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Could The Socialists United Of Venezuela Finally Be Falling Apart? | Venezuela is officially a dictatorship. The Organization of American States does not recognize Nicolas Maduro as its president. Nor does nearly all of Latin America, with the exception of maybe three governments: Cuba, Bolivia, and Nicaragua. If the ruling Socialists United of Venezuela (PSUV) has nine lives, theyre lived eight of them. Vice President Mike Pence released a video message on Tuesday in support of the Venezuelan opposition and recent protests in Caracas. He also called Maduro a dictator, meaning Washington now views this guy through a 1980s Cold War lens. Everyone except those three aforementioned countries now recognize National Assembly president Juan Guaid as the democratically elected leader of the country. He has been leading rallies nationwide in an effort to galvanize public support to oust PSUV from power. Guaidos National Assembly is the equivalent of the U.S. Congress. Hes their Nancy Pelosi. Only that body of government was stripped of its powers by PSUV roughly two years ago to form a so-called Constituent Assembly of leftist PSUV yes men and yes women who continue to run Venezuela into the ground. Against all odds, over the last 10 to 12 days, weve seen a growing sense of enthusiasm, said Dimitris Pantaoulas, a Caracas-based political analyst and consultant was quoted saying in todays Miami Herald. Guaido as an opposition leader is relatively new, and you cant say that his positions are particularly clear ... but hes become a symbol of hope and energy. See: Desperate Venezuelans Demand Change The Miami Herald A group of rank-and-file members of the National Guard published a video on social media calling for protests. For Maduro and PSUV, this is a coup attempt, and they will see the CIA lurking everywhere. People, by and large, supported the soldiers and rejected Maduro, a leader who has given them six-digit hyperinflation and useless currency. The protests this week were not widespread, however, allowing the military to squash them. However, these events provide further evidence of internal frictions within the armed forces and of the fragility of the PSUV government. There is an increasing possibility of regime change, although who will replace Maduro remains unclear. It could be another member of PSUV, trying to preserve the legacy of the party created by the late Hugo Chavez. Chavez oversaw an economy stoked on oil prices. When oil went from nearly $200 a barrel to $35, Venezuela imploded. The country is going broke. It survives on Russian and Chinese life support. When PSUV is gone, it will undoubtedly fall into the loving arms of the International Monetary Fund. Hugo Chavez would have died twice. Theres been a qualitative change in the antigovernment protests. The protests are not being led by some middle-class bourgeoisie with summer homes on Margarita Island and in Miami. Its happening in the low-income neighborhoods of Caracas where most people survive on government jobslike those in the security forcesor on some form of social welfare program. The poor are PSUVs base. They are starting to see the light. Protests in poor areas not only contradict the governments narrative but could be more difficult for the government to suppress, says Alejandro Arreaza, a Latin America economist at Barclays Capital in New York. The governments capacity to react is limited. Meanwhile, serious crackdowns on opposition leaders leading to jail time, or the police busting heads at tomorrows scheduled protest, will only embolden Washington against PSUV. So far, Trump has not declared Maduro a dictator or Guaido as the recognized leader of the country. Recent attacks against Guaido do not intimidate him. Those left in the country may start seeing in him someone who can get rid of PSUV, even if they are particularly fond of Guaido himself. His vocal opposition against Maduro has led to more participation at town halls and other events across the country, which suggests tomorrows protest could be the biggest one since the anti-Maduro protests from September 2016 to April 2017. Arreaza says this time is different. In the past, there have been periods of high internal pressure for PSUVs ouster but low external pressure. Venezuela was basically a nonstory in the foreign political press. Wall Street watched it because PdVSA bonds are a popular trade and always have been. Washington started pressuring the Maduro government in late 2017 and into 2018, but by then protests had died down and millions of Venezuelans had left the country. This time we have bothexternal pressure and internal pressure against PSUV. It could make political transition more likely, Arreaza says. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2019/01/22/could-the-socialists-united-of-venezuela-finally-be-falling-apart/ |
Are the Taliban using an 'attack and talk' strategy? | A Taliban attack killed dozens of security personnel while members of the armed group held talks with the US in Qatar. Afghanistan has been at war for much of the past 40 years. In 2001, the United States sent its troops into the country in response to the 9/11 attacks. The withdrawal of these troops has been one of the sticking points in talks between US and Taliban representatives that are getting under way in Qatar. But hours before those talks began in the capital Doha, Taliban fighters launched one of their most daring attacks in recent months. A gun and bomb raid on an Afghan intelligence and military base southwest of Kabul killed dozens of security personnel. Many are now looking to see if the timing of the attack - coming on the eve of those talks - could have an impact on negotiations. Presenter: Richelle Carey Guests: Omar Zakhilwal - Former president's special representative and Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Imtiaz Gul - Head of the Center for Research & Security Studies David Sedney - Former deputy US assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan and Pakistan Source: Al Jazeera | https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2019/01/taliban-attack-talk-strategy-190122182657203.html |
What exactly is the ITEP endgame here? | While this question of economic impact doesnt seem interesting to most in the media covering this issue, it sure is the top question heavily pondered by those trying their best to provide jobs in Louisiana. A key question is starting to become harder to ignore in Louisiana and it has everything to do with the latest in what is becoming a long list of tax controversies created in the last few years. No, I am not referring to the numerous tax special sessions or the more than $7 billion that was raised during those efforts or the administrations stated refusal to refund a new state income tax recently declared unconstitutional by the Louisiana Supreme Court or the likely soon-to-be declared unconstitutional sales tax collection system that is an audit minefield and an extreme outlier to other states or even the previously failed proposal by the governor to implement a Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) that would have put huge burdens on Louisiana small businesses. Nope, not talking about any of that stuff. While this question of economic impact doesnt seem interesting to most in the media covering this issue, it sure is the top question heavily pondered by those trying their best to provide jobs in Louisiana. Last time I checked, a job is considered a good thing. I sure hope so. Especially manufacturing jobs. They have been the backbone of Louisianas economy for generations. Manufacturing jobs are some of the best jobs we have. More than 130,000 Louisianans work in manufacturing, earning an average salary of $87,212 - which is more than double the state average. Even better, these jobs depend on a multitude of other jobs to be successful thanks to manufacturings need for raw products and services from other industries to work. For example, looking just at the petrochemical manufacturing industry, the multiplier effect is considered to be 6.10 per job. That level of ripple effect far exceeds the multiplier of other industries. Besides the obvious impact on those employed in manufacturing, the parishes that house these facilities see greater benefits also. Parishes with the largest manufacturing presence and the highest utilization of the ITEP are among the most prosperous in Louisiana. The top dozen parishes with ITEP contracts are all above the average annual wage for the entire parish. All but one of them have higher property and sales tax collections per capita. Teacher pay in these parishes is generally higher than other parts of the state thanks to all these increased tax collections that usually come with high-paying, private sector jobs. Of course, these numbers mean very little to the unions, blogs and leftist groups that have made it a mission to eliminate the ITEP, disparage the companies that have used it and falsely sell togetherness while peddling heavy doses of divisive tactics in communities across our state. This problem resulted from an executive order issued by Governor Edwards in 2016 and amended in 2018 to eliminate the ITEP (that was first enacted in 1936 and enshrined in the state Constitution back in 1974) and replace this historic economic development tool with chaos and confusion. Todays ITEP still has a state exemption formula and approval process (albeit reduced and more cumbersome) but also now adds uncertain, sporadic and often undefinable local approval processes without clear direction. Companies now have trouble understanding these ever-changing rules and procedures and local governmental entities are left to scramble and figure out how best to bring order to a complicated political powder keg that just happens to sit atop the most critical tool for the states economic future. Welcome to the club. This confusion and chaos are beginning to erode our business climate and we really need the governor to step in and lead on this issue. Just this past week, three different manufacturers in the Greater Baton Rouge area shut down operations, impacting 1,000 direct jobs and many other indirect jobs. Over the last two years, applications for ITEP manufacturing projects have dropped considerably, meaning our job pipeline is drying up. We need these jobs today just as much as we always have and the clarity and consistency in the ITEP he can provide with specific leadership is needed now to make this happen. This day has been coming for quite some time now. When the governor drafted the executive order to do away with ITEP as we have always known it, he also inherited the burden of replacing it with a workable solution. If you didnt like the old one then, as governor, you have the best bully pulpit to clearly articulate a vision for the new one. This long-sought workable solution is still to this day nowhere to be found and that must change. We cant afford to lose any more of these manufacturing jobs and we cant wait much longer to start refilling the pipeline with new manufacturing investments. These manufacturing jobs pay very well, dont usually require a four-year degree, have tremendous ripple effects in our economy and lead to higher tax collections and teacher pay in the parishes where they are located. These are all good things that serve as the foundation for economic opportunity for our people. We should want to celebrate and encourage these types of jobs rather than denigrate and discourage them. It should be a no brainer. We need some peace and stability on this ITEP issue. The anti-business crowd has had their fun the last few years, but it is long past time for them to cool their jets. If we truly want Louisiana to be together, the divisive and toxic anti-business culture that is growing in our great state must stop. We desperately need the governor to finally let us all know what his endgame is on this issue. For all those earning a great salary in manufacturing, I sure hope his endgame is a good one. Stephen Waguespack is the President of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry | https://www.donaldsonvillechief.com/news/20190122/what-exactly-is-itep-endgame-here |
What happened to Black Panthers Oscar momentum? | With the announcement of this years Academy Award nominations early Tuesday morning, the race to Oscar gold became a lot more clear, with certain films edging out ahead Roma , which swept with 10 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplayand certain films losing steam. Among the latter is Black Panther, a film that just a few months ago gave Hollywood great hope that finally there was a film that could unite the elite snobs of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with the masses whom they pray will tune in to its increasingly ratings-challenged telecast every year. But on Tuesday the film came up short. Although it made history by becoming the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture, all of its other six nominations are in technical categories. Most notably, director Ryan Coogler was overlooked for Best Director. It feels like an afterthought, one Academy member tells me. Most say that Black Panthers superhero credentials are what held the film back, even as Disney and its Oscar whisper team dutifully set up screenings, feted the film at cocktail parties, and even sent home a book devoted to the film to subscribers of The Hollywood Reporter. Because there is no precedent for a caped-crusader film as a Best Picture winner (or, until now, nominee), the Academy, or at least a good portion of the Academywhich has an enlarged, more diverse membership this yearturned up its nose. There was resistance to the movie from the beginning, says one insider, who notes that some Academy members were reluctant to go to screenings of the film. The Old Guard within the institution brushed the film off as a summer popcorn moviethough many who actually did go see it came out impressed, according to the source. | https://www.fastcompany.com/90295228/what-happened-to-black-panthers-oscar-momentum?partner=feedburner&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany%2Fheadlines+%28Fast+Company%29 |
Which GTA cities voted to opt-in to allow pot stores? Which ones opted out? | Brampton council voted to opt-in to allow private recreational cannabis retail stores within city limits at a special council meeting Monday. Brampton was one of the last GTA municipalities to make a decision ahead of the provincial governments Tuesday midnight deadline to opt-out. As of Tuesday morning, 248 municipalities across the province were listed on the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario as opting in, while 71 have opted out, and the rest were still listed as unknown. ( METROLAND FILE PHOTO ) Municipalities can opt-in down the road, but once theyre in, they give up their right to opt-out again. As of Tuesday morning, 248 municipalities across the province were listed on the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario as opting in, while 71 have opted out, and the rest were still listed as unknown. Those that do not notify the AGCO of their preference by the deadline will by default be considered to have opted in. The Ford government announced a phased approach to licensing there was a lottery for 25 initial retail cannabis licences in Ontario earlier in January. Of the 25 winning application spots, five are in Toronto and six in the rest of the GTA. Article Continued Below The purchase and use of recreational marijuana has been legal in Canada since Oct. 17. Toronto council voted 20-4 on Dec. 13 to opt-in, and allow privately owned, provincially regulated pot shops. A quick look at what the other GTA municipalities decided: PEEL REGION Brampton: Some of the concern among councillors allowing private recreational cannabis retail stores stemmed from the federal and provincial governments not fully funding expected policing and health-care costs. But according to Mayor Patrick Brown, if the city had opted out it will receive very little funding to offset those costs at all. I want to praise the Brampton city council for taking the time to do their due diligence, Brown told reporters ahead of the meeting Monday where council voted 8-3 in favour to opt-in. But when I look at the overall picture, 15 per cent of policing costs is still something. Fifteen per cent of policing costs is better than nothing. Right now, if we opt-in there is a potential for additional funding. If we opt-out, we get $2,500. Caledon: Council was unanimous in its vote Monday to opt-out, despite a survey showing residents were slightly in favour. Ward 1 Regional Councillor Ian Sinclair said he voted against opting in because of the privatization of the outlets the Ford government decided to support. I wouldnt have minded the LCBO store as a front, Sinclair said. They have experienced staff and a set of rules that are already proven. But we dont know whats going on in individual retail stores. Article Continued Below Mississauga: City council voted 10-2 in December to opt-out. Some councillors felt the municipality was being rushed into making a decision without any control or planning. I dont want Mississauga to be a guinea pig, Councillor Dipika Damerla said. I think were better off taking a prudent approach. HALTON REGION Burlington: Council voted on Jan. 14 to opt-in. Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, who put forward the motion, said the citys public consultation showed residents support retail cannabis, and there are many more citizens who voiced their support to her but are too nervous to put their names on the record. Halton Hills: Council voted 8-3 to opt-in on Monday. Milton: Council voted 6-2 in December to opt-out. Councillors hedged their position by directing staff to report back to council to reconsider opting out once more information on the issue becomes available, but no later than December 2019. Oakville: Council voted 14-1 on Jan. 14 to opt-out. The reasons councillors provided ranged from health concerns about cannabis to issues with the lack of control the municipality would have with regard to these stores. DURHAM REGION Ajax: Council voted 7-0 on Jan. 14 to opt-in. Despite the vote, Mayor Shaun Collier told council, The odds we are getting any location is very, very slim. Brock: Council voted to opt-in. Clarington: Council voted 4-3 in January to opt-in. Cannabis is a huge industry that will create jobs and help boost our economy, Mayor Adrian Foster said in a statement. Oshawa: Council voted 7-4 to opt-in on Jan. 17. Councillors heard from Aaron Switzer of the Ontario Retail Cannabis Accessory Coalition who estimated there was the potential for $6.3 million in cannabis sales annually in the city and said that was a hyper-conservative estimate. Pickering: Council voted 5-2 in December to opt-out. Scugog: City council voted 5-0 to opt-in on Monday. Uxbridge: Council voted 5-2 to opt-in on Monday. Whitby: Council voted 6-3 to opt-out Monday. YORK REGION Aurora: Council voted to opt-in on Monday. East Gwillimbury: Council voted to opt-out on Jan. 8. We should not be part of the first wave, said Ward 1 Councillor Loralea Carruthers, who supported the move to opt-out. If all goes well, we may want to be part of the second wave. If all doesnt go well, we may not want to. Not that were closing the door entirely. Georgina: Council voted to opt-out on Jan. 16. Key among a number of reasons raised by those who voted to opt out included the fact the municipality couldnt back out from its decision. Once you opt-in, you cant opt back out, Mayor Margaret Quirk said. Theres no going back and that concerns me. King: Council voted to opt-out in December. Markham: Council voted 12-1 to opt-out in December. We still have a lot of unanswered questions about community safety, about the impact to families and children, Mayor Frank Scarpitti said. This vote by Markham council reflects the concerns we have heard throughout the community. We have taken this position with the previous government and we applaud the provincial government for giving us the choice to opt-out. Newmarket: Council voted 7-2 to opt-out on Jan. 15. Mayor John Taylor said the town would review and revisit the decision in a years time. By then, we hope more information will be available and we are able to learn from the experiences of the municipalities that have opted in, Taylor said in a news release. Richmond Hill: Council voted unanimously to opt-out in December. Its our job to do what we think is best for our community, Mayor Dave Barrow said. Much of what we have heard from our citizens says that they would not welcome cannabis retail outlets in Richmond Hill. Vaughan: Council voted to opt-out Monday. Whitchurch-Stouffville: Council voted to opt-in on Jan. 15, the first York municipality to do so. Cannabis is legal and its not going away, Councillor Rick Upton said. Today, cannabis is very available anywhere, anytime you want it on the black market. This is one of my major concerns, on the black market, you dont know what is in it, what its laced with. With files from Metroland, The Canadian Press and Stefanie Marotta Patrick Ho is a rewrite editor working on the Star's digital desk in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @patrick_ho_007 | https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/01/22/which-gta-cities-voted-to-opt-in-to-allow-pot-stores-which-ones-opted-out.html |
Is It Common For Children With Autism To Have Sleep Disturbances? | By Lauren Schnell, BCBA Sleep disturbances in children with autism are a common concern for many parents. It has been estimated that approximately 25% of typical children between the ages of one and four struggle with nighttime wakings (Lozoff, Wolf, & Davis, 1985). For children with special needs, the number increases dramatically with upwards of 80% experiencing some type of sleep problems (Lamberg, 1994). Of those who frequently wake at night, the majority end up sleeping in their parents bed and the sleep problems often persist over time. The good news is there are a variety of behavior analytic approaches found to be effective in addressing sleep disturbances in children with autism. An underlying premise of these approaches is that poor sleep patterns are learned, and, as such, can be unlearned. Prior to implementing a behavioral sleep program, it is important to first rule out any medical reasons for the sleep disturbance, such as physical discomfort related to an illness. Discussions with a pediatrician should help to determine if the sleep issues may be associated with an underlying medical issue and if further testing or evaluation is warranted. If the sleep issues are thought to be behavioral, the first step is to complete a sleep log to determine the extent of the problem and potential environmental factors that may be adversely affecting the childs sleep. A sleep log outlines the time the individual is put into bed, the actual time he/she falls asleep, frequency of night wakings, and the duration of those awakenings. Additional information may be collected on any other behaviors which are observed during bedtime, such as tantrums during the bedtime routine or disruptive behavior during the night. Baseline data collection should continue until a consistent pattern of sleep (or lack thereof) or challenging behavior is apparent. This information can later be used to assess the effectiveness of the sleep intervention. Based upon the results of the baseline data collected in the sleep log, a number of interventions may be considered. Below are several practical strategies which may be helpful to improve the sleep behavior of the child with autism. Bedtime Routines A bedtime routine can be helpful for the child, as it creates predictability in the sequence of activities leading up to bedtime. A written or visual schedule may be helpful in ensuring the routine is consistently followed. The schedule should outline activities preceding bedtime; for example, brushing teeth, changing into pajamas, saying goodnight to loved ones, and reading a bedtime story. The routine should begin at least 30-60 minutes prior to bed time. It is also recommended that parents eliminate all foods and drinks containing caffeine at least six hours prior to bed, and avoid rigorous activities during the later evening hours. Initially, the child may need a high rate of positive reinforcement for following the routine. Eventually, the parent may consider providing the child with positive reinforcement the following morning if he/she successfully follows the nighttime activity schedule and remains in bed throughout the night. Such reinforcement might include earning access to a favorite breakfast cereal, a toy, or getting a sticker to put on a special chart upon waking (Mindell & Durand, 1993). Escape Extinction The manipulation of bedtime routines does not always result in successful treatment of sleep disturbances, necessitating further intervention. The choice of procedure largely depends upon when the sleep disturbances occur. In situations where the child has difficulty falling asleep or wakes multiple times throughout the night, an escape extinction procedure may be used. Escape extinction is a commonly used intervention which involves preventing or removing access to the reinforcement which has previously maintained the behavior. During this procedure, the parent implements the nightly sleep routine culminating in placing the child in bed and leaving the room. Each time the child wakes up and attempts to leave the room, the parent redirects the child back to bed with minimal discussion and interaction. This procedure should be repeated until the child stays in his/her own bed and falls asleep (Rickert & Johnson, 1988; France, Blampied, & Wilkinson, 1991). When implementing escape extinction protocols, it is essential to ensure the child is kept safe from harm. For example, if the child engages in severe problem behavior such as self-injury, or disruptions such as climbing on furniture, a modified extinction program may be implemented. This involves the parent staying in the room to monitor the childs safety with minimal interaction. In addition, the parent may consider using a video monitoring system so the child can be monitored from a different room to ensure his or her safety. Graduated Escape Extinction When an escape extinction procedure cannot be used, the parent may implement a graduated extinction intervention. This treatment procedure should be used when the child has difficulty falling asleep, wakes frequently during the night, and engages in nighttime tantrum behavior. Similar to the escape extinction procedure, a graduated procedure begins by putting the child to bed and leaving the room (Durand, 1998). When crying or tantrum behavior occurs, the parent will wait a designated amount of time before going back into the childs bedroom. The latency of this response will systematically increase until the child falls back to sleep before the parent enters (Durand & Mindell, 1990). Bedtime Fading with Response Cost Another option is a faded bedtime with response cost (Piazza & Fisher, 1991) procedure. This involves first determining the actual time that the child falls asleep once placed in bed (as noted in the sleep log) and adding an additional 30 minutes to the childs subsequent bedtime. For example, if the child is put into bed at 8:00pm and falls asleep at 8:30pm, the assigned bedtime would now be moved to 9:00pm. Once the time is set, it is important that the child be kept awake until 9:00pm to increase the likelihood that he/she will be tired at the appointed bedtime. If the child falls asleep within 15 minutes of being placed in bed, then the bedtime should be faded back by reducing the time by 30 minutes the next night (9:00pm bedtime goes down to 8:30 pm). If the child does not fall asleep within 15 minutes of being placed in bed, then he/she will be brought out of the bed for approximately 15 minutes. During that time, the child will not be encouraged to fall asleep nor should he/she be engaged in any excitable activity. The purpose is to increase the motivation to sleep. At the end of the 15-minute interval, the child will be placed back into bed. This procedure will be repeated until the child falls asleep. The bedtime would then be set for 30 minutes later on the following night (increased from 9:00pm to 9:30pm). This cycle should be repeated until the child falls asleep at the time designated by the parents. Scheduled Awakenings If a child has difficulty remaining asleep and wakes throughout the night, a procedure known as scheduled awakenings may be helpful. Using the data from the sleep log, the parent identifies the most typical night waking times and awakens the child approximately 30 minutes prior to that time by gently touching or softly speaking to the child. Once the child is awake, the parent would allow him/her to fall back asleep. The plan is repeated each night until the child successfully sleeps through the night for 5-7 consecutive days. Once this criterion has been met, one night of awakenings can be skipped per week until the child is no longer waking during the night (Rickert & Johnson, 1988). The Bedtime Pass Oftentimes, a child may resist going to sleep, and call out or leave their bedroom to seek their parents. One intervention that may be beneficial in treating these behaviors is use of a bedtime pass. Parents may want to provide their child with a pass that can be exchanged for leaving the bedroom for a brief amount of time. The bedtime pass may be a small index card with the childs name written on the top. Departures from the bedroom should be short in duration and serve a specific purpose, such as, getting a drink, going to the bathroom, or giving the parent a hug. Once the pass has been used, the child must surrender it to the parent, until the next bedtime. Depending on the frequency of calling out or leaving the room (as identified during the baseline sleep log), the child may be provided with additional passes. If the child engages in problem sleep behavior after the passes have been exchanged, the parent should use the escape extinction procedure discussed above. Sleep disturbances are a common issue that many families of children with disabilities face. Because sleep interventions often involve sleep disruptions for those implementing the plan, the plan should be reviewed with the parents to ensure the likelihood that they can and will implement it. Often, plans will need to be modified to fit into a parents work and family lifestyle. As with any treatment, it is important that all members of the family remain consistent when applying a new intervention. Even siblings play an important role in treating sleep disturbances, as they can serve as models for appropriate sleep behavior by following a nighttime schedule and remaining in their bed throughout the night. With the use of research-based interventions, along with a great deal of patience and persistence, sleep disturbances can be put to rest for many families of children with autism. Lauren K. Schnell, Ph.D., BCBA is an Assistant Professor in the Applied Behavior Analysis Program in Department of Special Education at Hunter College. Her research interests include increasing the efficiency of academic instruction for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, staff training and the assessment and treatment of problem behavior. References Durand, V. M. (1998). Sleep better! A guide to improving sleep for children with special needs.Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing. Durand, V. M. & Mindell, J. A. (1990). Behavioral treatment of multiple childhood sleep disorders. Behavior Modification, 14, 37-49. France, K. G., Blampied, N. M., & Wilkinson, P. (1991).Treatment of infant sleep disturbance by trimeprazine in combination with extinction. Journal of Developmental Behavior and Pediatrics, 12, 308-314. Friman, P., Hoff, K. E., Schnoes, C., Freeman, K. A., Woods, D. W., Blum, N. (1999). The bedtime pass: An approach to bedtime crying and leaving the room. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 153, 1027-1029. Lamberg, L. (1994). Bodyrhythms: Chronobiology and peak performance. New York: William Morrow & Company. Lozoff, B., Wolf, A. W., & Davis, N. C. (1985). Sleep problems seen in pediatric practice. Pediatrics, 75, 477-483. Mindell, J. A., & Durand, V. M. (1993). Treatment of childhood sleep disorders: Generalization across disorders and effects on family members. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 18, 731-750. Piazza, C. C., & Fisher, W. (1991). A faded bedtime with response cost protocol for treatment of multiple sleep problems in children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 24, 129-140. Rickert, V., & Johnson, M. (1998). Reducing nocturnal awakening and crying episodes in infants and young children: A comparison between scheduled awakenings and systematic ignoring. Pediatrics, 81, 203-212. | https://www.eparent.com/eparent-connect/is-it-common-for-children-with-autism-to-have-sleep-disturbances/ |
Who is Penn States 2019 Homecoming opponent? | Penn State has selected its annual Homecoming contest. The Nittany Lions will welcome alumni, hold a parade, and do other annual welcome-back events before, during, and after they take on Purdue on Oct. 5th at Beaver Stadium. Mark those s, @PennStateFball fans! The 2019 @PSUHOMECOMING Game will take place Oct. 5, when the Nittany Lions host Purdue at Beaver Stadium! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/RDRpfoiwfy Penn State Athletics (@GoPSUsports) January 22, 2019 Penn State has an all-time record of 14-3-1 against Purdue and currently enjoys an eight-game winning streak against the Big Ten West foe. The Nittany Lions havent taken on the Boilermakers since the 2016 season, when Penn State won 62-24 in West Lafayette. This time, Penn State will meet Purdue in State College, where the Lions were 5-2 last season. The Homecoming matchup this year is also notable because the Lions' new receivers coach, Gerad Parker, was Purdues interim head coach during the 2016 game between the two schools. Penn States all-time homecoming game record is 71-23-5, which includes last years 21-17 loss to Michigan State. | https://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2019/01/who-is-penn-states-2019-homecoming-opponent.html |
