against Tsitsipas' bludgeoning raw power, Federer was occasionally made to look helpless. As valiantly and proudly as he fought in sluggish conditions, Federer was unable to impose his silken game well enough for long enough. Losing to rising star Tsitsipas is hardly reason to hasten into retirement with Wimbledon and the US Open offering title opportunities. But, even though it is out of his control, Federer will want to bow out - whenever the day comes - predominantly on his terms. He has made the point that the ideal opportunity to leave the game on the highest of highs came and went with 2017 Australian Open finals victory over Nadal. Federer leaves Melbourne with a 97-14 record from 20 main draw campaigns since 2000. Whether he returns to the Open remains to be seen. Let's hope there is a final curtain call next January. | https://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/news/after-his-shock-loss-to-stefanos-tsitsipas-has-rog/3627032/ |
What happened to plan to silence shriekers? | It is seven years now since the Women's Tennis Association outlined admirable - but sadly unfulfilled - plans to eradicate excessive grunting. As well-intended as former WTA chairman and chief executive Stacey Allaster was in 2012 when she said "it is time for us to drive excessive grunting out of the game for future generations", nothing has changed. And it took exactly one rally at Melbourne Park to prove it. If anything, judging by Maria Sharapova's loathsome screeching, the problem has worsened. Tennis devotees - those at Melbourne Park and elsewhere - detest the habit. One spectator brandished a sign during the warm-up which read: "Quiet please, Sharapova. Barty is ready to play." It made no difference to Sharapova, wailing on virtually every stroke in every rally. While there was no obvious antagonism initially towards the former world No.1 - probably because Barty played so well - patience eventually evaporated. A double fault in the eighth game of the first set was unfairly cheered, a breach of crowd etiquette once unimaginable in Australia. Sharapova was booed after a seven-minute toilet break between the second and third sets, confirmation of her role in Heroine and Villain. Sharapova is hardly alone in this offence. There are plenty of men who assail the senses with unnecessary grunting. Sharapova makes no apologies for the exaggerated shrieking. The howling is as much a part of her routine as her widely mocked process between points. With five majors in the bank, Sharapova knows what works and what doesn't. To be blunt, she doesn't give a fig what spectators, media or even her rivals think. The Russian is probably not the loudest on the decibel count, but it so happens she is the best known. Her profile presents the WTA and other officials with the problem Allaster attempted to address in 2012. Tennis is crammed with mimics. There are armies of aspiring future champions convinced Sharapova's squawking is a necessary element to become a champion. Tennis purists believe her exertions after the ball has left her racquet are nothing less than deliberate hindrance. Cheating, in other words. Martina Navratilova and John Newcombe have repeatedly called out grunting for what it is. Unnecessary and grating. Barty ignored Sharapova's excesses for almost two-and-a-half hours. In the end, to the raptures of the locals, she silenced The Grunter in the best possible way. | https://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/news/maria-sharapova-shows-why-tennis-needs-to-get-seri/3626811/ |
Was bringt Bastian Yotta so zum Ausflippen? | Seit zehn Tagen leiden die deutschen Promi-Buschtrommler ganz freiwillig und fr mehr und weniger hohe Gagen fr die 13. Ausgabe der RTL-Show Ich bin ein Star Holt mich hier raus!. Sie stellen sich im australischen Dschungel allerlei tierischen und zwischenmenschlichen Herausforderungen. Inzwischen mussten zwei Kandidaten ihre Luxus-Artikel zusammenpacken. Chris Tpperwien Bastian Yotta Evelyn Burdecki Sandra Kiriasis Doreen Dietel Leila Lowfire Peter Orloff Gisele Oppermann Felix van Deventer People-Push Wenn du den People-Push abonnierst, verpasst du nichts mehr aus der Welt der Reichen, Schnen und Menschen, bei denen nicht ganz klar ist, warum sie eigentlich berhmt sind. So gehts: Installiere die neuste Version der 20-Minuten-App. Tippe auf dem Startbildschirm rechts oben auf die drei Streifen, dann auf das Zahnrad. Unten bei Themen schiebst du den Riegel bei People nach rechts schon lufts. Auf Wenn du den People-Push abonnierst, verpasst du nichts mehr aus der Welt der Reichen, Schnen und Menschen, bei denen nicht ganz klar ist, warum sie eigentlich berhmt sind.Installiere die neuste Version der 20-Minuten-App. Tippe auf dem Startbildschirm rechts oben auf die drei Streifen, dann auf das Zahnrad. Unten bei Themen schiebst du den Riegel bei People nach rechts schon lufts.Auf Instagram ist das 20-Minuten-People-Team brigens auch unterwegs. Zwei Wochen wird rund ums Lagerfeuer gelstert und gestritten, in Dschungelprfungen gewrgt und geweint, um am Ende einen der Kandidaten als Dschungelknigin oder -knig 2019 auf dem Urwald-Thron krnen zu knnen. Dickes Preisgeld Erstmals wartet auf den Gewinner oder die Gewinnerin auch eine Siegprmie in Hhe von 100'000 Euro so viel wie noch nie. Ein finanzieller Anreiz, mit dem der Sender allzu zartbesaitete Bewohner davon abhalten will, das Camp frhzeitig zu verlassen. Diese zwlf (un)bekannten Gesichter tauschen seit dem 11. Januar ihren mehr oder weniger glamoursen Alltag gegen ein Dschungelleben mit harten Pritschen, Reis und Bohnen: Neben der Schauspielerin Doreen Dietel (44) und Bob-Olympia-Siegerin Sandra Kiriasis (43) ist auch die ehemalige Germany's next Topmodel-Teilnehmerin Gisele Oppermann (30) dabei. Drei sind schon raus Ebenfalls am Trash-Start: Die Ex-Bachelor in Paradise-Kandidatin Evelyn Burdecki (30), der selbsterklrte Selfmade-Millionr Bastian Yotta (42) sowie TV-Auswanderer und Currywurst-Unternehmer Chris Tpperwien (44). GZSZ-Star Felix van Deventer (22), Schlagersnger Peter Orloff (74) und Sex-Podcasterin Leila Lowfire (25) machen das Dschungelpack komplett. Noch sind neun Kandidaten im Rennen. Ausgeschieden sind bereits: Evelyn-Ex Domenico de Cicco (35), Erotik-Star Sibylle Rauch (58) und Alf-Synchronsprecher Tommi Piper (77). (fim) | https://www.20min.ch/entertainment/tv/story/-Ich-liebe-dich-Yotta--23469024 |
What time is the lunar eclipse? | Click HERE if youre unable to view the gallery on your mobile device. The super blood wolf moon is coming and you wont want to miss it. Thats not because something catastrophic will happen, but because it is your only chance in 2019 to see a total lunar eclipse. And if you live in North or South America, weather permitting, youll get to see the whole darn show. Also, dont be put off by the name. Super blood wolf moon is simply a lunar eclipse that takes place during the first full moon of the year. The moon is a little closer to the earth this time around which makes it super, and during the eclipse it will take on a red hue, hence the blood reference. Below is the timing of the major events according to NASA: 6:36PM PT: Moon enters Earths penumbra (outer part of the shadow).7:33PM PT: Moon enters umbra (bulk of Earths shadow).8:41PM PT: Moon is fully inside umbra (total lunar eclipse).9:12PM PT: Moon is halfway through the umbra (moment of greatest eclipse).9:43PM PT: Moon exits umbra.10:50PM PT: Moon completely out of the umbra.11:48PM PT: Moon completely out of the penumbra. (And were done!) | https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2019/01/20/what-time-is-the-lunar-eclipse/ |
Did Jessica Simpson just reveal weird baby name? | Jessica Simpson has hinted her daughter will be called Birdie. The 38-year-old singer - who is expecting a baby girl with her husband Eric Johnson - took to social media site Instagram to share photos from her baby shower over the weekend, and in one picture, her family can be seen standing in front of a neon sign that reads "Birdie's Nest". She captioned the photo, "Birdie's Nest," alongside two green heart emojis. Meanwhile, a source previously claimed Jessica and Eric - who also have Maxwell, six, and Ace, five - were shocked to find out they were expecting. Advertisement An insider said: "Jessica and Eric are over the moon. They are so happy and very excited, surprised but overjoyed. It's fun because Ace and Maxwell are at an age where they understand what it happening. They are really cute waiting for their baby sister." Jessica announced she is expecting her third child in September. Posting a picture on Instagram at the time, she wrote: "This little baby girl will make us a family of five. We couldn't be happier to announce this precious blessing of life." The news came as a huge shock to fans as she had previously claimed she'd had an Intrauterine device (IUD) fitted, which would prevent further pregnancies. Responding to previous speculation she was having another child, she said: "I'm not pregnant. We got an IUD, nothing's gonna get in that uterus. I have two beautiful children and I'm not having a third." -Bang! Showbiz | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=12193714 |
Who Are The Real Extremists? | NRA is often vilified by the gun-ban community and its supporters in the mainstream, legacy media as an extremist organization because of its steadfast defense of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. A simple look into the anti-gun agenda, however, will show that proponents of restriction on a right protected by the U.S. Constitution are the true extremists. In Oregon, we see just how extreme the anti-gun legislative agenda has become, thanks to state Senator Rob Wagner (D-19) and his proposal, Senate Bill 501. SB 501, which Wagner proudly touts as having been drafted with the help of high school students, seeks to enact a number of draconian restrictions on Oregons law-abiding gun owners. Among the restrictions are standard anti-gun proposals like permits for all gun owners, waiting periods, mandatory storage, and penalties for failing to report lost or stolen firearms. The deadline for reporting a lost or stolen firearm has been arbitrarily set at 24 hours. But when you turn over the responsibility of creating new laws to children, you can expect some real doozies, and SB 501 delivers in spades. This truly extreme bill, should it become law, would establish magazine capacity limits and ammunition restrictions that only a child with little knowledge of the practical, lawful use of firearms could envisage. Magazine capacity would be set at five rounds, which would be the lowest standard in the nation, and there is no grandfather clause. Perhaps the author is unaware that even the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, certainly not the friendliest court to the Second Amendment, found a seven round magazine limit unconstitutional. If you own a magazine that holds six or more rounds, which is the vast majority of them, you must get rid of it in one of the manners prescribed by the legislation. So much for self-defense and property rights. The ammunition restrictions are even more extreme. SB 501 sets a limit for purchasing ammunition at 20 rounds in any 30-day period. You read that right; 20 rounds. Law-abiding gun owners commonly purchase ammunition in large quantities to save money. Not to mention the fact that most law-abiding gun owners own more than one firearm. Should SB 501 become law, you would be expected to not only be less frugal, but to portion out your ammunition purchases to a monthly trip every time you want to restock ammunition for a particular gun. At 20-rounds per trip, however, the term restock is used very loosely. The only exception for ammunition limits is for ammunition purchased and used at a range. As most gun owners know, range ammunition is usually there for convenience, and carries a premium price. Again, no more frugality for bringing your own ammunition. Then there are those who hunt birds and other small game. They regularly go through far more than 20 rounds on a hunting trip, especially one that covers several days. If they have not stockpiled ammunition with monthly purchases of 20 rounds, they are, presumably, simply out of luck once they run out. Oregon may become a bastion for out-of-state hunters, as they will not be affected by purchase limits, and in-state hunters will likely become frustrated and hunt less. You better plan a few years in advance before you consider entering a competition. The most egregious aspect of the ammunition limits, however, is that the more you shoot, the safer and more proficient you become. This legislation, sold as gun-safety bill, could actually make law-abiding gun owners less safe, as they will undoubtedly practice less. Especially those who do most of their practicing in a lawful, safe manner, but not at a target shooting range sanctioned by the gun control crowd. Beyond the legislative extremism of SB 501, anti-gun extremists seem to wish that we would abandon the concept of self-defense altogether. Chicago police reported that a 19-year-old man with a firearm accosted a woman while she was at a bus stop. The woman struggled with her assailant, drew her own firearm, and shot him in the struggle. While most would consider it completely justified for a woman, who had a permit to carry her concealed firearm, to use lethal force when facing an armed, violent attack, Think Progress editor Zack Ford didnt see it that way.Ford fired off a tweet in response to the incident, shaming the victim when he wrote, Thats not how justice works. The penalty for theft is not death, nor do we want it to be. What Ford ignores is the fact that the violent attacker was armed with his own firearm and he wasnt simply attempting to commit theft. He was, in fact, committing aggravated assault and armed robbery (among other crimes). Ford seems to think that a crime victim confronted with an armed assailant must believe that she is in no real danger of being harmed unless the assailant affirmatively announces such an intent. Fortunately, American self-defense law doesnt work that way. As Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes put it Detached reflection cannot be demanded in the presence of an uplifted knife. Or in this case; gun. Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. | https://dailycaller.com/2019/01/20/who-are-the-real-extremists/ |
Whats the best value face treatment that doesnt require a second mortgage? | A: The Eva Facial is the face version of Endospheres, a lifting and toning body massage device I really rate. It uses patented 'compressive microvibration', which basically means a buzzing handheld unit full of rotating, vibrating, mildly squeezing spheres is rolled over your face, lips and eyes, like so many toy trucks driving over cobbles. Beauty director Inge van Lotringen advised a reader on the best facials Once you get past the fear of your skin getting caught (it won't), it's a weird and invigorating (if not very relaxing) experience that works on your lymph, circulation, facial muscles and collagen regeneration. There are two additional handsets, one to remove dead cells and another to drive active ingredients into the deeper skin layers with the help of small electric pulses (no pain, I promise) that make cell walls temporarily more permeable. All in all, this machine combines five tried and tested facial technologies into a single one-hour treatment that will visibly tone and energise your face. Just expect to be bright red for about half an hour after. A course of six to 12 sessions is advised, but a single face-perking treatment starts at 150. Go to endospheres.com for more information. | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6613103/Whats-best-value-face-treatment-doesnt-require-second-mortgage.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490 |
Who was the Jackson area boys prep athlete of the week for Jan. 14-19? | CLOSE Humboldt pulled away in the second half to beat Madison 76-60 for the second time this season. Joseph Spears, Jackson Sun Logo (Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee) Refresh this link if the poll results don't appear. Mobile users, you might have to click here for the poll. Week 9 of the prep basketball season has come to a close. Here are six performances worthy of athlete of the week nominations: MORE: Week 9 Jackson area prep basketball scoreboard MORE: Jackson area prep basketball top performers from Friday of Week 9 MORE: Jackson area prep basketball top performers from Tuesday of Week 9 Reach Michael Odom at [email protected] or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael. | https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/01/20/jackson-area-boys-basketball-athlete-week-tssaa/2630205002/ |
Who was the Jackson area girls prep athlete of the week for Jan. 14-19? | CLOSE Action from Bolivar's win over Haywood in District 15-AA action on Jan. 18, 2019. Michael Odom, USA TODAY NETWORK Tennessee Logo (Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee) Refresh this link if the poll results don't appear. Mobile users, you might have to click here for the poll. Week 9 of the prep basketball season has come to a close, and an West Tennessee individual won a state bowling championship. Here are six performances worthy of athlete of the week nominations: MORE: Week 9 Jackson area prep basketball scoreboard MORE: Jackson area prep basketball top performers from Friday of Week 9 MORE: Jackson area prep basketball top performers from Tuesday of Week 9 Reach Michael Odom at [email protected] or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael. | https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/01/20/jackson-area-girls-basketball-bowling-athlete-week-tssaa/2630242002/ |
Who is interpreter Marina Gross and will her notes of Trump's Putin meeting be useful? | Marina Gross, a State Department interpreter, was the only other American in the room during President Donald Trump's one-on-one meeting with Russian President Putin in Helsinki last summer. ABC News has learned new details about the 64-year-old interpreter with the State Department's Office of Language Services who is at the center of the political storm over what she might know about the private conversations Trump held with Putin during their meeting in Helsinki last summer. State Department via Flickr Neither Gross nor her close family members provided comment for this story when contacted by ABC News. Veteran interpreters are concerned that a Congressional subpoena of Gross or her notes of the meeting would set a dangerous precedent. They also question whether her interpreting notes would contain actual contents of the meeting itself. Born in Russia, Gross was in her mid-20's when she and her family members immigrated to the United States in the late 1980s in the waning days of the Soviet Union. In the 1990s Gross began interpreting for the State Department as a contract interpreter. Alexey Nikolsky/Sputnik/Kremlin/EPA via Shutterstock Well respected, she was later hired by the State Department and currently works as one of two Russian staff interpreters at the departments Office of Language Services That office hires interpreters and translators who work throughout the U.S. government, including with the president. Interpreters play a vital role in key international meetings where their language services are on full display, but by training, they remain in the shadows. Shealah Craighead/White House Accordingly, few pictures exist of Gross, other than those publicly released by the White House or the State Department where she was seen interpreting for first lady Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. But it is Gross' work in Helsinki on July 16 that has sparked the interest of Congressional Democrats because she was the only other American in the room for Trump's two-hour long meeting with Putin and his own interpreter. Trump has met with Putin five times, but only twice in formal one-on-one meetings held in Hamburg and Helsinki. Tillerson sat in with both presidents during their Hamburg meeting and provided other national security officials and reporters with a brief readout of issues that were discussed, but the Washington Post reported that the U.S. government has no internal notes of that meeting and that Trump seized the notes taken by his interpreter. Since then, Congressional Democrats have said they want to gain access to Gross' notes to understand what Trump may have spoken about with Putin. A previous effort last year by Democrats to subpoena Gross and the interpreter at Trump's Hamburg meeting were shelved by Republicans who were in control the House of Representatives. Last week Michael McFaul, the former U.S. ambassador tweeted his support of Gross describing her as "a fantastic interpreter" and "a terrific person to boot!" Marina Gross is a fantastic interpreter (and terrific person to boot! ): "Marina