Whats Driving Oil Prices Down? | Oil prices started Tuesday down on gloomy economic news, with mounting fears that economic growth will slow in 2019 (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) - The EIA expects renewable energy to be the fastest source of growing electricity generation for at least the next two years. - Utility-scale solar will expand by 10 percent in 2019 and 17 percent in 2020, the EIA estimates. Wind will grow by 12 percent and 14 percent in 2019 and 2020, respectively. - Meanwhile, total electricity generation will fall by 2 percent this year and will likely be flat in 2020. - That means that renewables overall share of the pie will grow 10 percent in 2018 to 13 percent in 2020. Market Movers Tellurians (NASDAQ: TELL) proposed Driftwood LNG project obtained an approval for an environmental assessment from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, clearing the way for the company to seek its last permit to proceed with construction. Consolidated Edison (NYSE: ED) was downgraded by Bank of America Merrill Lynch to Neutral from Buy with an $80 price target because the company owns renewable energy projects that sell power to PG&E (NYSE: PCG), the California utility that is facing bankruptcy. Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) saw its shares jump more than 8 percent on Friday, the largest one-day gain for the company in eight years, after reporting an upbeat guidance for 2019. Tuesday, January 22nd, 2019 IMF warns economy weakening. The International Monetary Fund warned on Monday that economic growth could slow this year. While global growth in 2018 remained close to post-crisis highs, the global expansion is weakening and at a rate that is somewhat faster than expected, the Fund said. The IMF lowered its global growth estimate to 3.5 percent this year, down 0.2 percent from its October estimate. The Fund said that the downward revision is modest, but that downside risks are rising. While financial markets in advanced economies appeared to be decoupled from trade tensions for much of 2018, the two have become intertwined more recently, tightening financial conditions and escalating the risks to global growth. Oil prices pause on weak China data. After hitting a two-month high in recent days, oil prices have taken a breather on renewed concerns of an economic slowdown generally, and in China more specifically. On Monday, China reported its 2018 GDP growth rate at 6.6 percent, the weakest in nearly three decades. Permian crude prices soar to highest since March. Oil price discounts in Midland have narrowed sharply, converging towards WTI in Houston. The discount is now at its smallest since March 2018. Discounts once traded nearly $20 per barrel below WTI in Midland, but the discount has now fallen to roughly $2.25. Some midstream capacity has been added in recent months, while production growth hit a rough patch this month because of cold weather. Schlumberger: Shale growth slowing. Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) saw its share price jump over the last few trading days after reporting upbeat guidance for 2019. However, the oilfield services giant also said that its fourth quarter revenue fell by 12 percent quarter-on-quarter, the result of slowing drilling activity in the U.S. shale patch. We could be facing a more moderate growth in U.S. shale production in coming years, Schlumbergers CEO Paal Kibsgaard told investors on an earnings call. Related: U.S. Refiners Rush To Buy Heavy Oil As Trump Looks To Punish Maduro Rig count plunges. On Friday, Baker Hughes reported a massive decline in the U.S. rig count, with oil rigs falling by 21 and natural gas-focused rigs falling by four. The huge drop off is the clearest sign yet that the oil price downturn that began in October is starting to wear down the shale industry. Oil prices firmed up on the news. Energy industry expects to increase spending. The majority of top energy executives see an uptick in spending this year, according to a survey by DNV GL. The survey of 791 top energy professionals finds that 70 percent of respondents planned to either maintain or increase capex this year, compared to just 39 percent in 2017. Despite greater oil price volatility in recent months, our research shows that the sector appears confident in its ability to better cope with market instability and long-term lower oil and gas prices, said Liv Hovem, who heads DNVs oil and gas division, according to Reuters. For the most part, industry leaders now appear to be positive that growth can be achieved after several difficult years. Mexico pipeline explosion death toll rises. The death toll from the oil pipeline explosion in Mexico has jumped to 91 and could yet exceed 100. The incident has raised questions about why it took Pemex so long to shut off the pipeline after thieves ruptured it. Government shutdown delays Atlantic exploration. A federal court judge ruled on Friday that the U.S. Department of Interior cannot process seismic testing permits for offshore oil exploration in the Atlantic Ocean while the government is shutdown. Related: The Worlds Most Geopolitically Charged Pipeline Colombian pipeline hit by bomb attack. Ecopetrol SA, Colombias state-owned oil company, said on Sunday that its Transandino pipeline was hit by a bomb attack, causing a spill near the border with Ecuador. The 85,000-bpd pipeline was not operating at the time. More signs of gasoline glut. European shipments of gasoline are having trouble finding a home, Bloomberg reports. The surge in U.S. shale production, a light oil that yields relatively high amounts of gasoline, has left the market well-supplied. Shale oil production is going through a dream phase and the U.S. is going to make more gasoline, said Olivier Jakob, managing director at Petromatrix GmbH. South Sudan sees oil output increase 34 percent. South Sudan has increased its oil production by 34 percent after the Unity fields reopened, according to S&P Global Platts, pushing output up to 175,000 bpd. LNG derivatives take off. The volume of derivatives based on LNG only represented about 2 percent of global LNG production at the start of 2017, according to Bloomberg. But by the end of 2018, derivatives trade ballooned to 23 percent of LNG supply. Volumes are still a fraction of those for Brent crude, for example, but the rising liquidity in trading is evidence that the market is maturing. China funding coal projects worldwide. China is cutting the use of coal, but it is promoting coal abroad in order to develop markets for its product. Reuters reports that China has helped finance about a quarter of coal projects worldwide even as it seeks to curtail coal use at home due to environmental concerns. The top countries include Bangladesh, Vietnam, South Africa and Pakistan. By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: | https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Whats-Driving-Oil-Prices-Down.html |
Are Energy Hedge Funds Going Extinct? | Last years heightened volatility in energy marketstypically a welcome background for fund managers to make profitable tradesproved to be less than stellar news for energy-focused funds. Energy-exposed funds have been suffering since 2016first because of subdued volatility, then because of increased volatility. But most of allbecause of bets on crude oil and natural gas gone wrong. The wrong-side bets on commodity prices resulted in closures of energy-focused funds, with few replacements entering the commodity fund business, so the number of active energy funds dropped last year to the lowest since 2010. Some high-profile fund managers have shut down their oil funds in recent years. Legendary oil trader Andy Hallwho was nicknamed oil God for profitably predicting a bull run in oil prices in the pastcontinued to hold his bullish view even after the 2014 oil price crash. But in the summer of 2017, he closed his main fund Astenbeck after the fund posted double-digit losses. In early 2018, oilman and investment manager T. Boone Pickens called it quits with the energy-focused fund he had managed for the past two decadesBP Capitalciting deteriorating health. Commodities hedge funds are undergoing an extinction event. Just about everyone has gone out of business, David Mooney of Casement Capital told the Financial Times in April 2018. According to data from hedge funds industry tracker Eurekahedge, cited by Reuters, the number of energy-exposed funds dropped to 738 by September 2018 from 836 in 2016the lowest number of active energy funds since 2010. The number of energy funds exclusively focused on crude oil or natural gas fell in the same period to 179 from 194. Experts and fund managers expect energy funds performance to continue to be challenged going forward, because investors withdraw money from such funds as they increasingly see commodities as an unsafe bet or place in which to pour their money. Last year was not a good year for many energy-focused funds, because by mid-year, they had bet on higher oil prices and lower natural gas prices. Beginning in the fourth quarter, those bets turned out very, very wrong. Oil prices started sliding in October and lost 40 percent through December, as fears of zero Iranian oil supply due to the U.S. sanctions flipped into fears of oversupply with U.S. production roaring to records and Saudi Arabia and Russia pro-reactively boosting supply to offset what was expected to be a severe drop in Iranian barrels. Natural gas prices, on the other hand, jumped to $4.80 per MMBtu in mid-November. Storage at a 15-year low, an unusually cold fall, production freezes, and high exports from Corpus Christi combined to create a perfect storm that sent U.S. natural gas prices to their highest level since the polar vortex of 2014. According to the Hedge Fund Research (HFRI) Macro index, cited by Reuters, macro hedge funds with strategies such as bets on oil priceswere among those with the poorest performance last year. They dropped 3.6 percent, the worst yearly performance since 2011, when macro funds fell 4.2 percent. Related: This Is How Much Each OPEC+ Member Needs To Cut Some U.S. mutual funds focused on energy were the worst performers last year, according to Morningstars ranking of performance of funds with more than US$100 million in assets, reported by the Financial Times. As a whole in the hedge fund industry, investors redeemed an estimated US$22.5 billionor 0.7 percent of industry capitalfrom hedge funds in the fourth quarter last year, the largest quarterly outflow since the third quarter of 2016, according to Hedge Fund Research. The Q4 outflow brought the full-year outflow to US$34 billionsome 1 percent of industry capitaland decreased total hedge fund capital to US$3.11 trillion in Q4, down from the record US$3.24 trillion of the previous quarter, Hedge Fund Research said. While the overall investor flows and performance trends were negative, it is likely that discriminating institutional investors which experienced or observed areas of strong performance through the most difficult equity and commodity trading environment in a decade will factor these positive dynamics into portfolio allocations for 2019, said Kenneth J. Heinz, President of HFR. So its not all doom and gloom for the hedge funds as a whole. Quite a few of themthose that were short-sellingmade a lot of money last year, Bloomberg News Nishant Kumar said earlier this month. Yet, energy-focused funds may still struggle going forward, industry experts say. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: | https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Are-Energy-Hedge-Funds-Going-Extinct.html |
Is Kuwaits $500 Billion Oil Plan Overoptimistic? | Kuwaits oil minister is skeptical about the needand the abilityof the state oil company to spend close to US$500 billion on an expansion program that should run until 2040, Reuters reports, citing local media. Khaled al-Fadhel said he was not against the expansion as such, but added that he believed the projected US$495 billion (150 billion dinars) to fuel this expansion are optimistic. Kuwait, along with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, contributes half of OPECs total, Wood Mackenzies chief analyst Simon Flowers noted in a recent article for Forbes, adding that oil industry expenditure in the three countries has remained relatively stable in the last few years despite the downturn. Between 2014 and 2018, Flowers said, the combined upstream investment of Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia had gone down by 19 percent, from US$83 billion to US$67 billion, while global industry investments fell as much as 40 percent during the same time. Kuwaits total production capacity currently stands at 3.15 million barrels of crude from wholly owned fields, but plans are to boost this to 4 million bpd by 2020 and 4.75 million bpd by 2040. Meanwhile, production, however, is far from this capacity. In December, the country produced 2.8 million bpd of crude oil, which was higher than what it pumped in November, at 2.77 million bpd. Despite the increase, the oil minister, who was only appointed recently, said Kuwait was committed to the production cuts, which should take off some 3 percent of its daily output off the supply chain. Al-Fadhel said, in his first public comments after his joining the Kuwaiti cabinet, that he expected the oil market to stabilize soon, with demand for the commodity healthy, in spite of growing worry about the global economy. "The oil market is in a better place today than it was a few years ago," the official said as quoted by Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat, noting the unprecedented level of cooperation among so many large producers. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: | https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Is-Kuwaits-500-Billion-Oil-Plan-Overoptimistic.html |
Whats Behind Oils Slow Flash Crash? | Crude oil prices declined forty percent between October 1 and Christmas Day in 2018. The decrease has been variously attributed to the United States failure to follow through on its tough sanctions on Iran, unexpected increases in US oil production, oil-exporting countries not cutting production sufficiently, and/or realizations that global economic growth was slowing. These explanations are all relevant. However, none can explain a decline that matches in magnitude the decrease that occurred after OPECs November 2014 meeting. At that time, the organization surprised the world by ending its self-imposed limits on its crude oil output. Nothing like that happened in the fourth quarter of 2018. The best historical precedent for the precipitous drop in oil prices happened in equity markets in October 1987. On Black Monday, October 19, a flash crash dropped share prices twenty-two percent in a single day. In a report named for then-Secretary of Treasury Nicholas Brady, financial experts explained that the equity price decline was started by bad economic news but then magnified by futures contract sales made by institutions employing portfolio insurance strategies. Following the parameters of their option-pricing models, the firms that underwrote the insurance policies had to sell futures as prices fell. Their actions pushed share prices down further. A similar phenomenon caused a slow flash crash in oil, one in which prices declined from $85 to $50 per barrel over the last months of 2018. Prices had been bid up during the summer by end users and speculators anticipating the impact of the United States renewed sanctions on Iran and the continued expansion of global demand. The expectations of a decrease in oil supply were dampened when forecasters began to lower projections for global growth and then dashed when the US granted greater-than-expected exceptions to its Iran sanctions. The initial crude oil price decline threatened to put many of the puts written to US independent oil producers, as well as puts sold on the NYMEX and to Mexico, in the money. The parties that had sold the puts responded by selling futures, as dictated by their option-pricing models. We know now that there were a very large number of these price insurance policies. The SEC filings of US independent oil producers reveal that these companies had purchased insurance on one hundred fifty million barrels of oil in the fourth quarter of 2018 and more than three hundred million barrels of 2019 production. In addition, there were perhaps one hundred thousand NYMEX WTI puts outstanding on November 1, 2018. The firms that had sold these instruments did as their financial models dictated when oil prices went down. They sold futures, adding to the downward pressure. Related: U.S. Oil Outlook Slammed By Lower Prices The price decline accelerated, just as in 1987, because there were few buyers. Investors and speculators that might have jumped into oil saw no opportunities last fall, just as their equity counterparts in 1987 failed to see buying opportunities. In 2018, falling crude oil prices, uncertainty regarding what steps OPEC might take, and the lack of clarity regarding US sanctions on Iran pushed everyone to the sideline. The share prices of all major oil companies declined in concert with the major stock indices and oil futures prices. The lack of buying interest increased oil price volatility dramatically. The CBOE volatility index tripled from October to November as computers seeking to cover price insurance contracts tried to sell. As volatility rose, the models instructing the computers ordered even more contracts to be sold. It was a vicious cycle, just as in 1987. The slow oil flash crash may have been exacerbated by the oil markets being open on days when traders in the physical market were on vacation. WTI dropped more than $4 per barrel on the day following Thanksgiving and almost $3 on December 24. While oil traders take time off, computers do not. Some of the large declines were recovered. However, the decreases had boosted volatility and thus added more pressure to sell. Reforms to trade regulations were made in equity markets following the 1987 flash crash. Those interested in more stable oil prices may want to review linkages between financial and physical oil markets. A change in trading rules, however, will not address the basic problem that confronts oil markets today, which is caused by the bilateral nature of commodity markets that dictates there must be one long for every short. The problem is that increasing demand to hedge from independent producers is not matched by increasing demand to buy futures by investors, consumers, and speculators. There is, in short, a lack of longs. The greater demand for hedging can be quantified by comparing the increase in merchant short positions and swap dealer short positions with the rise in oil production published in the US Energy Information Administrations Drilling and Productivity report. In 2007, producers may have hedged four months of production. Eleven years later, at the end of 2018, they may have hedged eight months of productionif one believes all merchant and swap dealer short open interest was taken out to hedge US fracking production, an admittedly extreme assumption. Related: Trump Takes Aim At Maduro, Threatens Oil Embargo The point, though, is that, on average, producers in 2018 had hedged a higher share of their production than in earlier years. At the same time, production had increased fivefold, which boosted the short side of the futures market for hedging tenfold. The markets long side did not expand as significantly over the eleven-year period, although it surged in 2007 and early 2008 at the peak of the commodities super cycle. From 2007 to the end of 2018, the long positions of money managers increased just fivefold. Such an imbalance becomes a particular hazard for the oil market whenever those holding long positions for speculative reasons are disappointed, as was the case in October 2018. To no ones surprise, prices usually decline at such times. In this case, though, the computers at the banks and institutions underwriting the price insurance to US independent producers were sitting on the sidelines, just waiting to sell. The consequence of their getting off the sideline became visible at the end of 2018. The question for the future is how to deal with this development, especially since the increase in US production will create even greater pressure from the computers charged with hedging the price insurance written to the US independent producers. In coming articles, I will offer thoughts on how to assess (and plan) for the impact of increased volatility. I will also offer suggestions on steps oil-exporting countries might take to counteract the actions of the computers. By Philip Verleger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: | https://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Whats-Behind-Oils-Slow-Flash-Crash.html |
Is malaria research leaving out the human factor? | Share this Article Facebook Twitter Email You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license. University Johns Hopkins University Malaria research should focus not just on mosquitoes, but also on the behavior of humans they infect, a new study suggests. What people do at night, when the risk of infected mosquito bites is highest, is especially critical, the authors say. There is substantial research into when malaria mosquitoes bite, when they are most active, and which species are most likely to spread disease, says April Monroe, senior program officer at the Johns Hopkins Universitys Center for Communication Programs. The neglected piece has really been human behavior, says Monroe. Theres been a big focus on mosquito behavior. But you have to look at mosquitoes and people together to really understand what is going on and how to reduce malaria risk. More than nets Malaria, which a mosquito-borne parasite causes, occurs mostly in poor tropical and subtropical areas, the Centers for Disease Control says. In 2016, the CDC says, an estimated 445,000 people died of the disease, mostly young children in sub-Saharan Africa. Insecticide-treated bed nets are the leading reason for significant progress in the fight against malaria over the past 15 years, with a 41 percent decrease in malaria rates and a 62 percent decrease in malaria deaths. But bed nets work only when people are using them, primarily when sleeping. While studies have shown that most people who have nets use them, there are times when malaria mosquitoes are biting when it may not be possible to use a net. These include while people are doing household chores or socializing in the evening before bed. Some people in malaria-prone areas have outdoor night-shift jobs, such as fishing or providing security. Community occasions such as funerals, weddings, or religious events can last through the night. Insecticide-treated nets are our best tool for preventing malaria right now, but we also know that nets alone wont be sufficient to bring the number of malaria cases to zero, Monroe says. While nets will remain crucial for years to come, we must also provide appropriate solutions to people that protect them where and when they need it. Filling in the gaps Monroe and her colleagues screened nearly 3,000 peer-reviewed journal articles and analyzed 26 that provided information on when and where malaria-transmitting mosquitoes are most active people and what activities are happening during those nighttime hours. The review team recommends that researchers use a standardized approach to measuring both human and mosquito behavior across time and settings. This information, she says, is essential for existing tools, social and behavior change interventions, and the development and deployment of new prevention measures to complement bed nets and indoor spraying. People are still getting malaria, even in places where there is broad use of bed nets, Monroe says. We need to fill these research gaps and make decisions on how to better protect people. A greater understanding of human behavior and the interaction of humans and mosquitoes is crucial if we are going to eliminate malaria. The research appears in Malaria Journal. Monroes coauthors are from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Basel in Switzerland, and the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania. The US Agency for International Development and the Presidents Malaria Initiative funded the study. Source: Johns Hopkins University | https://www.futurity.org/malaria-human-behavior-1962992/ |
Can Mozambique Avoid The Resource Curse? | On Monday morning, Mozambican soldiers opened fire to disperse protesters calling for natural gas projects to be suspended until more pressing issues, particularly fundamentalist insurgents, are dealt with. Nonetheless, Mozambique seems determined to push ahead with LNG development, hopeful that the huge gas deposit discovered off its northern coast in 2010 could lift the country out of the ranks of the worlds poorest. Its not only the protesters who are skeptical, however: analysts have raised fears that Maputo could be hit by the resource curse, in which newfound resource wealth brings increased hardship rather than economic growth. This fate, observed in numerous other emerging economies, is nevertheless not inevitable. Mozambique must learn from these countries mistakes and emulate those nations, such as Norway, Qatar and Botswana, which have used their oil and mineral reserves as a springboard for long-term sustainability. Green light for exploration despite ongoing troubles Mozambiques first LNG project is already under construction, while two even bigger undertakings, helmed by ExxonMobil and Anadarko, will receive final investment decisions in 2019. Both projects have already secured off-take commitment, with major companies including Qatar Petroleum joining the exploration. By the mid-2020s, Mozambique could be the worlds sixth biggest LNG producer, transforming the country into a genuine regional power. Yet Mozambique is still coping with the scars from its 15-year civil war; tension remains high between the government and the REMATO rebels. This political instability has led to rampant graft which analysts warned just last week will make it difficult for Mozambiques LNG prospectors to ensure long-term funding. Turmoil and corruption sapping revenues This is a worrying theme to anyone whos observed the plight of resource-rich countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Angola, and Papua New Guinea. Each of these countries discovered huge oil or mineral riches, only to have the bounty drained by a combination of political turmoil and endemic graft. Related: Global Automakers To Spend $300 Billion On EVs In 10 Years The DRC provides perhaps the most tragic example: the sprawling Central African country should be a global powerhouse given its reserves of oil, copper, gold, diamonds and cobaltthe demand for which is set to rise exponentially thanks to its use in lithium batteries. Yet decades of fighting and a postcolonial political vacuum have left it among the worlds poorest countries. A litany of armed groups continue to spar over the DRCs mineral troves, using the proceeds to buy weaponsmeaning that the countrys natural wealth is actually fueling its own agony. Its a familiar tale around the globe. Nigeria, home to the worlds 11th-largest oil reserves, is racked by internecine tension. Repeated attacks on oil operations in the Niger Delta have enabled unscrupulous insiders to steal up to one million barrels per day. In South Sudan, locked in conflict since its foundation, officials have siphoned off oil proceeds, squirreling them away overseas. Far from bringing Papua New Guinea economic prosperity, its vast swathes of LNG reserves have inflamed decades-old tensions between rival clans, who have blocked the gas plants. Blindingly short-sighted Alongside these endemic political problems, each cursed country has made the same fundamental economic error: instead of using their resources to fund long-term investment and evolution, they have allowed these natural bonanzas to engulf all other areas of the economy. Nigeria, for example, was once the worlds second-biggest producer of cocoa, and exported large amounts of rubber and palm oil. But these plentiful reserves were sidelined when oil was discovered in the 1950s, with oil and gas now accounting for nearly 40% of GDP. The Angolan government has been even more myopicoil now constitutes 95% of Luandas total exports. As a result, Angola and Nigeria are ever-more vulnerable to fluctuations in global commodities markets; indeed, the oil price shock has had a seismic effect on both countries, pushing up government debt and jeopardizing the countries credit profiles. To make matters worse, many of the resource curses victims have allowed themselves to be sucked in by Chinas promise of cheap loans. Under the pretext of its Belt and Road trade strategy, Beijing has offered quick cash to developing countries, then seized their assets when the repayments get too steep. Many countries with abundant natural resources, struggling with mounting debts, have given in to the temptation of Chinese investment. As a result, Beijing is scooping up natural treasures across the developing world, controlling Congos cobalt and allowing South Sudan and Angola to pay off debts in crude, leaving the countries with little oil to sell themselves. Positive examples Thankfully, a number of resource-rich countries have avoided the curse through proactive economic strategies. Norway, which has plowed its oil rents into a vast sovereign wealth fund which now owns 1% of the worlds stocks, is an obvious example. Fellow natural gas hub Qatar (and competitor for the worlds richest country per capita), which has used the Saudi-led blockade as a spur to accelerate its diversification away from hydrocarbons, is another. Related: Fears Of U.S. Shale Demise May Be Overblown Dohas own wealth fund has pivoted towards an ambitious new strategy to build an economy independent from gas revenues, supplementing high-profile purchases such as Londons Grosvenor Hotel with significant investment in industry and agriculture and a joint initiative with Malaysia and Turkey to corner the Islamic finance market. With the emirates economic growth expected to exceed 3% for the next three years, its clear this strategy is bearing fruit. Perhaps the most relevant case study for Mozambique is nearby Botswana. The government has reinvested profits from its lucrative diamond mines in foreign-exchange reserves, which have in turn stimulated Gaborones manufacturing and services sectors as well as bankrolled investment in health and education. As a result, Botswana has enjoyed a prolonged period of steep economic growth and rising revenues from non-mining sectors. Encouragingly, Mozambique is already talking about following in Norway, Qatar and Botswanas footsteps. At the dawn of Maputos LNG boom, the government is targeting progress in fisheries and agriculture; a number of significant infrastructure works, including a national electrification scheme, are in the pipeline. But with the country mired in lingering uncertainty, sustainably managing the countrys natural resources is sure to bring plenty of challenges ahead. By Richard Talley for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: | https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Can-Mozambique-Avoid-The-Resource-Curse.html |
Should I drain my savings to buy a house? | Although the housing market has cooled a little in many cities, theres still a sense among young adults that they may never own a house. And so, they ask questions like this one: Q: Im in my early-30s, and am only now starting to think about (possible) home ownership. At this point in time, thats what Im facing, and Im not sure how normal or financially responsible that would be. A: I have not seen any figures on this, so Ill have to go with my gut here and say it is normal for first-time buyers to burn their savings to buy a home. Its not just the down payment that eats up savings. Legal fees plus closing costs can add thousands to the bill. Story continues below advertisement It may be normal to spend all your savings to buy a home, but its not financially responsible. Housing true believers will tell you that everyone struggles financially to get into a house, so dont sweat it. But having no savings cushion at all when you own a home puts you at risk of having to go into debt to afford one of those repair or maintenance emergencies that are unavoidable when you own a home. Youre ready to buy a house when you have a down payment, when you can afford all the closing and moving costs AND when you can keep at least a couple of thousand dollars back for emergencies. As a home owner of 25 or so years, I can tell those emergencies do happen. If you need help figuring out whether that mortgage will leave you house poor, check out our Real Life Ratio calculator. If so, you can sign up for Carrick on Money here. Robs personal finance reading list Stocks for a TFSA Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement A personal finance blogger lists five dividend stocks that hes considering for his tax-free savings account and generates a lively debate with readers. Life in a tiny condo I wrote recently about how young adults are having trouble affording both rents and mortgage payments in the Toronto area. One solution is the tiny condo, accent on the tiny. Toronto Life recently interviewed a couple living in a two-storey, 450-square-foot condo. Four regrettable financial mistakes A blogger provides an honest accounting of four financial missteps that cost her thousands of dollars. Good to see someone warning about spending too much on weddings. From the department of food gadgets Story continues below advertisement An ode to food dehydrators. If you want to indulge yourself on one gadget for your kitchen this year, this might be the one. Heres a calculator that can help show you how much tax youll save with an RRSP contribution. Of course, RRSPs work best when you reinvest those tax savings into the plan. Or, use them to pay down debt. Send it my way. Sorry I cant answer every one personally. Questions and answers are edited for length. Perma-debt ETFs are good for your portfolio, but not if you do this (for Globe Unlimited subscribers) More Carrick and money coverage For more money stories, follow me on Instagram and Twitter, and join the discussion on my Facebook page. Millennial readers, join our Gen Y Money Facebook group. Send us an e-mail to let us know what you think of my newsletter. Click here to sign up. | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/household-finances/article-should-i-drain-my-savings-to-buy-a-house/ |
Can Gold Retain Its Safe-Haven Status? | That gold benefited from the extreme financial market volatility late last year cant be denied. So with volatility on the wane, many wonder if golds number is up. In todays report well examine the factors which weigh in favor of gold continuing to trend higher in the coming months in spite of a declining fear factor. The gold price stumbled last week and finished Fridays session below its 15-day moving average. This marked the first time since November that the metals price fell below this key immediate-term trend line. Since gold was below the 15-day MA on a weekly closing basis, I regard this as a breach of the immediate-term (1-4 week) upward trend based on the rules of my technical trading discipline. However, as weve discussed in recent reports Im willing to give gold the benefit of the doubt and retain our trading position in the gold ETF as long as the $1,275 level isnt violated in the February gold futures market and the $12.25 level in the iShares Gold Trust (IAU). Ill have more to say about this later in this report. Source: BigCharts One of the signs that investors are no longer panicky over the short-term financial market outlook is the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), which is Wall Streets favorite fear gauge. The VIX chart below shows that the December panic in the equity market was accompanied by a sharp rise in the level of fear among participants. It was in fact the second highest fear spike of 2018 as well as one of the highest VIX levels of the last four years. This manifestation of fear and uncertainty was hugely beneficial for the gold price, which had its most impressive rally of 2018 during December. Source: BigCharts Another potential development which could be interpreted as being detrimental to golds safe-haven status is the improvement in the stock markets of emerging market (NYSE:EM) countries. My favorite surrogate for the aggregate performance of EM stocks is the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM). As you can see here, EEM has established what many technicians refer to as a double bottom between October and December. Since then EEM has confirmed an immediate-term bullish signal by trending above its rising 15-day moving average. Source: BigCharts Further, a close decisively above the 42.00 level in the EEM would confirm a positive shift in the intermediate-term (3-9 month) direction of the emerging market stocks, for this would result in a series of higher highs and higher lows over a four-month period. Everything, for golds prospects began improving last August around the time that weakness in the emerging markets was becoming a major concern. If the EM stocks continue to improve from here, it will mean that investor confidence in the global outlook is improving which in turn could undermine golds safe-haven status on at least a temporary basis. As Ive argued since late last year, even if global equity markets continue to rebounds in the coming weeks we should see continued buoyancy in the gold price. This is based on the observation that in past instances when stocks rebounded after a steep plunge, the gold price usually benefited from residual safety-related concerns for at least several months after the decline. While fear and volatility tend to fade quickly, investors have long memories and typically remain apprehensive about the intermediate-to-longer-term financial market outlook well after stock market lows have been established. For an example of this phenomenon, consider that during the stock market sell-off of late 2015/early 2016, the gold price not only outperformed the S&P 500 Index (SPX) on a relative basis but also continued rising for many months after the financial market established a bottom in February 2016. For evidence I offer the following graph which compares the performance of the SPX interposed with that of the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) during 2015 and 2016. Source: BigCharts Returning to the short-term outlook, one of the most recent headwinds gold has encountered is last weeks rally in the U.S. dollar. While this rally may be regarded as a temporary relief rally, the fact that the dollar finished last week significantly above its 15-day moving average is a concern. More importantly, however, is that the dollar index remains below the more technically (and psychologically) significant 50-day trend line. Shown below is the Invesco DB U.S. Dollar Index Bullish Fund (UUP), my preferred dollar proxy, in relation to both its 15-day and 50-day MAs. Its imperative that the dollar ETF remain under the 50-day MA in order for gold to maintain its overall upside bias. With the dollar remaining under the 50-day MA, golds currency component will remain strong enough to give the gold bulls the advantage. Source: BigCharts Lets now take a look at my favorite gold trading vehicle, namely the iShares Gold Trust (IAU). In recent reports we discussed the increased possibility for a temporary dip in the IAU price. IAU dipped late last week and finished the Jan. 18 session under its 15-day MA, which was the first time the immediate-term trend line was violated since November. However, even if IAU continues to lag in the next several days the gold ETF should continue to benefit in the weeks and months to come from the residual worries over the global market outlook as mentioned above. Moreover, IAUs pullback should be short-lived as long as the dollar index (DXY) remains under its 50-day moving average as also previously mentioned. Source: BigCharts On a strategic note, traders should remain long the iShares Gold Trust after recently taking some profit. I also recommend raising the stop loss for the remainder of this trading position to slightly under the $12.25 level on an intraday basis. A violation of $12.25 in the IAU would mean that price has fallen under the technically significant 15-day moving average, in turn signaling a shift in the immediate-term trend. Disclosure: I am/we are long IAU. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. | https://seekingalpha.com/article/4234692-can-gold-retain-safe-haven-status |
Can we deploy a "Quadcopter Rocket Launcher" on LoC? | Don't know whether a thread is already present on this topic or not but i am seriously considering the future applications of this idea.This is a basic model of a quadcopter rocket launcher developed by Belarusian Army but we can make it better with more R&D by adding a rocket pod or 3-4 ATGMs with powerful motors. This drone can be made available to the company or battalion HQs on LOC and they can supplement the troops on ground with multiple destructive weapons within minutes of engagement and can also be recharged once drained off weapons.It will surely escalate the level of conflict from current agreed caliber of weapons to the air launched rockets and anti aircraft guns and MANPADs but we can discuss the possibilities and force multiplier ideas/options because of numerically weaker presence at LoC. | https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/can-we-deploy-a-quadcopter-rocket-launcher-on-loc.598251/ |
Which Nation Will Be The 4th To Join the Elite Club of Spacefaring Nations? | _________________________________ Claims for North Korea Hyecho and the Memoir of the pilgrimage to the five kingdoms of India 107(2018) 12 1 Hyecho (704787), , Sanskrit: Prajvikrama; pinyin: Hui Chao, was a Buddhist monk from Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Hyecho studied esoteric Buddhism in Tang China, initially under ubhakarasiha and then under the famous Indian monk Vajrabodhi who praised Hyecho as "one of six living persons who were well-trained in the five sections of the Buddhist canon." On the advice of his Indian teachers in China, he set out for India in 723 to acquaint himself with the language and culture of the land of the Buddha. During his journey to India, Hyecho wrote a travelogue in Chinese named Wang ocheonchukguk jeon (hanja: ) which means, "Memoir of the pilgrimage to the five kingdoms of India." It is the first known overseas travelogue written in Chinese by a Korean and contains information about the political, cultural and economic customs of India and central Asia at that time. The five Indian kingdoms in the work's title refer to West, East, North, South and Central India. This scroll is estimated as the first East Asian travelogue to the Islamic world. He went to the coastal countries and crossed Persia (Iran) to reach the region known as the Eastern Empire, before returning to China in the year 727. Hyecho traveled most of his journey by road for several years, traveling a distance of about 10,000 km, recording in details his experiences. It took Hyecho approximately four years to complete his journey. The travelogue contains much information on local diet, languages, climate, cultures, and political situations. Spoiler: Links http://www.dprktoday.com/content/gisa/2018/20181201-k6-01-1.jpg http://www.dprktoday.com/index.php?type=2&no=35859 Hyejo's voyage, the first Korean in history to discover Persia. http://www.dprktoday.com/index.php?type=2&no=35859 107(2018) 12 1Hyecho (704787), , Sanskrit: Prajvikrama; pinyin: Hui Chao, was a Buddhist monk from Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.Hyecho studied esoteric Buddhism in Tang China, initially under ubhakarasiha and then under the famous Indian monk Vajrabodhi who praised Hyecho as "one of six living persons who were well-trained in the five sections of the Buddhist canon. "On the advice of his Indian teachers in China, he set out for India in 723 to acquaint himself with the language and culture of the land of the Buddha.During his journey to India, Hyecho wrote a travelogue in Chinese named Wang ocheonchukguk jeon (hanja: ) which means, "Memoir of the pilgrimage to the five kingdoms of India. "It is the first known overseas travelogue written in Chinese by a Korean and contains information about the political, cultural and economic customs of India and central Asia at that time. The five Indian kingdoms in the work's title refer to West, East, North, South and Central India. This scroll is estimated as the first East Asian travelogue to the Islamic world.He went to the coastal countries and crossed Persia (Iran) to reach the region known as the Eastern Empire, before returning to China in the year 727.Hyecho traveled most of his journey by road for several years, traveling a distance of about 10,000 km, recording in details his experiences.It took Hyecho approximately four years to complete his journey. The travelogue contains much information on local diet, languages, climate, cultures, and political situations. Flashforward: Pyongyang No. 1 Senior-middle School, October 2017. Flashforward: Pyongyang Munsu water Park, June 2017. Official and ambitious goal of North Korea's space program, the exploitation of the lunar rare earths reserve. Feasibility for North Korea Hwasong-15 ICBM. Mobile civilian space launcher based on the Hwasong-15 ICBM. North Korean Hwasong-15 reentry vehicle, U.S. Titan 2 Mk.6 reentry vehicle and Chinese FSW recoverable capsule. North Korean Hwasong-15 reentry vehicle. Irano-North Korean E1 suborbital space capsule: on the left, new model from 2016, on the right, old exhibition mockup from 2015. New model of the Irano-North Korean E1 suborbital space capsule from 2016. | https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/which-nation-will-be-the-4th-to-join-the-elite-club-of-spacefaring-nations.598244/ |
How can mobile payments in China be greater than GDP? | Mobile payments made through third-party providers like Alipay bring China's total mobile payment transactions in 2016 to around $38 trillion. - Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images A listener questioned our story about going cashless in Shanghai specifically, when we reported $23 trillion worth of mobile payment transactions in China in 2016: Hey, Jennifer. I heard your story on the radio last night. This statistic seems dubious: pic.twitter.com/Y94Yh6YaYB Troy Wolverton (@troywolv) January 16, 2019 Even some of our colleagues here at Marketplace wondered how it was possible for an economy whose GDP that year was $11.19 trillion to tally nearly twice that amount in mobile payments. It's entirely possible, according to experts on mobile payments in China. In fact, we underreported the amount of mobile payments. We got the $23 trillion number from the Peoples Bank of China. But it only includes transactions via state-backed UnionPay (which includes Chinese Apple Pay, Huawei Pay, Xiaomi Pay, and others.) Experts we spoke to said we also should have included an additional figure from the PBOC that tracks mobile payments through third-party mobile transaction providers, including WeChat Pay, Alipay, Baidu Wallet, and JD Pay. That brings the total for 2016 to 256.82 trillion yuan, or around $38 trillion. Gross domestic product is the measure of the value of finished goods and services in a country. But not every monetary transaction counts. What counts is the value added by companies or people in a country, said macroeconomist Louis Kuijs, formerly of the World Banks China office and now head of Asia research at Oxford Economics. The turnover on U.S. financial markets is many, many, many times U.S. GDP," Kuijs said. "But, in value-added terms, the contribution of the financial sector to GDP is, like, 10 percent or so. Consider an example closer to home: Let's say I have dinner with two friends and the bill comes to 1,200 yuan ($180). I use WeChat Pay to cover the whole bill, then each of my friends uses the same service to pay me 400 yuan ($60). The Peoples Bank of China registers a total of 2,000 yuan ($300) in transactions nearly twice what the dinner cost. The payments from my friends involve no exchange of goods or services. And transactions like that aren't included in the calculation of GDP, Kuijs said. Our original story focused on third-party mobile-payment platforms, including Alipay and WeChat Pay. They're used for a wide range of financial transactions. It's common for small businesses to use them to pay salaries to their workers and invoices to other businesses. Consumers in China use mobile payments to pay for goods and services, utility bills, traffic fines, and hospital bills. They transfer money to friends. They use mobile payments to make investments. And to make payments on mortgages, car loans, and personal loans. Remember that pure financial transactions repaying loans, buying stock are not part of GDP, because no good or service is being produced," said economics blogger and author Timothy Taylor. "They are just a transfer of ownership of a financial asset." If mobile transactions in China are being used for financial transactions, the number could go up a lot in a hurry, he said. I think the best compliment I can give is not to say how much your programs have taught me (a ton), but how much Marketplace has motivated me to go out and teach myself. Michael in Arlington, VA As a nonprofit news organization, what matters to us is the same thing that matters to you: being a source for trustworthy, independent news that makes people smarter about business and the economy. So if Marketplace has helped you understand the economy better, make more informed financial decisions or just encouraged you to think differently, were asking you to give a little something back. Become a Marketplace Investor today in whatever amount is right for you and keep public service journalism strong. Were grateful for your support. BEFORE YOU GO | https://www.marketplace.org/2019/01/22/world/how-can-mobile-payments-china-be-greater-gdp |
How can we prevent opioid addiction? | Two baskets are filled with a variety of remedies Jennifer Kane uses to manage her chronic pain inside of her Minneapolis home on Thursday, March 28, 2018. Opioids are highly addictive. The longer a patient is prescribed opioids, the higher the chance they will become addicted. MPR News host Angela Davis spoke with three guests about their efforts to reduce addiction to opioids in Minnesota. Guests: Colleen Ronnei is the founder of Change the Outcome. Her son Luke died of an opioid overdose in 2016. Dr. Charles Reznikoff works in Addiction Medicine at Hennepin Healthcare. Richie Bean is the opioid prevention team coordinator in Cass County. Use the audio player above to listen to the conversation. | https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/01/22/how-can-we-prevent-opioid-addiction?refid=0 |
How does ecstasy kill? | MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), commonly referred to as ecstasy, was manufactured as a potential pharmaceutical early last century. It had some limited use in the 1970s as a therapeutic aid in trauma treatment and in relationship counselling, and more recent studies using MDMA for trauma have shown some promise. Structurally, MDMA is similar to the stimulant methamphetamine and to the hallucinogen mescaline, and so has both stimulant and mildly hallucinogenic effects. Most problems with recreational MDMA are acute. Dependence and other long-term problems are quite rare. Less than 1% of all drug treatment presentations are for ongoing problems with MDMA, such as dependence. Most fatalities from taking ecstasy are a result of a combination of factors, not just the drug itself. Most of these conditions dont result in death if they are treated early, but because of the stigma associated with using illicit drugs, sometimes people dont seek help early enough. Any unusual or unwanted symptoms experienced while taking ecstasy should be treated as soon as they appear. Read more: Six reasons Australia should pilot 'pill testing' party drugs Contaminants and polydrug use Most people are under the impression drugs are illegal because they are dangerous, but a drugs legal status isnt necessarily related to relative danger. In fact, drugs are much more dangerous because they are unregulated, manufactured by backyard chemists in clandestine laboratories. Unlike alcohol, which is a highly regulated drug, theres no way to tell how potent illicit drugs are or whats in them, unless you test them. In Australia, what is sold as ecstasy may contain a lot of MDMA or very little. Pills can contain other more dangerous drugs that mimic the effects of MDMA, and benign substances, such as lactose, as filler agents. A recent report on findings from Australias first official pill testing trial at the Groovin the Moo music festival last year, found nearly half the pills tested were of low purity. Some 84% of people who had their pills tested thought they had bought MDMA but only 51% actually contained any MDMA. Some of the more dangerous contaminants found in pills include PMA (paramethoxyamphetamine), which is more toxic at lower doses than ecstasy; N-Ethylpentylone, a cathinone which is a lot more potent than MDMA making it easier to take too much; and NBOMes (N-methoxybenzyl), which is more toxic at lower doses than other hallucinogenic drugs and can cause heart attack, renal failure, and stroke. Pills have also been detected in UK and NZ with up to three doses of MDMA in a single pill. Although its possible to take too much MDMA and experience severe toxic effects, as with other illicit drugs, most ecstasy-related deaths involve multiple drugs. Sometimes these drug mixes are unexpected and sometimes people take multiple drugs deliberately. Its safer for people using ecstasy to limit use of other drugs, including alcohol, to avoid risk of adverse effects. Read more: While law makers squabble over pill testing, people should test their drugs at home Heatstroke Heatstroke or hyperthermia (dangerously high body temperature) is one of the most common issues among people taking MDMA. MDMA increases body temperature and sweating, and using it is often accompanied by physical activity (such as dancing) in a hot environment (such as a crowded venue or in the summer heat), exacerbating fluid loss. If you dont have enough fluids your body cant cool itself properly. The effect of ecstasy can be exacerbated by consuming alcohol. Alcohol is a diuretic, so it makes you urinate more and increases dehydration. Dehydration increases risk of heatstroke. Heatstroke can cause brain, heart, kidney and muscle damage, and if left untreated can cause serious complications or death. If active, people taking MDMA should drink around 500ml (two cups) of water an hour and take regular breaks. Isotonic drinks (such as Powerade and Gatorade) are also OK. from www.shutterstock.com Water intoxication People using MDMA can get really thirsty. Some is probably the direct effect of MDMA, some because theyre hot, and some from dehydration. But if you have too much water the ratio of salts and water in the body becomes unbalanced basically the level of salt in your body gets too low and your cells start swelling with water. The technical name is hyponatraemia. MDMA is an anti-diuretic, so it makes you retain water, which can increase risk of water intoxication. People may feel nausea with vomiting, confusion, severe fatigue, muscle weakness and cramps. People taking ecstasy need to stay hydrated but only replace what is lost through sweating around 500ml per hour if active and around 250ml and hour when inactive. Serotonin syndrome The main action of MDMA in the brain is an increase in serotonin, which among other things is responsible for regulating pro-social behaviour, empathy and optimism. This is why people who have taken MDMA feel connection with and positivity towards others. But too much serotonin can result in serotonin syndrome. It typically occurs when other drugs that also raise serotonin levels (other stimulants, antidepressants) are taken together with MDMA. Signs include high body temperature, agitation, confusion, problems controlling muscles, headache and the shakes. People might also experience seizures or loss of consciousness. It can be fatal if the symptoms are left untreated, so if anyone taking MDMA shows any of these signs they should be treated immediately. Its safer not to mix different types of drugs, especially if you do not know whats in them. Read more: Here's why doctors are backing pill testing at music festivals across Australia Other causes More rarely, fatalities have been reported as a result of other health complications after taking ecstasy, especially if the person has pre-existing risk factors, such as high blood pressure or a heart condition. Complications related to heart failure, liver failure and brain haemorrhage have been reported in people already at high risk of these problems. The number of people who die from party drugs is relatively low compared to other drugs such as heroin, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals. But the media tend to report a higher proportion of these deaths compared to other drugs, increasing the perception of harm. Most of the deaths are not directly from the drug itself but other complications or contaminants. Its safest not to take drugs at all, but if you choose to, its safer to take a small amount first (like a quarter of a pill) and wait at least an hour to make sure there are no ill effects; drink about 500ml per hour of water if active; and dont mix drugs, including alcohol. In the absence of a legal, uncontaminated supply of MDMA, when pill testing becomes available in Australia it will at least help people make informed decisions about drug use and reduce the risk of fatalities and other harms. People often choose not to take their pills, or take smaller amounts, when they discover contaminants. | http://theconversation.com/how-does-ecstasy-kill-109506 |
What Is Minimum Wage for NFL Players? | Sunday (1/20) was an epic day for the NFL Playoffs. Four teams battling to get into the Superbowl, and it was like nothing else. Both games went into overtime and came down to the final play. Everybody, and I mean everybody was talking about it on Monday. But, let's get wound up for the big game. We, at our house, are already planning for the party. I must say that the players are earning their money right now putting on all the entertainment for us while taking bone crushing hits on the field. It, of course, varies from player to player depending who they are. But next time you look at all the players on the field, know that every single one of them is making more than the president of the United States. With the President's annual salary at $400,000, the minimum salary in the NFL is $450,000. And it goes up from there. For example, quarterback Kirk Cousins had a salary of $19,953,000 for the 2016 season. | http://ksoo.com/what-is-minimum-wage-for-nfl-players/ |
How do brands cope with their product becoming wildly popular for unintended reasons? | A Q-tip, that familiar stick bracketed by soft cotton on either end, seems made to clean the ears inserting the swab into the ear canal is surely the point of its existence. Except that, according to the manufacturer, they are not made to clean the ears at all. Q-tips cotton swabs are perfect for arts and crafts, manicures, makeup application, cleaning and more, reads the official Q-tips website. A closer look reveals the fine print: Different uses for our cotton swabs include beauty, baby care, home and electronics, and first aid. One finds no mention of how Q-tips are actually used. As far as Unilever is concerned, ear-cleaning is a misapplication of the Q-tip. Unilever is obliged to caution buyers against the dangers of misusing its most popular product. The company sells a product it knows is used primarily for a purpose that any doctor in America will tell you is one of the most dangerous things you can do to your body from a standing position in the bathroom, an editorial in Time joked in mock outrage in 2001. Between 1992 and 1997, more than 100 people experienced a serious eardrum injury as a result of cleaning their ears with Q-tips. Countless others came down with cases of tinnitus. Consult any medical journal, health forum or otolaryngologist and you will hear the same chorus of admonition: it is extremely dangerous to use cotton swabs to remove wax from your ears. Naturally, it would be irresponsible of Unilever to advertise Q-tips as appropriate for this purpose. On the other hand, a product so popular must be indispensably lucrative. Marketing is a complicated science, to be sure, and how goods are sold involves a currency of ideas sometimes too elusive for the consumer to readily comprehend. Marketing is a complicated science, to be sure, and how goods are sold involves a currency of ideas sometimes too elusive for the consumer to readily comprehend. But one tenet seems relatively straightforward: a successful brand has positive associations. If you sell fast food, you want that food to conjure images of comfort, delight, economy; if you sell a kind of soda pop, you want its name to evoke feelings of cheer, excitement, pleasure. What you probably do not want is for the product to bring to mind the opposite of whatever you intended particularly if the thing brought to mind has a good chance of putting your buyers in the hospital. A company such as Unilever has an interest in shaping our perception of its wares: it aspires to make Q-tip synonymous with, for instance, cleaning between the keys of a computer keyboard, rather than the connotation it cant shake. Ear-cleaning is a Q-tip marketing failure, even as that failure is directly responsible for its success. On January 7th, 2018, a YouTuber named TheAaronSwan669 uploaded a video of himself eating detergent, a semi-ironic feat of extravagant lunacy he dubbed, in keeping with such trends, The Tide Pod Challenge. Tide Pods are the nifty little self-contained laundry pacs the company launched in 2012 to considerable enthusiasm. They appear colourful and candy-like, and Tide has always been careful to warn consumers to keep them away from kids, who might mistake them for an appetizing treat. A satirical article in The Onion in 2015 riffed on the appeal to a child: From the very second I saw those blue and red detergent pods come out of that shopping bag last week, a fictitious boy editorializes, I knew immediately that, come hell or high water, I would eat one of those things. A couple of years later, real kids on YouTube made this joke into a full-blown trend. Eat some Tide Pods, the videos dared. If the damn things are fatally toxic, all the better for the fun. As the Tide Pod Challenge spread across the internet, mainstream news outlets took note, and it wasnt long before newspapers, daytime talk shows and a whole stratum of concerned parents online were declaring a state of emergency over the self-poisoning antics of the unpredictable Kids These Days. Their alarm was overblown: the Tide Pod Challenge was one of those mock-earnest stunts that savvy teenage pranksters do, as they say on the internet, for the lulz, and there never was any mad nationwide descent into rabid detergent consumption. More people were talking about, and indeed buying, Tide Pods than ever. The reason just happened to be bad. But the kids are eating Tide Pods narrative was much too sensational for the world to ignore, and Procter & Gamble, who owns Tide, was soon obliged to address this apparent new craze, adding new warning labels to their packaging, redesigning the look of the pod to something less overtly delectable, and running advertisements that exhorted children to stop scarfing these things down. It was a delicate situation. More people were talking about, and indeed buying, Tide Pods than ever. The reason just happened to be bad. That was the crisis of identity they faced more than a decade ago, when Icing a ritual among fraternity types in which somebody surprised by the appearance of a bottle of Smirnoff Ice must chug it in its entirety on the spot briefly made the drink a barroom and house-party phenomenon. The gag was premised on the fact that most people find Smirnoff Ice so unpleasant that drinking it was considered an outrageous punishment; but, thanks to the gag, they were drinking it, and in unprecedented numbers. Icing moved units, which is ultimately the goal. Its not that ends justify means; its that if that ends are lucrative, the means are irrelevant. A recent case of popularity gone wrong is among the most peculiar. Bird Box, the feature-length adaptation of the novel by Josh Malerman that Netflix released at the end of last year, has been celebrated by the streaming service as one of its most successful original productions in the history of the platform. However, that success has had an unexpected consequence: the Bird Box Challenge, another viral stunt, this time featuring videos of people attempting to perform everyday tasks while blindfolded, in a nod to the film. Like the Tide Pod Challenge, this Bird Box Challenge has secured the movie further column inches, worldwide notoriety and a place in the conversation no amount of advertising could buy. Also like the Tide Pod Challenge, its proven such a risk to consumers that Netflix has had to issue advisories warning people against trying it at home. Doubtless some who hear about this game have watched the film to see what the fuss is about a win for Netflix. Yet again, some wins dont quite feel right. There is a sense in which, if sales are up, no reason for sudden interest in a product is the wrong kind: all publicity is good publicity. Quashing a misperception or meme thats otherwise compelling people to buy your product could of course compel them to stop altogether, which wont do unless you feel theres a moral responsibility to remove dangerous Tide Pods or Q-tips from the market for the sake of the public good. So, it pays to exploit all this popularity, even if isnt the popularity you want. Corporations are too greedy to be particular about this sort of thing, at the end of the day. When the consumer takes a product into their own hands and does something unplanned with it, brands have to appreciate that at least its their product being bought. You would have to say the only thing worse than the widespread misappropriation of a product, from the brands point of view, is its total disregard. Because if nothing else, we all know the name Q-tips. | https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/when-popularity-goes-wrong-can-brands-save-their-trending-products |
Was darf ein arbeitsunfhiger Arbeitnehmer machen? | Erkrankte Arbeitnehmer sind whrend einer Arbeitsunfhigkeit weder an das Bett gefesselt, noch verpflichtet in ihrer Wohnung zu verharren. Vielfach verschwimmen jedoch die Grenzen zwischen dem was man whrend einer Krankschreibung machen darf und was nicht. Erkrankte Arbeitnehmer sind whrend einer Arbeitsunfhigkeit weder an das Bett gefesselt, noch verpflichtet in ihrer Wohnung zu verharren. Vielfach verschwimmen jedoch die Grenzen zwischen dem was man whrend einer Krankschreibung machen darf und was nicht. Eine weit verbreitete Annahme geht davon aus, dass krankgeschriebene Arbeitnehmer quasi vom normalen sozialen Leben ausgeschlossen sind. Und so manchen Arbeitnehmer plagt schon das schlechte Gewissen, wenn er sich auf den Weg zum Hausarzt macht oder einen Spaziergang in der Sonne macht. Keine Gefhrdung des Heilungserfolgs Grundstzlich muss ein erkrankter Arbeitnehmer alles unterlassen, was seine Genesung verzgern knnte. So darf er den Heilungserfolg nicht durch genesungswidriges Verhalten gefhrden. Je nach Erkrankung muss er dafr aber nicht in jedem Fall strenge Bettruhe einhalten. Konkret bedeutet das, dass selbst sportliche Aktivitten, wie z. B. laufen, bei einer Fingerverletzung fr einen Tischler nicht ausgeschlossen sind. Diese sportlichen Aktivitten whrend einer Arbeitsunfhigkeit stellen in diesem Fall kein genesungswidriges Verhalten dar, das eine verhaltensbedingte Kndigung rechtfertigen wrde. Bestehen bei Arbeitnehmern hierbei Unsicherheiten, ob etwas erlaubt sein knnte, sollte zuvor der behandelnde Arzt konsultiert werden. Dieser schtzt ein, ob eine Gefhrdung und damit eine konkrete Verzgerung des Genesungsverlaufs aus medizinischer ausgeschlossen werden kann. Freizeitaktivitten und Vertrauensverhltnis Passivitt ist manchmal sogar der falsche Weg, um schnell wieder gesund zu werden. So ist grundstzlich davon auszugehen natrlich nicht bei notwendiger Bettruhe das Einkaufen und ein Spaziergang kein schdliches Verhalten darstellen. Selbst Freizeitaktivitten wie Kino- und Restaurantbesuche knnen erlaubt sein. Gerade solche Aktivitten knnen jedoch das Vertrauensverhltnis zwischen Arbeitgeber, Arbeitnehmer und den Kollegen belasten. Wird der Arbeitnehmer hierbei gesehen, stellt sich fr den Arbeitgeber oder die Kollegen natrlich die Frage, ob der Arbeitnehmer denn tatschlich krank ist. Und diese Frage ist durchaus berechtigt, denn die Einschrnkungen sind je nach Art der Erkrankung unterschiedlich. Dem Arbeitgeber (und ggf. den Kollegen) ist jedoch in der Regel nicht bekannt, weshalb der Arbeitnehmer arbeitsunfhig ist. Von daher sollte jeweils individuell entschieden werden, ob bestimmte Aktivitten im Einzelfall notwendig sind und eventuell entstehende Missverstndnisse rechtfertigen. Entsprechend sind diese Kriterien auch auf einen grundstzlich erlaubten Nebenjob des Arbeitnehmers zu bertragen. Ein arbeitsunfhiger Arbeitnehmer darf einen Nebenjob theoretisch solange ausben, wie dadurch der Heilungsprozess nicht verzgert wird. Eine andere Frage ist hierbei jedoch, wie gut ein Arbeitgeber nachvollziehen kann und will, dass nur die Nebenttigkeit bei der vorliegenden Erkrankung fortgefhrt werden kann. Hierbei sollte der Arbeitnehmer sich auch bewusst machen, dass eine aufgrund einer ausgebten Nebenttigkeit eingetretene Verzgerung des Heilprozesses ein Versto gegen die arbeitsvertragliche Rcksichtspflicht darstellt. | https://www.haufe.de/sozialwesen/leistungen-sozialversicherung/arbeitsunfaehigkeit-und-entgeltfortzahlung/der-gelbe-schein-ein-freibrief_242_89596.html |
Is mens or womens tennis in better health? | That is more likely to be the case on the mens tour and the womens tour respectively. The dominant trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have won 51 slams collectively. Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Reddit Email Share Since Federers first slam win, in 2003, just 11 majors have gone to players other than these three unprecedented dominance. The strong contenders of Andy Murray (three slams) and Stan Wawrinka (three), Marin Cilic (one) and Juan Martin Del Potro (one) add credence to the view that the mens game is strong. At Masters 1000 level there have been a few cracks in the top players monopoly, but nothing seismic. For a tour to be strong you need three pillars. One, there must be multiple grand slam winners at the top. Two, plenty of competition from players who can topple the games elite. And three, a thriving bunch of youngsters who are making real headway. Advertisement Advertisement On those points alone, it could be argued that the womens game is in richer health than the mens. The top five female players have all won at least one slam and eight slams between them. In the top 15, you can add another slam winner, a 23-time champion, and a two-time major victor into the mix. Add in the 2017 French Open winner and a five-time slam winner in the top 30, and you have what appears a strong tour. Since Djokovic won his first slam in 2008, just four players outside of Fedalovic have won slams. Other than Serena Williams, 19 different women have won slams in that time period. That might suggest strength in depth. Alternatively, it shows that the womens side top players are not particularly strong and that upsets can happen at any time. For the last decade or so, many top players have suffered early defeats in grand slams. Heather Watson believes it is the former. Advertisement Advertisement I feel like its not a surprise anymore because its pretty common now, the former British number one told The Ringer. Especially in Grand Slams, I feel like lots of seeds go out early quite often because the depth in womens tennis is very deep. Take recent slam winners Sloane Stephens, Simona Halep, Jelena Ostapenko, Garbine Muguruza, Caroline Wozniacki, and Angelique Kerber. Wozniacki won her maiden slam at last years Australian Open. Since then, she has lost twice in the second round, and once apiece in the third and fourth round. Muguruza has got past the fourth round just once since her 2017 Wimbledon triumph. Ostapenko has gone out three times in the third round and twice in the first round since winning the 2017 French Open. Stephens won the 2017 US Open, lost in Round 1 in Australia, reached the French Open final in 2018, and lost at the first hurdle at Wimbledon. Since Halep reached her first grand slam final, in 2014, she has lost in the first round on five occasions. Advertisement Advertisement Kerber won two slams and reached a final in 2016, but won just six matches in the majors in 2017. She also lost 6-0 6-2 to 35th ranked Danielle Collins, who until this tournament had lost all of the five first-round matches she had played at grand slams. It is certainly up for debate. At the end of 2017, the average age of the mens top 100 was 28.26. The womens was 25.8. Currently, there are 41 female players under 25 in the top 100, 22 under the age of 23, ten under the age of 21, and five teenagers. For the men, there are 28 under 25s in the top 100, 17 under 23s, four under 21s, and two teenagers. This shows that, on the whole, younger female players are making greater inroads into the upper echelons of the sport. This suggests greater strength in depth. Conversely, the womens tour could be seen as weaker than the mens as Serena has had been so dominant for so long. Advertisement Advertisement Certainly, since Justine Henin won her seventh and final slam at the 2007 US Open, Serena has not really had a proper rival to challenge her. At the age of 37, she is still the player to beat. History teaches us that 37-year-olds should not be challenging for slams. But Federer has and is still doing that at the same age as Serena. The two defy logic. It depends which way you look at it. Sports opinion delivered daily In terms of the future, the womens game is not veering towards the edge of a cliff, like the mens game is when Fedalovic all retire, there will be a gaping hole. Advertisement Advertisement In terms of demand, however, the public appears to follow mens tennis more. This is apparent when you look at the contrast in ticket prices and viewers. In 2015, The BBC reported: Excluding Grand Slams, 395 million watched WTA Premier events (womens) and finals on TV and digital, compared with 973 million for ATP events (mens). For the 2018 US Open final, Forbes reported that the average price of the mens final, per TicketIQ, was $1045, compared to $618 for the womens final. At Wimbledon, The Independent outlined how tickets for both finals cost 170 for the women and 230 for the men. At this years Australian Open, ticket prices for the mens final range from $315-895, whereas the womens final costs between $158-604. If women played best-of-five set tennis, this could change. But that is for another article. The point is, when Fedalovic go, the interest in the mens side of the sport is likely to drop off substantially. This will happen to a lesser extent on the womens side when Serena retires. Advertisement Advertisement If you like the status quo, stick with the mens side. If you like unpredictability, the womens game is for you. | https://www.theroar.com.au/2019/01/23/is-mens-or-womens-tennis-in-better-health/ |
What Is Toxic Masculinity? | Last week, the razor company Gillette released an advertisement titled We Believe: The Best Men Can Be, a spin on its longtime slogan The Best a Man Can Get. The ad challenges viewers to confront #MeToo and issues of toxic masculinity that manifest in acts like bullying and catcalling. It suggests that men abandon the boys will be boys mentality and instead hold other men accountable for misogynistic attitudes and behavior. While the spot got plenty of love it has been viewed about 25 million times on YouTube and 40 million times on Twitter it also unleashed a torrent of backlash, including calls to boycott Gillette. It came days after the American Psychological Association released its first-ever guidelines for psychologists working with boys and men who are socialized to conform to traditional masculinity ideology which it says can hinder them from exploring what it means to be male as well as an article in The Times about a new breed of straight male rockers who are protesting old notions of manhood. All these norms that we see arent normal at all, said Joe Talbot, the lead singer of the British band Idles. Its a giant lie. Researchers have defined it, in part, as a set of behaviors and beliefs that include the following: Suppressing emotions or masking distress Maintaining an appearance of hardness Violence as an indicator of power (think: tough-guy behavior) In other words: Toxic masculinity is what can come of teaching boys that they cant express emotion openly; that they have to be tough all the time; that anything other than that makes them feminine or weak. (No, it doesnt mean that all men are inherently toxic.) | https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/22/us/toxic-masculinity.html |