Gross: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know" https://t.co/WFLu0RdOQk via @heavysan Michael McFaul (@McFaul) January 14, 2019 'A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT' Professional interpreters are concerned about the dangerous precedent that would be set by Congress if a diplomatic interpreter is subpoenaed. "I've never heard of that happening in the 30 years that I worked the State Department or subsequently since I retired," said Dimitry Zarechnak a former interpreter with the State Department's Office of Language Services, who interpreted for President Ronald Reagan during some of his summits with Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union. "I think it would just be a very bad move and bad precedent for diplomacy in general," he told ABC News. Harry Obst, the former director of the Office of Language Services who interpreted for seven American presidents, said that if he was placed in a similar situation, "I would not divulge any information." "That's because of the oath that you swear to not divulge any classified information on any level," he said. "Because you have a top secret clearance." A greater concern is the impact a subpoena could have on state leaders excluding interpreters from their meeting if they believe they could be subpoenaed by Congress in the future. "The whole idea of subpoenaing an interpreter is atrocious," said Zarechnak. "What foreign leader would want to meet with the U.S. leader thinking that 'well, the interpreter could be subpoenaed and tell Congress what the meeting was about.'" And a subpoena could also lead a U.S. interpreter to not rely on American interpreters. "The president would also have a great incentive not to use our interpreter if there was a danger that that interpreter would then be subpoenaed in Congress," said Zarechnak. Zarechnak noted that was something President Richard Nixon practiced during his his one-on-one meetings with Soviet leaders in the 1970s. "Unfortunately President Nixon and [former Secretary of State Henry] Kissinger specifically did not use our interpreters," said Zarechnak. "I guess for the sake of their secrecy" they relied only on the Soviet interpreters during their meetings. Both veteran interpreters question whether Gross' notes would be of much historical value. Even if investigators successfully gained access to Gross' notes "they wouldn't know what to do with them in the first place" said Obst. That's because as a matter of course the notes taken by professional interpreters are less about taking verbatim quotes than they are about getting the right inflection or meaning of a word or sentence. Interpreters use symbols or meanings for words or proper context that are only comprehensible to them at that specific moment in time. What might be more useful are the official classified documents, known as "memorandums of conversation" or MemCon's, that are compiled by interpreters using their handwritten notes. MemCon's are ultimately only accessible by the Secretary of State and Obst said often times an interpreter will destroy the handwritten notes used during a meeting because they are no longer as relevant as the classified official document. "So really what is saved is the memo not the notes themselves," said Obst. Zarechnak recalls how the MemCon he wrote from his notes of the consecutive translation he took during the one-on-one meetings during the 1985 Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Geneva were declassified 15 years later. That declassified MemCon captures a detailed flavor of the topics that were discussed during one meeting as well as Zarechnak's take about Gorbachev's. During a lengthy exchange on human rights in the Soviet Union, "Gorbachev interrupted, without listening to the translation, to say that he had understood what the President had said, and that he took all of this into account. He was familiar with the American political process, and the President should not hide behind this." Zarechnak then added his take on Gorbachev's interruption and what it might mean about Gorbachev's knowledge of English. "(U.S. Interpreter's Note: Gorbachev's indication that he had understood what the President had said without translation was unexpected, since he had never shown any indication of understanding English in previous or subsequent conversations. After the President's following remarks, Gorbachev specifically asked for interpretation and looked like he had not understood what the President had said. I think that the first time he was simply assuming that he knew what the President was saying, and was anxious to get into the plenary meeting.)" Since MemCons are classified, the access to details of the Helsinki meeting that congressional Democrats want, may ultimately rest with Trump. Obst told ABC News that only a president can release an interpreter from disclosing classified information gathered during a private meeting. | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/interpreter-marina-gross-notes-trumps-putin-meeting/story?id=60374126 |
Can Australia build a World Cup winner? | Australia's Glenn Maxwell bats during their one day international cricket match against India in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Mal Fairclough) Australia's Glenn Maxwell bats during their one day international cricket match against India in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. Yes, although Hazlewood's back injury must have healed. Absolutely, after four tons from his past nine matches. Glenn Maxwell is the most over-qualified No.7 in world cricket and would be odds-on to make the cut. Captain Aaron Finch admitted he was the batting "weak link" against India, averaging just 8.6 runs as his weakness - balls targeting the stumps - was exposed. But it would take another nightmare series for the clever captain with 11 ODI tons to fall out of the frame. Finch has endured a wretched summer. Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images. Marcus Stoinis looks a safe bet, despite his tendency to start slow with a strike-rate of only 65 after 10 balls. Probably not. Coach Justin Langer said Australia was "crystal clear" on its 50-over game plan, but with just 10 matches before flying to England the make-up is still fuzzy. Smith has undergone elbow surgery and Warner, who is losing the PR battle with the wider public, is about to do the same. It's not quite Swiss cheese, but there are still a lot of holes. THE ROAD TO ENGLAND Two T20s against India (India) Five ODIs against India (India) Five ODIs against Pakistan (Dubai)* April 23 deadline for submitting 15-man squad *Smith and Warner eligible for some of these Australia will rely heavily on their three quicks. Picture by Phil Hillyard. AUSTRALIA'S bowling at the death against India was poor but Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will stem the bleeding. Since winning the 2015 World Cup, Australia has won 19 games and lost 10 (65.5 per cent) when two or more of 'The Big Three' play but is only 10-24 (29.4 per cent) when one or none of them do. Cummins and Starc also add batting power to a tail that looked limp against India. LANGER said Jhye Richardson was a "shining light" against India. The West Australian set up Australia's first win with 4/26 and dismissed Virat Kohli in all three matches. Nathan Coulter-Nile is a white-ball regular when fit and his firepower at No.8 would spook some bowlers. Jason Behrendorff and AJ Tye are in the background, while Peter Siddle won't be there and beanpole Billy Stanlake is still a work in progress. Adam Zampa is in the lead to be the World Cup spinner. AAP Image/Joel Carrett. ADAM Zampa is in pole position. The leggie spun it both ways at the MCG on Friday, although Langer rates Nathan Lyon as the best offspinner in the world. England plays an offie (Moeen Ali) and a leggie (Adil Rashid) but both average more than 20 with the bat and Australia has traditionally never played twin tweakers. Lyon and Zampa failed to jag a wicket against India and Australia desperately needs someone who can rip through batsmen in the middle overs. Conditions will suit better in England, where 28 per cent of wickets have fallen to spin since the last World Cup, compared to 17 per cent in Australia. Zampa impressed for Essex last year, taking 12 wickets in nine T20 games. Shane Warne reckons Fawad Ahmed is our best legspinner and Cameron Boyce is in career-best form, while Mitchell Swepson has stagnated. There might only be room for one, plus part-timers. AUSTRALIA scored at just 3.6 runs per over during the powerplay against India as Finch and Carey struggled against the two new balls. D'Arcy Short scored at 5.6 runs per over during JLT Cup powerplay and is again the BBL's leading run-scorer, averaging 52.6 with a strike rate of 139.4. Short's clean ball striking is out of the Adam Gilchrist playbook, although countries are likely to load up with spinners at the World Cup - which is his weakness. Short's left-arm wrist spin has picked up a handy six wickets in the BBL and can't be discounted. Six-machine Chris Lynn noted Australia opted for a "mix of class and power" against India and that new-look structure didn't include him. Surely it will include the switch-hitting Warner. THE mild middle overs appeared a concern against India although that didn't overly bother Langer. Handscomb strikes at 93.6 and Khawaja at 84.6 in the middle and that is a long way short of the world's best. Of the players to have faced more than 200 balls in that phase, England's Jason Roy strikes at 116, India's Hardik Pandya at 112.2 and South Africa's Quinton de Kock at 110.1. England has posted 32 totals of 300-plus (41 per cent) since the 2015 World Cup, whereas Australia has done it just 15 times (23 per cent). On flat England pitches at small grounds, many suspect aggression will be the key. There is probably room for only one of Khawaja or Handscomb, particularly if Smith plays. Langer said Handscomb was "excellent" against India while his back-up keeping option and strengths against spin further embolden his World Cup hopes. Maxwell has performed well higher up the order in the past. LANGER said No.7 was the "perfect" position for Maxwell and the numbers agree. But it is peculiar that at the 2015 World Cup Maxwell batted at No.4-6 and bowled more overs - he came in at 3/175 and spanked 102 (53) against Sri Lanka. As Michael Vaughan noted, most captains would be "delighted" seeing Maxwell walk out at No.7. Maxwell boasts the second-best strike-rate in world cricket, behind Andre Russell, and stirs fear in bowlers when he is at the crease. Every Test, ODI & T20I live, ad-break free during play and in 4K. Only on Foxtel. SIGN UP TODAY! | https://www.northernstar.com.au/news/can-australia-build-a-team-to-retain-the-world-cup/3626976/ |
Why does a Rams lineman throw his hand out before every snap? | Saints fans have the Superdome rocking during the NFC Championship Game. So much so, the Rams, after having early trouble communicating before the snap, were forced to switch things up to avoid pre-snap penalties and wasted timeouts. You may have noticed Rams RG Austin Blythe throwing out his hand before the center snapped the ball. This was pretty from Goff to Cooks. System QB throw. pic.twitter.com/9oWaHBT1p7 Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) January 20, 2019 Theres a very good reason hes doing it. Thats how the Rams execute their silent snap out of the shotgun when playing in loud stadiums. When playing at home, or in front of a quieter crowd, the center can hear Goff calling for the snap. When he lines up under center, Goff can just give him a little tap. But when its loud, and Goff is lined up five yards behind the center in the gun, they need the help of the guard. He looks back at Goff Waits for Goffs signal to snap it Then relays that signal to the center Its a simple-yet-elegant solution to the problem every team faces on the road. Some teams will ask their center to peak back to the quarterback. Others have the guard give the center a tap. The Rams have their own method, and it seemed to be working in the second quarter. Los Angeles scored 10 unanswered points, which helped quiet the Superdome crowd. | https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/01/why-rams-lineman-throwing-hand-saints |
What Is A "Super Blood Wolf Moon" And How Can I Watch It? | Monday morning will see a combination of different lunar events combine to form a rare spectacle. A total lunar eclipse will give the Earth's natural satellite a reddish colour, to create a 'blood moon', and by coincidence will be closer to Earth than normal in a 'supermoon'. At the same time, the moon will be a full moon, and in January this is sometimes known as a 'wolf moon'. But astronomers and skygazers are particularly interested in observing this phenomenon as it will be the last blood moon of its kind for two years, and is expected to last more than hour. The moon during a total lunar eclipse appears reddish in comparison to normal. Picture: Getty Space expert and author Dr David Whitehouse said that the best time to observe the 'super blood wolf moon' in the UK is between 4:30-5:30 in the morning. "Go out tonight, start at 2:30 in the morning but by about 3 o'clock you'll start to see the moon getting nibbled by the shadow. "A mid-eclipse when you should see it at its reddest is about 5 o'clock, and it finishes about 8 o'clock. "So if you want the best, go out between 4:30 and 5:30 and see if it's red. "You need no instructions because it's big and bright and it's right in front of you!" If the skies are clear, the full eclipse will be visible across Western Europe and across North and South America, and a partial eclipse for the rest of Europe and Africa. | https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/the-news-explained/what-is-a-super-blood-wolf-moon/ |
Why is Sarri married to a rigid system that doesn't suit Chelsea? | If Chelsea took as many risks in games as their manager did in his post-match analysis, there would be no problem. Maurizio Sarris takedown of his team is even more of a gamble than his patented style of play. We have been here before and, often, it does not end well. Chelseas empowered dressing room has got rid of bigger names than Sarri and the reaction to this ferocious dismantling of egos will be seen against Tottenham on Thursday. They accept his criticism, or begin to disengage with Sarri-ball. Well soon know. Maurizio Sarri has a rigid style of play and has so far refused to deviate from what he knows Sarri spoke in his native Italian, through a translator, after the game, better to get his point across. They were big points, too, about motivation and personality. Chelsea lacked both, apparently. They were a hard team to motivate, a team not known for battling or fighting qualities, that lacked mental aggression, determination and ferocity, that missed leadership. This would have been easier to process if Chelseas team did not include some of the strongest footballers of the modern era. NGolo Kante, widely acknowledged as the finest central defensive midfielder in Europe until Sarri arrived and started playing him at right-half. Kante has won two Premier League titles with Chelsea and Leicester and a World Cup with France. The Italian was left furious by his team's performance and accused them of lacking motivation The prizes won by Chelseas starting XI included two World Cups, one European Championship, seven Champions Leagues, three Europa Leagues, 25 national titles across six countries and the FA Cup on eight occasions. Not bad for a group without personality. Chelsea can be a troublesome bunch, though, we know that. In recent years, impressive peaks have been followed by inexplicable troughs. They can abandon a manager almost in a fit of pique. Yet Chelseas faltering in recent weeks does not appear entirely the fault of the starting XI. Sarri is married to a rigid system of play that appears not to suit a significant number of his players. He complained that Chelsea lacked commitment in losing to Arsenal, but so many in his team have their energies exhausted trying to make Sarri-ball work. Kante no longer guards, Hazard no longer creates and all orbits around lynchpin Jorginho, who would no doubt have appeared considerably more effective in the half-pace of the Italian league. He isnt outstandingly quick of foot or thought and when a team swarms around him as Arsenal did on Saturday any pass of more than limited ambition frequently goes astray. That Sarri spoke of Arsenal wanting victory more says much. Few elite teams have been accused of wanting it less than Arsenal and for Unai Emerys players to be held up as personifications of commitment shows how sluggish Chelsea have become. It is generous in the extreme to afford them a single shot at goal, as some statisticians did crediting a late cross by Marcos Alonso that Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno dealt with as it came within range. Without that, Chelsea last got an effort on target in the 63rd minute against Newcastle on January 12. Under Sarri, World Cup winner N'Golo Kante has been switched from his holding position It was this fixture in the 2016-17 season that precipitated the change that won Chelsea the league. After losing 3-0 at Arsenal, Antonio Conte went from four to three at the back and Chelsea won 13 games on the spin. Sarri is offering no such escape clause. Conte changed to a three-man defence, but he was used to doing that anyway, so it wasnt quite the same, he said. This is the football I have. I am a good teacher of this football, so I dont think it would be a good idea if I try to teach my players a different type of football. In other words Sarri-ball is great, says man called Sarri. It did not seem to on Saturday, when Arsenals midfield ran the game and the defence were very lightly raced, for all Chelseas possession. It does not do to greatly pull at the threads of his logic. It wasnt long ago that he was saying the captaincy was an irrelevance and expressing bemusement at the English fascination for it. Now he says Chelsea lack leadership. Emery will vouch for the difficulties a manager faces trying to change the culture of a club. The stand-off with Mesut Ozil an unused substitute again and not missed is a perfect example of a new manager in a head-on collision with a previous regime. Ozil was an important part of what Arsene Wenger was trying to achieve whereas he is a luxury item, at best, for Emery. Arsenal were significantly quicker into the game than Chelsea, and had already missed several good chances when Alexandre Lacazette put them one up from a tight angle. Laurent Koscielnys second, an attempted header that spun off his shoulder, gave Arsenal distance and Chelsea barely threatened in response. Their last decent opportunity came before half-time when Marcos Alonsos header struck a post. That aside, Arsenal had them in hand. It was the first time since February 2004 that Arsenal have won consecutive home games against Chelsea. Chelsea are a team that wants to play building up with very big possession, said Emery. I like to press against these teams. In other words, Chelsea did what Arsenal hoped they would do, what Arsenal knew they would do, because there is so little variation in their play. Summer signing Jorginho is at the core of Sarri's blueprint, but has failed to impress so far Nobody is suggesting Sarri tells his team to play long but it is interesting that when David Luiz struck one of his raking early passes, he came closest to putting Pedro in as happened against Newcastle. I think if you asked at the beginning of the season, can Chelsea keep the ball, people would have said no, explained Luiz. And now we are able to do that, like the best teams in the world. So this is our philosophy. I believe in it, I trust it, I just know we have to improve. What Sarri has done is unbelievable, amazing, because normally a team needs one or two years to understand this philosophy. Social media footage from the away end suggests patience is wearing thin with Sarri-ball, in the cheap seats at least. And no translator was required to understand that message. | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6613365/Why-Sarri-married-rigid-doesnt-suit-Chelsea.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490 |