How much omega-3 do people need per day? | A person's daily omega-3 needs vary depending on their age, sex, and various health factors. People give omega-3 fatty acids a lot of attention due to their health benefits. Fatty fish, nuts, and seeds are rich in omega-3s. Omega-3s are important parts of the body's cell membranes, and they help with the functioning of the heart, lungs, immune system, and hormone system. There are three types of omega-3 fatty acid: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) DHA levels are especially high in the eye, brain, and sperm cells. EPA may have certain benefits for reducing inflammation. The body breaks down ALA into EPA and DHA, but the conversion rate is low. For this reason, people should include all three omega-3s in their diet. Fatty fish are high in DHA and EPA. Plant sources are high in ALA. If a person does not get enough of each type of omega-3 from their diet, they might consider taking a supplement. This article will explore the recommended intake of omega-3s for different people to achieve optimal health. Daily guidelines for omega-3 intake vary depending on factors such as age. Daily guidelines for omega-3 intake vary depending on factors such as age. Several national organizations have released guidelines for omega-3 intake, but they vary considerably. As such, there is no absolute rule about how much omega-3 a person needs. Research does suggest, however, that different groups of people need different amounts, and higher intakes of omega-3 can be helpful for certain health conditions. We discuss the dietary needs below. Adult males and females According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are not enough data available to work out a recommended daily allowance of omega-3 for healthy adults. There are also no specific recommendations for EPA and DHA separately. Other sources have estimated an adequate intake (AI) for omega-3s. AI is the amount a person needs to ensure nutritional adequacy. One report from 2008 suggests that adult males and females should get around 0.25 grams (g) of EPA plus DHA per day for their AI. For an AI of ALA, the NIH recommend 1.6 g for males and 1.1 g for females. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and children People should add more omega-3 to their diet when pregnant and lactating, as follows: 0.3 g of EPA plus DHA, of which at least 0.2 g should be DHA 1.4 g of ALA while pregnant 1.3 g of ALA while lactating The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have advised that women who might become pregnant, those who are breastfeeding, and young children should include more fish in their diets every week. They recommend that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding eat 812 ounces of low-mercury fish every week to benefit fetal growth and development. Male and female infants up to the age of 1 should consume 0.5 g as total omega-3s. Human milk contains ALA, DHA, and EPA for breastfed infants. Omega-3 for heart health A comprehensive review from 2018 reports that omega-3 may have benefits for heart disease. A 2002 study published in the journal Circulation recommended that people with cardiovascular disease consume around 1 g of EPA plus DHA per day, preferably from oily fish. However, they can speak to their doctor about taking supplements. That said, updated guidelines are needed. Researchers have conducted many studies to evaluate the effects of taking omega-3 supplements on heart disease. One review found that there was a modest decrease in mortality in people with established coronary heart disease, as well as those with heart failure. However, the results are mixed with those of another large study, which concluded that DHA and EPA supplements may have little effect, while ALA might have a small effect. Further research is needed. Omega-3 for depression Some studies have suggested that taking omega-3 supplements may help with symptoms of depression. One small-scale study of young adults with depressive symptoms reported that a group receiving 1.4 g of DHA plus EPA every day had a significantly lower depression status compared with a placebo group after 21 days. Omega-3 for Alzheimer's disease Omega-3 may help treat Alzheimer's disease. Omega-3 may help treat Alzheimer's disease. Omega-3 supplements may also have potential as a future treatment for Alzheimer's disease. A 2018 review found that omega-3s may be beneficial in early Alzheimer's disease, when there is only a slight impairment in brain function. However, there are not enough data to support using omega-3 supplements in more advanced cases of Alzheimer's disease. Omega-3 for cancer Many studies have examined the positive effects of omega-3 supplementation on certain cancer types. One 2017 study reported that combining omega-3 and vitamin D supplements increased cell death in certain subtypes of breast cancer cells. In a review of omega-3s and prostate cancer, some researchers found a link between higher omega-3 intake and reduced mortality from prostate cancer. There is no established upper limit of omega-3 intake. According to the NIH, the FDA have suggested that people should take no more than 3 g per day of DHA and EPA combined. Over long periods, scientists say that omega-3 can reduce immune system function because it lowers the body's inflammatory responses. High doses of omega-3 may also increase bleeding time. Therefore, people who take blood-thinning drugs should take caution and talk to their doctor before starting to take an omega-3 supplement. There are few known symptoms of omega-3 deficiencies. Doctors have found links between deficiency of essential fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6, and symptoms of dermatitis and rough, scaly skin. Researchers do not know whether there is a certain threshold of DHA and EPA in the body that could raise the risk of neurological or immune dysfunction. In the United States, omega-3 deficiency is very rare. About omega-3 supplements Flaxseed is a source of omega-3 that is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Flaxseed is a source of omega-3 that is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. If a person cannot get enough omega-3 in their diet, they might consider taking a supplement. Speak to a doctor before taking any new dietary supplements. The ingredients of omega-3 supplements vary widely. People may wish to examine the product label to see what exactly their supplement contains. The amount of each ingredient can vary between batches of the same product because the FDA do not regulate the quality of omega-3 supplements. A typical omega-3 supplement will provide around 1 g of fish oil and varying doses of EPA and DHA. Long-chain omega-3s EPA and DHA, which have the most well-researched health benefits, are present in fish oil, krill oil, and cod-liver oil supplements. Plant-based algal oil provides around 0.1 g0.3 g of DHA, and some also contain EPA. Other plant-based supplements, such as flaxseed capsules, only provide ALA fatty acids. While seafood can contain heavy metals, scientists have not found these in omega-3 supplements since the manufacturers remove them during processing and purification. People can find omega-3 supplements in health stores or choose from a range of brands in online stores: Summary The amount of omega-3 a person needs depends on their age, sex, and health status. People should eat oily fish twice per week to get adequate EPA and DHA, and they should include plant-based sources of ALA in their diet. Health sources recommend that people should not exceed 3 g of omega-3 in a day, unless otherwise directed by a medical professional. If a person does not eat fish, taking an omega-3 supplement might be a good idea. Be sure to read a supplement's label carefully and talk to a doctor before taking any new supplements. References | https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324240.php |
Are Tyler & Rhylee From Below Deck Still Dating? | On Below Deck, deckhands Rhylee Gerber and Tyler Rowland hooked up after a night out with the crew. Bravos descriptions for the coming episodes tease that they will continue to explore a potential romance on the show. Off-camera, however, the future of their relationship is less clear. The description for tonights episode 15 says that Tyler asks Rhylee out on a date, so the hook-up on last weeks episode does not appear to be a one-time thing. For next weeks episode, however, the description says that Rhylee feels awkward around Tyler, teasing drama for the potential new couple. This season has shown that Rhylee has feelings for Tyler, and that there is an attraction between the two. After episode 14 aired, Captain Lee addressed the romance between Tyle and Rhylee in his blog post. He first wrote to Rhylee, saying Now, me thinks that you may be falling too hard and too fast for Tyler. Just a hunch, but I dont feel that he and you are on the same page here. I hope not, but we will see. He then addressed Tyler, saying I get the feeling that you dont share the same feelings for Rhylee that she seems to be developing for you. I didnt think your statement was that you flirt all day, have great sex, you make out with someone else and Rhylee doesnt get mad, was one that you thought out very well before you said it. But lets see how it plays out. But I think that there may be some dark clouds on the horizon for you and her. In a Bravo interview after the episode, Tyler was asked about the girl he made out with at the club following his night with Rhylee. Of Rhylees reaction to the dance floor make out, he said I dont think she was very excited about it. If I remember right she was fing pissed. But dont harsh my vibe. Im having fun at the club. Shes not my girlfriend. He then commented on how Rhylee quickly took him back after it. They also interviewed Rhylee about the night, and about how they ended up together. She said that she was in the room first, but the fact that they had been drinking contributed to her forgiving him. In other interview clips, both Tyler and Rhylee talk about their relationship as a physical one; in one clip, Tyler jokingly refers to the first time they made love, before laughing at the word choice and say no, it was more like college. Their social media accounts do not suggest that they are currently together. Last week, to promote the new episode, Rhylee shared a gif of her hugging Ross with the caption Be sure to tune in tonight for more #drama, more #love and more of your #favorites with #BelowDeck. Ahead of tonights episode, Tyler shared a still photo of him and Rhylee from the episode; the caption reads Purely professional. Neither Tyler nor Rhylee have shared personal photo or video with one another outside of whats happening on the show. CheatSheet.com points out that in an Instagram story, Rhylee responded to a fans question about being open to getting married and settling down by saying she is open to finding love but not in a hurry for it. | https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/01/below-deck-tyler-and-rhylee-dating/ |
Whats in the LAUSD-UTLA agreement to end the teachers strike? | LOS ANGELES The proposed labor deal announced Tuesday between Los Angeles Unified and the teachers union includes provisions for hiring nurses, librarians and counselors, along with class-size reductions phased in over three years, according to a summary of the proposal published by the union. According to the summary, which was posted on United Teachers Los Angeles website, the 6 percent pay raise included in the proposal includes a 3 percent boost retroactive for the 2017-18 school year, and another 3 percent retroactive to July 1, 2018. The deal also calls for the hiring of 150 full-time nurses in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, enough to provide a full-time nurse at every school five days a week. It also call for the hiring of 41 teacher-librarian positions in each of those years, providing a full-time teacher-librarian at every secondary school campus five days a week. It also includes the hiring of 17 additional full-time counselors by Oct. 1, creating a counselor-student ratio of 500-1 per secondary school, according to the union summary. Full text of the tentative agreement between LAUSD and UTLA The proposal includes the elimination of contract language that the union says would have allowed the district to ignore all class-size averages and caps. It calls for a class-size reduction of one student, and a cap of 39 for secondary English and math classes with an additional two-student reduction at selected high needs elementary and middle schools during the 2019-20 school year. Those cuts will be followed by an additional one-student reduction in 2020-21 and another two-student reduction in 2021-22, with additional class-size reductions for the selected high needs schools. On the issue of charter schools, the proposal calls for the LAUSD Board of Education to approve a resolution asking the state to impose a cap on charter schools and to create a governors committee on charter schools. The tentative agreement also calls on the district to provide lists in December and February of each year of schools threatened by co-location. At each site on the list, a union co-location coordinator will be chosen to be `part of the development of the shared-use agreement. UTLA 2-page summary of the tentative agreement The proposal also includes a requirement that the district designate and fund 20 community schools by June 30, and another 10 such schools by June 30, 2020. In regard to standardized testing, the district and union would form a committee that will identify all district assessments and develop a plan to reduce the amount of such testing by 50 percent. According to the union summary, the deal calls for the union, district and mayors office to jointly push for increases in county and state education funding. It also calls on the mayor to endorse the Schools and Communities First ballot measure, which will go before voters in November 2020 and would roll back Proposition 13 limits on property taxes for commercial buildings, increasing tax revenue for public education. The proposal includes other provisions on a variety of topics, including caseload caps for special-education teachers, an extension of a program exempting selected schools from random searches, efforts to expand green spaces on school campuses and increased protections for substitute teachers. Proposed LAUSD board resolution capping the growth of charter schools | https://www.whittierdailynews.com/2019/01/22/whats-in-the-lausd-utla-agreement-to-end-the-teachers-strike/ |
Why Is Uterine Cancer on the Rise? | Its a headline that no one wants to read, especially those of us in medicine: More women in the United States are developing and dying from uterine cancer than they were 20 years ago, and Its a headline that no one wants to read, especially those of us in medicine: More women in the United States are developing and dying from uterine cancer than they were 20 years ago, and African-American women are at an increased risk. But in late 2018, variations of this headline were splashed across the front pages of many medical and mainstream publications. Though uterine cancer is the most common cancer that can occur in a womans reproductive organs, it isnt discussed as frequently as breast cancer or cervical cancer in women. But the fact that a recent report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates its among the few cancers that are on the rise should have us all taking a pause to discuss why and perhaps more importantly, what we can do to reverse the trend. [See: 16 Health Screenings All Women Need.] Uterine cancer occurs when healthy uterus cells change and grow, which forms an abnormal mass called a tumor. Some uterine tumors are benign, meaning they are not cancerous. These can include fibroid tumors and polyps. When uterine tumors are malignant, they usually fall into two uterine cancer types: adenocarcinomas and sarcomas. Adenocarcinoma is most common comprising the vast majority of uterine cancer types and develops from endometrial cells. The endometrium is the inside layer that lines the uterine walls. Sarcoma, on the other hand, is far less common than adenocarcinoma and develops in the myometrium or muscle layer of uterine lining. Diagnosing Uterine Cancer Adenocarcinoma and sarcoma are treated differently, but there is one thing they have in common: There is currently no screening test to routinely detect them in their early stages, unlike what exists for cervical cancer (a Pap smear) and breast cancer (a mammogram). The disease is not routinely screened for during a womans annual physical. Plus, the symptoms may not outwardly present themselves during the cancers initial stages. [See: 10 Innovations in Cancer Therapy.] The symptoms associated with uterine cancer cancer can include: abnormal vaginal bleeding painful or difficult urination painful intercourse or pelvic pain This means uterine cancer may not be detected until its late stages, when the cancer is harder to cure. These factors can contribute to a proportionally higher death rate, but they alone cannot account for all of the factors involved in the rise. In fact, the CDC researchers believe, based on a review of the evidence, that the increase in obesity in the U.S. can be correlated with the rise in uterine cancer deaths. And these recent reports indicated that African-American women were twice as likely to die from uterine cancer compared to women of other race and ethnicity types. Research suggests that they received a diagnosis at a later cancer stage and tended to develop a more aggressive cancer type. First, because abnormal vaginal bleeding is a critical sign of early-stage uterine cancer, its an important one to watch for. Abnormal bleeding is classified as bleeding outside of a normal menstrual cycle. So if youre bleeding between periods, after sexual intercourse or after menopause, these are all signs that warrant a discussion with your doctor as soon as possible. And while researchers further study the connection between obesity and uterine cancer incidence, you can help reduce your risk by achieving or maintaining healthy body weight, proper diet and getting plenty of daily exercise. See: A Tour of Mammographic Screenings During Your Life.] No matter the cancer type, treatment at the earliest stages of disease is connected to a more favorable outcome and lower death rate. And we all know that what we put into our bodies and how frequently we move them has a significant impact on our overall health and wellness, which can reduce the risk for not only uterine cancer but a host of other cancer types, as well. Be vigilant about your health, ladies. As is often said of many important things, dont put it on the back burner and let it simmer there. We can entirely reverse this upsetting uterine cancer trend. Weve done it with other cancer types, and we can do it with this one. But education is key, and we must remain vigilant. originally appeared on usnews.com | https://wtop.com/news/2019/01/why-is-uterine-cancer-on-the-rise/ |
Which Democrats are running in 2020? | Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand The number of Democrats lining up to try to take on President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election is growing by the week. This field of candidates promises to be the most diverse yet. It already has the most women running in US history. The BBC's Anthony Zurcher casts his eye over them. Senator for California, 54-year-old attorney, mixed race Anthony's take: Kamala Harris is the kind of Democrat who could stick around and prevail in what is sure to be a gruelling nomination battle. She is from California, which is rich in both primary delegates and fundraising dollars. As a woman, and from an ethnic minority, she is well positioned to capitalise on her party's growing diversity. She has one of the most liberal voting records in the US Senate at a time when Democrats are leaning to the left, but she also has a background as a hard-nosed prosecutor. Image copyright Getty Images That background may end up a vulnerability as well, given that some progressives have criticised her for failing to support California criminal justice reform efforts and pointed to her prosecutorial record as being insufficiently sensitive to the rights of the accused. She will have to walk a fine line to tout her accomplishments while justifying her decisions. Ms Harris has only been on the national stage two years, and not every political neophyte can hold up under fire the way Mr Obama did in 2008. She will be tested in the coming months, but she starts the contest near the head of the pack. Another senator, this time from Massachusetts, a thorn in the side of big banks Anthony's take: Elizabeth Warren has been a favourite of the progressive left since she emerged on the political scene to push for tougher regulation of the financial sector after the 2008 economic crash. During her time in the US Senate she became known for her hard-nosed interrogations of Wall Street executives and as an outspoken critic of income inequality. That loyal base may be enough to rise to the top of a fractured Democratic presidential field - particularly if Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the other progressive star of the Senate, decides not to run. Image copyright Getty Images The challenge for Ms Warren will be expanding her appeal beyond the already converted. She's an academic by training, having spent much of her adult career as a professor. Her campaign, however, is already emphasising her working-class upbringing over her educational pedigree, as a means of connecting her personal story to the activist government policies she supports. Ms Warren will face the challenge of having to define her candidacy while taking fire from Donald Trump, who has repeatedly disparaged her past claims of native American heritage. Although she hardly mentions the president in speeches these days, she'll have to convince Democrats she won't be only the latest politician the president has belittled - and then defeated. New York senator who likes to emphasise she's a mother of two, the candidate most closely allied to #MeToo Anthony's take: Announcing a presidential campaign on the Stephen Colbert Show may end up a clich by the time the year is over, but credit Kirsten Gillibrand with being one of the first to try it. The New York senator's decision to (almost) throw her hat into the ring isn't a huge shock. She's long been positioning herself as one of the candidates most likely to capitalise on the #MeToo movement, and her pitch as someone who will "fight as hard for other people's kids as she would for her own" just might resonate. Image copyright Getty Images Her steady march to 2020 hit a few bumps along the way, though. She angered some Democrats by quickly calling for Senator Al Franken's resignation after he faced sexual harassment charges. And she alienated Clinton loyalists by criticising Bill Clinton's handling of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. These decisions could hurt her, even if she cites them as evidence that she matches her feminist rhetoric with action. As a New Yorker, however, she can tap into a deep vein of campaign cash. She's young and charismatic. If she catches the wave of women voters that powered Democrats to victory last year, it just might carry her to the nomination. Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, from 2009 to 2014, aged 44 and served as housing secretary for President Obama Anthony's take: It wasn't long ago that Julian Castro would have been considered a top-tier candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. He was a well-regarded mayor of San Antonio, landed the keynote address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention and went on to a Cabinet position in the Obama administration. Now, however, he may not even end up the most popular Texan in the race, if former congressman (and Democratic heartthrob) Beto O'Rourke decides to run. And there are other politicians - ones currently holding elective office or, like former Vice-President Joe Biden, with instant name recognition - who are generating more presidential buzz. Image copyright Getty Images Even if Mr Castro isn't quite the rising star he used to be - and, quite honestly, he has never been a particularly compelling public speaker - he still has the potential to build a following in the race to come. He's a third-generation Mexican-American at a time when Democrats are desperate to engage the growing Latino population in the US. He's young at a time when many Democrats are seeking generational change. As a moderate in a party moving to the left, however, he's got his work cut out for him. Born in America Samoa, aged 37, represents Hawaiian district in Congress Anthony's take: Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindi member of the US Congress, is a difficult candidate to characterise. Most of the Hawaii congresswoman's views fit firmly in the Democratic Party's progressive camp. She was an early and outspoken supporter of Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign and has been an advocate of universal government-provided healthcare, raising the minimum wage and an anti-interventionist foreign policy. Image copyright Google The Iraq War veteran has drawn criticism, however, for meeting with Bashar al-Assad in January 2017 - after the Syrian president had been accused of repeatedly using poison gas on civilian populations. The daughter of a socially conservative politician and activist, Ms Gabbard may also draw the ire of Democratic voters for her past criticism of "homosexual extremists" and opposition to abortion rights and gay marriage. She's also opposed the Iran nuclear deal and condemned "Islamic extremism" in language more reminiscent of a Republican candidate. If Democrats are looking for a young, charismatic iconoclast - even if it means supporting someone whose views don't always match their own - then Ms Gabbard might have a shot. As Republicans will attest, stranger things have happened. Son of an electrician, spent six years as congressman in Maryland. Anthony's take: Delaney was officially the first entrant into the 2020 Democratic presidential field when he announced his candidacy in July 2017. The former tech entrepreneur has a platform that focuses on jobs, education and infrastructure and a return to bipartisan co-operation. A retired Army Major who was state senator in W Virginia, aged 48 Anthony's take: He may not have won his 2018 campaign for a House seat from West Virginia, but that didn't stop the former Army paratrooper from already announcing his presidential bid. He offers an unusual blend of economic populism, education advocacy and support for coal mining and gun rights. An entrepreneur, 44, born in New York to Taiwanese parents Anthony's take: A technology entrepreneur who is proposing the US government pay a $1,000-a-month "freedom dividend" to all Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 as a form of universal basic income to cushion against fewer jobs due to increased automation. | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46954566 |
Should College Students Have Credit Cards? | Parents might be apprehensive about giving their college student access to a credit card, but if they dont, it could cause problems down the line. Those who delay building a strong credit history may have Parents might be apprehensive about giving their college student access to a credit card, but if they dont, it could cause problems down the line. Those who delay building a strong credit history may have trouble qualifying for credit cards and loans or even renting an apartment later on. With planning and education, students can use credit cards to build a strong record of credit in college and be ready for real-world financial situations in time for graduation. Students and Credit Cards a Complicated Relationship Before the Credit CARD Act of 2009, credit card companies were a fixture on college campuses, marketing heavily to students in hopes they would become immediate and potentially lifelong customers. [Read: Best Student Credit Cards.] Since the act, which set rules on the extension of credit to people younger than 21 including limiting marketing on college campuses student exposure to card companies is less pervasive. Its good those days are past, says Matt Schulz, chief industry analyst at personal finance site CompareCards by Lending Tree and a former U.S. News contributor, who admits he racked up thousands of dollars in credit card debt as a student and just after college. But he insists that the importance of building credit during the college years should remain a priority for students. That allows them to make small mistakes when the stakes are small, so they can learn lessons that will help them in the future, when the stakes get higher, Schulz says. Despite the marketing restrictions on credit card companies, many students have their own credit cards 56 percent of them, according to a 2016 study from Sallie Mae. And almost 60 percent use the cards as a way to build credit, according to the survey of students ages 18 to 24. How to Get Started in Credit For parents, there is no one way to figure out whether your college student is ready for a credit card. A common starting point is to allow a high schooler to use a debit card as a primary method of payment, which could carry over into the first couple years of college. In fact, 85 percent of college students surveyed by Sallie Mae had debit cards. When youre just getting started, its really important to know yourself or, if youre a parent, know your kid and understand whether they are someone who is likely to handle this credit limit without going on a spending spree, Schulz says. Its really important to understand who you are and what you want from the card before you apply. One persistent myth held by some parents is that their children are showing fiscal responsibility if they have no credit card during college. While limiting the chance for crippling debt at a young age is a good idea, students might graduate from college and need a parent to co-sign for an apartment because they dont have a credit file, says Tim Ranzetta, co-founder of Next Gen Personal Finance, a nonprofit that offers resources for teaching personal finance in schools. Some students are able to get credit cards on their own if they have income from a part-time job. But they might not know enough about interest rates, revolving debt, credit reports and credit scores to make wise decisions. Thats where parents can step in to provide guidance. In fact, according to a recent U.S. News survey, 40 percent of college students were not taught about credit cards before getting one. It does depend on the person, but generally, Id recommend that somebody at least have some experience with credit before they get out of college, Schulz says. That transition from college into the real world is daunting and intimidating enough. If you dont have any sort of real-world financial experience, even if to a small degree, it can make that transition harder. The most common ways to get a student started on credit cards are adding them as an authorized user on a parents credit card or encouraging them to get a secured credit card or an unsecured student credit card. Students as Authorized Users Making a student an authorized user on a parents credit card can allow the student to pay for items with the card but without the ultimate responsibility of monthly balance payments. If this arrangement is made in high school, the student can become comfortable with using the card while his or her parents are around to answer questions, Ranzetta says. Parents also get to see what their children are purchasing. If theyre responsible, get them started while living under your roof, Ranzetta says. Making children authorized users can help them build a strong credit history, provided that the card issuer reports that information to credit bureaus. If you use your card account responsibly and make a child an authorized user on your account, you can transfer the good history on that card to the authorized users credit. That can be a good jump-start, Schulz says. On the negative side, an authorized user with access to a credit card has buying power, but the card issuer wont ultimately hold them responsible for charges. That can be a problem if a student racks up huge charges without a way to pay them back. An authorized user legally isnt liable for those balances, Schulz says. If the student puts a $5,000 charge on the card, mom and dad are the ones legally stuck with that bill. Parents should talk to their kids about the responsible use of credit before allowing them to become authorized users. Discuss credit limits, and most importantly, make a plan for how theyll pay off their charges each month. Also, authorized users benefit from the strong credit history only as long as theyre on the card. If the user is removed, that history goes away, Schulz says. In addition, an authorized user can be negatively affected by a primary card owner who stops paying the monthly balance. As authorized user status can be fleeting, its a good idea for students to get a card account in their own name once theyve proven themselves responsible. [Read: Best Secured Credit Cards.] Secured Credit Cards for Students Secured credit cards are designed for consumers who likely cant get unsecured cards because they have no (or bad) credit history. These cards are secured with a cash deposit from the card owner but otherwise work like a regular credit card. They can be ideal for college students who wouldnt otherwise be approved for a credit card. Secured cards minimize the risk for pretty much everybody involved, Schulz says. You put a little bit of money down, you get a credit card account and start using it to build up your credit. Because the credit limit isnt going to be very high, there is only so much damage that youre going to be able to do. Its a good set of training wheels to help you get more comfortable with credit. Deposits on these cards are usually about $200 to $500, which often matches the credit limit on the card. These are not prepaid cards, though the owner still has to make monthly payments while the security deposit acts as a backup in case of default. Secured cards often have an annual fee as well. Beyond the deposit, most of these secured cards act exactly like any other credit card would, Schulz says. But it is important to make sure the credit card issuer will submit the payment history to the credit reporting bureaus. Some secured cards offer tools, such as text alerts, that help students learn how to responsibly use the card, Schulz says. How Student Credit Cards Can Help Student credit cards can be a good choice because they often accept students who have limited or no credit history, but are usually unsecured, so they dont require a security deposit. Like secured credit cards, they may have lower credit limits than other types of cards, which can limit the potential for racking up debt. And they usually dont have annual fees. Typically, student credit cards are designed to help students get started with credit and may have credit-building tools available, such as free FICO score and credit report access. Some offer cash back, travel rewards and even a statement credit for good grades. Previous tests with cards, and other responsibilities, can help you determine credit card readiness. If you have an impulsive child on your hands, then its a recipe for disaster, Ranzetta says. You have to know your child. Most people have a good sense on what their childs habits are. Avoid that train wreck. Schulz compares the credit card decision to the issue of whether to give a child the family car. If you have one kid who always fills the tank up with gas and never misses curfew, youll probably give him the keys again. If a kid always comes home late with scratches on the car, its probably good to keep the keys from him, Schulz says. You can also watch how a child handles an allowance or earnings from a part-time job. Regardless, youll want to make sure the cards credit line is enough to handle emergencies but will keep any potential shopping sprees to a minimum. Ideally, students should aim to use less than 30 percent of their total credit limit, then pay off their statement balance each month. [Read: The Best Starter Cards for Building Your Credit.] Risks and Rewards of Credit Cards for Students For college students, the upside to responsible credit card use is clear: It lets them build a strong credit history and learn to responsibly handle financial situations at a young age. But this doesnt happen overnight. You have to emphasize education, and parents role in that is so critical, Ranzetta says. Whether parents feel comfortable making a child an authorized user on a card or supporting his or her application for an unsecured card, its best if they have an ongoing conversation about responsible credit card use. Students, too, need to ask for help and not make assumptions or believe myths about how credit works. Schulz looks back at his own credit card experiences as a young adult and realizes a little less freedom might have helped him avoid a high debt load right after college. originally appeared on usnews.com | https://wtop.com/news/2019/01/should-college-students-have-credit-cards/ |