Did One Song Force the Collapse of Van Halens Original Lineup? | In May 1982, Van Halen released their cover version of Dancing in the Street, which would become a Top 40 hit and help steer their fifth album, Diver Down , to more than 4 million sales and No. 3 on the chart. It was certainly a different take than the many other covers of the 60s track that was co-written by Marvin Gaye. While singer David Lee Roth delivered the lyrics in his trademark larger-than-life rock-star style, the most notable element of the music was an insistent synthesizer riff created by Eddie Van Halen . The song was an impressive but strange marriage and, it seems, was to be the catalyst for an equally strange divorce three years later. Tensions had been rising for some time between the band's leading men. The singer wanted to become even larger than life and even rockier, while the guitarist wanted his band to become as eclectic as possible. Van Halen had written the synth riff with an original song in mind, and the compromise of using it as part of a cover version was not a happy one. Even on its release the parties differed. It sounds like more than four people are playing, when in actuality there are almost zero overdubs, Roth said . Thats why it takes us such a short amount of time [to record]. But, Van Halen argued, It takes almost as much time to make a cover song sound original as it does writing a song. I spent a lot of time arranging an playing synthesizer on Dancing in the Street. Listen to Van Halen's 'Dancing in the Street' I didnt want to be halfway there with someone elses stuff, Van Halen said in 2016. Diver Down was a turning point for me, because half of it was cover tunes. I was working on a great song with this Minimoog riff that ended up being used on Dancing in the Street.' It was going to be a completely different song. I envisioned it being more like a Peter Gabriel song instead of what it turned out to be, but when [producer] Ted Templeman heard it, he decided it would be great for Dancing in the Street. ' The story behind the album was one of compromise, as well. The band wanted to slow down after its Fair Warning tour in 1981, and the idea of releasing a standalone single to plug the gap was suggested. The result was (Oh) Pretty Woman, which did so well that the bands label immediately required an album, and so Diver Down was recorded and a tour booked, instead of the hoped-for escape from that very cycle. With no time to recharge, the tensions inevitably increased. By the end of the Diver Down experience, Eddie Van Halen was determined to avoid the kind of compromises hed previously endured. He wasnt just fighting with Roth, but also Templeman, and an us-and-them situation developed with Van Halen and engineer Donn Landee on one side, Roth and Templeman on the other. The bottom line is that I wanted more control, Van Halen said later. "I was always butting heads with Ted Templeman about what makes a good record. My philosophy has always been that I would rather bomb with my own music than make it with other peoples music. Ted felt that if you redo a proven hit, youre already halfway there. Van Halen and Landee hit on the idea of building their own studio not with the original intention of creating finished works, but to show Ted that we could make a great record without any cover tunes and do it our way. However, the project grew arms and legs to the point that, when 5150 Studios was completed, it became the location of every Van Halen recording since. I certainly didnt know how to build a studio, the guitarist recalled. It was all Donns magic. We had grown really close and had a common vision. Everybody was afraid that Donn and I were taking control. Well yes! Thats exactly what we did, and the results proved that we werent idiots. When youre making a record, you never know if the public is going to accept it, but we lucked out and succeeded at exactly what my goal was. I just didnt want to do things the way Ted wanted us to do them. Im not knocking Diver Down . Its a good record, but it wasnt the record I wanted to do at the time. He described the bands next album, 1984 , as me showing Ted how you really make a Van Halen record. The first track recorded at 5150 was Jump, which Van Halen forced through on the strength of his personal vision, supported by Landee. Its synth-heavy approach was to dominate the entire groundbreaking LP, and the single gave the band its only No.1 hit -- apparently proving the guitarist correct. Once Ted heard that song, he was full-hog in, Van Halen recalled. When I first played Jump for the band, nobody wanted to have anything to do with it. Dave said that I was a guitar hero and I shouldnt be playing keyboards. My response was if I want to play a tuba or Bavarian cheese whistle, I will do it. As soon as Ted was on board with Jump and said that it was a stone-cold hit, everyone started to like it more. But Ted really only cared about Jump. He didnt care much about the rest of the record. He just wanted that one hit. With the music seeming to be going further away from what Roth wanted, he instead tried to enforce his personality on the band's videos. His intention for the Jump clip was to have him seen in a wide range of rock-star moments, which producer Robert Lombard felt worked against the intimacy of the performance scenes that went on to inspire an entire generation of copycat videos. After trying to have his concerns taken into consideration, Lombard found himself fired. You dont go behind Daves back, he remembered being told. Heres your check, never want to see you again. That video won the award for best performance video at the first VMAs. And I still dont have my award. Listen to Van Halen's 'Jump' The success of 1984 put Eddie Van Halen in the driving seat, and left Roth less convinced that he wanted to sit alongside. In response, he began developing a solo career, and, along with the Crazy From the Heat EP, he developed a movie script with the same title in which he planned to star. Since my very first days in with the band 11 years ago, I have always had the feeling that one day I would wake up in a cold hotel, all the rooms would be empty and I would be stuck by a phone with a busy signal, the singer said ominously in an interview. From the first day. Nothing has changed. In a later interview he predicted the band would "be going back in the studio and start arguing again and we all look forward to that. ... We have a lot of respect for each other and get along quite well, actually. That wasnt to be. In March 1985, he and Eddie Van Halen staged something of a summit meeting, where it became clear their ambitions for the band were some distance apart. The guitarist later said the conversation ended in an attempt to discuss Roths movie. I cant work with you guys anymore, Van Halen quoted Roth as having said. I want to do my movie. Maybe when Im done, we'll get back together. Several months later, the truth came out. The band as you know it is over, Van Halen reported. Dave left to be a movie star. He even had the balls to ask if Id write the score for him. Im looking for a new lead singer ... its weird that its over. Twelve years of my life putting up with his bullshit. But it wasnt over, and perhaps its still not but there were to be many more twists and turns in the Van Halen story. Perhaps there would have been fewer without that fateful cover of Dancing in the Street. | http://wour.com/van-halen-original-lineup-breakup/ |
Which Black Sabbath Singer Has Performed the Most Shows? | Black Sabbath took the stage for the first time on Aug. 30, 1969. From that moment forward, the band toured relentlessly, creating a legacy of performances spanning almost five decades. During that time, the group saw a range of lineup changes. Guitarist Tony Iomm i was the only member to stay in Black Sabbath throughout the duration of their career, but they switched singers with way more frequency. Below, we take a look at everyone who's ever fronted the band, along with how many concerts they played. Ozzy Osbourne was Sabbaths original singer and is still revered by traditionalists as the groups true frontman. His association with Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler actually predates the Black Sabbath name, when they all worked together in the bands early incarnations as Earth and the Polka Tulk Blues Band. Osbourne was behind the mic for the group's humble beginnings right through their ascent to fame. Even though he left the band several times over the years -- he was either fired or quit on his own -- Osbourne easily outpaces all of Sabbath's other singers by a wide margin. His longest break in tenure came between 1978 and 1997, when he performed only one show with the grouo, a special appearance at 1985's Live Aid event. All told, Osbourne fronted the band for 1,077 performances. Second on the list is Ronnie James Dio , who first took over singing duties after Osbournes 1979 dismissal. His first performance with the group came on April 17, 1980, and went on to perform at 290 Black Sabbath shows. This number does not include his time with Heaven & Hell -- the band that placed Dio alongside Iommi, Butler and drummer Vinny Appice, another Sabbath alumni -- starting in 2007. Even though they performed under a different moniker, it could be argued that Heaven & Hell were simply a re-branded Black Sabbath. Adding in the 69 Heaven & Hell performances brings Dio's show total to 359. Surprisingly close to Dio on the list is Tony Martin, who joined Black Sabbath in 1987. From then until the mid '90s, he performed 286 shows with the group. International stops included Russia, Japan and a controversial trip to apartheid-era South Africa. His final show with the band took place on Dec. 14, 1995, in Bangkok. Former Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan had a stint fronting Black Sabbath that ran the course of a single tour, 1983-84s Born Again (named after the album of the same title). The trek spanned 80 performances across North America, placing him fourth on the all-time list. Another former Deep Purple singer, Glenn Hughes , was tasked with performing vocals on Black Sabbath's 1986 tour behind Seventh Star . The singer lasted only five dates after a bar fight with the bands production manager caused injuries that affected his voice. Ray Gillen was brought in to replace Hughes and complete the tour, but poor ticket sales led to many of the concerts being canceled. In all, Gillen fronted the band for a total of 26 performances, ranking fifth on the list, with Hughes' five shows earning him sixth place. Last but not least, theres Rob Halford , the Judas Priest singer who fronted Sabbath for two performances in November 1992 after Dio refused to perform. More than a decade later, Halford returned as Sabbaths singer for a single performance in 2004. That time around, he filled in for Osbourne, who had reunited with the group but was too ill to take the stage. Halford's three performances place him in the seventh and final position on the list. | http://wour.com/black-sabbath-singer-show-count/ |
How can we trust the FFA to do the right thing? | I would like to think that people judge me on what Ive done, not what people might suspect, new FFA chairman Chris Nikou told journalists last November. None of us can pretend to know why former Matildas coach Alen Stajcic was sacked on Saturday morning. Clearly whatever issues existed were serious enough to wield the axe barely five months out from the FIFA Womens World Cup in France. Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Reddit Email Share Perhaps Football Federation Australia deserves to be applauded for acting decisively and protecting the best interests of the players. Thats often half the problem with the FFA. Despite calls for greater transparency or show cause re-WNT (womens national team) coach decision, we hope ppl (sic) understand that for confidentiality and legal reasons its difficult for Directors to make any further comment, tweeted FFA board member Heather Reid AM on Saturday. Fair enough. But heres the problem. The football-watching public no longer trusts the FFA. Advertisement Advertisement And very few people involved in the game feel like the FFA are capable of making the right decisions. This is the same organisation that saw the Socceroos coach quit before the last World Cup, garnered a single vote from its Quixotic bid to host one of two World Cups, twiddles its thumbs while interest in the A-League falls off a cliff and yet still found time to volunteer for Video Assistant Referees. Less than two years ago, they handed Stajcic a four-year contract extension supposedly as a reward for reaching the quarter-finals at the 2015 FIFA Womens World Cup in Canada. Theyre genuine medal contenders and apart from playing well, theres an environment of professionalism and development that is setting us up for the future, Gallop told the Sydney Morning Heralds Dom Bossi on the eve of the Rio Olympics. He was singing a decidedly different tune in Saturdays press conference. We no longer feel confident that Alen is the right person to lead the team and the staff, Gallop said. Advertisement Advertisement It relates to workplace culture, workplace environment, the general set-up of the Matildas and our confidence in where theyre at just months out from the World Cup. Nikou, seated next to Gallop in the press conference, nodded along in agreement. When he was elected FFA chairman, Nikou said he wanted to get away from people talking about administration. My own personal view is the less we talk about the administrators the better, Nikou said. Lets get back to football. A noble sentiment. But when the governing body sacks a national team coach less than six months out from a World Cup, its only natural for questions to be asked. It should be stressed that if there were instances of workplace bullying as has been confidentially alleged then the FFA may have handled this situation as well as they could have. Sports opinion delivered daily The whole imbroglio certainly makes selling tickets to next months four-team Cup Of Nations tournament all the more difficult. But as with so many elements of Australian football, FFA expects fans to put hands in their pockets without those fans knowing the full story. Advertisement Advertisement And theres a bigger issue at play here than just the sacking of one individual. | https://www.theroar.com.au/2019/01/21/how-can-we-trust-the-ffa-to-do-the-right-thing/ |
Are the Igbo really marginalised? | By Tochukwu Ezukanma ONE Nigeria is not a homogenising vat where different cultures blend into one. Consequently, although I am an avowed proponent of one Nigeria, I am exceedingly conscious that I cannot be a true Nigerian without first being a consummate Igbo. So, as I brood over the problems of Nigeria, I brood, even more, over the problems of the Igbo. The Igbo are one of the major ethnic groups of Nigeria, with the wherewithal: numerical strength, industry, education, wealth, ingenuity, etc, to secure a robust and extensive niche in Nigerian politics. That we have failed to do this requires an explanation. Many Igbo blame this on the marginalisation of the Igbo. Marginalisation is the process and the consequences of a deliberate and systematic endeavour by other Nigerians and a continuum of Federal Governments to deny the Igbo their fair share of the national resources, and repress their progress across the entire spectrum of the Nigerian social life, especially, in politics. However, because I taught myself very early in my life never to blame others for my problems, it is very hard for me to blame the problems of the Igbo on marginalisation without being totally convinced. In musing over the problems of the Igbo, two questions readily popped up in my mind. In the Second Republic, the word, marginalisation, was not part of the Igbo lexicon. In 1979, just nine years after the war, the victors, in their thrill of victory, would have been most disposed to exploit and repress the defeated, and the losers, cringing in the agony of defeat, would have been readily subservient and most vulnerable to marginalisation. Ironically, then, the Igbo were not marginalised. Following the 1979 presidential election, there emerged an Igbo Vice-President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and, in the Senate, the Igbo chaired some of the powerful Senate Committees. And we got our fair share from the President Shehu Shagari administration. It was in 1999, 29 years after the civil war, that marginalisation made an inroad into the Igbo political lexicon. It has, ever since, remained a central word in our political parlance. After the Obasanjo presidency, the YarAdua administration continued to marginalise the Igbo. And perplexingly, after YarAdua, the Goodluck Jonathan administration also marginalised us. And presently, the Buhari administration is marginalising us. After all, in the election that brought him to power, he garnered more than 90 per cent of the votes cast in Igbo land, and he also appointed Igbo to important and powerful positions in his administration. A man that got ill after a meal at a restaurant can reasonably blame the restaurant food for his illness. But if a man gets sick from everybodys (his wife, maid, mother and mother in-law) cooking, then the problem is not with the food but with the man. If every administration since 1999, including the Jonathan administration, marginalised the Igbo, then the problem is not with the different Nigerian governments but with the Igbo. Yes, the Igbo have a problem. Our problem is not marginalisation by anyone. Our problem is our attitude towards Nigeria. We are clinging obstinately to a mindset that is antithetical to political progress in Nigeria. We were not marginalised in the Second Republic when we were most susceptible to marginalisation because the then Igbo political elite were dominated by those whose concept and perception of Nigeria and the place of the Igbo in Nigeria were formed before Biafra. Thus, their attitude towards Nigeria were not informed and shaped by the Biafran propaganda. So, despite our obvious weaknesses then, they approached politics with a positive attitude: confidence, trust and optimism in the Nigerian system. They believed that it works for all Nigerians within the limits of human fragilities and the Nigerian factor. On the one hand, with such constructive attitude, they achieved impressive political feats. On the other, the present Igbo political elite are dominated by those whose concept and perception of Nigeria were shaped by the falsehood of the Biafran propaganda. Unlike the earlier Igbo leaders who encouraged us to make the best of our cultural skills and talents in a unified Nigeria, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu and the Biafran propaganda taught us that only secession from Nigeria can guarantee our survival. They taught us that we had no choice but to turn inwards, fortify our battlements and fight off murderous hordes of Nigerians, who, unified by their intense jealousy and implacable hatred for us, were determined to annihilate us. They indoctrinated us that we were fighting a war of survival that we must win or face extermination by the enemy a posse of conscienceless, vicious, bloodthirsty Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and other ethnic groups of Nigeria. While these were blatant, brazen lies, they, lamentably, captured Igbo minds. They instilled in the Igbo the mindset needed to fight to a finish in a war of survival but that is antithetical to the exigencies of co-existing, and forging a common future with the other peoples of our multifarious country. The lingering grip of the Biafran propaganda on Igbo minds makes us paranoid, and fearful and suspicious of other Nigerians, and stokes the feelings of self-pity and victimhood in us. It makes us believe that the other tribes of Nigeria, in their universal hatred for us, have a grand conspiracy to undermine and frustrate us. And consequently, that despite our potentials and resourcefulness, there might be no use in striving, as whatever we do will not amount to much because of the deliberate, unified and concerted attempt of the other Nigerians to thwart all our efforts and hold us down. It is this defeatist, despondent attitude towards Nigeria not marginalisation that is our problem in Nigerian politics. Until we change our attitude towards Nigeria, the steady whittling down of our political lot will continue. And, in our self-pity and feeling of victimhood, we will continue to blame it on our marginalisation by the Federal Government and other ethnic groups of Nigerians. Self-pity and victimhood are the staples for losers and failures. Those who choose to wallow in self-pity and court the image of victimhood refuse to take responsibility for their actions, thus, they blame their failures on the hatred and malevolence of others. They tolerate failure, and sometimes, invite failure because it gratifies their feeling of self-pity and sense of victimhood, and adds more weapons to their arsenal of blame game. The mindset that sustains self-pity and a sense of victimhood negates victory and progress, especially, in politics. Not surprisingly, no victim is a victor and no victor is a victim. | https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/are-the-igbo-really-marginalised/ |
What can go right or wrong for lamb? | LAMB markets have opened relatively steady and at similar levels to this time last year. In early 2018 however, the market was hitting a peak, while it is currently close to a financial year low. The general outlook is for stronger prices over coming months, but there are arguments for both upside and downside. The five-year average seasonality for the Eastern States Trade Lamb Indicator (ESTLI) shows a lift in January. The market then steadies in autumn before rallying into the winter as supply tightens. Price trends dont always follow the average, however. Figure 1 shows that after a brief peak in January, lamb prices eased to a 14 month low in April last year. The winter rally came as per usual to the end of June before the market went crazy in August and September. The trend towards the end of 2016 was similar to 2018, with the market finding a low at the end of the year. It is hard to imagine the ESTLI is going to step higher like it did in early 2017. There have been some positive signs in saleyards this week, but supply is reportedly adequate for January, so we might have to wait a little longer for significant upside. Figure 2 shows that our lamb is not historically expensive in export markets. If and when supply tightens there remains plenty of upside. On the downside, the risks appear to be minimal from here. Were unlikely to see supply overwhelming demand, given the suspected lack of lambs produced this year. The pricing on offer for over the hooks lambs at the moment, along with forward pricing for February, suggests that there is still some concern around supply as we move through summer. Figure 2 Eastern States Trade Lamb Indicator US$: The weaker Australian dollar of recent times has pushed the ESTLI in US dollar terms to levels below this time last year and well below the record highs of 2011. There is potential for markets to step up to 800 at some stage, but as always its a question of when. Rain would obviously help. Markets can go lower, but it would take a solid supply flush. This time of year that is unlikely and current fundamentals dont suggest well see lamb values much lower than current levels. | https://www.farmonline.com.au/story/5860335/what-can-go-right-or-wrong-for-lamb/?src=rss |
Can a teenager's blood really stop the aging process? | The secret to eternal youth may have finally been revealed and the answer might be in the blood of young people. Its a controversial new treatment that may hold promise, but at a price. And its available in Houston. Heres how it works: Plasma from young people between 16 and 25 is transfused into patients over 30 as part of a clinical trial called Ambrosia. The treatment costs $8,000 for one liter or $12,000 for two. Dr. Jesse Karmazin told CBS New York the young blood may turn back the hands of time. He claims human subjects whove had it say they feel amazing and that hes seen evidence of reversing the aging process in rats. Theyre actually younger in sort of every way. Their brains are younger, their hearts, their hair if it was gray it turns dark again, the doctor claims. Dr. Sharon Sha is a Stanford researcher who says they have seen evidence of improvement in functional ability for Alzheimers patients who receive young blood. Its all very exciting that there can be components in blood that can be healing, Dr. Sha told CBS New York. We found that it was safe and feasible to administer infusions of young plasma weekly, Dr. Sharon Sha explained. But not everyone is sold on the idea. Scientific evidence has shown human-to-human plasma transfusion come with associated risks, said Dr. Hooman Khorasani who supports plasma injections for patients using their own blood but advises against any human-to-human plasma transfusion or subcutaneous injections for elective cosmetic purposes. Plasma transfusions, in particular, increase the rate of exposure to pathogens and immunologic and autoimmune reactions, Dr. Khorasani told CBS New York. Experts agree. There is still more research that needs to be done regarding the effectiveness of young blood transfusions. Read more at CBS New York. | https://www.wltx.com/article/news/health/can-a-teenagers-blood-really-stop-the-aging-process/101-39788802-69e6-4702-b376-d44d228597dc |
Can South Koreas New Aegis Destroyers Shoot Down North Korean Missiles? | South Korea is building new Aegis destroyers that could be used to shoot down North Korean ballistic missiles. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration, or DAPA, approved the Korea Destroyer Next Generation project. The initial goal is to locally develop the destroyer by the late 2020s, with an initial budget of $1.6 billion. Seoul plans to deploy six KDDX destroyers by the mid or late 2030s, according to UPI . The total cost of developing and producing the six vessels is expected to top $6.2 billion, observers said. The South Korean Navy has also signed a $366 million contract with Lockheed Martin to buy an upgraded Aegis BMD (Ballistic Missile Defense) system for its Sejong the Great-class Aegis destroyers. The Baseline 9.C2 Aegis system, which includes an advanced SPY-1D(V) radar, is designed to stop both air and missile threats. Three KDX-III Aegis equipped ships, also known as the King Sejong the Great class, are the largest destroyers to carry the Aegis Combat System, according to Lockheed Martin. In addition, South Korea is already planning to buy an additional $300 million worth of SM-2 air defense missiles. And the U.S. State Department recently approved the purchase of sixty Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) missiles. "The KDDX is a project to procure destroyers for the purpose of safeguarding maritime interests and responding to potential disputes at sea," said a DAPA press release. But given South Koreas justified nervousness over North Korean ballistic missile attack, it seems likely that they will be used for missile defense, just like Americas Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyers. The powerful and versatile 8,000-ton Arleigh Burke destroyers appeared at the end of the Cold War as air defense ships equipped with Aegis, a sophisticated air defense system comprising powerful radars and Standard SM-2 surface-to-air missiles, as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles and anti-submarine weapons. That in itself would make them formidable enough, but it turns out that Aegis and the Standard anti-aircraft missile could be modified to shoot down ballistic missiles. As of February 2018, the United States had thirty-five Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense ships, most of them Arleigh Burke destroyers. As the nation most likely to be hit by North Korean ballistic missiles, South Korea is very interested in missile defense. BMD coverage of South Korea is centered on engaging missiles in the terminal phase of flight, according to the Arms Control Association. U.S. and ROK [Republic of Korea] forces operate several U.S.-made BMD platforms on the peninsula to defend against short- and medium-range North Korean missiles, including a U.S.-operated THAAD battery and several U.S.- and ROK-operated Patriot batteries on land. South Korea is developing several indigenous short-range BMD systems, under its Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system scheduled to be deployed by the early 2020s. U.S. and South Korean Aegis BMD ships also patrol South Korean waters. South Korea also wants to make sure that its KDDX Aegis destroyers can seamlessly operate with U.S. warships, which would be a key part of joint missile defense. DAPA also approved a plan to upgrade the Link 16, a tactical data link system installed on warplanes or warships to ensure the smooth sharing of information with the U.S. military during training or other combined operations, UPI said. To upgrade it, Seoul will purchase an enhanced encryption device through a government-to-government foreign military sale program with Washington. Three U.S. defense firms are expected to vie for the project, worth $355 million, to procure the device by the mid-2020s. Michael Peck is a contributing writer for the National Interest. He can be found on Twitter and Facebook . Image: Wikimedia | https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/can-south-korea%E2%80%99s-new-aegis-destroyers-shoot-down-north-korean-missiles-41982 |
What options are available for President Bashir of Sudan? | By Luka Kuol Sudan is one of the few African countries whose citizens pioneered post-independence popular uprisings in 1964 and 1985 that forced the ruling military regimes to step down. The popular uprising has become one of the political norms that Sudanese resort to in redefining their social contract with the state. The current popular uprising is different from the previous ones in terms of drivers, intensity, popularity, duration, spread and death toll. Although this uprising was triggered by the decision of the government to lift subsidies on essential commodities, it is a manifestation of structural economic, political and social fragility of the state of Sudan. Unlike the previous uprisings, this uprising is engineered by the new forces of youth that are well informed, connected and equipped with enabling technology and social media that the regime is ill-equipped to contain. The political Islam program adopted by the National Congress Party (NCP) in governing Sudan after regaining power through coup dtat in 1989 has not only resulted in the separation of South Sudan but has also caused enormous human suffering and agony that has contributed to this uprising and relegated Sudan to arguably one of the worst performing states in the world. This peaceful uprising has adopted a chant similar to that of the Arab Spring that "The people want to overthrow the regime and calls for President Bashir to step down. The uprising seems to regain more strength and reenergize itself the more it is brutally repressed by the government. There is no doubt the uprising has challenged and tainted the legitimacy of President Bashir and political Islam agenda in Sudan. While many observers and particularly Sudanese activists see this uprising will eventually lead to the end of the regime of President Bashir, some realist observers see the contrary. It is likely the uprising will persist and continue unabated, while the government is determined to repress it until it is worn out. Indeed, Sudan is at the crossroads as some observers see President Bashir as having no option but to fight back at any cost, while the protesters are determined to see regime change and the stepping down of President Bashir. If such confrontation continues, and despite the civility exhibited by the peaceful protesters, Sudan is destined for a bloody boiling point and chaos that may result in a scenario similar to that of Syria or Libya. This uprising can only be quelled by the personal decision of President Bashir. This raises the real question of who is with Bashir and what options are available to him. The withdrawal of 22 political parties, including Islamist political parties, from the national dialogue initiated by President Bashir and their call for him to step down and form a sovereignty council and a transitional government, is a political blow to the legitimacy of President Bashir. Also many observers see that the army has shifted from its absolute allegiance to Bashir to a neutral position and are even siding in some instances with the protestors. The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) that has been very loyal to Bashir and has been an integral part of his ruling party, the NCP, has started blaming the government for its mismanagement of the economic crisis. That has also weakened the control of Bashir over the affairs of the government. Even the special military force called The Rapid Support Force that was formed to protect Bashir and his regime has taken a neutral position towards the uprising and its leadership has publicly criticized the government for the economic crisis even more than the opposition parties have done. The political base of Bashir is also eroding, as NCP is divided and withering away from the political scene. Many credible reports have exposed NCP as a mere corrupt self-interest group. Bashir remains with only a few loyal supporters from his party who would like him to fight to the end. Besides the division within the NCP, there is also a friction among the regimes supporters. The Sudanese Muslim Scholars Association, a body of state-sponsored clerics that is perceived as conservative and loyal to Bashir, has unprecedentedly criticized the government for the economic crisis that has resulted in the uprising and has called for the accountability of the officials responsible for the current economic crisis. Although many Sudanese activists and protesters see the only option available to Bashir is to step down, such option may be elusive. Bashir may indeed have other options. On the basis of my discussions with various Sudanese and non-Sudanese experts on Sudan, Bashir may resort to one of the following options: The first reasonable option is for Bashir to voluntarily resign and hand over power to the national army with a technocratic government to oversee the transition to constitutional democratic governance. President Bashir can either leave the country as did the former Tunisian president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, to another country that may ensure his safety and protection from the arrest of the International Criminal Court or decide to stay inside the country, as did the former Sudanese president, Ibrahim Abboud in 1964 and former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak. This option is unlikely as the national army is too weak and the protesters may not accept such option, as the current national army is a politicized army of the ruling party, the NCP. Some observers see this option as unlikely, as President Bashir turned down similar offers with lucrative guarantees. The second option is for President Bashir to declare not to contest for the presidency in general elections in 2020 and to allow the formation of an inclusive transitional government of national unity to oversee the transition to constitutional democratic governance. This option is likely to be accepted by President Bashir, but the protesters will not see it as an option as they are determined to see Bashir stepping down. The third option is for President Bashir to defy the uprising and declare a state of emergency to allow him to violently suppress it. Many observers see this as the most likely option, but it would most likely result in more bloodshed and may force the peaceful protesters to become violent, with some probably seeing the option of armed struggle as the only way to force President Bashir to step down. This scenario would be similar to that of Syria and Libya and would result in massive displacement and immense human suffering. The fourth option is for Bashir to publicly apologize to the Sudanese people for the atrocities committed during the uprising and bring to the book those who committed atrocities and are responsible for the killing of protestors. He might also call for a genuine and inclusive roundtable dialogue with a commitment that during this national dialogue he will relinquish his powers as president and become a ceremonial president. The aim would be to create a conducive political environment for genuine national dialogue and the formation of a transitional government with reduced powers and influence for the NCP. This would also ensure the participation of moderate Islamist members, as in the case of the Tunisian post-Arab Spring government. This option is likely to be entertained by Bashir and accepted by the protesters if a trusted body facilitates it. However, the compromise of his continuing as a ceremonial president may not be acceptable in the current climate of extreme protests. The fifth option is for President Bashir to declare some cosmetic changes in his government by removing some of the radical Islamists and the trial of those who are accused of committing atrocities during the uprising and of corruption and initiate specific programs to address the anger of the youth. The protesters will certainly not accept this option, as they are determined to see Bashir step down. The exit of Bashir from power is just a matter of time and the current uprising seems to shorten the timing of such exist. The likely outcome of the aforementioned options depends on what can be done now to persuade Bashir to accept the option that would address his concerns and meet the demands of the protesters. The third option is likely to prevail but may lead to more violence and chaos. Although it is difficult to know the psychology of Bashir, some observers describe him as arrogant and over-confident, with excessive traditional pride of the Jaalin ethnic group and the Sudanese military officers. These factors would not allow him to accept any option that will taint his pride. Some observers see Bashir as less concerned about ICC than he is about his pride if he relinquishes power. This may be an overestimation of the level of resilience of Bashir as he may be concerned not to face the scary fate of the leaders ousted by the Arab Spring. Unlike the former Tunisian president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Bashir would be very concerned about ICC and would prepare to stay inside Sudan, if he were to step down. This may require the UN Security Council to request the ICC under Article 16 of the Rome Statute to defer the prosecution of President Bashir and offer him the incentive to step down voluntarily. Also, even if Bashir were to step down, the serious economic crisis faced by Sudan would not be easily resolvable. This will require enormous external development assistance from the international community to address the immediate survival needs of the protesters and the citizens. The only body that may provide a trusted platform for dialogue between the protesters and the government is the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel headed by President Mbeki. The Panel under the leadership of President Mbeki will be able to find a consensual agreement as well as mobilize the necessary financial resources from the western countries and the Gulf States to rescue Sudan from its economic meltdown. The fourth option may provide Sudan with a pathway for a peaceful transition to constitutional democratic governance. The author is a follow of Africa Center for Strategic Studies, US National Defense University, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Rift Valley Institute and University of Juba. | http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article66944 |
Why do Texans need to worry about unhealthy weight and cancer? | Texas is No. 1 in something we don't want to be known for. : the highest rates of cancers that can be attributed to excessive body weight, according to data from a report from the American Cancer Society and published in JAMA Oncology (Journal of the American Medical Association). Those cancers include ones of these places: where the stomach and esophagus connect, colorectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, female breasts, main part of the uterus, ovary, kidney, renal pelvis and thyroid. About 1 in 17 cancers in the U.S. are known to be related to excess body weight. It's a good reminder to keep that New Year's resolution to be healthier in 2019. We don't know for sure, says Mika Cline, an oncologist with Texas Oncology. "We don't know if it has something to do with ethnic ratio or male to female ratio." Women in the U.S. have a rate of cancers related to excess body weight of 9.6 percent of all cancers. Men in the U.S. have a rate of 4.7 percent of cancers related to excess body weight. In Texas, the overall rate of these cancers was 8.1 percent. Alaska was next at 7.9 percent, followed by Indiana at 7.7 percent. Texas also had the highest number of men with these cancers: 6 percent. What we do know is that there is evidence that excess weight and cancer have a relationship, Cline says. Excess weight might be related to hormone levels, and hormones impact certain cancers such as prostate, breast and endometrial. We also know that excess weight creates a state of inflammation in the body like rheumatoid arthritis, another condition called dermatomyositis, an inflammation of the muscles. Both have been linked to an increased rate of cancer, Cline says. The excess weight creates a generation of signaling molecules, which control the growth factor in our bodies, that are altered, she says. We already know that weight influences things such as heart disease and diabetes. When Cline talks to patients about their weight, she tries to acknowledge that losing weight is hard, while also acknowledging that she's noticed a change in their body mass index. She's often had to have this conversation with breast cancer survivors who want to be able to stay cancer-free. She talks to them about excess weight influencing their chances at remission. She acknowledges: "This is uncomfortable. I don't want to say it, and you may not want to hear it. I'm not trying to be judgmental here." It also might feel daunting to think about getting down to an ideal weight. There are different classes of obesity, and sometimes just getting to a healthier form of obesity might make a big difference. "I'm not asking you to lose 100 pounds; even 10, 20 pounds can make a difference," she says, as researches have seen with diabetes and heart disease. Cline knows that not only is weight loss hard it's also confusing. Think about butter and how it was seen as bad for us and were told we should choose margarine. Now, it's considered better than margarine. Cline advocates for a healthy diet that is plant-based, with vegetables filling most of the plate. She also wants to remind people that exercise is also important and affects metabolism and hormones in good way. | https://www.statesman.com/news/20190120/why-do-texans-need-to-worry-about-unhealthy-weight-and-cancer |