Could A Slew Of New Congressional Investigations Erode Trumps Approval Rating? | Investigation season is here. The House Oversight and Reform Committee announced Michael Cohen, the presidents former lawyer, will testify publicly on Feb. 7, which will be followed the next day in the House Judiciary Committee by public testimony from acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker. The hearings may not include any bombshells about the content of the Russia investigation, since House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said they hope to discuss that topic in closed-door testimony with Cohen. But it still will be an early test of how effectively House Democrats can marshal their newfound investigative abilities a power that has significantly weakened previous presidencies but is not without risks. At their core, congressional investigations are a form of political theater, which means their success wont just depend on what Democrats find but how they present it. There is evidence that congressional investigations can erode presidential support, especially when the government is divided like it is now, but if hearings are unfocused, too technical or appear petty, they can either be ignored by the media or dismissed by the president and his supporters as partisan harassment. Congressional investigations can be an extremely powerful tool in a divided government but only if the investigations make a clear, coherent case for executive branch wrongdoing. It is, of course, impossible to predict exactly what Democrats will uncover in a hearing like Cohens or in their potentially numerous other investigations, but we do know two things from studies on previous congressional investigations. First, House investigations have tended to be concentrated during periods of divided government. And second, this increased activity or weaponization of the congressional investigation process can weaken the president significantly in the publics eye. Douglas Kriner, a professor of government at Cornell University, and Eric Schickler, a political science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, published a book that analyzed congressional investigations of the executive branch. According to their dataset, between 1953 and 2014, there were on average 37 more investigative days when the party controlling the House differed from the presidents party. And more importantly, they found this uptick in congressional investigations systematically lowered presidential approval ratings. Its a cumulative impact, Schickler said. Every additional day packs a punch. In their analysis, Kriner and Schickler modeled the relationship between presidential approval ratings and investigative activity in both the House and the Senate, controlling for external factors that may affect views of the president, such as the state of the economy, American military action or protests and other domestic conflicts, and focused specifically on the number of days there were investigative hearings within a particular month. (They also found that presidential approval can affect Congresss willingness to investigate the executive branch in the first place.) They found that according to the model, 20 days of investigative hearings in a month causes an approximately 2.5-percentage point drop in presidential approval, even accounting for the effect that approval can have on Congresss eagerness to investigate. Long investigations that unfolded over several months were likely to damage the president, such as during Congresss investigations into President Ronald Reagans role in the Iran-Contra scandal, which involved illegal arms sales to Iran. The investigations didnt ultimately implicate the president in wrongdoing, but they significantly weakened him during the last two years of his presidency. Similarly, when Democrats won the House in 2006, they opened a broad range of investigations against President George W. Bush, including probes related to the Iraq War, which also eroded Bushs public support. And its not just a presidents approval rating thats at stake. Kriner and Schickler also found that of 30 major investigations, 80 percent resulted either in legislation or some kind of concession from the administration. For example, investigations of alleged campaign finance abuses by the 1996 Clinton-Gore campaign paved the way, at least in part, for the sweeping campaign finance reforms passed in 2002, and investigations of political manipulation of a toxic-waste-clean-up fund forced Reagan to replace his EPA administrator with a more liberal appointee. As Congress has grown more polarized, though, its become increasingly difficult for investigations to lead to tangible changes in policy. But its still possible that Democrats investigations will result in some kind of legislative action, like additional sanctions against Russia. That said, Kriner told me Democrats were probably better off trying to inflict political damage through hearings that highlight potential abuse or corruption within the Trump administration than pursuing specific policy goals that may founder in a divided and deeply polarized Congress. But investigations must also create a cohesive, compelling narrative This is not to say Democrats can simply hold a slew of hearings and expect Trumps approval ratings to plummet. Instead, Kriner and other political scientists told me Democrats should think of themselves as storytellers as well as fact-finders. The most effective uses of congressional investigatory power tend to pick a narrative and reinforce that narrative over and over again, said Josh Chafetz, a law professor at Cornell University who studies Congresss relationship with the president. That doesnt mean investigations have to be narrow. Democrats could, for example, try to tell a broad story about corruption within the executive branch, with many different investigative threads. But it cant be scattershot or too complicated, or the public will tune it out. Chafetz pointed to the Whitewater investigations of the mid-1990s, where Congress spent more than a year probing a land deal made by Bill and Hillary Clinton more than 15 years earlier. In the end, the scandal never really stuck in part, in Chafetzs view, because the Republicans leading the investigation didnt explain the stakes well. People knew there was some kind of scandal that Republicans were alleging, but it was hard to figure out the details, he said. You cant expect the public to latch onto a multiparagraph explanation of a land deal. Such congressional investigations under divided government sometimes fail to persuade the public when the Houses motives appear to be merely partisan. So Democrats will have to be careful to avoid being seen as putting on a show for their own supporters. If they want what theyre doing to seem legitimate, the Democrats cant just nebulously say theyre investigating Trumps finances and then go digging to find something that might be damaging, said Lance Cole, a law professor at Penn State Dickinson Law who was also deputy special counsel for the Democrats on the Whitewater committee. In the current Congress, an aide on the House Oversight Committee told me the committee is trying to follow established processes, such as formally requesting documents or testimony before issuing a subpoena, and work across the aisle. Its going to be challenging in this political environment, but one of the big goals is to listen to the other side and have a debate about substance rather than intentions and partisanship, the aide said. The committee, the aide added, is not just focusing on misconduct by the Trump administration; the first Oversight hearing in the new Congress will probe prescription drug prices. But it may be difficult to direct media attention toward lower-profile investigations, especially when hearings that relate to potentially serious presidential or executive branch misconduct are on the horizon. There is also an argument for starting off slowly, at least when it comes to high-profile investigations of the president, because the media cycle is so easily saturated. Schickler said several of the House Republicans investigations of the Obama administration, like their probe into the failed energy company Solyndra, illustrated the importance of serious, sustained news coverage. This was supposed to be a big scandal, but it never really landed, Schickler said. That was in part because it got covered on Fox News, but the mainstream media didnt really take it seriously. The House Republicans investigations of the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, on the other hand, did get widespread media coverage, according to an analysis by Kriner and Schickler and although it wasnt as damaging to Barack Obama as the Republicans might have hoped, it did help shape views about Hillary Clinton. In this context, holding the first two high-profile hearings involving the Trump administration on back-to-back days is a potential misstep, if the two events cannibalize media coverage from each other. There is some risk here of stepping on each others headlines, Schickler said. Trumps approval rating is already low, so maybe investigations wont matter as much But perhaps the biggest unknown and therefore one of the most important challenges for the Democrats is how much, if any, of this conventional wisdom will apply in the current political context. For one thing, Trumps approval rating is lower than many of his predecessors at the same point in their term; its also been fairly stable, which suggests voters may be less easily persuaded to abandon him. On the other hand, the experts I spoke with were hard-pressed to think of another example of when an incoming House majority had so many different avenues for investigating a president and his administration. Its rare to have such an immense array of potential investigations or targets, so in some ways this political moment might be unique, Schickler said. He also pointed out that Democrats face significant pressure from their supporters to hold the president accountable. So while its important for the Democrats to appear reasonable, they could also be punished by their own base if they seem too cautious or slow to move. If all of this sounds like a difficult task, youre right. Conducting investigations that tell a compelling story, unearth new facts and and appear neutral enough to break through the entrenched polarization of the Trump era would be no small feat. But Trump has also handed Democrats an unusual amount of ammunition. Next months hearings will give us our first glimpse of what they plan to do with it. | https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/could-a-slew-of-new-congressional-investigations-erode-trumps-approval-rating/ |
How Does The College Football Playoff Affect A Program's Finances? | College football programs make a lot of money, especially national powerhouses. The list of the sports most valuable teams is littered with programs with long and storied histories. Many of the teams at the top of this list are perennial contenders for the national title, and four of the top seven have made the playoff in the last two years. That said, less-wealthy teams have made the playoff. Clemson isnt even on Forbes list of the sports most valuable teams, and their 2016 national title made them the first national champion since 2005 to rank outside the top 20 in revenues. Washington and Michigan State barely cracked the top 25 last year. But while Clemson is a mainstay in the national title conversation, Washington and Michigan State have each only made the playoff once. In Washingtons case, it was a pretty big one. After years of competing just to play in a bowl game, in 2016, the Huskies went 12-1, won the Pac-12, and made the playoff. Prior to this, the Huskies had only won more than seven games in a season twice since 2001. There was even a five-year stretch in which the team won 12 games combined. When head coach Chris Petersen took over in 2014, the program was mediocre at best. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, they made the playoff. Even though they lost to Alabama, just being in contention for the national title appears to have been a huge boon for the program. According to annual financial filings made to the NCAA, the Washington football teams net profit was $22 million in both 2014-15 and 2015-16 (eight- and seven-win seasons, respectively.) However, in 2016-17, the year it made the playoff, the program had a profit of more than $42 million. Compare that to Alabama. In those same three years, the Tide had profits of $46 million, $47 million, and $45 million. After making the playoff just once, Washington nearly doubled their profits to match Alabamas, a team with a long history and five playoff appearances. Granted, Alabama made about $20 million more in pure revenue (Alabama spends more than any other program), but taken by itself, Washingtons growth is massive. While ticket sales increased slightly the year they made the playoff, much of their growth came from contributions. These are, by and large, donations received from individuals, foundations, or corporations designated specifically for the operations of the program. Washington received $7 million more in contributions in 2016-17 than they did the year prior which accounted for most of their growth in revenue. The impact isnt always that big, however. Michigan State made the playoff in 2015, and, importantly, the program was considerably better in the years leading up to their playoff berth than Washington was. In 2014, the Spartans went 11-2 and won the Cotton Bowl, and the year prior, they went 13-1, winning the Big 10 and the Rose Bowl. Between the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Michigan States football program experienced about $3 million in growth, jumping from $29 million to $32 million in profits. Unlike Washington, MSUs ticket sales and contributions largely stagnated. Nearly all of this growth came from participating in the bowl. There was a $3 million boost in revenues generated from conference payouts to the school, much of which comes from their playoff berth. Additionally, the NCAA added a line to these financial statements that included revenue generated from playing in a bowl that was not included in previous years. This increased MSUs revenue by about $4 million. In 2016, though, profits jumped another $6 million. Even though Michigan State went 3-9 and failed to make a bowl, ticket sales jumped $2 million. Total revenue dropped $1 million in large part because contributions decreased and they received only $6,380 in bowl payouts compared to 2015s $4 million. Not participating in a bowl was also a large reason for their increase in profits. Because they didnt have to travel, bowl expenses dropped almost $5 million. For less consistently good programs, it seems like a lot. When a team starts performing well after years of mediocre play, people start to watch. Washington hadnt been an elite program in recent memory, so their playoff berth in 2016 was massive. Michigan State, however, had been playing at a consistently high level for years before their berth. Once financial data for the 2017 and 2018 seasons becomes available, it will be interesting to see if Washington maintains this growth. As for now, if a team makes the playoff, its safe to say they have some money, too. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/gantplayer/2019/01/22/how-does-the-college-football-playoff-affect-a-programs-finances/ |
Is Bitcoins Printing Press Propping up the Crypto Market? | By CCN.com: The total market capitalization of the cryptocurrency market is currently over $120 billion. However, studies show that billions of dollars worth of this market cap is from built-in inflation. Over the course of 2018, $15 billion in new tokens entered the supply, buttressing the overall market valuation even as prices plunged. Bitcoin Inflation Adds Over $5 Million Per Day An average of once every 10 minutes, 12.5 new bitcoins are added to the market. If we just call the base price $3,000, thats $37,500. The actual amount added to the market capitalization is actually significantly higher at present, but for the sake of argument, well use an easy round number. It comes to a total of $5.4 million every single day in new coins. These new coins are also miner rewards, which means that their odds of winding up on the markets are high. Miners have slim margins even when markets are doing well (because more miners participate). [caption id="attachment_158870" align="aligncenter" width="488"] Source: Diar.co[/caption] Bitcoin SV and Bitcoin Cash dont always hit the 10-minute block target (neither Bitcoin nor any Bitcoin fork does, either), but for the sake of argument, well say they do. Thats another 1,800 coins per day each, worth a combined total of another $360,000 at current prices. From this, we can extract that the three Bitcoin variants add a minimum of $5.7 million to the market capitalization every day. Every 175 or so days, thats $1 billion, even if the markets were frozen and no trading was conducted. Read the full story on CCN.com . | https://news.yahoo.com/bitcoin-printing-press-propping-crypto-203436206.html |
Why is Capitalism addicted to Plastic? | A 2016 report estimates that there are more than 150 million tonnes of plastics in the oceans already, with another 8 million tonnes being added each year. Thats 5 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean and counting. If we carry on at this rate, by 2050 plastics in the ocean will outweigh all the fish. But there is a contradiction. Plastic is causing great harm to the environment, and yet it is a fantastic material that has allowed for advances in medicine, hygiene, food preservation, water transportation and much more. Capitalism's love affair with plastic arises out of the centrality of the fossil fuel industry to our society and the need for business to maximise profits by constantly selling us the same thing over and over again. Come and join this discussion with Amy Leather, author and leading SWP member, who will discuss the socialist alternative to capitalism's environmental destruction. <p><a href='https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/50604601_2051781134898337_1318816733833723904_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=7e70f7d11ecefe1768547fe16018fde1&oe=5CC647A9' rel='prettyPhoto'><img alt='' class='article_style1' src='https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/50604601_2051781134898337_1318816733833723904_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=7e70f7d11ecefe1768547fe16018fde1&oe=5CC647A9' /></a></p> <p><span>A 2016 report estimates that there are more than 150 million tonnes of plastics in the oceans already, with another 8 million tonnes being added each year. Thats 5 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean and counting. If we carry on at this rate, by 2050 plastics in the ocean will outweigh all the fish. But there is a contradiction. Plastic is causing great harm to the environment, and yet it is a fantastic material that has allowed for advances in medicine, hygiene, food preservation, water transportation and much more.<br /> <br /> <span>Capitalism's love affair with plastic arises out of the centrality of the fossil fuel industry to our society and the need for business to maximise profits by constantly selling us the same thing over and over again. Come and join this discussion with Amy Leather, author and leading SWP member, who will discuss the socialist alternative to capitalism's environmental destruction.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><a href='https://www.facebook.com/events/405290620209853/'><span><span>Facebook event</span></span></a></p> Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount St, M2 5NS SWP Branch Meeting Manchester: Central Friends Meeting House 6 Mount St Manchester M2 5NS Share this event Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Google+ | https://socialistworker.co.uk/event/view/7103 |
What's behind the Tories' War on the Poor? | The Tories have initiated an onslaught on the Welfare State. Privatisation, education cuts, cut-backs on the NHS and the introduction of Universal Credit have decimated the lives of thousands of people. Private companies have been contracted to assess disabled people for benefits, and stories abound about individuals whose lives have been wrecked by loss of disability benefits. Come and join the discussion at this open SWP meeting. <p><a href='https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/50693448_2060142190728898_4249433513016688640_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=d0ad21d6e8de3a9ee93f9ee94354da69&oe=5CFCFC14' rel='prettyPhoto'><img alt='' class='article_style1' src='https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/50693448_2060142190728898_4249433513016688640_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=d0ad21d6e8de3a9ee93f9ee94354da69&oe=5CFCFC14' /></a></p> <p><span>The Tories have initiated an onslaught on the Welfare State. Privatisation, education cuts, cut-backs on the NHS and the introduction of Universal Credit have decimated the lives of thousands of people. Come and join the discussion at this open SWP meeting.</span></span></p> <p><a href='https://www.facebook.com/events/1125421864305931/'><span><span>Facebook event</span></span></a></p> Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount St, M2 5NS SWP Branch Meeting Manchester: Central Friends Meeting House 6 Mount St Manchester M2 5NS Share this event Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Google+ | https://socialistworker.co.uk/event/view/7102 |
What Does Drakes Residency Mean for Las Vegas Nightlife? | Photo: Christopher Polk/2017 Getty Images Even in Las Vegas, where Calvin Harris cuts $280 million deals on the regular, Drakes reported upcoming residency at XS is a big deal. Drake actually beat the British DJ, who reportedly gets paid roughly $1 million per show, taking home $2 million (plus proceeds from the undoubtedly abundant sales of his new Mod Champagne brand) from the XS show where he first hinted at a Vegas residency las week. Before we get any further, residency merits some breaking down for those who might not be Sin City aficionados, and dont know to have an opinion on the somewhat contentious and ill-defined term. I think people slap the tag on residencies right now that are not deserved, says Bobby Reynolds, vice president of AEG Live. An artist that plays four shows in four months is definitely not a residency. For example, in 2017, Lil Wayne played five shows in five almost-consecutive months at Drais Nightclub, which has hosted big hip-hop draws including Future, Migos, Big Sean and Rae Sremmurd for similar numbers of shows in compressed time frames. According to some of those interviewed for this article, that would be considered a regularly scheduled appearance, not a full-fledged residency. Regardless of which camp you fall into, the (rarely disclosed) terms of an artist residency vary from deal to deal but always include some kind of exclusivity requirement, known as a radius clause. For Las Vegas, that can mean no performances in Los Angeles or Nevada, and sometimes west of the Rockies or anywhere other than the East Coast, while theyre posted up for weeks, months or even years at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace or the Encore Theatre at the Wynn. Every single resident artist I have, if Im making a sizable bet on their business, and Im giving them a lot of dates and a lot of money, I want a certain exclusivity, adds Reynolds. He cites as an example John Fogerty, who draws a lot of Creedence Clearwater-loving Californians because they cant see him in his home state while hes at the Wynn. Residencies are also typically defined by some bespoke production element: Lady Gagas over-the-top extravaganza or Cline Dions long-running show, which established her as queen of the strip, were specifically tailored for those artists and venues. Such elaborate setups are primarily reserved for seated venues, while hip-hop and EDM shows and DJ sets are considered more appropriate for a nightclub setting, where the lights flash, bodies move and bottle service flows. Some nightclubs offer in-house entertainment enhancements of a different variety: for EDM DJ Zedds birthday party, XS offered ticket-buyers a giant ball pit, live human statues, and an inflatable Champagne hot tub, among other flashy distractions. At the end of the day, youre driving the same number of bodies at XS or Surrender, says Chris Baldizan, senior vice-president of entertainment booking and development for MGM Resorts, whose Park Theater has been hosting Lady Gagas Enigma residency. Four or five thousand people a night, as you are at Lady Gagas show, which is 5,200 people a night. Its not less involved, its just a different kind of production. Speaking about Drakes XS residency, Baldizan adds, That particular type of show, in my opinion, isnt built for a sit-down theater. It is built for what they accomplished there, which is driving a certain demographic or customer that has disposable income for that nightlife scene. That said, he admits to talking with prominent hip-hop and R&B artists who are interested in departing from the nightlife residency model and setting up shop at the new Park Theater. That genre is just too big of a genre and a demographic for this city for it not to happen eventually, he says. I dont want to do this nightlife thing, and wanted to do a show in a theater and be creative, it would be off the hook. I have no doubt. Though Las Vegas entertainment revival has been recently credited to artist residencies by relatively fresh talent like Gwen Stefani and Queen fronted by Adam Lambert, nightclubs have been one of the most powerful engines behind the citys economy for several years now. As of a 2015 study released by Nightclub & Bar Media Group, seven of the top ten U.S. nightclubs, based on revenue, were located in Las Vegas. Theres more and more venues opening every year, says Sujit Kundu of booking agency SKAM, whose artist roster includes Lil Jon, Cassie and Amber Rose and who has lived and worked there for the past 20 years. When I started, theres probably, like, four clubs, really, and now theres god knows how many. It makes a certain amount of sense that Drake would jump on the Vegas bandwagon, along with J.Lo and Cardi B and Post Malone, who sources tell Vulture have unconfirmed residencies coming up. Admittedly, theres probably not that much convincing necessary to leave behind tour life for a guaranteed $10 million paycheck, especially now artists flock to Vegas not as a first step on the road to retirement, but to escalate their creative ambition and solidify their power to draw crowds. The moral of the story is, its not strange for someone to want to do a Vegas residency, says Kundu. You can go several times a year. The checks pretty good. Theyre able to accommodate you hotel, food, drinks theyre able to give you top service, and its easy. | https://www.vulture.com/2019/01/what-does-drakes-residency-mean-for-las-vegas-nightlife.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nymag%2Fvulture+%28Vulture+-+nymag.com%27s+Entertainment+and+Culture+Blog%29 |
Should city pensions finance Memphis' economic ambitions? | Memphis' $2.4 billion municipal pension fund took a blow in the 2008 Wall Street crash and is still trying to recover.On Friday, a consultant advised against investing in local startup firms. Over the past four years, Memphis City Hall has diverted nearly $200 million worth of local tax revenue into the strained municipal pension fund. Now the $2.4 billion pension fund, coming off a favorable round of investments in 2018, is being asked to pony up $10 million for investing in the Epicenter Fund, a new pool of local money being set up to help bankroll Memphis entrepreneurs. On Friday, a pension consultant recommended the city pension agency walk away from Epicenters money request. It is too soon to say whether Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland will follow Atlanta-based pension consultant Segal Marco Advisors recommendation. Memphis financial executive David Waddell, chairman of Epicenters board of directors, said the nonprofit may land Stricklands support despite the consultants advice. Buy Photo David Waddell serves as Chairman of Epicenter Memphis, a nonprofit agency in Midtown that recently landed commitments for $40 million to establish a venture capital fund. (Photo: Ariel Cobbert, The Commercial Appeal) Epicenter aims to aid 1,000 area entrepreneurs by 2024. The independent nonprofit, located in Midtown, was formed in 2014 as a Greater Memphis Chamber moon mission that aimed to spur a sluggish local economy. Memphis has got to decide. If it is going to grow it has to be willing to invest in itself, Waddell said Tuesday. This takes leadership. This cant be done bureaucratically. No pension consultant is going to stand up and say its the right thing to do for the city, even if it is the right thing to do if we want to grow. Worried retirees Last month, The Commercial Appeal reported that Epicenter chief executive Leslie Lynn Smith had asked Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris to open the way for city and county pension fund investments totaling about $20 million in the Epicenter Fund. Strickland could use the consultants recommendation as a handy reason to refuse the request and in turn satisfy worried retirees. Among city governments 5,200 retirees, tension climbed last month after word of Epicenters request spread. Retirees went nuts. My phone rang for three days, said Thomas Malone, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1784 president. Buy Photo Memphis Fire Fighters Association president Thomas Malone held an emotional press conference announcing that the association will donate $1000 to the crime stopper fund to find the assailants in the murder of two-year-old Laylah Washington. (Photo: Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal) Still unsettled by the pension fund reforms set off by the Wall Street meltdown a decade ago, city government retirees insisted pension money only go into the safest investments. The city had expressed so much concern about the health of the pension fund less than five years ago, said Mike Williams, Memphis Police Association president. And now theyre thinking about going in a new direction which the pension fund was not designed for. Using our pension money for tapping into high-risk ventures opens the door to possible future endeavors where local entities within the city can use the pension money. More: Memphis, Shelby County asked to invest pension money in Epicenter venture capital fund Evanoff: Memphis aims to pool $100 million for investing in new firms Epicenter officials figured Memphis pension money already finds its way into venture capital funds run by money managers investing in high-risk enterprises in other cities. Both mayors referred Epicenters requests to their separate pension advisers. While the county has not yet received a report, the citys pension consultant, Segal Marco, sent a letter Friday that says Epicenter falls short of city pension rules that require experienced money managers with capable staffs, and a profitable record of investing. Our preliminary assessment is that the Epicenter Fund does not meet either of the guidelines listed above and does not meet the fiduciary standards of care needed for a pension fund investment, Rosemary Guillette, Segal Marco vice president, says in a letter to the city obtained by The Commercial Appeal. We commend the work that Epicenter is trying to accomplish especially in its vision of creating a just and inclusive economy through the promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation, the letter says, but adds, Pension Fund assets are not the same as other kinds of assets. There are strict guidelines around the type of investments that can be used in a pension fund and the fiduciary standards that need to be meet for these investments. $100 million venture fund Shirley Ford was appointed the new chief financial officer of Memphis on Jan. 4, 2018. (Photo: Courtesy Lemichael DaShaun Wilson) In Shelby County, Harris office did not comment Tuesday. Harris earlier said he supported the idea of investing county pension money in the Epicenter Fund. Shirley Ford, who heads the Memphis Pension Investment Committee and serves as city governments chief financial officer, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. In an interview last week about the pension funds performance in 2018, Ford declined to comment about Epicenter's request. "While we're disappointed, we respect the early feedback from the City's consultant and will continue to work to find ways to achieve an investment in this critically important capital tool for Memphis entrepreneurs,'' Epicenter head Smith said in an email Tuesday. Waddell, the Epicenter chairman, contends the Epicenter Fund can help power the local economy and still satisfy the pension funds rules for experienced managers. He would oversee the fund along with local financial executives and technology expert Jan Bouten, who heads BioWorks Foundation of Memphis Innova Fund. Innova invests venture capital in tech firms. Venture capital goes into promising startups still too green to get bank loans. Buy Photo Leslie Lynn Smith serves as Epicenter president, a nonprofit agency in Midtown that recently landed commitments for $40 million to establish a venture capital fund. (Photo: Ariel Cobbert, The Commercial Appeal) By last fall, FedEx had contributed $10 million to the Epicenter Fund and local investors had committed another $30 million. Epicenters Smith intends to portray the local effort as a sign Memphians believe in the citys economic potential. She said that sign can help win favor when she asks large venture capital funds in San Francisco to put money in the Epicenter Fund. Epicenter plans call for raising $100 million for loans and investments, making it the largest such fund in the Southeast. Well-off Memphians But union leaders insist well-off Memphians ought to rely entirely on their money rather than dip into the pension fund. This group wants to spend $10 million on risky investments at a time when 80 percent of new businesses fail, Malone said. Anytime you invest in anything there is a risk but this appears to have a tremendous risk. Although Epicenter reportedly has a standing offer from an undisclosed Memphian to make up any losses of pension money put in the Epicenter Fund, the police unions Williams argues the rich Memphian ought to just put that money in the venture capital fund Mike Williams (left) and Mayor Jim Strickland If its so good why doesnt that entity just put the money in up front and reap the benefits? Williams said. Waddell, the Epicenter chairman, said Epicenters goal is not to rebuild the city pension fund although that could happen. The Wall Street collapse in 2008 drained nearly a third of the pension funds value. Since 2014, the city has been trying to fill the remaining hole in the pension fund. Last year, about $55 million in local tax revenue was diverted into the pension fund. If one of the entrepreneurs relying on the Epicenter Fund strikes it rich and repays the venture capital fund far more than it put in. With the wealthy Memphians guarantee the pension fund will not lose, the downside is you lose nothing, Waddell said. The upside is you get a new FedEx. Ted Evanoff, business columnist of The Commercial Appeal, can be reached at [email protected] and (901) 529-2292. Read or Share this story: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/2019/01/22/memphis-pension-fund-recover-2008-wall-st-crash-advised-against-investing-epicenter-venture-fund/2548290002/ | https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/2019/01/22/memphis-pension-fund-recover-2008-wall-st-crash-advised-against-investing-epicenter-venture-fund/2548290002/ |