Why cant we feel the Earth spinning? | At the Equator the speed of the Earths spin is about 1,000mph, roughly twice the speed of a jumbo jet. The speed decreases the farther away you get from the Equator, but even at the latitude of London the Earths spin is still about 650mph although at the north or south poles the speed is virtually zero. Because the Earth spins at a constant rate it carries us with it and so we dont feel the spin. If the Earth suddenly stopped spinning, however, it would be drastic rather like slamming on the brakes in a fast car. A passenger on a jumbo jet flying at about | https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/why-cant-we-feel-the-earth-spinning-dj692fchv |
Will Floyd Mayweather Resume Fighting and What is He Fighting For? | By: Kirk Jackson The legendary boxer known as Floyd Money Mayweather announced his retirement several times throughout his professional boxing career. In spite of the recent exhibition transpiring New Years Eve 2018, many observers argue Mayweathers run in 2015 was his real last stint as an elite level professional boxer, fighting fellowboxing legend Manny Pacquiao and finishing the year and his career against former welterweight champion Andre Berto in September of that year. But sometimes the proverbial pot of gold at the end of therainbow is too tempting to resist. The bag of gold referenced of course is the holy grail of prizes; the manifestation of back and forth probing and bantering between Mayweather and mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor. The back-and-forth verbal sparring between the two eventually led to one of the biggest sporting events (entertainment-wise and financially speaking) of all-time. Mayweather walked away from the sport again, hundreds of millions of dollars richer and with a perfect professional record of 50-0. As referenced earlier, from a professional standpoint the answer is yes. As of the end of 2017, the final professional boxing match-up featuring Mayweather was against McGregor. And truth be told, that was more of a spectacle more than anything. Many mma enthusiasts may disagree, but it appeared apparent, Mayweather did not take McGregor seriously and carried him in their bout. The bout with McGregor was the beginning of the entertainment-exhibition tour Mayweather would embark on and continue into the year 2018 with his latest participant TenshinNasukawa. Leading into his bout against the 20-year-old Nasukawa, Mayweather was quoted as saying, Im in the entertainment business. Thats what I go out there to do. I love to do this. Im working out to put on a show for three rounds. Im going to go out there, have fun and do what I do. Im enjoying life and Im going to enjoy this experience. The eventual bout, fought under traditional boxing rules, in which headlined the RIZIN 14 card at the Saitaima Super Arenajust outside Tokyo, Japan, served its purpose. Mayweather demolished the young challenger in the first round and reportedly walked away earning more than seven figures for his performance. He enhanced his net worth, his overall stock and stole the spotlight for a brief moment in time. In spite of criticism from the typical cast of Mayweather detractors, whether its mainstream media, the mma world or even within the realm of boxing, these very same critics have intentions of making the same power moves as Mayweather. <blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=en dir=ltr>I wish to go to Tokyo to face Tenshin Nasukawa in a Mixed Martial Arts exhibition bout.<br>Before this summer. <br>Please arrange this, this instant. <br>Yours sincerely <br>The champ champ. <a href=https://twitter.com/ufc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>@ufc</a> <a href=https://twitter.com/ParadigmSM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>@ParadigmSM</a></p> Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) <a href=https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1082105433450532866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>January 7, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset=utf-8></script> Boxing contemporaries Oscar De La Hoya and Saul Canelo Alvarez are among Mayweather detractors voicing their displeasure with Mayweathers business moves and coincidently, they are also regarded as savvy businessmen and former Floyd opponents on the losing end. Emphasis on losing, as both Alvarez and De La Hoya seek some form of redemption against Mayweather. Alvarez has even gone as far as questioning Mayweathers merit for recent matches. He wants to continue hurting boxing by making fights that dont make sense and not giving boxing the credibility it deserves, Alvarez told TMZ Sports a few months ago. Because De La Hoya and Alvarez challenged McGregor to a boxing match after he had his turn with Mayweather. Fortunately Alvarez is scheduled to face fellow middleweight Daniel Jacobs this upcoming May, in a middleweight unification bout. Perhaps it would be best for Canelo to focus on middleweights and fighters his size. In many cases, the collective vitriol is a reflection of frustration from the inability to operate in the same manner. Mayweather operates with a ruling class mentality; in which assumes that he who holds the money, holds the power to shape his kingdom. And he holds the same power to impose his rules and orideology upon the society within the confines of his kingdom. For those who obtain power and possess a certain mentality, theyre typically the ones to transcend the genre and establishnew rules. They set new trends for everyone else to follow.Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James are also examples of such. While its fair to suggest Mayweather emulated the styles of old school wrestlers Gorgeous George, Ric Flair and egotistical boxing personas like Hector Macho Camacho and a young Muhammad Ali, Mayweather elevated the notion of Flossin or Stylin and profiling to another level. Conor stole the Floyd Mayweather gimmick to come out and talk about the money, says mixed martial arts fighter and analyst Chael Sonnen, regarding Mayweathers influence on McGregor. But from the financial spectrum, arguably Mayweather capitalized more so than any other athlete in history as far as maximizing earnings and maintaining a level of excellence performance wise. And with that precedent, its obvious McGregor and Alvarez,among many other athletes in some shape or form studied Mayweathers every single move, from inside the ring and out. Its also a glaring reason why athletes (especially in combat sports) and celebrities associate with Mayweather when it comes to business. The answer in which we already know; essentially the goal of every prize pugilist, fighting to secure the bag. Mayweather secured an enormous amount of bags during his time; recognized by Forbes in 2018 as the highest grossing entertainer, subsequently earning top spots lists of the 50 highest-paid athletes of 2012 and 2013, and the Forbes list again in both 2014 and 2015. As far as his continued fighting career, it may continue in the form of exhibition. Even with exhibitions or Glorified sparring sessions, he maximizes that avenue with earning seven figures with his recent endeavor. Fights in the form of exhibition are where the fight trail ends. Its likely Mayweather, more than anyone recognizes his limitations as an elite level boxer and whether he can still compete at the highest level. There is drop-off and decline with every athlete as he or she ages. Its the ongoing battle against Father Time. So while Pacquiao and more recently Marcos Maidana lay claims to seeking a rematch with Mayweather, a fight with either appears unlikely unless the bag is too large to resist. <blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en><p lang=es dir=ltr>Marcos Maidana ha declarado que est"regresando" al boxeo al publicar un video extraoen el que se ve enorme. No tengo idea de qu hacer al respecto, pero ha llamado a Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez y Amir Khan. <a href=https://t.co/2JTn8tA8xQ>pic.twitter.com/2JTn8tA8xQ</a></p> edward kairl almarza (@kairllopez) <a href=https://twitter.com/kairllopez/status/1082838490419732480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>January 9, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset=utf-8></script> With Pacquiao recently defeating former Mayweather protg Adrien Broner, many speculate the rematch between the senator and the retired boxer/current promoter is in the works. To his credit, even at the age of 40, Pacquiao displayed excellent skills and sharp reflexes in his victory over a fighter 11 years his junior. There still is an audience with the desire to see Pacquiao continue his quest, whatever that endeavors and there still is an audience willing to pay attention to whichever moves Mayweather decides to make. As long as the audience gives credence to the attention Mayweather seeks and he can secure a sizeable paycheck in the process, we will continue to see Mayweather do what he does best. Make money and make history. Whether that is in the form of fighting Pacquiao or promoting Pacquiao remains to be seen. | https://www.boxinginsider.com/columns/will-floyd-mayweather-resume-fighting-and-what-is-he-fighting-for/ |
What will Anglo-French powerbrokers do next after failed ploy to rule Europe? | As the Heineken Champions Cup holds and focus shifts to the international game, it is worth taking a moment to see which clubs have emerged as the crme de la crme of European rugby. It may shock many that the poor relation of European domestic rugby, the Guinness Pro14, has managed to supply five teams to the quarter-finals. The behemoths of the Gallagher Premiership and Top14 have managed to get just three teams combined. Dont get me wrong, the Pro14 is far from the greatest show on earth. There are lame ducks aplenty. The Dragons, Southern Kings, Cheetahs and Zebre have become the annual whipping boys. Yes, Benetton have being flying the Italian flag this season, but it is the first time we have seen | https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/what-will-anglo-french-powerbrokers-do-next-after-failed-ploy-to-rule-europe-rj2gq7z78 |
How do doctors cope with losing a patient and whats it like to save a life? | Doctors are vulnerable to hope, but usually we dont visibly share it. When you stand beside your relative, with your hand resting on theirs, and tell yourself, I hope they pull through, I hope that too. Often I am simply hoping that in another room. Pat was a husband and a father of grown-up children. He was a bricklayer whod had an accident at work, falling from scaffolding and ending up with a complex, traumatic brain injury. For more than 40 days he did not get any better; in fact, he got worse. He became somebody that we struggled to ventilate, could not wean off sedation and could not wake up. Over the course of those weeks Pats personhood appeared to sink down inside him, | https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-do-doctors-cope-with-losing-a-patient-and-what-s-it-like-to-save-a-life-5zw32bqv3 |
Who is Dancing on Ice star James Jordan's wife Ola? | Ola was a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing for nine years It's only week three of Dancing on Ice, but celebrity contestant James Jordan has already made a name for himself in the competition. The ballroom dancer, 40, is favourite to win this year's series, and if he does, he'll be celebrating with his wife Ola. Ola is a professional ballroom dancer from Poland. She is most famous for her role on Strictly, a show she starred in from 2006 to 2015. She was partnered with celebrities including Paul Daniels, Robbie Savage and Steve Backshall. In 2009, Ola and her partner Chris Hollins won Strictly. After leaving the BBC One show, she became a judge on Dancing with the Stars in Poland in 2018. James and Ola met in 1999 when they started dancing together. Their first recorded dance as a partnership was in the Dutch Open in 2000, although they didn't turn professional until 2003, the same year that they married. Their friendship blossomed into romance, with Ola telling HELLO! : "Because we danced together and spent so much time together, we grew closer and fell in love, and then when we didn't spend time together, we missed each other. We just wanted to spend more and more time together and I think that's what made us be together." The couple have spent the majority of their careers working together. James was a pro dancer on Strictly from 2006 to 2013, while Ola competed from 2006 to 2015. They have also worked together on other TV projects, including Let's Sing And Dance For Comic Relief. Ola told HELLO! : "It's nice to work together, I suppose we're used to it because we're used to being together 24/7 always, since we met really. Actually not working together is strange. Even on Strictly when we had different dance partners, it was strange for us because we're used to dancing together, so it's nice to be able to work together. I suppose it's what we're used to." The couple married in 2003 James and Ola were due to go on a UK tour together, James and Ola: Uncensored, in March and April 2018 but they had to postpone it after James sustained an injury in rehearsals. Last year, the couple said: "We are devastated that James' operation has caused us to postpone our tour as we were both so excited to dance together again for you all." After dating for four years, James and Ola married on 12 October 2003. The couple, who live in Kent, often post throwback wedding photos on their anniversary. Ola has previously told HELLO! that she does feel pressure to have a baby at her age. I'm 34, I'm going to be 35 at the end of this year, most of my friends have children and the ones who are my age that don't, they know they don't want children. Every time I see my mum or dad they ask about grandkids, so I suppose it makes you think." She added: "Being in the business that we are, it's really hard. I am looking forward to it, I'm not trying just yet, but I am looking forward to it. I'm not putting any pressure on myself, I don't want any pressure. I want to enjoy my time." In January 2019, Ola, 36, again reiterated: "James and I have always said that we would really like to start a family, but the time has never been quite right before. When I left Strictly two years ago I thought I was ready, but I was offered I'm A Celebrity, and that lead to other jobs I felt I couldn't turn down." She added to The Sun: "There was always something, but at the same time having children was always in the back of my mind." Ola has always been candid about her relationship with James. They spend almost every minute of the day together; when they aren't dancing professionally as a pair, they're hanging out as a married couple. "We've always liked each other's company," Ola told HELLO! in 2017. "James will go and play golf for four hours but he wants to see me again. We're like the old couple that are always together, although we're not so old yet! But we do like spending time together and when we're not together we look forward to seeing each other." Getting real, Ola said of her 15-year-marriage: "It's not all beautiful and sometimes you can look at people's posts on Instagram and Facebook and you think, oh they've got perfect lives, but it's not like that. Marriage is not like that, no one's got a perfect marriage. It's a work in progress and I think if two people want to be together, they'll make it happen. Sometimes you have dark times and you need your other half's support, and it's not all pretty and perfect that people seem to think." Loading the player... She added to HELLO! : "I'd be lying if I said we don't get on each other's nerves. Sometimes I have enough of him and I want him to play golf. I go out with my friends or go shopping and being without him is quite nice, but we do spend a lot of time together generally, so it's nice to have a break. But yeah, he gets on my nerves, of course he does!" Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. | https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2019012066730/who-is-dancing-on-ice-james-jordan-strictly-wife-ola/ |
Who is Dancing on Ice's Brian McFadden's girlfriend Danielle Parkinson? | The former Westlife star is currently dating PE teacher Danielle Parkinson Dancing on Ice star Brian McFadden has had a string of high-profile relationships over the years, including Kerry Katona, Delta Goodrem and Vogue Williams. But since 2016, the former Westlife star has been happily dating PE teacher from Rochdale, Danielle Parkinson. The couple have kept their romance low-key, but Danielle regularly appears on Brian's social media posts, including photos with his two daughters, Molly and Lilly-Sue. Brian also posted a rare tribute to his girlfriend, proving just how devoted he is to the schoolteacher in April. He shared a picture of Danielle enjoying the view on a sunny day, and wrote next to it: "True love is when you capture the one you love unknown to them and they still look the way you see them when [you] feel your strongest love for them. My Danielle in her element and still an angel. Still my everything xxxx." While Brian has kept tight-lipped about any future marriage plans, his ex-wife, Kerry Katona has been more vocal. Talking to The Sun, the former Atomic Kitten singer said: "I love his new girlfriend. She's the best girlfriend hes ever had well, except me that is. There's no hard feelings between us. The kids absolutely adore her and thats the most important thing." Brian was also asked by the Irish Sun back in 2017 whether he had thought about having children with Danielle, to which he replied: "Myself and Danielle are not planning anything, we are only together a year. We don't have any plans. We are just moving forward. We don't know what's going to happen." How Brian McFadden's girlfriend Danielle has shaped him Brian is a devoted family man, and in October 2017 he opened up about looking after his girlfriend and children during a chat with HELLO!. Denying reports that he had stopped going out which had circulated a few weeks before Brian said: "No I haven't stopped partying, life is a party! As long as I look after my kids and I look after my partner, Danielle, everything else should be a party. As long as you get your affairs in order, you should enjoy your life. We're here for a good time, not a long time!" Brian McFadden's marriage to Kerry Katona Brian and Kerry were considered pop star royalty during the early 2000s, and got married in 2002 in Rathfeigh, Ireland. The couple went on to welcome two daughters, Molly, 16, and Lilly-Sue, 15. The pair divorced in 2004, and are on good terms bringing up their teenagers together. Over the past few years, Molly has been living with Brian's parents in Ireland after choosing to attend a school in Dublin so that she could pursue her dreams of becoming a medical student. Brian and girlfriend Danielle Parkinson Brian McFadden's engagement to Delta Goodrem In 2004, Brian started dating Australian singer and former Neighbours actress Delta Goodrem. The pair met after doing a duet together, Almost Here, and were engaged during their seven-year relationship. In 2011, it was announced that the pair had decided to separate. Brian McFadden's marriage to Vogue Williams Brian was married to Vogue Williams for three years, and the pair tied the knot in a lavish Tuscan ceremony on 2 September 2012. Their split came as a big surprise; just three months before in April, Brian described Vogue as his "soul mate." "We instantly clicked and talked non-stop for eight hours the night we met and I proposed eight months later," Brian told The Belfast Telegraph. The couple announced their separation in 2015, posting almost identical statements on their Twitter and Instagram accounts alongside broken heart emojis. "It is with sadness that Brian and I have made the tough decision to go our separate ways," Vogue wrote. "We will always care about each other, remain friends and wish each other all the very best for the future." Brian and Vogue Williams were married from 2012 to 2015 A week after the news was announced, Vogue, who was 29 at the time, opened up about the break-up in her HELLO! blog. "First of all, I would like to thank everyone for their kind words and messages over the past week," the Irish model told readers. "It's been very difficult for Brian and I, but it's been really nice seeing the support off everyone." Vogue has since gone on to marry Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews, and the pair got married and welcomed their first baby, son Theodore, in 2018. Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. | https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2019012066741/who-is-dancing-on-ice-brian-mcfadden-girlfriend-danielle-parkinson/ |
Which affects health more DNA code or ZIP code? | Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. A new study has started to answer that question in a comprehensive way and it shows the scale falls on the side of nurture over nature, at least for young adults. A team at Harvard Medical School and the University of Queensland in Australia built what they say is the worlds largest database of twin data, based on health insurance claims covering nearly 45 million people. Twins share much of their genetic code and sometimes share the same environment, so they are useful for studying the impact genetics has on health, behavior and other outcomes. The study, published in the journal Nature Genetics, doesnt have any big surprises. Overall, for diseases and conditions that hit people by early adulthood, genes account for about 40 percent of the variations from one person to another. Environment broadly, climate, pollution, and socioeconomic status accounts for most of the rest. Environment usually also includes behavior such as diet and lifestyle. Genetics had the largest influence on early-in-life eye diseases and on cognitive, or learning, disorders. Environment was the clearest factor in morbid obesity and, unsurprisingly, on infections such as Lyme disease, which is spread by ticks. It was also, to no ones surprise, the biggest factor in lead poisoning. The 56,000 twin pairs were all 24 and younger at the time of the study, which started with people born in 1985 and later. Thats because the researchers needed to follow people who stayed on their parents health insurance plans. U.S. law allows people to keep their children on their health insurance up to age 26. The study also included more than 724,000 sibling pairs. The study was not aimed at answering the question of whether you can blame your genes or zip code for disease. Its more to lay a basis for further research into what causes disease on a population basis. Our findings can provide signposts that inform subsequent research efforts and helps scientists narrowly focus their pursuits," said Chirag Lakhani, a post-doctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School who worked on the study. Many studies have shown that zip code has a strong effect on health across the U.S. One 2013 study by the University of Washington found that people living in San Francisco or wealthy Washington, D.C. suburbs were much healthier than those living in Appalachia or rural Mississippi. Similar studies have supported these findings. Many have found that different states have greatly different rates of heart disease, stroke, cancer and other diseases. This particular study only shows effects on diseases that hit early in life. It found 40 percent of the diseases included in the study had a genetic component, and 25 percent could be linked to a shared environment such as living in the same home or having shared social influences. The biggest influence was when people shared both genes and the same environment. The finding upholds what scientists and doctors have said for years: that health is often a matter of environment and genes acting together. People with certain genetic predispositions are more likely, for instance, to become obese if they live in a place where its hard to exercise and difficult to eat a healthy diet. | https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/which-affects-health-more-dna-code-or-zip-code-n958511?cid=public-rss_20190121 |
Has Davos Made the World Better? | Klaus Schwab, who founded the World Economic Forum (WEF), has said his childhood during World War II inspired him to build an organization that would make the world a better place. His foundation, which hosts many of the world's most powerful, famous and wealthy people at its annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, has clearly made an impact. But questions have grown about whether the organization is meeting its declared goal of "improving the state of the world", with resentment rising against the pro-business Davos agenda, and voters turning instead to populist leaders. One persistent criticism is that WEF meetings, including this week's main annual gathering in Davos, have simply created a safe space for the corporate world to lobby governments without oversight. Schwab was not available for an interview with AFP but the WEF's managing director, Adrian Monck, said in an email that the organization "subscribes to the highest standards of governance." - 'Fragile authority' - Schwab, born in Ravensburg, Germany, in 1938, was a little-known business professor at the University of Geneva when in 1971 he founded the WEF's precursor, the European Management Forum. He later broadened the conclave by inviting U.S. business leaders, assembling a prestigious Rolodex as he turned the gathering into a showcase for networking and exchange of ideas. In a 2018 book, two Stockholm University professors chronicled the WEF's evolution, as over time politicians joined the business executives in Davos to give the forum the air of a United Nations, with a few celebrities thrown in. "Against the backdrop of what is perceived to be malfunctioning global governance institutions and stalled international policymaking, the WEF presents itself as offering an alternative," Christina Garsten and Adrienne Sorbom write in "Discreet Power: How the World Economic Forum Shapes Market Agendas". Over the years, success has bred success for the WEF as many of the world's movers and shakers vie to rub shoulders in the Swiss Alps at panel discussions and apres-ski socializing. Newer regional meetings have joined the Davos calendar. The WEF's "fragile authority" relies on proving "that if you want to be part of the global nobility, then you have to be here," Sorbom told AFP. - She said the organization appears to offer something lacking in other international bodies: a venue where the heads of business and government can meet "and possibly come up with some good ideas". But it has "troublesome aspects", she added. With dozens of heads of state and government coming to Davos each year, the WEF can be seen as a body "without a legal mandate to influence global governance yet with an ambition to do so", Garsten and Sorbom write. Oliver Classen of the Swiss NGO Public Eye, which has spearheaded protests and other campaigns to counter the Davos meeting, said the WEF has always been "fully dependent" on the 1,000 companies that support the foundation. Membership to the Forum ranges from the equivalent of $60,000 (53,000 euros) to $600,000, fees that allow company representatives to attend Davos and other meetings throughout the year. "Schwab seems to have a firm belief that making people talk to each other is an objective that justifies pretty much everything," Classen said. "What he does not realise is that... when the large majority of those people have commercial interests then it is about deal-striking and nothing else." Monck, however, said that for the WEF, "multi-stakeholder engagement... means respecting the opinions and interests of others." - Only Bono is safe - The Davos meeting reportedly faced an existential threat in the early 2000s after sustained protests stretched the patience of the local community. In response, Schwab opened the meeting to more civil society groups while widening media access to an event that had previously been mostly held behind closed doors. That move was not "voluntary", said Christian Dorer, the editor-in-chief of Swiss media group Blick, who recently had rare access to Schwab for a profile. Schwab "realized he had to, otherwise the Forum would be dead," Dorer told AFP, also saying that the WEF founder had changed over the years. "He was really only attached to the business world, and now he is much more open." Sorbom said her research showed an organization that tolerated some dissent, up to a point. "You can voice criticism, but if you are too critical, then you are out, unless you are Bono," she said. Monck told AFP that if the principle of multi-stakeholder engagement is "not one you can sign up to, then the Forum is not the best platform for your engagement." | http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/255392-has-davos-made-the-world-better |
Will jemand Brgermeister werden? | Bayern In Dinkelsbhl fehlen die Kandidaten Im mittelfrnkischen Dinkelsbhl sucht die Opposition wegen Bewerbermangels mit Stellenanzeigen nach Oberbrgermeisterkandidaten. Kandidieren Sie jetzt fr die Kommunalwahl im Mrz 2020, heit es in einer Annonce, die SPD, Grne und eine Gruppe von Brgern am Samstag verffentlichte. Auch die Freien Whler haben bislang niemanden gefunden, der in der Groen Kreisstadt mit mittelalterlicher Altstadt fr sie ins Rennen gehen will: Wir suchen fr den Kommunalwahlkampf 2020 einen klugen Kopf mit politischem Sachverstand, der neue Lsungen findet, heit es auf der Webseite der Freien Whler. Kandidatenmangel ist bei Kommunalwahlen seit langem ein Problem, in der Regel fehlen aber die Bewerber fr Gemeinde-, Kreis- und Bezirksrte, nicht fr die Spitzenposten. Amtsinhaber in Dinkelsbhl ist der CSU-Politiker Christoph Hammer. Bei der letzten Kommunalwahl 2014 wurde er mit groer Mehrheit gewhlt ohne Gegenkandidaten. Manche Brger haben 2014 der SPD und den anderen Parteien vorgehalten, dass es keinen Gegenkandidaten gab. Damit sich das nicht wiederholt, suchen wir jetzt, sagte der Dinkelsbhler SPD-Ortsvorsitzende Bernd Lober auf Anfrage. (dpa) Themen Folgen | https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/bayern/Will-jemand-Buergermeister-werden-id53245941.html |
When Is the Next Solar Eclipse & Lunar Eclipse? | Tonight is the only total lunar eclipse of 2019. Youre likely also wondering when the next partial lunar eclipse will be, along with the next solar eclipse. Find out more here. The Next Partial Lunar Eclipse is in July The next partial lunar eclipse will be July 16-17, 2019, but this wont be visible in most of North America. It will be visible in much of Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, south/east parts of North America, South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Antarctica. The Next Solar Eclipse Anywhere in the World is on July 2, 2019 Todays lunar eclipse might have also gotten you thinking about the solar eclipse. In a solar eclipse, the moon is between the Earth and the sun, so the moon blocks the sun. If youre in the path of totality of a solar eclipse, it will get so dark for about two to three minutes that you will be able to see planets in the middle of the day. The next total solar eclipse will be July 2, 2019. It will be visible in much of South America, the Pacific, and the very southern part of North America. Totality will be visible from the southern Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand, to the Coquimbo Region in Chile, and Argentina at sunset. The maximum visible time will be 4 minutes 32 seconds from the Pacific Ocean. You wont be able to see it in the U.S. The next total solar eclipse after that is December 14, 2020. Its path is similar to the eclipse that was on February 26. Like the July 2019 eclipse, this one will be visible from Chile and Argentina. Then after that, youll have to wait until December 4, 2021. This will be an unusual eclipse, with totality moving from east to west across Antarctica. Most eclipses move from west to east. The Next Total Solar Eclipse in the U.S. Wont Happen Until April 8, 2024 The next total solar eclipse wont be visible in the U.S. until April 8, 2024. This one will have a line of totality crossing Texas, through the Midwest, and over Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo NY, over New England, and passing over Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. This will also be the first total solar eclipse visible in Mexico since 1991. Meanwhile, we wont see the next coast-to-coast solar eclipse in the U.S. until August 12, 2045. There will be an annular solar eclipse in the U.S. on October 14, 2023. This occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, and the moons diameter appears smaller than the suns, blocking most but not all of the suns light. This makes the sun look like a ring around the moon. | https://heavy.com/news/2019/01/when-is-the-next-solar-eclipse-lunar-eclipse/ |
What are the NFL overtime rules in the playoffs? | In the NFL playoffs, ties are obviously not an option. Someone has to win, so the overtime format does differ from what we see in the regular reason. NFL playoff overtime is played in 15-minute periods until a winner is declared unlike the regular season, which is a 10-minute period that ends in a tie if a winner isnt declared. If the score is still tied (or if a team is continuing the second possession), there would be an additional overtime period. #LARvsNO is heading into overtime. Get the full breakdown of how OT works in the #NFLPlayoffs here: https://t.co/v8ZXpD565p. pic.twitter.com/1Prircdb1x NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) January 20, 2019 Each team gets an opportunity to possess the ball unless a touchdown or safety is scored on the first possession. There are no challenges in overtime as all replay stoppages will come from the booth. Each team gets three timeouts during a half. There are two-minute intermissions between overtime periods. | https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/01/nfl-playoffs-overtime-rules |
Has Chicago ever had a winter without a significant snow event? | Judith Grace Campbell, Mokena Dear Judith, It has, and it occurred just about a century ago. The early 1920s marked a time of record-low snowfall in Chicago, with the city recording its two least snowy winters back-to-back. The winter of 1920-21 produced just 9.8 inches, followed by 11.5 inches in the winter of 1921-22. That two-season total of 21.3 inches has been exceeded by the citys two biggest snowstorms the 23-inch Big Snow of Jan. 26-27, 1967, and the 21.6-inch New Years storm on Jan. 1-3, 1999. During that snow drought, the city logged a record 418 days between a 2.4-inch snowfall on Dec. 21, 1921, and a 3-inch snow on Feb. 13, 1923. | https://wgntv.com/2019/01/20/has-chicago-ever-had-a-winter-without-a-significant-snow-event/ |
Where was Todd Gurley during the NFC Championship against the Saints? | Todd Gurley saw limited carries in the Rams 26-23 overtime win against the Saints in the NFC Championship. It raised a lot of questions considering Gurley has been one of the NFLs most dominant running backs the past two years. Gurley had two drops in the first half, and finished the game with just four carries for 10 yards and a touchdown, including one reception for three yards on three targets. His backup, C.J. Anderson, had 16 carries for 44 yards. He also had fewer overall touches: Rams HB snap count today C.J. Anderson 36 Todd Gurley 32 Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) January 20, 2019 With no report of injury or any other reason as to why one of the NFLs best running backs wasnt getting any burn, people were understandably wondering where Gurley was. He did miss the last two weeks of the regular season with inflammation in his knee, after he injured it in the third quarter of Los Angeles 30-23 loss to the Eagles in Week 15. For what its worth, he seemed (understandably, duh) happy that the Rams were going to the Super Bowl: After the game, Jared Goff told Foxs Chris Myers, You just have to feed off what we are doing, and C.J. was running the ball well. I expect Todd to have a hell of a game in the Super Bowl though. Gurley also spoke to ESPNs Josina Anderson: Todd Gurley to @JosinaAnderson: "I didn't play good. I didn't deserve to be in there. CJ was in there. He did his thing. Everybody held me down. We all held each other, and we just got it done. We just got it done. Thank you Lord. Thank you." Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) January 21, 2019 Things could actually be fine with Gurley, only based on what Sean McVay said before the NFC Championship. Heres what McVay said during the week leading up to the game: I think its more of a feel than anything else based on the flow of the game. Thought (RBs Coach) Skip (Peete) did a great job, McVay said Thursday. We want to be able to get those guys both involved, but certainly, when Todd is rolling you want to keep him rolling. Certain situations that come up. But you do feel good about having two very productive backs and their ability to be able to kind of spell each other. In the previous week, Anderson had more carries than Gurley (23 vs. 16). Going with the flow of the game worked that week, as Anderson had 123 yards and two touchdowns. But Gurley was also effective with 115 yards and a touchdown. At the very least, Gurley has time to get right for the Super Bowl. Whether hes just in a funk or injured, Gurleys got two weeks before the Rams compete for the Super Bowl in Atlanta. | https://www.sbnation.com/2019/1/20/18190865/todd-gurley-rams-nfc-championship-injury-super-bowl |
Was bringt das Rahmenabkommen dem Aargau? | Ob die Schweiz ein Rahmenabkommen mit der EU abschliesst, ist derzeit vllig offen. Die Frage wird in Bern intensiv diskutiert, letzte Woche wurde sogar zum ersten Mal ein Hearing der aussenpolitischen Kommission mit Experten live bertragen. Doch das Thema interessiert nicht nur Politiker auf nationaler, sondern auch solche auf kantonaler Ebene. So hat FDP-Grossrat Titus Meier krzlich einen Vorstoss eingereicht, der sich um mgliche Auswirkungen eines EU-Rahmenabkommens auf den Aargau dreht. Meier hlt fest, der Aargau sei aufgrund seiner geografischen Lage und seiner Wirtschaftsstruktur enger mit dem EU-Wirtschaftsraum verknpft als andere Kantone. Er rumt ein, dass auswrtige Angelegenheiten zwar Sache des Bundes seien, doch mssten auch die Interessen der Kantone gewahrt werden. Darum will Meier vom Regierungsrat wissen, wie und mit welchem Inhalt sich der Kanton in die Verhandlungen eingebracht habe. Dies kann direkt geschehen oder ber die Konferenz der Kantonsregierungen. Meier fragt weiter, ob bei einem allflligen Abschluss des Rahmenabkommens kantonale Gesetze angepasst werden mssten. Fragen zu entsandten Arbeitern Ein wichtiger Streitpunkt bei den Diskussionen um das Rahmenabkommen ist der Lohnschutz, auf den insbesondere die Gewerkschaften und linke Parteien pochen. Mit flankierenden Massnahmen soll Lohndumping durch Arbeiter, die von Unternehmen aus der EU fr kurze Zeit in die Schweiz geschickt werden zum Beispiel fr Bauarbeiten vermieden werden. 0% Ja 0% Nein Titus Meier will vom Regierungsrat wissen, welche Bedeutung diese Entsendungsarbeit in der Aargauer Wirtschaft habe und welche Sektoren wie stark davon betroffen sind. Er verlangt detaillierte Angaben dazu, wie viele meldepflichtige Kurzaufenthalter in den vergangenen drei Jahren im Aargau gemeldet wurden. Die Angaben soll die Regierung in den Kategorien kurzfristiger Stellenantritt, selbststndigerwerbende Dienstleistungserbringer und Entsandte von auslndischen Unternehmen liefern. Meier fragt weiter, welches Arbeitsvolumen, umgerechnet auf Vollzeitstellen, diese Kurzaufenthalter im Aargau geleistet htten. Und er fragt, welche Kosten fr die Kontrollen in diesem Bereich anfallen. Schliesslich will Meier wissen, wie die Regierung zur mglichen Verkrzung der Voranmeldefrist fr auslndische Unternehmen steht. Bisher mssen diese sich acht Tage vor Arbeitsbeginn in der Schweiz bei den Behrden anmelden, knftig sollen es nur noch vier sein. Ein umstrittener Punkt im Verhltnis mit der EU sind laut Titus Meier Beihilfen in Form von Subventionen, Steuererleichterungen oder staatlichen Beteiligungen an Unternehmen. Diese sind in der Europischen Union, von einigen Ausnahmen abgesehen, verboten. Meier will deshalb vom Regierungsrat wissen, welche Beteiligungen und Subventionen des Kantons Aargau in die Kategorie staatliche Beihilfen fallen. Weiter fragt er, ob es Beteiligungen und Subventionen auf Stufe der Gemeinden oder Gemeindeverbnde gibt, die in dieselbe Kategorie fallen. Schliesslich will er wissen, welche Auswirkungen ein Rahmenabkommen mit der EU auf diese Beihilfen im Aargau htte. | https://www.limmattalerzeitung.ch/aargau/kanton-aargau/was-bringt-das-rahmenabkommen-dem-aargau-133984520 |