Do Animals Hate the Bitter Cold of Winter? | While the weather outside may indeed get frightful this winter, a parka, knit hat, wool socks, insulated boots and maybe a roaring fire make things bearable for people who live in cold climates. Anyone whos walked their dog when temperatures are frigid knows that canines will shiver and favor a cold paw which partly explains the boom in the pet clothing industry. But chipmunks and cardinals dont get fashionable coats or booties. In fact, wildlife can succumb to frostbite and hypothermia, just like people and pets. In the northern United States, the unfurred tails of opossums are a common casualty of cold exposure. Every so often an unusual cold snap in Florida results in iguanas falling from trees and manatees dying from cold stress. Avoiding the cold is important for preserving life or limb (or, in the opossums case, tail) and the opportunity to reproduce. These biological imperatives mean that wildlife must be able to feel cold, in order to try to avoid the damaging effects of its extremes. Animal species have their own equivalent to what human beings experience as that unpleasant biting mixed with pins-and-needles sensation that urges us to warm up soon or suffer the consequences. In fact, the nervous system mechanisms for sensing a range of temperatures are pretty much the same among all vertebrates. One winter challenge for warm-blooded animals, or endotherms, as theyre scientifically known, is to maintain their internal body temperature in cold conditions. Interestingly though, temperature-sensing thresholds can vary depending on physiology. For instance, a cold-blooded that is, ectothermic frog will sense cold starting at a lower temperature compared to a mouse. Recent research shows that hibernating mammals, like the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, dont sense the cold until lower temperatures than endotherms that dont hibernate. So animals know when its cold, just at varying temperatures. One solution: Slow down and check out Many cold-climate endotherms exhibit torpor: a state of decreased activity. They look like they are sleeping. Because animals capable of torpor alternate between internally regulating their body temperature and allowing the environment to influence it, scientists consider them heterotherms. During harsh conditions, this flexibility offers the advantage of a lower body temperature remarkably in some species, even below the 32 degrees Fahrenheit freezing point that is not compatible with many physiologic functions. The result is a lower metabolic rate, and thus lower energy and food demand. Hibernation is a prolonged version of torpor. Torpor has energy conservation benefits for smaller-bodied wildlife in particular think bats, songbirds and rodents. They naturally lose heat faster because the surface area of their body is large compared to their overall size. To maintain their body temperature within normal range, they must expend more energy compared to a larger-bodied animal. This is especially true for birds who maintain higher average body temperatures compared to mammals. Unfortunately, torpor is not a perfect solution to surviving frigid conditions since it comes with trade-offs, such as a higher risk of becoming another animals lunch. Adaptations that help Unsurprisingly, animals have evolved other adaptations for weathering the winter months. Wildlife species at northern latitudes tend be larger-bodied with smaller appendages than their close relatives closer to the tropics. Many animals have evolved behaviors to help them beat the cold: herding, denning, burrowing and roosting in cavities are all good defenses. And some animals experience physiological changes as winter approaches, building fat reserves, growing thicker fur, and trapping an insulating layer of air against the skin beneath the fur or feathers. Nature has devised other neat tricks to help various animals deal with conditions that people, for instance, would be unable to endure. The secret is the close proximity of the arteries and veins in their extremities that creates a gradient of warming and cooling. As blood from the heart travels to the toes, the warmth from the artery transfers to the vein carrying cold blood from the toes back to the heart. This countercurrent heat exchange allows the core of the body to remain warm while limiting heat loss when the extremities are cold, but not so cold that tissue damage occurs. This efficient system is used by many terrestrial and aquatic birds and mammals, and even explains how oxygen exchange occurs in the gills of fish. Luckily, ice floats because water is most dense as a liquid, allowing fish to swim freely in not-quite-freezing temperatures below the solidified surface. Additionally, fish may lack the cold-sensing receptorshared by other vertebrates. They do, however, have unique enzymes that allow physiologic functions to continue at colder temperatures. In polar regions, fish even have special antifreeze proteins that bind to ice crystals in their blood to prevent widespread crystallization. Another secret weapon in mammals and birds during long periods of cold exposure is brown adipose tissue or brown fat, which is rich in mitochondria. Even in people, these cellular structures can release energy as heat, generating warmth without the muscle contractions and energy inefficiency involved in shivering, another way the body tries to heat up. This non-shivering heat production probably explains why people in Anchorage can contentedly wear shorts and t-shirts on a 40 degrees Fahrenheit spring day. Of course, migration can be an option though its expensive in terms of energetic costs for wildlife, and financially for people who want to head closer to the equator. As a species, human beings have the ability to acclimate to an extent some of us more than others but were not particularly cold-adapted. Maybe thats why its hard to look out the window on a frigid day and not feel bad for a squirrel hunkered down as the winter wind whips through its fur. We may never know if animals dread winter its difficult to gauge their subjective experience. But wildlife do have a variety of strategies that improve their ability to withstand the cold, making sure they live to see another spring. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Bridget B. Baker, Clinical Veterinarian and Deputy Director of the Warrior Aquatic, Translational, and Environmental Research (WATER) Lab, Wayne State University | https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/animals-wildlife-winter-cold-180971315/ |
Will Audiences Tire of M. Night Shyamalan's Go-To Plot Twist? | The 'Glass' director is known for his varied endings, but many of his movies are driven by the villainization of character with disabilities. [This story contains spoilers for Glass] Ever since The Sixth Sense revealed Bruce Willis was a ghost, M. Night Shyamalans reputation has been first and foremost as the plot twist guy. In recent years, Shyamalan has also received criticism for how his films treat mental illness and physical disability. Both of these observations are relatively well established, but what has gone largely unstated thus far is how these two items are fundamentally connected. Horror and thriller films have more or less always been enamored with the plot twist, and annals of mental disorders and physical disabilities have been regularly mined as prime plot twist material since at least the 1930s, a golden age of Hollywood horror that featured physical and mental differences front and center. In James Whales Frankenstein (1931), the root of the eponymous doctors trouble is his hunchbacked assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye), who brings his employer a criminal brain for his creature after accidentally destroying the normal brain he was sent to steal.In a lesser-known example, Doctor X (1932), five scientists must figure out who among them secretly moonlights as a serial cannibal. The others quickly rule out Dr. Wells (Preston Foster), as he is an amputee and therefore deemed physically incapable of the brutalities committed by the killer. But fast forward and surprise, it was Dr. Wells after all, with the help of secretly developed synthetic flesh. Cue a hero saving the day and Dr. Wells dying a true villains death a fall from a great height, lit on fire for good measure. Those are just two examples of many. What makes physical disabilities and mental disorders extremely fruitful for plot twisting purposes is that the former comes with certain sets of problematic presumptions that can be easily manipulated namely, that disabled people are weaker or otherwise at a disadvantage while the latter enables filmmakers to manipulate audience presumptions about the reality of what they see on screen. Many of the most famous plot twists in movie history have been made possible by unreliable narrators, and several mental disorders make for fundamentally unreliable narrators, including amnesia (Memento) and schizophrenia (A Beautiful Mind). With this in mind, it is hardly surprising that Shyamalans filmography is full of characters with physical disabilities or who battle mental illness. Unbreakable, Split, and Glass have Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), who has dissociative identity disorder (DID), and the brittle boned Elijah Mr. Glass Price (Samuel L. Jackson). The Village has the blind Ivy Elizabeth Walker (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Noah Percy (Adrien Brody), who suffers from an unspecified developmental disability. The Sixth Sense has Vincent Grey (Donnie Wahlberg), a disturbed former patient of child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), as well as Mrs. Collins (Angelica Page), a woman who has Munchausen syndrome by proxy. The list goes on. To be clear, when criticizing how various identities are depicted on screen, the answer to the problem is never no representation. And its not about all representation needing to be goodthat is, flatteringor leaving no room for creative license. Its about balance. Having a villainous character with mental illness is not necessarily an issue. Having a body of work in which all characters with mental illnesses are murderers, however, is problematic. And with the release of Glass, M. Night Shyamalans filmography is firmly within that territory. Not only have his films featured characters with mental illnesses, but they are consistently killers, and their victims almost always mental health professionals trying to help them. In The Sixth Sense, Dr. Crowe is killed by former patient Vincent. Because Ivy makes the mistake of treating the developmentally disabled Noah with kindness in The Village, he kills her beau Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix) in a jealous range. In The Visit, teenagers Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) are horrified to discover that the estranged grandparents they are visiting are not their grandparents, but escaped patients from the mental hospital where their grandparents had worked, who killed their real grandparents and stole their identities. In Split, psychologist Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley) is brutally murdered by The Beast, Kevins monstrous 24th personality. Ultimately, the problem is not about using mental disorders to pull off a plot twist, but in how Night Shyamalan turns them into a gimmick. In Glass, the meta comic book commentary of Unbreakable and the mental health commentary of Split are brought together towards the ultimate end of legitimizing the former at the expense of the latter. Kevins DID becomes even more of a gimmick thanks to a handy strobe light that can flick through his 24 personalities like a TV remote does channels, and said personalities, which were already campy to a point of questionable taste, are repeatedly manipulated for comedic effect. Mental health experts are nefarious psychiatrist Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson) proves to be a member of a League of Shadows type anti-superhuman society or slow-witted cannon fodder. Generally speaking, films take artistic license with reality, whether that be with regards to legal procedures or the laws of physics but with respect to mental illness, there are ways of doing this which still treat characters with empathy and some degree of nuance. Looking beyond Shyamalans filmography, when it comes to physical disabilities, recent horror films have featured an interesting trend of plot twists involving apocalyptic scenarios in which disabilities become advantageous. In A Quiet Place, the Abbott familys American Sign Language skills, as well as the cochlear implant belonging to congenitally deaf daughterReagan (Millicent Simmonds), prove vital to their survival. In Bird Box, an otherworldly evil which turns all who view it suicidal leaves society in tatters with the exception of blind communities, as blindness leaves them immune to this scourge. These films similarly use physical disability as plot devices, but they are not stigmatizing. Physical disability and mental disorders have long been utilized for movie plot devices. The issue is not that Shyamalans films partake in this trend, but that they consistently do so in demonizing ways that have grown evermore trite, gimmicky, and at this point, even predictable. | https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/glass-have-audiences-tired-m-night-shyamalans-twist-endings-1178137 |
What Are the Odds Bohemian Rhapsody Will Win Oscars? | Bohemian Rhapsody has been nominated for five Academy Awards , including Best Picture, and according to British bookmakers, the movie is a long shot to win the big prize. But Rami Malek , who got a nod for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Queen singer Freddie Mercury , is one of the favorites in his category. Oddschecker aggregates U.K. betting sites, where all them list Bohemian Rhapsody between 10/1 and 17/1, with most falling between 14/1 and 16/1. Roma is the favorite to win Best Picture, with most sites having it close to or at even money. Green Book and A Star Is Born are both around 4/1, with The Favourite close behind (8/1). BlacKKKlansman averages sightly ahead of Bohemian Rhapsody at about 12/1, while Black Panther and Vice bringing up the rear (33/1). In the Best Actor race , either Malek or Christian Bale (for his lead role in Vice ) is the favorite, with both hovering or slightly below even money. Bradley Cooper ( A Star Is Born ) is around 6/1, most sites list Viggo Mortensen ( Green Book ) at 18/1 or 20/1, with Willem Dafoe ( At Eternity's Gate ) at 33/1 or 20/1. The sites don't take bets on the other three categories -- Film Editing, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing -- Bohemian Rhapsody is nominated for. The odds listed above are as of press time and subject to change based on the action each nomination receives. Betting on the Oscars is legal in the U.K., but laws in the U.S. are left up to the individual states, per a May 2018 Supreme Court ruling . According to ESPN , Nevada, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Delaware, West Virginia, Mississippi and New Mexico have legalized sports betting, while New York and Arkansas are in the process of doing so. Sixteen states, plus the District of Columbia, currently have bills in their legislatures awaiting votes. | http://wour.com/bohemian-rhapsody-oscar-odds/ |
What do we guard so carefully? | Jiddu Krishnamurti By Express News Service BENGALURU : The desire to do harm, to hurt another, whether by a word, by a gesture, or more deeply, is strong in most of us; it is common and frighteningly pleasant. The very desire not to be hurt makes for the hurting of others; to harm others is a way of defending oneself. This self-defence takes peculiar forms, depending on circumstances and tendencies. How easy it is to hurt another, and what gentleness is needed not to hurt! We hurt others because we ourselves are hurt, we are so bruised by our own conflicts and sorrows. Inward turmoil drives us to seek outward protection; and the more one defends oneself, the greater the attack on others. Surely, it is the idea of ourselves, at whatever level. If we did not guard the idea, the centre of accumulation, there would be no me and mine. We would then be utterly sensitive, vulnerable to the ways of our own being, the conscious as well as the hidden; but as most of us do not desire to discover the process of the me, we resist any encroachment upon the idea of ourselves. The idea of ourselves is wholly superficial; but as most of us are content with illusions. We accumulate resentment, which gives a peculiar vitality, a feeling of action and life; and what is accumulated must be expended through anger, insult, depreciation, obstinacy, and through their opposites. It is this accumulation of resentment that necessitates forgiveness which becomes unnecessary if there is no storing up of the hurt. Without accumulation of experiences and their responses, we are not; we are nothing if we have no name, no attachment, no belief. It is the fear of being nothing that compels us to accumulate; and it is this very fear, whether conscious or unconscious, that, in spite of our accumulative activities, brings about our disintegration and destruction. If we can be aware of the truth of this fear, it is the truth that liberates us from it, and not our purposeful determination to be free. | http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2019/jan/22/what-do-we-guard-so-carefully-1928673.html |
Is child rearing really complex and nuanced? | Let me refresh your memory. Long haired guy. Wide, manic eyes. Stand up comedian. Acted in some movies. Most famous in India perhaps for his OTT wedding to singer Katy Perry in Rajasthan. And then a little more famous when the marriage packed up in under two years. Since his divorce, Mr Brand has married a lifestyle blogger (its a thing) and had two children. Because Mr Brand aired some parenting views earlier this week which have gotten him into a spot of bother, as his compatriots in the United Kingdom would say. In an interview, the father of two shared that he is too sensitive to change nappies and that he had never cared for his children for more than 24 hours as his wife respects and cares for their safety too much. He then went on to add that he was more focused on the mystical connotations of his childs beauty and grace but was a bit rubbish at more mundane tasks such as diaper duty and feeding them food. But, but, BUT, lest we judge him too harshly, he did admit to being capable of dropping the children at pre-school. You can imagine the outrage on Twitter. Lots of comments on the poor woman and her three children. I on the other hand marvelled at how this man had managed to get a life time supply of get out of jail free cards from his partner (though really, Im not sure if thats an apt word to use in this situation) concerning all things child rearing. Did his spouse never say Do this (Sure, add a please if youre feeling particularly polite.) Or did she herself believe that she was so much better at the domestic stuff as her husband called it that nothing less than her brand of child rearing would do.She does all of it. It turns out that she is extremely well-versed in the nuances and complexities of child rearing. Mr Brand shared. If theres poo in the diaper, you clean the bum and put on a fresh diaper. Im not sure theres much room for nuance there. Small children who are cranky are either hungry, tired or the anti-Christ. Its not a complex situation that needs Socratic debate to understand. | http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2019/jan/22/is-child-rearing-really-complex-and-nuanced-1928677.html |
Will Carrie Bradshaw show up in the Big Game? | Good afternoon Super Bowl junkies, I'm Jeanine Poggi, Ad Age's senior editor, here with the latest edition of our Super Bowl Alert. For those of you who care about these sorts of things, we now know who will face-off in Super Bowl LIII: The New England Patriots will once again battle it out for the title, this time against the Los Angeles Rams. But on to more interesting things (at least in my opinion). With less than two weeks left until the game, Ad Age is bringing you breaking news, analysis and first looks at the high-stakes, big-game commercialsall in our Super Bowl Alerts newsletter. Sign up here to get them in your inbox. By the numbers CBS posted some unbelievable numbers for its coverage of the Patriots-Chiefs game on Sunday night, Anthony Crupi emails: 53.9 million viewers tuned in to the grudge match, which pulled a 27.5 household rating. This makes it the second most-watched AFC Championship Game in the 42 years Nielsen has been keeping track of those deliveries. The 2011 match between the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers is No. 1. More celebrities and now some puppies Kristin Chenoweth will star in Avocados From Mexico's Super Bowl ad, Jessica Wohl reports. In a teaser released on Monday, the Emmy and Tony winner tries to teach dogs how to sing Avocados From Mexico's jingle. Chenoweth is the first female celebrity to appear in a Super Bowl ad for the company, which in the past has featured Scott Baio and Chris Elliott. So far, including Chenoweth, three female celebrities will appear in some capacity in Super Bowl ads. This compares to at least eight male celebrities being slated to appear. In total, this brings the Super Bowl celebrity count to 11. Okayyy Also added to the roster over the weekend was Lil Jon, who will be featured in Pepsi's 30-second spot. The rapper is also rumored to be part of the Pepsi-sponsored halftime show. Pepsi released a teaser of the ad over the weekend showing the Atlanta native inside a diner pouring a Pepsi fountain drink, while saying, "Okayyy," his signature catchphrase. While not a Super Bowl ad, Skittles revealed that "Dexter" star Michael C. Hall is the big name in its' musical that will be performed in New York on Super Bowl Sunday, Wohl reports. Skittles announced Hall's appearance in a teaser video which shows him speaking with a therapist over his anxiety about appearing in the Skittles commercial. Last week, Skittles announced its plan to once again skip the big Super Bowl ad buy. It's instead putting on a 30-minute show called "Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical" that will have one performance on Feb. 3. No stars here One brand, however, which will not include star-power in its ad is Kia. The automaker even put down those Super Bowl advertisers that will feature a celebrity in a commercial that ran during Sunday's NFC Championship game. In the ad, a boy says: "Right now companies everywhere are choosing celebrity endorsers for their big-game ad. Millions will be paid, just like any other year. What if this year in some way, it was about the rest of us?" It's an interesting statement coming from Kia, which has long had a history with spotlighting celebrities in its Super Bowl ads. Last year, Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler appeared in its Big Game spot. And Melissa McCarthy appeared in 2017. Kia will instead use its ad to launch "The Great Unknowns Scholarship," which it says will "help young people in need get a foothold in higher education," E.J. Schultz reports. Sex and the City Anheuser-Busch InBev has not revealed details on Stella Artois' Super Bowl ad. But on Tuesday the brand possibly gave a clue by debuting a 15-second online video starring Sarah Jessica Parker, reprising her Carrie Bradshaw character role from "Sex in the City." The video is part of Stella's ongoing partnership with Water.org, the group co-founded by Matt Damon that invests in clean water initiatives for developing countries. Last year, Stella's Super Bowl ad featured Damon plugging the program. No pot Every year an advertiser or two tries to weasel its way into the Super Bowl conversation by saying their ad got rejected. This year, Acreage Holdings, which is in the cannabis cultivation, processing and dispensing business, said CBS rejected its ad promoting the use of medical marijuana. USA Today reports that Acreage received an email from the eye network saying: "CBS will not be accepting any ads for medical marijuana at this time." This should not come as a surprise; it's highly unlikely the NFL, which suspends players for failing drug tests, is going to suddenly start accepting weed dollars. It was only in 2017 that the National Football League even began accepting liquor ads. Speaking of which, Jim Beam will use local Super Bowl ad buys in the nation's top three media markets to show off its first new global ad campaign in five years, Schultz reports. Anheuser Busch InBev holds exclusive alcohol ad rights for the Super Bowl, effectively shutting liquor brands out of national buys. Too close Colgate became the first Super Bowl advertiser to release its full commercial last week. In the spot, Luke Wilson gets very, very close to his colleagues. You can watch it here. While there's still no indication from movie studios which films they will promote during the Super Bowl, Crupi made some predications last week about which movies they might feature. Let's just say it's poised to be a Superhero Bowl. It's been nearly a year since Fugees co-founder Pras Michele used the Super Bowl to introduce Blacture, a media platform for African-American voices. It was expected Blacture would go live in March 2018, but that has yet to happen. "This was a little bit of a more ambitious undertaking than we were expecting," Josephine Zohny, chief communications officer at Blacture, told the Wall Street Journal. "We were in the process of developing the site. It took us a long time to be pleased with what's being presented to users. Right now, we're in the final states of developing it." Lexus out One marketer that will sit out the game this year, after appearing last year, is Lexus. Instead, the automaker released an online video on Tuesday featuring former quarterback Matt Leinart, talking about the NFL's new "roughing the passer rule." Last year, Lexus ran a Super Bowl ad featuring characters from the "Black Panther" movie. Bookmark our Super Bowl ad chart, which is the most current look at all the marketers confirmed to air national spots in Super Bowl LIII. | https://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/super-bowl-alert/316326/ |
Has WWE let slip big plans for The Undertaker in an email error? | Get daily news 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 Fans are wondering whether WWE may have accidentally revealed big plans for The Undertaker in an email error. The Road to WrestleMania is underway with the Royal Rumble this Sunday night providing the first glimpse of the company's plans for April 7. But the night before the Showcase of the Immortals, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony will take place. Normally the U.S. sports entertainment giant makes a very big deal of revealing each superstar set to be inducted, particularly the headline act. (Image: WWE) Yet an email sent this week to Network subscribers promoting the addition of superstars to the service listed Hall of Famers due to be featured. And alongside legends of the ring such as Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair who have already earned the honour, was the name of The Undertaker. The Phenom has been rumoured to be one of the members of the 2019 Hall of Fame Class, but no one expected the announcement to break this way. Since the mistake, WWE has corrected and re-sent the email, but the apparent blunder has already got WWE fans talking, given Taker's uncertain future. The 53-year-old hasn't been seen since wrestling alongside Kane against Triple H and Shawn Michaels of D-Generation X at Crown Jewel last November. The seven-time world champion, real name Mark Calaway, has admitted he puts careful thought into his rare appearances as his stellar career winds down. Undertaker, from Houston, Texas, recently said he has to consider what damage he is doing to his body by continuing to compete after all this time. It also seems likely that the Demon of Death Valley is preparing to step away from the ring as he is coming to the UK for a spoken word tour after 'Mania. The iconic grappler rarely gives interviews and seldom speaks out of character, which has added to his incredible mystique over the last three decades. (Image: WWE) However, Scottish live events company Inside The Ropes has booked him for shows in London on April 30, Glasgow on May 1 and Manchester on May 2. Before that however, he could even be a part of the 30-man Royal Rumble match. WWEs official Undertaker Facebook account posted a video of him entering the 2007 Royal Rumble at number 30, followed by the caption: "Never say never." Then on Twitter, the new @TheUndertaker account ominously tweeted: "I dont make mistakes. I bury them." Watch WWE Royal Rumble 2019 live on the WWE Network or on Sky Sports Box Office at midnight on Sunday, January 27. You can follow all the action as it happens in the Mirror Sport WWE Royal Rumble 2019 Live Blog. | https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/wrestling/wwe-slip-big-plans-undertaker-13894366 |
Why Are so Many Humanitarian Crises Under-reported? | Dr Martin Scott* is a Senior Lecturer in Media and International Development at the University of East Anglia, UK. NORWICH, UK, Jan 22 2019 (IPS) - According to a recent poll of aid agencies by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the most under-reported crisis of 2018 was the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, commented that, the brutality of the conflict is shocking, the national and international neglect outrageous I have seldom witnessed such a gap between needs and assistance. Other forgotten crises, according to the agencies polled, include the Central African Republic, Lake Chad Basin, Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Burundi, Nigeria and, for the first time, Venezuela. Highlighting such reporting gaps is important because international news coverage plays a key role in raising awareness of and drawing attention to humanitarian crises, in order to secure the funding needed to help. The 2018 U.N. funding appeal for the Democratic Republic of the Congo was less than 50 percent funded. Such under-funding is linked, albeit indirectly, to a lack of public awareness. In the UK, for example, a recent survey, commissioned by Human Appeal, showed that two thirds of adults were not aware of the recent violence in the DRC. In response, it is not enough to simply urge news organisations to do more. We need to understand the main causes of this acute lack of coverage of humanitarian affairs, in order to know what can be done about it. This is the aim of an ongoing academic research project into Humanitarian Journalism and was the focus of a report I published late last year entitled The State of Humanitarian Journalism with Dr Kate Wright at the University of Edinburgh and Dr Mel Bunce from City, University of London. Humanitarian journalism in crisis The research makes clear that humanitarian journalism is itself in crisis. Our survey of over 1500 individuals involved in the aid sector, revealed widespread dissatisfaction with the quantity and quality of mainstream news coverage of humanitarian affairs. 73% of respondents agreed that mainstream news media does not produce enough coverage of humanitarian issues. News coverage was also criticised for being selective, sporadic, simplistic and partial. It is not enough to simply urge news organisations to do more. We need to understand the main causes of this acute lack of coverage of humanitarian affairs, in order to know what can be done about it. We also examined coverage of over 20,000 news outlets to find out how many were regularly reporting on humanitarian affairs. Only 12 covered the four humanitarian events we analysed. These events included the ongoing crisis in South Sudan, the 2016 Aceh earthquake, the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit and the 2017 UN appeal for humanitarian funding. The 12 news organisations which did cover all four of these events included Al Jazeera English, the Guardian Global Development site, IRIN News, the Thomson Reuters Foundation and Voice of America. Our analysis of their coverage showed that they do a better job than most at reporting humanitarian crises. These particular news organisations generally offer sustained and detailed coverage, regularly producing features, analysis pieces and even some campaigning reports. Furthermore, while journalists are often accused of telling very similar stories about disasters, we find that these particular news outlets actually varied significantly in how they covered such crises. For instance, we found that Thomson Reuters focused on stories about dramatic and timely events, while the specialist humanitarian news outlet IRIN wrote thematic pieces and analysis, targeted at global audiences. The challenges of funding humanitarian news The main reason why few news organisations, and particularly commercial news outlets, regularly produce original coverage of humanitarian affairs is the very high costs involved. It is very expensive to fund on-the-ground reporters and the kinds of time-consuming research and travel necessary to explain the complex causes of humanitarian crises. In fact, we find that almost all international news outlets regularly covering humanitarian affairs rely on support from either states or private foundations. There are issues with both sources of funding. Foundation funding alone rarely offers journalists long-term nancial sustainability. Professor Rodney Benson, in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication, at New York University, explains that, most major foundations see themselves as providing short-term start-up support with the expectation that non-prots will eventually achieve commercial sustainability. In addition, there just isnt enough donor money to go around. Very few foundations are active in this area; often because of their objectives dont align with those of journalists or because of the difculty of measuring the impact of their investments. This is why specialist non-prot news outlets reporting on humanitarian issues struggle to survive. For example, despite featuring in our list as one of just 12 news outlets regularly covering humanitarian affairs, the news non-profit Humanosphere closed down in 2017 due to a loss of funding. Other foundation-dependent news organisations in this area that have either closed or dramatically downsized in recent months include News Deeply and the International Reporting Project. Support from Western governments can also subsidise the high costs of producing regular, original coverage of humanitarian affairs for radio stations like the BBC World Service and Voice of America (VoA). For instance, we found that humanitarian issues were mentioned in nearly one in ve (19%) items on the news bulletins of the BBC World Service. However, there are important questions to be asked about the ways in which humanitarian news might be affected when governments support journalism as part of their foreign policy objectives and to achieve soft power. We found no evidence that government ofcials directly interfered in editorial output of either World Service or VoA. However, a key problem, at both organisations, was the way in which journalists ability to cover humanitarian issues in particular geographic regions waxed and waned in relation to governments strategic and funding priorities. Such problems were even more acute at international news outlets, based outside the West and funded by state money. Journalists at Al Jazeera English, for example, faced considerable ethical dilemmas about how to cover events in areas where Qatar was involved militarily, or had diplomatic interests. This includes Yemen, Syria, Sudan and South Sudan. Paying for humanitarian reporting Given the inherent costs and challenges associated with funding humanitarian news, there are no easy answers to the question of how to increase coverage of under-reported crises. However, there is also some cause for optimism. In the Aid Attitudes Tracker, a largescale survey of audiences in the UK, France, Germany and the US, more people claimed to follow news about humanitarian disasters (59%) either closely or fairly closely than any other type of international news (see Clarke et al 2018). Perhaps audiences are more interested in humanitarian journalism than many journalists think. Some may even be willing to pay for it. An audience survey for IRIN recently found that a majority (57%) would consider signing up to some form of paid subscription model. Encouraging audiences to pay directly for journalism they trust and value may ultimately be the only sustainable solution to the crisis facing humanitarian news. * https://people.uea.ac.uk/en/persons/martin-scott The State of Humanitarian Journalism report is the latest publication from the ongoing Humanitarian Journalism Research Project by Dr Martin Scott, Dr Kate Wright and Dr Mel Bunce. This AHRC-supported research has involved interviews with nearly 200 journalists and media funders; as well as surveys and extensive newsroom observations. More information about this project can be found here. | http://www.ipsnews.net/2019/01/many-humanitarian-crises-reported/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=many-humanitarian-crises-reported |
How Wall Street Finances the Battle against Neoliberalism? | Today I read an interesting article referring to Mexico on how neoliberal economists through the application of strong IMF economic medicine contributed to wreaking havoc on the global poor while protecting the financial elites. And then I arrived at the foot of the article published by Alternet: This article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. The Independent Media Institute, a tax exempt charity foundation supported by George Soros, a multibillion dollar Wall Street tycoon and hedge fund manager largely involved in speculative trade in the commodity and foreign exchange markets. The Independent Media Center is described as an Internet-based, news and events bulletin board [which] represents an invariably leftist, anti-capitalist perspective and serves as a mouthpiece for anti-globalization/anti-America themes. Globetrotter is a projet of the IMC which (according to the IMC): explores the struggles for independence, dignity and democracy in the developing world, from economic models to war and imperialism. Needless to say, I was puzzled. A critique of the IMF macro-economic agenda for Latin America is funded by a foundation owned by one of Wall Streets most prominent financiers. I read through the article once more: The article does not actually bash the Wall Street financial elites involved in destabilizing the Mexican economy. It largely focuses on the failures of the IMF bureaucracy without acknowledging that the IMF bureaucracy always acts on behalf of Wall Street. While the author accuses the IMF mission to Mexico of window dressing, [n]othing in the IMF staff statement indicated a policy that would tackle Mexicos grave problems of poverty and inequality. One is however left with the impression that its all a big management failure which can be rectified by changing the IMF recipe and training IMF officials to learn the realities of developing countries: Someone should encourage the IMF to stop sending staff teams into countries like Mexico. Each report is identical to the previous one. Nothing seems to be learned by these teams. Years ago, a senior IMF economist told me that when he arrived in a Central Asian country he knew nothing of that country, he got to see nothing of it when he was there and he knew virtually nothing when he drafted the Article IV review. All he did in the country was sit in one air-conditioned room after another, listen to canned reports from nervous finance ministry officials and then develop the report based on the IMFs same old recipemake cuts, target welfare, privatize and make sure that the banks are happy. (Alternet, emphasis added) Make sure the banks are happy. Yes, that is the main goal. And the standard recipe serves their interests. The IMF is controlled by Wall Street and the US Treasury. It has informal ties to the Pentagon. It routinely interfaces with the Washington think tanks. It is part of what is called the Washington Consensus which defines the gamut of deadly economic measures imposed on indebted developing countries. https://www.alternet.org/2018/11/international-monetary-fund-flexes-its-muscles-latin-america/embed/#?secret=OKwwFZy5dV Funding Dissent Numerous organizations and protest movements (against neoliberalism) including the World Social Forum (WSF) are funded by Wall Street. Essentially by funding dissent, namely by channeling financial resources from those who are the object of the protest movement to those who are involved in organizing the protest movement. Co-optation is not limited to buying the favors of politicians. The economic elites which control major foundations also oversee the funding of numerous NGOs and civil society organizations, which historically have been involved in the protest movement against the established economic and social order. The programs of many NGOs and peoples movements rely heavily on funding from both public as well as private foundations including the Ford, Rockefeller, McCarthy foundations, among others. The anti-globalization movement is opposed to Wall Street and the Texas oil giants controlled by Rockefeller, et al. Yet the foundations and charities of Rockefeller et al will generously fund progressive anti-capitalist networks as well as environmentalists (opposed to Big Oil) with a view to ultimately overseeing and shaping their various activities. (Michel Chossudovsky, Manufacturing Dissent, Global Research, 2015 Global capitalism finances anti-capitalism: an absurd and contradictory relationship. There can be no meaningful mass movement when dissent is generously funded by those same corporate interests which are the target of the protest movement. In the words of McGeorge Bundy, president of the Ford Foundation (1966-1979),Everything the [Ford] Foundation did could be regarded as making the World safe for capitalism. Frances intelligence and police apparatus has no doubt already contemplated this option. Sofar the movement is fully aware of the dangers of cooptation. There is no evidence that the Gilets Jaunes have been coopted or financed by outside funding. While Soros has supported the so-called color revolutions, the Yellow Vests have expressed there position in relation to the fake revolutions funded by the financial establishment. click to enlarge In the case of France, the Gilets Jaunes movement has a grassroots structure. The Gilets Jaunes call for the withdrawal of France from NATO. It addresses the impacts of neoliberalism while taking a firm anti-war stance. The movement is not manipulated by NGOs or political parties. In the words of Diana Johnstone: President Emmanuel Macrons New Years Eve address to the nation made it perfectly clear that after one unconvincing stab at throwing a few crumbs to the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) protest movement, he has determined to get tough. Macron is a former senior staff member of Rothschild & Cie Banque: Macron is the very embodiment of this system. He was chosen by that famous elite to carry through the measures dictated by the Markets, enforced by the European Union. He cannot give in. But now that people are awake to what is going on, they wont stop either. For all the lamented decline in the school system, the French people today are as well-educated and reasonable as any population can be expected to be. If they are incapable of democracy, then democracy is impossible. (Ibid) | https://uprootedpalestinians.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/how-wall-street-finances-the-battle-against-neoliberalism/ |
Can the NFL commissioner change the outcome of Saints-Rams game? | The controversy over the non-call of what appeared to be an obvious penalty in the New Orleans Saints-Los Angeles Rams NFC playoff game is still being talked about, especially in social media circles with the comments often ending in, "What can we do about it now? Turning Point of the Game in New Orleans #Saints loss to Rams, via @JohnDeShazier https://t.co/u2ZOYY5WWF New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 21, 2019 Thats not a question for the average fan, but it could be a question for Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the National Football League, to answer. According to the rules of the NFL, under Rule 17, Section 2, Article 1: The Commissioner has the sole authority to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary and/or corrective measures if any club action, non-participant interference, or calamity occurs in an NFL game which the Commissioner deems so extraordinarily unfair or outside the accepted tactics encountered in professional football that such action has a major effect on the result of the game. Now, classifying the non-call against Nickell Robey-Coleman, who slammed into Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis near the Rams goal line, a calamity may just apply to the sensibilities of Saints fans (Robey-Coleman admitted in an interview following the game that it was pass interference), but what the rule states is that the commissioner has some extraordinary powers when it comes to NFL football games and their outcomes. Its unlikely, most think, though thousands have signed a petition asking for a rematch of the game. Barring any change of the outcome of the game, the New England Patriots will face the Rams in Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, Feb. 3, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Stay with Channel 2 Action News and WSBTV.com for complete Super Bowl LIII coverage leading up to the big game. Download our news app to get FREE alerts sent to phone and tablet and find complete coverage of Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta here New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis (11) works for a coach against Los Angeles Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman (23) during the second half the NFL football NFC championship game Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019. The Rams won 26-23. Gerald Herbert/AP 2019 Cox Media Group. | https://www.wsbtv.com/news/trending-now/can-the-nfl-commissioner-change-the-outcome-of-saints-rams-game-/908389342 |
Has Ford Peaked? | Ford CEO Jim Hackett. Source: USA Today Ford (NYSE:F) reports quarterly earnings January 23rd. Analysts expect revenue of $37.01 billion and EPS of $0.32. The revenue estimate implies a 2% decline sequentially. Investors should focus on the following key items. Cracks In The Global Economy The global economy has been propped up by trillions in stimulus from central bankers around the world. I have always had the impression the lion's share of the stimulus has gone to large institutions and wealthy individuals. Sans a strong consumer, the economy will likely falter. Global economic expansion is getting long in the tooth, and that is not good for cyclical names like Ford. In Q3 2018, the company generated revenue of about $38 billion, up 3% Y/Y. Ford's revenue consists of Automotive (92% of total revenue) and Ford Credit (nearly 8% of total revenue). The Automotive segment generates revenue via sales of new vehicles, parts, and accessories. It also sells used vehicles and offers extended service contracts priced separately. Ford Credit offers leasing plans to retail customers and originates finance installment contracts. Its Automobile segment generated Q3 revenue of $35 billion, up 3% Y/Y. Revenue from North America and Europe both grew 7%, while South America and Asia both fell by double digits. North America represented about 64% of total Automobile revenue. Ford's market share ticked down slightly due to a decline in car sales. It was offset by gains in utilities, trucks, and vans. Revenue from Europe (21% of total revenue) was up on higher volume and pricing. Asia (9% of total revenue) was a disappointment due to a lower performance of the Ford Escort and Ford Focus, and declining volume from the company's China joint-ventures. Q3 2018's performance could be as good as it gets for Ford. U.S. RV shipments are in free fall, which could indicate consumers are looking to cut discretionary spending as the economic outlook becomes more uncertain. Pullbacks on automobile spending could be next. U.S. GDP grew 3.5% in Q3 2018, but it was likely aided low interest rates and GOP tax cuts. The benefits of low rates and tax cuts could wane in the first half of 2019. There could be outside events (progress on the trade war with China) that could provide a boost to the economy. Sans more stimulus, I expect U.S. economic growth to slow this year. The International Monetary Fund ("IMF") recently cut its forecast for global economic growth. It expects the world economy to grow 3.5% in 2019, the weakest pace in three years. The IMF cited trade tensions as one headwind. However, the global economy cannot grow in perpetuity. If providing stimulus to financial markets is not working, then governments need to stop throwing good money after bad and prepare for the next recession. That likely means Ford's revenue and earnings growth could fall. North America Early last year, Ford decided to phase out most cars it currently sells in North America: Ford today announced it will phase out most cars it sells in North America. According to its latest financial release, the auto giant "will transition to two vehicles" - the Mustang and an unannounced vehicle, the Focus Active, being the only traditional cars it sells in the region. Ford sees 90 percent of its North America portfolio in trucks, utilities and commercial vehicles. Citing a reduction in consumer demand and product profitability, Ford is in turn not investing in the next generation of sedans. The Taurus is no more. When I first came across the headline, I assumed it was a misprint. In the U.S., consumer demand has shifted from passenger cars to SUVs and trucks. Through year-to-date December 2018, Ford's total unit sales were down 3.5% Y/Y. Unit sales of cars fell over 18%, while unit sales for SUVs and Trucks rose a combined 1%. It is difficult to make money in passenger cars. The move to cull many passenger car brands could pay off as long as gas prices do not rise. A spike in gas prices could leave the company with a bevy of gas guzzlers when consumers are more concerned about fuel efficiency. That said, as North America goes, so goes Ford. EBIT for the North America Automobile segment was about $2.0 billion, which exceeded total Automobile EBIT of $1.4 billion. The other regions (except for Middle East/Africa) lost money in Q3 2018. China China is the world's largest automobile market. Large automakers clamored to enter China years ago, the country could become a pariah. China's GDP grew 6.4% in Q4 2018, less than the 6.6% growth for full-year 2018. If China does not provide additional stimulus to prop up its economy then GDP could fall further. Ford's Q3 2017 Automobile revenue from Asia fell 16% Y/Y. Its EBITDA was -$208 million, down from $314 million in the year-earlier period. If China's economy continues to slow - which I expect it will - then Ford could incur more operating losses in the region. Conclusion Ford's success in North America is admirable. A slowing global economy does not bode well. Ford could be running in quicksand if operating losses in Asia continue. Ford's stock is off over 50% Y/Y and could fall further. Sell Ford. Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. | https://seekingalpha.com/article/4234832-ford-peaked |
Does BrightView Have A Bright Future? | The date where this will come to light should be 2023 and after given their debt schedule. Introduction and Summary of the Company Brightview holdings ($BV) is a unique company, the first public landscaping company that is far and above the largest commercial landscaping business in the United States by revenue. Originally the company was forged by KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. Inc.) through mergers and acquisitions of large private landscaping companies with the end goal of using economies of scale to drive down costs. Brightview holdings Specializes in high-end commercial landscaping. They do everything from development, to tree care to maintenance. Their goal is to be the catch-all for commercial landscaping services. The business is divided into two groups with maintenance services being 75% of their revenue and development services encompassing the rest of the 25% of revenue. This is a great sign for consistency in revenue as development is not reoccurring while maintenance will only dwindle if the customers are unsatisfied with the companys work or the company fails to price their service at the right level. Taken from Prospectus Opportunity The current investor sentiment has been negative for BrightView based on its debt load. When KKR performed the many mergers and acquisitions to create BrightView a large amount of debt came with it ($1.141 Billion). It also doesnt help that most of their assets (71%) are intangible assets and goodwill from the mergers and acquisitions which are expected to grow with it's recent acqusition of Emerald Landscape Company. While goodwill is only tested for impairment during it's fourht quarter, BrightView is amortizing 10% of their intangibles each quarter. Their Amortization is accounting for about $25 to $31 million a quarter and ~$105 million a year. A direct result of these write offs is a low income from operations and a negative net income. The situation for BrightView is better than it seems once we look at the free cash flow. Created by author from 10-k This winds up giving us an EBITDA/Interest ratio of 1.48. A comfortable range is 2-3 which does make this investment a bit risky, but not on the verge of bankruptcy that its evaluation now is pricing in (which would be an EBITDA/Int of <=1). BrightView is also committed to paying down their debt as they used the proceeds of the IPO to refinance and reduced their debt load. Risks and Debt There are a couple of risks that need to be addressed before backing BrightView and again the biggest one is the mountain of debt it has. Taken from 10-k This debt schedule shines some light into what the current situation looks like and its not that bad. The company is well-financed for the next 3 years before it needs to roll over or refinance its long-term debt. The backing of KKR in the companys creation also helps reduce some of the worry as its a possible re-financer or network for refinancers the company can leverage. Created by Author using data from 10-K The current ratio and quick ratio are both on the bottom end of acceptable but are in the right range of being solvent and able to keep functioning properly. Valuation With a distinct lack of historical financial data, I relied on the companys free cash flow to come up with a r easonable evaluation. Using this as the basis for the evaluation also makes the most sense in this case as its the crux of the investment thesis. Created by author using data from 10-k Created by author using data from 10-k Created by author using data from 10-k Created by author using data from 10-k I used a growth rate expectation of 3.7% as its the current analyst expectations for the year (sourced from Finance.yahoo.com). Its also more conservative from their 10-K growth rate of 7.70% or their 9 months ended 10-Q growth rate of 6.81% but still in line with expectations given the slow down in mergers and acquisitions activity (with the exception of Emerald Landscaping company). The beta for the weighted average cost of capital is only over the time period that BrightView has been publically traded. As more data becomes avaible I'd except this to fluxuate more as we're working with less than a year's worth of data. While the model did give us an evaluation of $20.58 this doesnt consider the probably that the debt causes issues in BrightViews future. Given the companys history with KKR, a majority of revenue coming from reoccurring sources and its current debt schedule the chance of bankruptcy is not as high as the level of debt implies. A look at using a multiple evaluation method on the free cash flow tells us that the company is currently valued around 17.5 and the model would put us at almost 25 times free cash flow. Both of these multiples are on the high side of market averages, but we don't have another publically traded company in the same or a similar sector to compare it to. Conclusion BrightView is a leader in its industry that is saddled with a large amount of debt. However, the company has a large amount of free cash flow that the market is underpricing with its current share price. The price of the risk associated with BrightView is too high for where the financial fundamentals place the company. I believe that this is a good time to buy BrightView as the market begins to recover. Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. | https://seekingalpha.com/article/4234836-brightview-bright-future |
Which Wild team will show up in Colorado? | DENVER The Wild will be on the ice Wednesday night against Colorado, but which Minnesota team will show up against the Avalanche is anyones guess. The Wild have beaten some of the best in the NHL over the past few weeks but cant seem to beat the also-rans. Signature road wins have been tempered by head-scratching home losses, and its a trend that coach Bruce Boudreau cant explain. You come up with (a reason) and Ill go to bat with it, he said Tuesday. Even with the up-and-down results, the Wild (25-21-3) are in the thick of the playoff race. Entering Tuesdays schedule, and coming off an impressive 4-2 win at Vegas on Monday, their 53 points put them third in the Central Division, a point ahead of Colorado. That win, however, came four days after Anaheim came into the Xcel Energy Center and ended a 12-game losing streak. Defenseman Ryan Suter said added motivation of teams under .500 is a factor. Teams that are below us in the standings are usually more desperate; they have that sense of urgency, he said Tuesday after a practice at Pepsi Center. I think we sometimes fall into that trap where we dont have that sense of urgency, and thats one thing weve been talking about as a team to make sure no matter who were playing against were doing the right things and committed to playing the right way. Colorado (22-19-8) will likely be a desperate team. Since going 10-1-2 into early December, the Avalanche are 5-12-4, including a six-game winless streak. Their goaltending has been shaky, and scoring outside dynamic top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog has been scarce. Minnesota has shown urgency against teams firmly in the playoff hunt. Since early December the Wild have beaten Winnipeg at home and on the road, swept the season series from Montreal outscoring the Canadiens 8-1 in the process and beaten Columbus, which is second in the Metropolitan Division. Mixed in are two losses to Chicago and a home loss to Detroit, two teams last in the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, and a loss at Philadelphia. Our record is, what, 6-0-1 against (winning) teams and not so much against teams below us. I think coaches scratch their heads all night long wondering about those things, Boudreau said. Sometimes weve gotten great games with no results. Our goaltendings been off, but theres been a multitude of reasons; I just dont know how to corral it and make sure they play great against every team all the time. The 3-0 loss to the Ducks might prove to be a turning point. Minnesota followed that with a 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday and Mondays win in Vegas to improve to 4-0-1 all time against the Golden Knights, last seasons Western Conference champion. Ive felt weve had the urgency probably the last five games, Boudreau said. Anaheim, we played good in the second but we gave up the game in the first period. You get down 3-0 against that team, its tough to fight back. I thought the second and third period we were playing with that urgency. The Avalanche have won four of the past five games against the Wild, and nothing would help them more than winning Wednesday and jumping Minnesota in the standings heading into the Wilds midwinter break. After Wednesday, Minnesota doesnt play again until Feb. 1 at Dallas. You want to go into break on a high and playing well, Suter said. Theyre going to be coming hard. Its going to be two teams that really need points. The Wild will have defenseman Brad Hunt, acquired from Vegas on Monday, in the lineup against Colorado. He joined the team at the hotel in Denver on Tuesday. Hes been in the NHL for the last three years, so youve got an NHL player who can play the point on the power play, Boudreau said. If you look at his numbers in 13 games, I think he hes got 13 points, which is more than our bottom three have combined. Its a worthwhile gamble. | https://www.twincities.com/2019/01/22/which-wild-team-will-show-up-in-colorado/ |
Is tijdrekken onderdeel van het spel? | Een halfuur na de thuiswedstrijd tegen PSV, waarin FC Emmen in blessuretijd alsnog langszij was gekomen (2-2), zei PSV-trainer Mark van Bommel in een interview met de tv: Tijdrekken is nu eenmaal onderdeel van het spel. Ik stond op een afstandje te luisteren, ik had mijn mond moeten houden, maar per ongeluk, tegen mijn wil en plan, ontsnapte me een geluidje. Een woordje was het meer. H, zei ik. Na het interview liep Van Bommel voor me langs naar de deur. In het voorbijgaan, ter hoogte van mijn oor, zei hij: Wat sta je te lachen. Ik vond dat redelijk, ik had geen geluidje moeten maken, en onredelijk, want ik had niet gelachen, maar ha gezegd, het was een uiting van verbazing. Voor mij klonk tijdrekken is onderdeel van het spel als onsportiviteit is goed. En hij zei het gewoon hardop. Hier had ik het bij kunnen laten, maar dat deed ik niet. Ik hobbelde achter hem aan de gang in en zei: Meneer Van Bommel (2x), mag ik nog wat vragen? Hij bleef staan en draaide zijn gezicht over zijn schouder. Een wenkbrauw kroop traag tegen de flank van zijn voorhoofd omhoog. Voordat ze verder liepen zei de PSV-persman: Wie ben jij eigenlijk, als ik vragen mag? Ik zorgde dat ik op tijd voor de persconferentie van de trainers in de perskamer was, veel tijd was er niet, want Van Bommel en zijn persman zouden niet wachten tot iedereen er was, de trainer van Emmen bijvoorbeeld, of tot de mensen van Fox klaar waren voor de live-uitzending, om alvast te beginnen. Er volgde het gebruikelijke gepraat, waarna de persman zei: Iemand nog een vraag? Ik had nog nooit een vraag gesteld, het was onderdeel van mijn spel om de werkelijkheid onberoerd te laten, om zo te zeggen, en ik durf ook nooit, maar nu stak ik mijn hand op. U zei net dat tijdrekken onderdeel van het spel is, maar dat is toch niet zo? Hij sloeg zijn armen over elkaar. Ja, zei hij. Dat is onderdeel van het spel. Ik was weer verbaasd. Daarom had PSV er ook gele kaarten voor gekregen en waren er extra speelminuten aan de wedstrijd toegevoegd precies de minuten waarin PSV de winst uit handen had moeten geven, na een stormloop van Emmen. Tijdrekken tegen Emmen ook? vroeg ik. Is dat onderdeel van de strategie? Nee, zei hij, niet van de strategie, van het spel. Hij richtte zijn blik op een bevriende journalist. Waarop de persman van PSV zei dat Mark natuurlijk wel over zijn eigen antwoorden ging. Bij het verlaten van de ruimte, toen hij me net was gepasseerd, hield Van Bommel nog even in om een minzaam, spottend lachje op me achter te kunnen laten. Daarna ging de deur achter hen dicht en bleef ik op mijn plekje staan, zoekend naar een passende gezichtsuitdrukking, een Drentse mengelmoes van trots en schaamte in de buik. Voor het eerst speelt FC Emmen in de eredivisie. Van dat avontuur doet onze columnist Peter Middendorp wekelijks verslag. Hij groeide op in Emmen, voetbalde bij de voorloper van FC Emmen en schreef in 2014 een geruchtmakend boek over zijn jeugd boven het plaatselijke Blokkerfiliaal, Vertrouwd voordelig. | https://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/is-tijdrekken-onderdeel-van-het-spel-~b76dbd2d/ |
Are India's budget numbers bogus? | IN a few weeks, India's finance minister will present what's called an "interim budget" - the accounts of the year gone by, as well as his plans for the year to come. It isn't supposed to be a regular budget because the government faces re-election in a few months; the convention is that the next finance minister gets to make the final decisions about expenditure after a new government is formed. Hoping for a second term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lay out ambitious spending plans anyway. Mr Modi has a reputation for fiscal prudence, so the expectation is that somehow or the other his Finance Ministry will get the numbers in line. The problem is that the number we'll be given is likely to be very deceptive. That's because it won't reflect what it's supposed to reflect: the degree by which the government is overspending. That, in turn, is because India's federal government - according to its own auditor, among others - is concealing its expenditure in half a dozen unprecedented ways. In a report presented to India's Parliament earlier this month, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) argued that the cost of many subsidies, for example, was being massively understated in the budget. Payments to Indian farmers to make fertiliser affordable were being routed through "special banking arrangements" - essentially a loan from state-owned banks to cover outstanding subsidy payments. Meanwhile, the cost of buying farmers' produce, borne by the state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI), is being paid out of what's called the "national small savings fund", which administers various government-run savings schemes. sentifi.com Market voices on: The pattern is repeated in the power sector and the railways, in both of which new investment is being paid for indirectly, through borrowing by government-run agencies. As the CAG says, using "such off-budget financial arrangements ... increases the cost of subsidies, and understates the annual subsidy expenditure and prevents a transparent depiction of financial indicators for the relevant year." In other words, its auditor has accused the Indian government of blatantly fudging the numbers. Senseless forced mergers The misuse of the small savings fund is particularly galling. This is not even public-sector earnings - it is depositors' hard-earned cash, which they've given to the government to hold on their behalf. Worse, it's handing out the cash to India's chronically loss-making state-owned airline, Air India Ltd. That's hardly a safe or sensible destination for a poor family's savings. This isn't the only way in which the government has sought to conceal its expenditure. For example, it's forcing various public-sector enterprises to buy others - essentially a way to get cash from the company in question into the government's own kitty. Some of these forced mergers make very little sense. For example, the government is selling the Rural Electrification Corporation Corp Ltd, which focuses on creating generation assets, to the Power Finance Corp Ltd (PFC), which finances overall electricity infrastructure. Unsurprisingly, both the markets and ratings agencies have turned bearish on the companies. Other public-sector companies are being made to conduct share buy-backs - especially those in various natural resource-intensive sectors such as petrochemicals and mining. Again, that shifts cash from these companies to the Finance Ministry - and reduces the amount available to them for investment. It means populist spending is happening instead of investment - exactly the kind of decision that should make the fiscal deficit look worse. Except this makes the deficit look deceptively better. Fiscal deficits are supposed to be more than a measure of how responsible a government is with tax money. More importantly, they're a guide to whether government borrowing is squeezing out the private sector as a destination for savings. If government spending - and borrowing - is going to be concealed in this manner, then the deficit figures aren't going to be useful or relevant in any way. If Mr Modi wants to retain a reputation as a fiscal hardliner, he's going about it the wrong way. HSBC's analysts have already noted that their measure of net supply of government paper has gone up sharply, from 6.6 per cent in 2015-16 to 8.2 per cent in 2017-18. And that doesn't take into account a lot of other off-budget borrowing that's been scaled up recently. The government would be far better advised to tell the truth about its profligacy. Populism costs money. And, just because the budget numbers aren't telling you how much doesn't mean it costs any less. BLOOMBERG | https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/are-indias-budget-numbers-bogus |
What does Michigan's legalization of recreational marijuana mean for drug-sniffing dogs? | While more dogs aren't being trained to pick up the scent of marijuana, many that were might now become a liability during their police work. For example, if a police dog searches a car and finds it loaded with cocaine, but there's also two ounces of marijuana, that's now an illegal search. That doesn't mean current police dogs are out of a job, though. "It's not a crisis," Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw said. "It's something you need to look at." The new law has changed how police dogs go about their jobs. "You would use them for probable cause to gain entry to houses, cars," Shaw said. "Now you can't because marijuana is legal." MSP's 55 dogs are cross-trained for several jobs, so they're still needed, even for marijuana. "We also need them in places it's still illegal," Shaw said. "School, jails, etc." The bottom line is the law means new training for the dogs going forward, something for which many departments have already prepared. "In fact, the last five that were trained were not trained in marijuana," Shaw said. Colorado is reportedly retiring some dogs early because of legalization, but Shaw said not to expect that in Michigan. "Dogs are young," Shaw said. "They want to work. Nobody is retiring early to Florida." Police dogs are versatile. They help search for cadavers, bombs and the glue in computers that indicates child porn, police said. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. | https://www.clickondetroit.com/michigan-marijuana/what-does-michigans-legalization-of-recreational-marijuana-mean-for-drug-sniffing-dogs |
Are we missing point of rules and regulations? | While there are many perspectives on the pros and cons of annual inspections and how the inspection process in long-term care homes in Ontario could/should be modified, there is almost unanimous consent that Ontarios long-term care home system is over-regulated. By all means, lets improve the annual inspection process but lets not do it in isolation of the underlying challenge confronting long-term care homes i.e. a culture change. We need a significant transformation that allows homes to become homes (instead of the medical model institution) and where quality of life of the residents is foremost in mind and staff are given the reins to allow that to occur. Perhaps the architects adage form follows function should apply here. Inject the home culture in the long-term care home system first and then modify the rules and regulations system so that it allows the home to excel and promote quality of life, quality of care and a home-like environment that residents, their families and the staff all value and of which they can be proud. We keep investing millions of dollars tweaking a long-term care home system that hasnt seen any systemic change in well over four decades. We are long overdue for this to happen. Lets start now! Marg Eisner Brantford | https://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/opinion/letters/are-we-missing-point-of-rules-and-regulations |
Will Barry Bonds ever get into baseballs Hall of Fame? | With Barry Bonds once again denied entry into the Hall of Fame, its instructive to remember a critical change in the election procedure, executed five years ago, and what it means for Bonds future in this process. Effective with the 2015 election, players were no longer on the ballot for a maximum of 15 years. It was reduced to 10, and the immediate reaction centered around Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and other superstars tainted by their association with performance-enhancing drugs. Many felt it was a direct shot at those players, as it gave hard-line voters five fewer years to soften their stance. Before that rule change, Bruce Sutter got the good news on his 13th try, Bert Blyleven on the 14th, Jim Rice on the 15th. No such luck for todays candidates and for Bonds, instead of seeing his name on the ballot for eight more years, hell be eligible for only the next three elections. (Bonds received 59.1 percent of the vote this year. You need 75 percent to get in.) Some feel hell get into Cooperstown on the very last try, as a significant number of voters stop punishing him and check the box alongside his name. I think thats a stretch. As much as I applaud the stance of The Chronicles Susan Slusser, who began voting for Bonds after what she felt were farcical developments (such as the induction of former commissioner Bud Selig, who cluelessly oversaw the steroid era), there arent enough Slussers around to make a difference. My stance on Bonds has always been clear, and theres no need to resurrect it. I hope he gets elected the conventional way, through the Baseball Writers Association of Americas expansive voting body. Once you get to a committee, anything can happen. I was on the Expansion Era Committee in December of 2013, voting in Orlando, on a ballot including managers Tony La Russa, Joe Torre and Bobby Cox, along with former players union head Marvin Miller. There were 16 of us, mostly high-profile figures who wore the uniform. I was one of four men designated as veteran historians, but the conversations were dominated by such forceful voices as Carlton Fisk, Frank Robinson, Whitey Herzog, Tommy Lasorda and (executive) Jerry Reinsdorf. It was interesting, because those three managers were runaway choices for the election but Miller, whose tireless work led to immeasurable freedom and financial gain by the players was shot down. According to Hall of Fame guidelines, the next Expansion Era vote will arrive in December of 2025. Lets say Bonds and Clemens are the centerpieces. An overwhelming number of active Hall of Famers find both of them fraudulent and unworthy. When Harold Baines was elected in December by a Todays Era committee, there was widespread outrage from baseball insiders claiming Baines had friends in that group. In Bonds case, friends are in rather short supply. The assemblage of that committee would likely be as controversial as the vote itself. Thoughts on some other names in play: Mariano Rivera: As a great honor comes his way, its a wonderful time to reflect on his career. Ive always felt that among people in the know, the numbers are important but also secondary. Its what they saw, or felt, that really mattered. Marianos like an iceman out there, said Dennis Eckersley, one of historys few short relievers in Riveras class, in July of 2009. He never looks like hes struggling. For more than a decade, hitters know that one pitch is coming, and they still cant hit it. He breaks the bats of more left-handed hitters than anyone in history. Fred McGriff: He came up short on his 15th and final try, and thats a shame, but Ill admit, I never pulled the trigger. Same with Todd Helton. As much as I admired their accomplishments and consistency, they cant be in the Hall of Fame if fellow first basemen Keith Hernandez and Don Mattingly were denied. (I put Will Clark in that category, as well, while acknowledging his prime was all too brief.) Omar Vizquel: Aside from the 11 Gold Gloves and 2,887 career hits, heres the truth from Ken Griffey Jr., to reporters last year: He had the fastest and sweetest hands Ive ever seen in baseball. Oh, yeah. They talk about Ozzie Smith, but Omar did everything Ozzie did and more. He was special, man - really, really special. And his time will come. Mike Mussina: In future years, when a five-inning start is considered an astounding feat of courage and endurance, people will marvel at Mussinas career. He didnt make my ballot for several years, and that was my mistake - but not as bad as the Giants mistake in the 1990 June draft. A longtime friend, the late Doug McMillan, was a Giants scout at that time, working a lot of Bay Area games. He saw enough of Mussina at Stanford to offer a glowing recommendation, almost demanding that the Giants take him with the No. 15 pick of the first round. They felt otherwise. They took outfielder Adam Hyzdu, an outfielder out of a Cincinnati high school. He spent his first 10 professional seasons in the minors and was strictly a fringe player in the big leagues. Bruce Jenkins is a columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle. E-mail: [email protected] | https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/jenkins/article/Will-Barry-Bonds-ever-get-into-baseball-s-Hall-13553269.php |