Why are so many people still dying from snake bites? | Image copyright Getty Images Tens of thousands of people die from snake bites worldwide every year. Lack of treatment and even the wrong medicine mean many of these deaths are preventable. Snake bites may not strike you as being a major public health problem. But in some parts of the world they are a daily risk, and can be lethal or life-changing. Victims often do not get the treatment they need in time, if at all. In other cases, they are given medicine to treat an injury caused by a different snake. About 11,000 people a month are thought to die from venomous snakebites - similar to the number that died during the whole of the 2014-16 West Africa Ebola crises. A further 450,000 people a year are thought to suffer life-changing injuries such as amputation and permanent disability. The scale of the problem means snake bites are now classed as a priority neglected tropical disease. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Children walking to school can be at risk of snake bite In developed regions - such as Europe, Australia and North America - snake bites kill only a handful of people each year, despite there being many venomous species. That is compared with 32,000 deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, and twice as many in South Asia. Many rural communities in the tropics are at almost constant risk of snake bites, whether working in the field, travelling at dusk or even sleeping in their homes at night. Young male farmers are the most at-risk group, followed by children. While a large rural population is a factor, health systems in some parts of Africa and Asia are often ill-prepared for coping with snake bites. Clinical training, emergency transport and affordable medicine are often in short supply, with tragic consequences. Expensive medicine Venomous snake bites typically cause three main types of life-threatening symptoms: uncontrollable bleeding, paralysis and irreversible tissue destruction. It is essential for snakebite victims to get the correct medicine as soon as possible following a snake bite. Antivenom is the medicine of choice for treating snake bites. It is made using the venom of the snake it is designed to treat. This means that many different versions are needed, because there are so many venomous snakes found throughout the world - cobras, mambas, kraits, vipers and pit vipers, to name just a few. The toxins found in their venom differ from one group of snakes to the next, or even between the same group of snakes in a different region. This means the correct antivenom is often hard to identify and can be very expensive. How antivenoms are made A tiny non-harmful amount of snake venom is injected into an animal - usually a horse, or sheep This stimulates the animal's immune system to create antibodies that neutralise the venom These antibodies are extracted from the animal's blood, purified and made into antivenom Antivenoms must be used in hospital because of patients suffering a high rate of adverse reactions to the medicine In Latin America, antivenom is often produced in the country and subsidised by the government. Death rates are significantly higher in sub-Saharan Africa, where the best antivenom costs $140 to $300 (108 to 233) per vial, with three to 10 vials usually required to save a victim's life. As the typical Swazi farmer earns $600 a year, this medicine out of reach for most. The wrong antivenom Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A juvenile pit viper This situation has allowed weak or inappropriate medicine to flood the market over the past decade, particularly in Africa. These antivenoms often cost about $30 per vial - a fraction of the cost of proven products. Some African health ministries understandably saw this as a win-win situation, with more drugs available and at a lower cost. These products started being used in hospitals throughout much of the continent. However, there are now several reports that some of these medicines may be dangerously ineffective. Small-scale case studies from hospitals in both Ghana and Central African Republic have suggested that when these cheaper medicines were used, fatality rates increased from 2% or fewer, to more than 10%. Often, these antivenoms are made using snake venoms from a different region to where the product is being sold - for example an antivenom made with Indian snake venom being used in Africa. Others are made with the right venoms, but with a low concentration of antibodies per dose - resulting in very weak medicines. This means the number of vials needed to successfully treat the patient shoots up from three to 10, to as many as 20 or 30. Ironically, this situation has prompted some established manufacturers to cut supply of their much-needed products as they became priced out of the market. Lack of testing Image copyright Getty Images Image caption An eyelash viper These problems have been made worse by the lack of antivenom testing. Most drugs have to be thoroughly independently tested, with clinical trials to prove their effectiveness. But this often is not the case with antivenom. National drug agencies sometimes approve products without strong evidence of their effectiveness, or comparison with existing treatments. To tackle this, the World Health Organization has launched a pre-market testing scheme, with the results due to be published later this year. This should allow health ministries, pharmacists and clinicians to better understand which antivenoms are suitable for their region, while identifying responsible manufacturers of affordable antivenoms. However, manufacturers do not have to take part in the scheme, and countries are not obliged to remove products from the market based on the results. Nevertheless, it is hoped that this World Health Organization seal of approval will strongly influence antivenom purchasing decisions throughout Africa. More stories like this Looking to the future Effective antivenom is one part of solving the snake bite puzzle, but many other challenges remain. More work needs to be done to identify the communities most at risk and to ensure a sustainable flow of affordable medicine is sent there. Meanwhile, training more clinicians and healthcare workers in how to effectively treat snake bite victims would reduce the number of deaths. Finally, educating local communities about snake bites would help lower the risk of being bitten, and mean appropriate action was more likely to be taken after a bite. About this piece This analysis piece was commissioned by the BBC from experts working for an outside organisation. Dr Nicholas Casewell is a senior lecturer & Wellcome Trust research fellow at the Centre of Snakebite Research and Interventions (CSRI). You can follow him on Twitter here. Dr Stuart Ainsworth is a post doctoral research associate and lecturer on snakebite at CSRI. You can follow him on Twitter here. Edited by Eleanor Lawrie | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-45332002 |
How Many Playoff Comebacks Does Tom Brady Have? | Tom Brady isn't a stranger to playoff comeback wins. Brady, who already has eight postseason come-from-behind victories, led the New England Patriots to his ninth with a 3731 overtime AFC Championship win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots led for most of the game before the Chiefs took a 2824 lead with 2:04 left in the fourth quarter. Brady led New England on a 65-yard touchdown drive to retake a 3128 lead before Kansas City tied it up to send the game to overtime. The Chiefs never saw the football in overtime, as Brady marched his team 75 yards down the field for the win and a ticket to Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII. Brady's last postseason comeback win also occurred in the AFC Championship game, when the Patriots overcome a 2010 deficit in the fourth quarter to win 2420. The Patriots, playing in their third straight Super Bowl, will face the Los Angeles Rams on Feb. 3. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/20/how-many-playoff-comebacks-does-tom-brady-have-afc-championship-game |
Who is the Youngest Coach to Ever Win a Super Bowl? | In just his second season as an NFL head coach, Sean McVay will have a chance to lead the Los Angeles Rams to their first Super Bowl title since 2000. He'll also have the chance to be the youngest head coach ever to win it. McVay, at 32 years old, is four years younger than the NFL's current youngest Super Bowl-winning head coach: Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Feb. 1, 2009, Tomlin became the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl when the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, when he was just 36 years old. Like McVay this year, Tomlin was also in just his second year as the team's head coach. The previous record was held by Jon Gruden, who was 39 when he won Super Bowl XXXVII with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rams will play Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Feb. 3. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET. | https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/20/youngest-coach-ever-win-super-bowl-sean-mcvay-mike-tomlin |
Did John Gray use sermon to debunk rumor he fathered a child in extramarital affair? | Gray recently became pastor of Relentless Church in Greenville, South Carolina, after years of preaching at Joel Osteens Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. He recently came under much criticism for gifting his wife with a $200,000 Lamborghini for their eight-year anniversary just months after he confessed to listening to voices that lured him away and almost caused the couple to get a divorce. Another rumor that surfaced after the public learned that he'd been unfaithful to his wife, was that Gray reportedly had fathered a child with Walls Group member Rhea Walls. Popular vlogger and former pastor Larry Reid, however, said he had been in contact with the baby's grandfather and that rumors of Gray being the child's father were false. During his sermon at Relentless Church on Jan. 13, Gray appeared to allude to the rumors when he called up his young son to join him on stage and preached about the generational patterns he's hoping to break. This is what God is doing in me, Hes reconciling the little boy that's still inside of this man, Gray preached. I need to trade the pain of the little boy that wasn't covered, for the man that's called to cover. The 45-year-old said that at times, he still wants to wait on his earthly father but he cant because he's dead. So Gray believes it's up to him to step up. I am now the thing I'm waiting on, he said. So I need Him (God) to heal this version of me (pointing at his son) so I can be the most that I'm supposed to be for him (his son). I'm actually fighting devils that weren't scheduled for me; they were scheduled for my dad but because my dad didn't fight them, I'm fighting his and mine. That's why I gotta fight my devils and my dad's, so my son doesn't have to fight mine because I don't need him fighting with three generations of stuff, Gray added. The charismatic minister then stood in front of his son and turned the conversation toward the devil. I need to get in front of him and say, 'No devil, you can't have him, you can't have my family, you can't have my son, you can't have my seed, you can't have my legacy, Gray declared. He then turned to the congregation to set the record straight. "And this is my son, my only son in whom I'm well pleased," Gray declared as he pointed to his children. "That's my daughter, my only begotten daughter in whom I'm well pleased, period!" The Christian Post reached out to Relentless Church and Pastor Gray for comment regarding his sermon and putting the rumors to rest in last week's sermon and will update the article once a response is received. Last summer, Gray opened up to his church explaining that for about two years he and his wife had been contemplating divorce. What they didnt see is that for the last two years we werent sure if we would even make it. This is what the people saw," he said while fake smiling, "but they didnt see the tears at night. They didnt see the times when one of us was sleeping on the couch because the argument. Because sheep dont do well with blood so I had to bleed alone, Gray said. Despite their problems, the megachurch leaders kept going. Aventer also addressed the congregation explaining why she chose not to leave her husband despite his unspecified actions. And he listened. But because I know the tricks of the enemy and Im learning them every day, I can stand here in boldness for everybody that tried to sneak in, thank you, because I got closer to God because of it. I got in that word come on devil, you dont want it with me." The wife later alluded to a "strange woman." I put Scripture on that strange woman," she shouted. "I put Scripture on that strange woman. She dont want it with me and she dont want it with yall, amen! | https://www.christianpost.com/news/did-john-gray-use-sermon-to-debunk-rumor-he-fathered-a-child-in-extramarital-affair.html |
Can a cyclone break weather stranglehold? | A series of lows along a monsoonal trough may see a cyclone form somewhere above northern Australia by the end of this week. A series of lows along a monsoonal trough may see a cyclone form somewhere above northern Australia by the end of this week. WEATHER conditions remain static with no change expected before next Monday when the potential emerges for a cyclone to form over northern Australia which may finally flick the switch after weeks of relentless heatwave conditions through western Queensland. Bureau of Meteorology forecaster David Crock said there was a lot of uncertainty about whether a monsoon trough now forming over northern Australia would impact further south than the Northern Territory and Gulf of Carpentaria. He said the potential was there to see a cyclone form somewhere over north Australia with the Gulf of Carpentaria a fertile breeding ground. In the meantime the persistent high pressure system in the Tasman Sea would retain the blocking pattern of weather that Mr Crock said was remarkable in the extent it had endured. While record 40C plus temperatures continued to set records in western Queensland, moderating sea breezes right on the coast on the Sunshine Coast were keeping temperatures close to average for the season. Expect a 30C high at Maroochydore today with partly-cloudy conditions and easterly winds reaching 15-25km/h before fading late in the day. Conditions would see a similar maximum temperatures and wind conditions on what would be another partly-cloudy day with just the slight chance of a shower. Temperatures would then increase to a 31C maximum for each of Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Expect east north-easterly winds to 20km/h on Wednesday and Thursday before they shift more to straight onshore easterlies throughout Friday. The wind would then shift back to north-easterly on Saturday and Sunday at 15-25km/h after being light early. An hour after this morning's high tide peak on the Bradman Avenue boat ramp on the Maroochy River. The highest tide for January of 2.19m comes Tuesday at 8.59am. Max Harris, 3, on holiday with his family from Pittsworth, was ready for a day of fishing as he prepared to board a boat. Warren Lynam Tomorrow would produce January's highest tide for January, with Maroochydore Beach set to reach 2.19 metres at 8.59am. | https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/can-a-cyclone-break-weather-stranglehold/3627431/ |
Why are Ohio's medical marijuana prices so high? | CLOSE Ohio's seed to sale process for producing medical marijuana. They weren't happy with the answer: $50 cash for a small plastic container holding 2.83 grams of dried marijuana bud, or just under $500 an ounce. "I'll buy one today to say I did it, but I can get it a lot cheaper than that elsewhere," said one man who declined to be named. Michigan dispensaries charge between $150 and $300 an ounce, depending on the variety, or strain. Patients say that's similar to prices for illicit marijuana in Ohio. Dispensaries sold 8.7 pounds of marijuana on Ohio's first day at an average price of$538 per ounce, according to sales figures released Thursday. There are a few reasons. Regulated and tested Marijuana sold in legal markets have a hard time competing with product sold on the black market for several reasons. Legal marijuana businesses have to comply with regulations for pesticides, tracking every plant with sophisticated software, security and more. They also pay taxes, and because marijuana remains an illegal substance on the federal level, they can't deduct expenses the way other businesses can. Ohio law requires every medical marijuana product to be tested by an independent state-licensed lab. There are only two in operation. The labs test for pesticides, mold and other contaminants. They also test for amounts of various marijuana compounds including THC, which generates a high, and cannabidiol, or CBD, which doesn't. Ohio's program allows individuals with one of 21 medical conditions to buy and use marijuana if recommended to them by a physician. Eligible conditions include AIDS, cancer and others where consumers' immune systems could suffer from tainted marijuana. Limited supply Ohio dispensaries reported lines and a steady flow of customers on opening day. (Photo: Daniel Carson/The News-Messenger) The state has licensed 29 businesses to grow marijuana, but only 14 have finished building their facilities and been approved to start growing. None of the state-licensed processors are operating, so oils, lotions, patches, edibles and other products are not yet available. The four dispensaries that opened Wednesday sold only dried marijuana flower, or bud, from a handful of medical marijuana cultivators. "If I wanted to open today, I had to buy it from them," said Mike Petrella, who owns Ohio Valley Natural Relief dispensary in Wintersville. Dispensaries set prices based on what they pay for the product; state regulators have no authority to limit or change prices. Most of the varieties sold Wednesday were priced the same. Officials from the first four open dispensaries say prices should go down as more cultivators harvest and compete. Some dispensary owners plan to offer discounts to veterans, senior citizens and others. The Forest Sandusky offers a 20 percent discount to veterans. More regulations In Michigan and other states, flower can be packaged in the dispensary. Not in Ohio. Growers and product manufacturers are the only ones who can package products, and dispensaries have to sell products in the original, sealed packaging. Ohio has some of the highest marijuana business licensing fees in the country $200,000 a year for large-scale growers and $70,000 every two years for dispensary owners. Businesses pay additional fees to the state to register employees and pay a $100 fee for each strain or dosage of a product. Theres a higher cost of production to adhere to all the regulatory requirements and to deliver that product to the consumer, said Jason Erkes, spokesman for Cresco Labs, which operates CY+ Dispensary. Cresco also has an Ohio cultivation license and operates medical marijuana businesses in Illinois and Pennsylvania. Prices in Illinois averaged $450 an ounce during the first week of sales in 2015. Current prices there range from $240 to $420 an ounce, according to dispensary websites. Pennsylvania started selling flower in August 2018, and prices are now hovering around $300 to $480 an ounce, according to dispensary websites. The Ohio tenth One specific regulation sets Ohio apart from the 33 states that allow cannabis for medicinal use. Rules set by the Ohio State Pharmacy Board, which oversees dispensaries, require marijuana flower and infused products to be packaged in certain amounts, called "whole day units." A unit of dried flower is 2.83 grams, or 1/10th of an ounce. State law limits patients to buying and possessing no more than a "90-day supply," but didn't define it in law. The pharmacy board decided to set that number at 8 ounces of dried flower or an equivalent amount of THC in marijuana products. The limits came from a panel of pharmacists who reviewed clinical research about the marijuana compound. No other state has calculated limits this way. The only product sold Wednesday was little containers with one "Ohio tenth" of buds inside. On Tuesday, pharmacy board spokeswoman Ali Simon said flower had to be packaged in 2.83 gram amounts. On Thursday, Simon clarified it can be packaged in greater amounts, as long as the total is made up of whole daily units. Buckeye Relief, a large-scale cultivator in Northeast Ohio, planned to start packaging in larger quantities after the first day of sales. Im sure were all trying to drive costs down for patients over the long haul, Buckeye Relief CEO Andy Rayburn said. Here's what you need to know Read or Share this story: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2019/01/20/why-ohios-medical-marijuana-prices-high/2602221002/ | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2019/01/20/why-ohios-medical-marijuana-prices-high/2602221002/ |
Can Artificial Intelligence Be Biased? | Introduction In pursuit of automation-driven efficiencies, the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (AI) tools and techniques (such as neural networks, machine-learning, predictive analytics, speech recognition, natural-language processing and more) are now routinely used across nations: its governments, industries, organizations and academia (NGIOA) for navigation, translation, behavior modeling, robotic control, risk management, security, decision making and many other applications. As AI is becoming democratized, these evolving intelligent algorithms are now rapidly becoming prevalent in most, if not all, aspects of human and machine decision-making. While Decision Utilities like intelligent algorithms have been in use for many years, there are rising concerns about the general lack of algorithmic understanding, usage practices, the rapidly penetrating bias in automated decisions, and the lack of transparency and accountability. As a result, ensuring integrity, transparency and trust in algorithmic decision-making is becoming a complex challenge for the creators of algorithms with huge implications for the future of society. Human versus Machine Decision-Making Processes Irrespective of cyberspace, geospace or space (CGS), since technology revolutions are driven not just by accidental discovery but also by societal needs, the question we all individually and collectively need to first and foremost evaluate is whether there really is a need for decision-making algorithmsand if yes, where and why. Artificial intelligence tools and techniques are increasingly expanding and enriching decision support not only by coordinating diverse data sources delivery in a timely and efficient manner but also by analyzing evolving data sources, trends, providing defined forecasts, developing data consistency, quantifying uncertainty of all data variables, anticipating the human or machine users data needs, providing information to the human or machine user in the most appropriate forms, and suggesting decisive courses of all possible action based on the intelligence gathered. Understandably, this is being welcomedsince in a fast-changing digital age environment, it is becoming difficult for human decision-makers to keep up, analyze the mountains of growing data in front of them, and make informed and intelligent decisions. However, even for an algorithmic decision-making process, there are complex challenges to reach an informed decision. For example, it is difficult to know whether decision-making algorithms will be able to make effective decisions with the current computing and data analytics infrastructure and processing capability. While it seems very likely that artificial intelligence will become universal in most, if not all, aspects of decision-making in the near future, it will be interesting to see how the emerging competition between human decision-making versus AI decision-making will play out. Algorithmic Engineering Process and Penetration of Bias While there are growing concerns about machine learning decision-making models, it seems AI is being woven into the very fabric of human society and everything individuals and entities do across nations: its government, industries, organizations and academia (NGIOA) in cyberspace, geospace and space (CGS). Moreover, it needs to be understood that the rapidly evolving machine-learning model is not a static piece of code since we are constantly feeding it data from diverse sources and are constantly training, re-training and fine-tuning it to how predictions can be made. In each of these data journey steps, humans at the moment play a significant and influential role. As a result, while machine-learning models are becoming almost like a living, breathing thing with a growing dynamic data ecosystem from CGS around it, the very involvement of humans brings with it the same complex human bias. Since, we are trying to re-define and re-design systems that brings us more trust and transparency, there is a clear need to promote equality, transparency and accountability in algorithm design and development for decision-makingand to ensure that data transparency, training, review and remediation are being considered throughout the entire algorithmic engineering process. According to ProPublica, an investigative journalism organization, a computer program used by US courts across the nation has been reported to be biased against black prisoners. The program, named the Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions, mistakenly flagged black defendants as likely to reoffend at almost twice the rate as white defendants (45% to 24%). The program likely factored in the higher rates of arrest for black people into its predictions but was not able to escape the same racial biases that contributed to those higher levels of arrests. Bias has also been reported in granting credit to home buyers, even going as far as to potentially violate the Fair Housing Act. Rates of defaulting may be higher in some neighborhoods, but an algorithm using this information to make black and white calls runs the risk of heading towards red-lining territory. Examples abound, with plenty of cases to show AI and technology to be both sexist and racist. Lets not forget Googles search algorithm including black people in the results of a search on gorilla. While decision-making algorithms are inherently not biased and algorithmic decision-making depends on a number of variables -- including how the software is designed, developed, deployed and the quality, integrity and representativeness of the underlying data sources -- there is a need for a new approach to define and design decision-making algorithms. We perhaps need adaptive computing that integrates intelligence gathering into its very fabric and which does not rely on humans training the algorithms in how to make decisions. Since it is important to evaluate what the implications will be if bias penetrates decision-making algorithmsit brings us to evaluating further whether data protection safeguards can be built into the algorithms from the earliest stages of development to prevent bias from penetrating them. It is important to address this as the very foundations of the systems that are being re-defined and re-designed depend on it. Now, since it is not possible to interrogate algorithms, and there are no effective rules or regulations around decision-making algorithms that focus on the algorithmic accountability, how to remove bias remains a complex challenge facing society. Acknowledging this emerging reality, Risk Group initiated the much-needed discussion on Algorithmic Decision-Making with Prof. (Dr.) Steve Omohundro, President at Possibility Research. Disclosure: Risk Group LLC is my company. Risk Group discusses Algorithmic Decision- Making with Prof. (Dr.) Steve Omohundro, President at Possibility Research, based in CA, United States. Perhaps the key to making decision-making algorithms work for everyone on a fair and balanced playing field is to build in accountability, responsibility, neutrality and outcomes from the very beginningright in the code. If not, without question, all the efforts that are being put in re-defining and re-designing the systems in cyberspace, geospace and space will bring no real value for society overall. Data: Nature, Sources, Efficiency The growing availability, volume and accumulation of diverse sources of data means it can be overwhelming for any human decision maker to effectively make decisionsirrespective of whether these are strategic decisions or tactical. Therefore, it is important to evaluate what role dynamic growing data plays in how the algorithms are structured to take into consideration the growing data input. So, while efficiency seems to be at the core of many emerging automation applications, the transparency and integrity of the data on which the algorithmic decisions are being made will be critical to ensure its accountability. The democratization of computing infrastructure allows anyone to build any algorithm any way they want. However, when it comes to its decision-making applications for systems at all levels: global, national or local (may it be government agencies, banks, credit agencies, courts, prisons, education institutions etc.,) there is a need for a global standard on the best practices to define and determine whose algorithm can be used for equality, fairness and objectivity. The question now is not just whether humans or machines will make decisionsrather it's about whether intelligent algorithms replacing humans in decision-making will bring with them the same biases of race, religion, class, gender and ideology that are harmful to society. The question today for each one of us to individually and collectively evaluate is whether intelligent algorithms are and will remain an aid to the human decision-making process or whether they will become the ultimate decision-makers. And if artificial intelligence becomes the decision-maker, what will be the implications of relinquishing decision-making control to intelligent machines--as the very use of automated AI based decision-making techniques raises challenges for humanity as a whole. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/01/20/can-artificial-intelligence-be-biased/ |
Are we any closer to compromise as partial government shutdown heads into day 30? | Sunday was the 29th day of the partial government shutdown. As we head back to work Monday, 25 percent of government employees are working without a guaranteed paycheck, or they are furloughed. This is happening as President Donald Trump's compromise will be presented as a bill this week. He has vowed he will give his supporters the wall he promised and offered Democrats a compromise on people living in the United States illegally. "As a candidate, I promised to fix (the) problem one way or another, Trump said. But the promise of a wall has sparked a political fight between Trump and Democratic congressional leaders, causing the partial government shutdown. It has become the longest shutdown in U.S. history. So far, Democrats are not agreeable to the compromise Trump announced Saturday. "What is original in the President's proposal is not good, a tweet from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi read. What is good in the proposal is not original." Rick Mullaney, director of the Public Policy Institute at Jacksonville University, said he believes Trump will not get the support he wants. Maybe, Mullaney said. The answer to that is: Highly unlikely. Mullaney said there are two main objections that have to be dealt with: - Democrats want the border wall to be a separate issue from reopening the government. - Democrats want more on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. - The three-year reprieve Trump offered is simply not enough. Democrats want a pathway to citizenship for the Dreamers, those who were brought here illegally as children. Mullaney said the compromise may have been more effective with the public, but the shutdown is far from over. We will begin to feel it more and more, and the pressure will build on the Republicans and the Democrats to find a solution, Mullaney said. This is not a good thing. Primarily, its the (800,000) workers that are carrying the brunt of it. When the public at large begins to feel it, the pressure will increase on the Republicans and Democrats to find a solution. Mullaney added these shutdowns end with a compromise but typically one party will take more of the political brunt than the other. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved. | https://www.news4jax.com/news/politics/are-we-any-closer-to-compromise-as-partial-government-shutdown-heads-into-day-30 |
Why are single women still mistaken for prostitutes? | Image copyright Getty Images In the age of #MeToo, a single woman sitting alone in a restaurant shouldn't be a problem. Especially, you would think, if that restaurant is in the middle of New York, one of the most progressive cities on the planet. So when Clementine Crawford was reportedly told she could no longer sit at the bar of her favourite Manhattan restaurant, she was confused. As she wrote later, she was even more confused when a man, arriving not long after she had been sat at a table, was allowed to take a seat at that very same bar. It was only, she says, when she pushed for a reason, that she was told "the owner had ordered a crackdown on hookers". Her years of regular dinners, and her high-flying job, appeared to mean nothing. The implication for all single women was clear. Incensed, Clementine, who divides her time between London and New York for her job with Finch & Partners, pushed for her right to sit at the bar, alongside her single male counterparts. But instead of a grovelling apology, her arguments were met with a shrug. She left the restaurant - a place she had loved, a place where the waiters had known her name, and now a place she no longer felt welcome. Clementine sums it up in an article she wrote about the experience for DrugstoreCulture.com. "All these years we have been battling for a room of one's own," she wrote. "Little did we know it, but we are still fighting for a seat at the table (or bar, to be strictly accurate)." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Clementine Crawford, pictured here with TV personality Colin Cowie, is a senior executive with Finch & Partners Eating alone as a single woman is - for many - a daunting process. The protective barrier of a book or, more recently, a phone, makes it easier. Somehow you feel less exposed, less vulnerable. But ask around, and no one can quite put their finger on why they felt vulnerable in the first place. Certainly experiences like Clementine's - where the assumptions of staff or other diners is articulated quite so blatantly - appear few and far between. But, Clementine tells the BBC, it may be more common than we think. "Since the article was published a number of women - including women who live in modern-day Manhattan - have declared they experience similar treatment in a number of different settings and are relieved that a voice has been given to the '#smallstuff'," she told the BBC. "The restaurant anecdote is just symbolic of the many daily things women still have to endure even in this post #metoo era. "Some even said they don't feel comfortable dining alone for fear of objectification - that eating unaccompanied is a brave thing to do." Image copyright Gloria Atanmo Image caption Gloria Atanmo has built a successful career as a travel blogger US travel blogger Gloria Atanmo definitely recognises feeling exposed when dining by herself during five years exploring the world. "I travel by myself a lot and I have definitely had times where people look at me like I am waiting for a customer," she told the BBC. But there have also been the more blatant incidents where there was no mistaking exactly how she - a single woman of Nigerian origin - was seen, even when dressed in jeans and a jumper. "I think Rome was possibly my worst experience," she recalled. "I'm waiting under a bus stop sign, and every five or 10 minutes a car would slow down as it passed. "Finally, I got on the bus and maybe about five minutes into the drive I noticed women claiming their 'corner'. And they literally looked like me." You might also be interested in: Gloria also decided to write about her experiences on her blog, and, just like Clementine, was inundated with women wanting to share their stories of being single, and being mistaken for sex workers. But it wasn't just one group which found themselves stereotyped. In some places, looking Russian or eastern European meant you were equally likely to be perceived as a prostitute. The assumption a single woman by herself must be a sex worker is also not restricted to just the bars, restaurants and streets. Last year, Sherry Collins - the founder and editor of creative industry bible Pitch - revealed she had been asked "how much for the night" by a man during an event at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Taking a stand against sexism and racism in the advertising industry As a result, she decided to take out a full page advert on the back page of her magazine the next year. It said, in capitals: "We are black creative women heading to Cannes. Please do not ask us how much for the night #AssumeNothing." "I speak out about this because I don't want someone I care about who works with me to experience what I experienced," she explained. Clementine had similar motivations when she spoke out: she says the article was her way of lifting the lid on a part of the fight for equality which doesn't often get talked about - the small ways in which women are objectified, or diminished, on a daily basis. "I am surprised that my essay has received such widespread attention," she said. "But it has struck me that the reason for this is that it has hit a cultural nerve, sparked another layer of debate with respects to equal rights that has not yet been appropriately called out or covered in mainstream debate." Most importantly, none of these women are willing to go unheard - and they are not willing to back down. Even with everything she has experienced, Gloria refuses to give up on any aspect of the life she choose to live - including eating alone. "I think there is something empowering about eating and drinking by yourself," Gloria said. "You become an enigma. "It says, I do not need someone on my arm to exist the way I want." | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-46920549 |
Is Pakistan missing planned economy? | Share: Centrally planned economies are highly recommended for the best interest of the people and meeting social and national objectives. As nowadays, we are observing Pakistan is badly lacking such situation, after 18th amendment in the constitution, there is the huge gap between provincial and federal economies of the state, each federal decision needs provincial assent be it, Five Million Housing Scheme as the land belongs to provinces. Opponents of the federal government (PPP) do not believe that a central cabinet has the capacity to make major economic decisions and well-being of the people, they argue PTI government will lead to inefficiencies and lost aggregate utility. If the desirable situation is achieved, Federal government gets the assent of provinces, then two possible advantages will be lesser inequality and more employment in the country. IMTIAZ ALI LAKHAN, Ghotki, January 10. | https://nation.com.pk/21-Jan-2019/is-pakistan-missing-planned-economy |
How Much Does the Average Super Bowl 53 Ticket Cost? | Greg Zuerlein's 57-yard field goal in overtime to launch the LA Rams into the Super Bowl: priceless. SeatGeek's average price for a Super Bowl 53 ticket to watch the Rams take on the New England Patriots: over $5,000 with the cheapest about $4,000. On Sunday, the ticket-vending website released the official price to score a ticket to Super Bowl 53. "This would make the game one of the most in-demand Super Bowls that we have seen since we started tracking the game in 2010," SeatGeek Communications Manager Chris Leyden stated. Over the next two weeks leading up to the game, SeatGeek is offering fans an opportunity to keep an eye on the price of Super Bowl tickets with their Super Bowl Ticket Tracker. It updates daily with how prices are trending compared to previous years, as well as where people are shopping for tickets. With the Rams winning Sunday's game, it will be interesting to see how prices move in the coming days, as Rams' fans will need to make a cross-country trip to see their team take on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Atlanta, Georgia. Here is the average resale price of each Super Bowl for the past seven years as per SeatGeek: Super Bowl 47 (2013) 49ers vs. Ravens: $2,479 Super Bowl 48 (2014) Broncos vs. Seahawks: $2,537 Super Bowl 49 (2015) Patriots vs. Seahawks: $4,271 Super Bowl 50 (2016) Broncos vs. Panthers: $4,531 Super Bowl 51 (2017) Patriots vs. Falcons: $4,487 Super Bowl 52 (2018) Patriots vs. Eagles: $5,435 Super Bowl 53 (2019) Rams vs. TBD: $5,239 Here are the states with the most interest in buying Super Bowl tickets, according to SeatGeek: Georgia: 11 percent Louisiana: 11 percent Texas: 10 percent California: 7 percent Florida: 6 percent | https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Super-Bowl-53-Heats-Ups-Prices-With-Tickets-Over-5000-504631921.html |
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