What Is Matthew McConaughey Going to Do as UTs Minister of Culture? | Last month, the University of Texas announced that it would be replacing the 42-year-old Frank Erwin Center with a new $338 million basketball and events arena near the Austin campus. It will replace a parking lot near the track stadium and soccer field, have 10,000 seats for basketball and 15,000 for concerts, and be constructed as part of a partnership between the university and a group called ArenaCowhich consists of the Los Angeles-based sports venue company Oak View Group, concert promoters Live Nation and C3 Presents, and Matthew McConaughey. If that last name came as a surprise to you, well, it is a bit of a swerve. Celebrities have long been minority investors in professional sports organizationsMarc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez own a stake in the Miami Dolphins, Jay Z in the Brooklyn Nets, Justin Timberlake in the Memphis Grizzlies. But UT officials acknowledge that its new to have a celebrity backer, or an extensive private partnership, involved in a university project like this. And along with McConaugheys unspecified financial investment comes a title: he will be the venues minister of culture, according toerhimself. Mood: Matthew @McConaughey in a burnt orange suit making sure @TexasMBB is pumped up pic.twitter.com/FmUjQkQyM8 ESPN (@espn) January 20, 2019 What duties come with being the minister of culture for a college basketball arena are, at present, unclear. But he might have given fans a preview of his duties during Saturdays mens basketball game. McConaughey, donning a three-piece burnt-orange suit, seemed to have temporarily joined the coaching staff. He was on the sidelines during the game, his role falling somewhere between assistant coach and hype man. Itd certainly be a different take on the role. In countries that have a culture ministry, the title can come with a variety of different responsibilities. In France, the ministre de la culture is tasked with preserving the francit of the nation. In Lithuania, the Kultros ministras is more focused on supporting the arts and enforcing copyright. In Turkey, the job of Kltr Bakan is largely about tourism. McConaugheys responsibilities in his self-appointed role could involve any of those things or something else entirely. McConaugheys ties to his alma mater go deep. Hes frequently spotted on the sidelines of Longhorn football games and at practices, he cohosts an annual benefit concert with former coach Mack Brown, in 2016 he taught a film class for the universitys Radio-Television-Film program. Hes already a de facto representative of the university, defining the schools culture by his own outsized personality. Bestowing a title like minister of culture upon himself feels like a mere formality, a way to ensure that a basketball arena where visitors would feel inclined to just keep livin do so under his explicit direction. We wont anticipate drum circles in the concourses or weed dispensaries in lieu of concession stands, though. College sports are big business, and nobody builds a $338 million facility with the intention of letting Matthew McConaughey define its identity in ways that arent approved by the bigger-money investors. Rather, well expect that McConaugheys contributions will be more nebulouspeople who are otherwise on the fence about checking out a game might let curiosity about what his role means guide them to the arena. Which might mean that McConaughey mostly just came up with a name for a longstanding gig that celebrities have enjoyednamely, sitting courtside at basketball games and being closely identified with the team during home games, much like he did on Saturday. Perhaps Spike Lee is the minister of culture for the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden. Maybe Jack Nicholson has been the minister of culture for the Lakers and the Staples Center (and the Forum before it) all these decades. Ultimately, maybe all McConaughey did was take something thats long existed and given it a new catchphrase. If so, thats all right, all right, all right with us. | https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/dan-solomon/ |
Which former Canberra Raider now has his own fashion label? | "You're from Cootamundra - what would you know about fashion?" He might cop the occasional ribbing from his footy mates but that hasn't stopped former Canberra Raiders hooker Glen Buttriss from launching his own fashion label. Canberra Raiders Elliott Whitehead, Jack Wighton, Jordan Rapana, Josh Papalii and Dunamis Lui in the label. Buttriss has joined forced with three mates - one from Coota, one from Tumut and another from Brisbane - to launch Sanman Clothing: a skate and surf brand offering T-shirts, tank tops, shorts and hoodies. Sanman Clothing started as an online store but is now stocked in retail outlets in Wagga Wagga, Young and West Wyalong. This year, Butriss wants to expand the label to surf and skate stores across Canberra and Wollongong. | https://www.smh.com.au/national/act/which-former-canberra-raider-now-has-his-own-fashion-label-20190121-p50sn4.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_national |
Is the Elusive 'Planet Nine' Actually a Massive Ring of Debris in the Outer Solar System? | Image: ESO/M. Kornmesser The odd orbital arrangements of objects beyond Neptune have led scientists to speculate about the existence of a so-called Planet Ninea hypothetical large planet in the outer reaches of the Solar System. New research suggests a planet isnt required to achieve the anomalous orbits, and that a massive ring of debris is a more plausible explanation. Critics of the proposed disk say more evidence is needed. The elusive Planet Nine, sometimes referred to as Planet X, is thought to exist owing to the peculiar orbits of certain Kuiper Belt Objects, also known as Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs). Astronomers have documented around 30 anomalous TNOs to dateobjects featuring exaggerated and inclined orbits, and odd clustering behavior. To explain this, astronomers have proposed the presence of a yet-to-be discovered planet. To work, Planet Nine would have to located around 200 Astronomical Units (AU), or around 18.6 billion miles, from the Sun, and have 10 times as much mass as Earth. The gravitational influence of this hypothetical planet is shepherding, or gradually shoving, TNOs into their observed orbits, according to this theory. Advertisement Image: Caltech/R. Hurt New research published this week in the Astronomical Journal is offering a fascinating alternative to the Planet Nine hypothesis. Rather than invoking a mystery planet to explain the odd orbits of certain Kuiper Belt objects, the authors of the new study, Antranik Sefilian from the University of Cambridge and Jihad Touma from the American University of Beirut, argue that an outer Solar System disk comprised of rock and ice could produce the same effect as a large outer planet. Sefilian and Touma provided no observational evidence for this alleged disk, simply because none exists. Instead, the authors presented a new mathematical model demonstrating the theoretical possibility of this proposed structure. Importantly, the new model doesnt completely rule out the existence of Planet Nine, or at least a smaller version of it, as the combined gravitational influence of an outer planet and an outer debris disk could likewise produce the observed TNO orbits. Advertisement The Planet Nine hypothesis is a fascinating one, but if the hypothesised ninth planet exists, it has so far avoided detection, said Sefilian in a statement. We wanted to see whether there could be another, less dramatic and perhaps more natural, cause for the unusual orbits we see in some TNOs. We thought, rather than allowing for a ninth planet, and then worry about its formation and unusual orbit, why not simply account for the gravity of small objects constituting a disc beyond the orbit of Neptune and see what it does for us? Sefilian and Touma are not the first to propose this theory. In 2016, a study led by astronomer Anne-Marie Madigan from the University of California, Berkeley, suggested an outer Kuiper Belt disk comprised of ice-covered planetesimalsthe bits and pieces left over from the formation of the Solar Systemcould be responsible for the strange TNO orbits. The new paper is different in that a mathematical model was used to show how this hypothetical disk, and the Solar Systems eight planets, might influence the orbital configuration of TNOs. In their new model, Planet Nine was replaced by the hypothetical disk, and the objects within it were presumed to be scattered over a wide area. The collective gravitational force of these objects, according to Sefilian, could account for the eccentric orbits we see in some TNOs. Advertisement If this outer band of planetesimals exists, however, it would defy conventional predictions about the number and total mass of objects beyond Neptune. Current theories suggest the total mass out there is around one-tenth the mass of Earth, according to the study authors, but for this to work as they described, it would have to be around 10 times the mass of Earth. Its thus a big claim, one requiring further proof. While we dont have direct observational evidence for the disk, neither do we have it for Planet Nine, which is why were investigating other possibilities. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that observations of Kuiper belt analogues around other stars, as well as planet formation models, reveal massive remnant populations of debris, said Sefilian. Its also possible that both things could be truethere could be a massive disk and a ninth planet. With the discovery of each new TNO, we gather more evidence that might help explain their behaviour. Proving the existence of this debris disk, like proving the existence of Planet Nine, is not as simple as searching into the distance with our telescopes, said astronomer Carlos de la Fuente Marcos from Complutense University of Madrid. Advertisement Such a structure, if real, seems to be out of reach of current telescopic facilities, either ground- or space-based, Marcos, whos not affiliated with the new study, told Gizmodo. It will be difficult to confirm or reject this hypothesis with currently available or planned telescopes. To which he added: The scenario explored in this work sounds rather speculative, but the fact is that we know very little about the Solar System beyond Pluto. We also spoke to Caltech astronomer Konstantin Batygin, who, along with his colleague Mike Brown, published evidence for the existence of Planet Nine back in 2016. The mathematics in the new study are first rate, Batygin said, but he pointed to several astrophysical shortcomings. For one, the Kuiper belt is assumed to end at around 48 AU, or 4.5 billion miles, from the Sunthe so-called Kuiper cliff, beyond which TNOs are negligible. Second, Batygin pointed to recent research suggesting the Kuiper belt has a cumulative mass closer to 50 times less than that of the Earth, which is far less than the conventional one-tenth-Earth estimate, and certainly far less than the 10-times-Earth estimate. These two data points, when taken together, mean the massive disk proposed by Sefilian and Touma must start at hundreds of AU from the Sun based on what is known observationally and from celestial mechanics, which isnt plausible, Batgyin said. Advertisement It is well-established that stars like the Sun typically form in clusters, and the Solar System is no exception, he told Gizmodo. That is, cosmo-chemical arguments as well as the existence of the Oort Cloud imply that the Sun resided in a cluster of around 10,000 stars for approximately 100 million years after its formationwhich brings us to a third problem with the study: The coherence of the envisioned disk would have been disrupted early in the Solar Systems lifetime, both by the cumulative gravitational potential of the Suns birth-cluster as well as the [random] perturbations by passing stars. He also found it hard to believe that a massive protoplanetary disk could reside at distances beyond 100 AU, as the new study suggests. How has its existence eluded observational surveys to date? All these questions, and others, remain unaddressed by the study, said Batygin. Ultimately, the new paper falls short of being an astrophysically plausible explanation for the anomalous structure of the distant solar system, he said. No question, the primary weakness of the paper is the absence of astronomical evidencebut the same claim can be made about arguments in favor of Planet Nine. Its quite possible, as some research has argued, that no orbital anomalies exist in the Kuiper belt, and that scientists are victims of an observation bias. In other words, more reliable data is needed to show that something squirrelly is going on out there. As astronomers continue the search for Planet Nine, they should also be on the lookout for signs of an unexpected band of debris along the outer reaches of our Solar System. Advertisement In science, theres no fault in pursuing multiple paths of inquiry. [Astronomical Journal] | https://gizmodo.com/is-the-elusive-planet-nine-actually-a-massive-ring-of-d-1831961723 |
What's the Best Coffee For Cold Brew? | Photo: Blake Wisz (Unsplash) Calling all caffeine addicts! Theres an ice cold Co-Op a-brewing. Although its the dead of winter, we want to know which coffee makes for the best cold brew concoctions (its a year-round beverage, promise). Now, this is no ordinary cup of joe; it typically doesnt make sense to pay top dollar for super flavorful beans, since the cold brewing process results in a more muted taste, and coarse grinds are preferred over the ultra fine. So, dont leave us out here in the cold. Tell us which brands of beans get you buzzing, and why. Check out the rules below, then scroll down to the comments to nominate your favorite. | https://co-op.theinventory.com/what-is-the-best-coffee-for-cold-brew-1831956916 |
Why Didnt the Oscars Nominate Any Female Directors This Year? | Greta Gerwig on the set of Lady Bird. Photo: A24 Tuesday mornings Oscar nominations provided plenty of surprises, but one development proved depressingly familiar: As many predicted, this years eight Best Picture contenders and five Best Director nominees included exactly zero films directed by a woman. No Marielle Heller. No Josie Rourke. No Karyn Kusama. No Debra Granik. No women at all. After Greta Gerwigs Lady Bird proved a strong contender last year, it cant help but feel a little like the Academy is going backwards. But in hindsight, its clear all the ways that Lady Bird provided a perfect standard for supporters to rally around. The film was almost universally beloved, boasting for a time a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, and just as importantly, it had an easy-to-follow Oscar narrative: an actress known for ramshackle indies making her solo directorial debut with a lovingly composed coming-of-age tale inspired by her own teenage years. (That Gerwig had co-directed a mumblecore film years before was one of those things that gets smoothed away in Oscar discussions; it was just easier for everyone to treat Lady Bird like her first real directorial effort.) Lady Bird went home empty-handed on Oscar night, a sign the Academy still wasnt quite ready to warm up to female-driven stories, but it still pulled in five nominations and was in the Best Picture conversation all season long. This years bounty of female-helmed movies havent enjoyed the same benefits. The top contender was probably Can You Ever Forgive Me?, which managed acting nods for both Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant, as well as a screenplay nomination. That screenplay might explain part of the reason CYEFM didnt ascend into the top tier of the years contenders: Its credited to Jeff Whitty and Nicole Holofcener, and the latter was set to direct the movie back when it was going to star Julianne Moore; director Marielle Heller didnt join the project until after the Moore-Holofcener version fell apart in 2015. And, as Heller told Vanity Fairs Little Gold Men podcast, shed purposefully chosen the film because it was very different from her debut, Diary of a Teenage Girl. Hellers direction was widely praised, but it was hard to position her as the singular voice and vision behind the film, or to fit the movie into a grabby story about her career arc the kind of stuff that feels like it shouldnt matter, but often does in award campaigning. Other female directors in the race could make a strong case to be seen as their films main creative forces. Mary, Queen of Scotss Josie Rourke is the artistic director of the British theater Donmar Warehouse, and from the casting to the characterization, the movie bore the fingerprints of a longtime stage pro. (Even if with this film too, the screenplay was credited to someone else.) Period pieces about British royalty are catnip to Oscars voters, and the film did score two nominations, in Costume and Hair & Makeup. But Mary had the burden of competing in the same year as The Favourite, which added its own modern spin to a story of a Stuart monarch, and was pretty much universally regarded as the better film. Like Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Karyn Kusamas Destroyer was positioned as an acting vehicle, and star Nicole Kidman earned a Golden Globe nomination for her transformative turn as a bitter Los Angeles detective. But the film itself got a polarizing reception, and critics and voters alike agreed the film itself didnt quite live up Kidmans central performance. Debra Graniks Leave No Trace got better reviews in fact, it got some of the best reviews of the year and shed previously helmed the Best Picture nominee Winters Bone, but that summer indie was distributed by Bleecker Street, whose movies have had trouble cracking the Oscar race. A similar situation occurred with Lynne Ramsays You Were Never Really Here, which earned accolades when it premiered at Cannes in 2017, but couldnt crack the conversation when it was released Stateside. Neither could Josephine Deckers experimental coming-of-age film Madelines Madeline. Tamara Jenkinss Private Life looked for a time like could break out at the Golden Globes, where the HFPA reportedly loved it, but that came to nothing. These four films earned a combined 12 Independent Spirit Award nominations, but voters in most of the other precursors largely ignored them, and Oscar followed suit. Ultimately, its one of those situations where you can zoom in and find a good reason why each individual film wasnt nominated, but from a wide-angle view the trend is still troubling. replaced its original director, but so did Bohemian Rhapsody. Mary Queen of Scots got bad reviews, but again, so did BoRhap. Private Life was a Netflix film, but so was Roma. Destroyer didnt get much love outside its central performance, but neither did Vice. Granik, Ramsay, and Jenkins all took a lot of time between their last film, but the same issue hasnt hurt Alfonso Cuarn, whose Gravity was released back in 2013. And besides, thats more a symptom of their lack of attention than a cause. The real issue with this years field of female filmmakers is less anything to do with the individual films, and more that, as AwardsDailys Sasha Stone memorably put it, No one can agree on one and there can only be one. Female representation right now is at a point where a woman can get nominated for Best Director, but only if shes a clear standout whose work is head and shoulders above that of her male peers. If there are a bunch of women who are just kind of in the mix, like this year, its easy for voters to claim that none of them were quite good enough. Though there were bright spots elsewhere on the ballot Black Panthers team of black women scored well in the craft categories, and the female directors of RBG and Free Solo are front-runners in Documentary Feature but in general, this year was on par with the past two when it came to recognizing women: The Womens Media Center reports that 25 percent of the behind-the-scenes nominees were female. The fact that that is good news it used to be a lot less is a sign of how far the Academy still has to go. | https://www.vulture.com/2019/01/oscar-nominations-female-directors.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nymag%2Fvulture+%28Vulture+-+nymag.com%27s+Entertainment+and+Culture+Blog%29 |
Which Women Ruled Paris From Their Bed? | Parisian prostitute, Jeanne Granier (Twitter) Follow > Disable alert for Paris Follow > From a courtesan famed for her wealth to a mistress of a future King of England, these are the women who ruled Paris from their bed. Photos show prostitutes who featured in 'The Pretty Women of Paris' - the nineteenth century directory for the French capital's best courtesans and brothels. Published in 1883 and limited to 169 copies, the notorious guide listed the names of the city's most famous scarlet women - along with their addresses, qualities and faults. The handbook - which was aimed at visiting English gentlemen in Paris - meticulously described the sexual specialities and background of every prostitute. Under Napoleon, prostitution became legal in France and the booklet arranges the various courtesans in Paris by district for ease for the potential customer. Although little-known today, many of the women listed rose to become extremely wealthy and famous in their own right - wielding power in the French capital through the men they bedded. Pictured in the collection is famed Parisian prostitute, Jeanne Granier whose besotted lovers are said to have included Queen Victoria's eldest son and future king of England, Edward VII. Prince Edward famously enjoyed a rendezvous with opera star, Jeanne, in the Grand Hotel in Monte Carlo in 1889. However back in Paris, Granier would entertain wealthy male clients and other European princes in her opulent private house in the Avenue de Wagram. The collection also includes celebrated courtesan, Gabrielle Elluini. The handbook describes Gabrielle as 'the richest moll in the world' with an amassed fortune of 'one hundred thousand pounds sterling' - equivalent to 11million in today's money. Another image shows Ameltie Latour who was one of the most coveted prostitutes during Napoleon III's reign - and Juliette Grandville who is praised in the bawdy directory as being 'the only woman we have ever met with who can exercise affection for both sexes at one and at the same time'. Prostitution was legal and regulated in France throughout the nineteenth century. When Napoleon become Emperor in 1804, he ordered the registration and fortnightly health inspection of all sex workers in France. Five years later, Paris alone had 180 officially approved brothels. By law, these brothels had to be run by a woman -typically a former prostitute - and their external appearance had to be discreet. Sordid brothels known as 'maisons d'abattage' were popular among the lower-classes in Paris. However the nineteenth century also saw courtesans become extraordinarily wealthy and famous - and opulent brothels such as le Chabanais were built. As 'The Pretty Women of Paris' directory shows, many of the prostitutes listed were professional stage actresses. Some of these prostitutes would have been working actresses waiting for their big break so they would have taken pains to entertain their male clients well - in case they were important enough to forward their career on the stage. Meanwhile other Parisian courtesans were famed actresses enjoyed the lifestyle and wealth that came with being kept women or mistresses of men of rank. Prostitution in France remained legal until April 6, 2016 when the French National Assembly voted to punish customers of sex-workers with a fine. This article has been adapted from its original source. | https://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/which-women-ruled-paris-their-bed-1242302 |
Are Brad Pitt and Charlize Theron an Item or What? | Rumors were swirling that Hollywood heavy hitters Charlize Theron and Brad Pitt were maybe, possibly seeing each other. Sunday night saw headlines proclaiming the duo as Tinseltown's next big thing and that Pitt, one of the world's most eligible bachelors after his separation and ongoing divorce from Angelina Jolie, was ready to move on. But alas, sources told E! that it was all wishful thinking. As much as we wanted Theron and Pitt to be 2019's golden couple, the two aren't dating. "They know each other, but it doesn't go beyond that," a source said. "They aren't dating and never were." Image zoom Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images RELATED: Charlize Theron Had to Gain and Lose 50 Pounds for a Movie Role The source continues, saying that both parties involved are "shaking their heads about where this story came from." The story stems from the fact that the two were working together on an ad for watch brand Breitling. People (https://people.com/movies/brad-pitt-charlize-theron-met-6-months-ago-spe...) reported that the two "spent some time" together after the occasion, but added that nothing else really materialized. To make things even more outrageous, multiple outlets reported that Charlize's ex, Sean Penn, was the one to set the two up. "The idea that Sean Penn introduced them couldn't be further from the truth," the source added. | https://www.instyle.com/news/brad-pitt-charlize-theron-dating |
Why is Strictly Come Dancings Gorka Marquez not with Gemma Atkinson on the National Television Awards red carpet? | The reason Strictly's Gorka Marquez is not with Gemma Atkinson at the National Television Awards The usually inseparable lovebirds did not walk the red carpet together and fans wondered why Theres hardly a couple we love seeing together more than Strictly Come Dancing duo Gorka Marquez and Gemma Atkinson, so when we spotted the handsome ballroom dancer making his was down the National Television Awards red carpet on Tuesday evening alone, we couldnt help but wonder why. FASHION: All the best NTA looks But the truth is, although their fabulous lives and incredible capacity for workouts puts this pair above most of us, theyre actually only human. And as Gorka explained, his lovely girlfriend was too exhausted to hit the red carpet after a string of busy work commitments. Loading the player... Gorka tells HELLO! he's all alone tonight! "She was going to come but shes working and then tomorrow she has a radio [show] so she has to be up at four in the morning," Gorka revealed exclusively to HELLO!. "So she couldnt make it here, so Im by myself tonight." Its definitely been a busy time of travel for Gemma. This morning, she took to Instagram to talk about how bored she was with Manchesters current freezing spell, sharing a gorgeous photograph of warmer and happier times when she and Gorka spent time in Greece this summer. "Im so over the rain and cold weather in Manchester," she captioned the cute pic. Its been a hectic time back to work for the couple after a fabulous Christmas which they spent together for the first time with Gemma's beloved dogs Olly and Norman. They had previously spent some time in Spain on a pre-Christmas trip, where Gemma enjoyed getting to know her boyfriend's roots. Live Updates She revealed that Gorka had taken her around his hometown of Bilbao to visit his old school, as well as where he learnt to surf, his favourite coffee shop and his mum's beach house. Gemma has even been taking Spanish lessons since she began dating Gorka, and no doubt practiced her skills during the trip. They teased fans with super romantic photos and soppy captions, which prompted social media followers to ask if a Christmas engagement was on the cards. | https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2019012266930/gorka-marquez-solo-red-carpet-national-television-awards/ |
Is President Willy Wonka Trying to Reopen the Government Chocolate Factory? | Photo: Win McNamee (Getty Images) Dueling proposals (read, dicks) are going to be voted on this Thursday as the white men controlling the rest of the planet have reached some sort of agreement that might allow government black folks back to work. From the Hill Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) set up two votes for Thursday afternoon, both of which will require 60 votes to advance. The first vote will be on President Trumps proposal to to reopen the government, provide $5.7 billion in funding for the border wall and extend legal protections to some immigrants for three years. If that fails, the Senate would then vote on a three-week continuing resolution (CR). There is no guarantee that either bill can get the votes to pass and break the months-long stalemate that has closed roughly a quarter of the government. But the deal between McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is the first glimmer of progress after weeks of entrenched back-and-forth. The one white guy (Schumer) thanked the other white guy that looks like a turtle on Xanax (McConnell) after the two bills had been placed on the books. We have a second amendment that could break us out of the morass we are in. For the first time, we will get a vote on whether to open the government without any decision one way or the other on border security, Schumer said. Because the president is a stunt drama queen who lives for the cameras, this news comes as the White House reportedly wanted to do a walkthrough for the State of the Union. Advertisement From CNN: Over the holiday weekend, the White House asked forbut was denieda walk-through by the House of Representatives sergeant-at-arms in preparation of the speech. Still, on Tuesday a senior White House official said the administration is moving forward with plans for the speech at the US Capitol. White House officials have continued working on the Presidents speech and been mulling other plans for its delivery in the event Trump cannot address the joint session of Congress next week. Advertisement This honestly sounds like the White House is willing to open the government long enough for the president to spout his bullshit from the House podium only for the president to shut the shit back down if he doesnt get his border wall money. Of course, he is! And dont worrynone of this is going anywhere since no one thinks any of these proposed plans will garner the 60 votes needed to pass, which means that the president is planning to deliver his SOTU address on the House stairs because ... of course he would. | https://www.theroot.com/is-president-willy-wonka-trying-to-reopen-the-governmen-1831964062 |
What is Rudy Giuliani thinking? | It's been a roller coaster week for Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's lead defense lawyer in the ongoing Russia probe. "How on Earth is he still representing the president?," one former White House official familiar with the legal team's thought process told INSIDER. "This is a s---show." Giuliani has been stoking controversy since he first joined Trump's defense team last year following the resignation of white-collar defense attorney John Dowd. Though he first struck a conciliatory tone toward the special counsel Robert Mueller, Giuliani quickly turned his legal strategy into a PR strategy centered around discrediting Mueller and the Russia investigation. But in recent days, Giuliani has embarked on a media tour that legal scholars say likely did more to damage Trump's case than help it. Read more:What Mueller's extraordinarily unprecedented move to dispute BuzzFeed's story on the record tells us 'If the collusion happened, it happened a long time ago' It started last week, when Giuliani moved the goalposts on Trump-Russia collusion in a big way, telling CNN, "I never said there was no collusion between the campaign or between people in the campaign [and Russia]." "Yes, you have," CNN host Chris Cuomo interjected. "I have no idea if I have not," Giuliani replied. "I said the President of the United States [did not collude]. There is not a single bit of evidence the President of the United States committed the only crime you can commit here: conspired with the Russians to hack the [Democratic National Committee]." The statement represented a remarkable shift in the Trump team's narrative on whether there was collusion between the campaign and Russia. Trump "didn't say nobody [colluded]," Giuliani told CNN last Wednesday. "He said he didn't. He said he didn't. He didn't say nobody." Later in the interview, he tacked on another caveat. "If the collusion happened, it happened a long time ago," Giuliani said. After the interview sparked a firestorm, Giuliani qualified his comments and said he represents Trump, not the campaign. Michael Cohen. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson Giuliani revealed that Trump Tower Moscow talks continued until Election Day 2016 The day after the CNN interview, BuzzFeed News dropped a big, controversial story alleging that Trump instructed his former lawyer and longtime fixer, Michael Cohen, to lie to Congress about the Trump Tower Moscow project in 2017. BuzzFeed reported that Mueller learned about Trump's alleged instruction to Cohen through "multiple witnesses," documents, internal emails, and text messages from members of the Trump Organization, and then from Cohen. On Friday, less than a day after BuzzFeed's story was published, Mueller's office released an unprecedented statement disputing the story on the record. Giuliani, who has made headlines over the last year questioning Mueller's reputation and accusing the special counsel of lying, applauded Mueller for disputing the story. Read more:Here's why Mueller's team reportedly made its unprecedented move to dispute a bombshell story on Trump and Cohen But on Sunday, Giuliani added fuel to the fire when, in an interview with The New York Times, he quoted Trump as saying the Trump Tower Moscow discussions were "going on from the day I announced to the day I won." The comment represented a significant departure from Trump's and his aides' previous denials that the project ever moved beyond its earliest stages. When Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress, prosecutors revealed in a charging document that discussions about the project many of which involved senior Trump Organization executives and Trump family members continued until June 2016. Giuliani's statement to The Times indicated that those talks went on for far longer than previously disclosed, until at least November 2016. Around that time period, Trump was pushing for closer ties to Russia and cooler relations with NATO, a key foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Shortly after Trump won, his incoming national-security adviser, Michael Flynn, also secretly discussed US sanctions on Russia with Russia's ambassador to the US. At the time, the Trump transition team was also considering a Ukraine-Russia "peace plan" that favored Moscow and called for lifting sanctions on Russia. Shortly after the interview was published, Giuliani walked back his statements, saying they were a "hypothetical" and "not based on conversations I had with the President." 'Rudy is the gift that keeps on creating issues' Ty Wright/Getty Images The same day that the Times interview was published, Giuliani made another explosive comment, this time on CNN's "State of the Union" with host Jake Tapper. Initially, Giuliani told Tapper, "As far as I know, President Trump did not have discussions with [Cohen], certainly had no discussions with him in which he told him or counseled him to lie." Then, he appeared to acknowledge that Trump may have discussed Cohen's false testimony with him. If it happened, Giuliani said, it "would be perfectly normal, which the president believed was true." "So it's possible that that happened, that President Trump talked to Michael Cohen about his testimony?" Tapper asked. "I don't know if it happened or didn't happen," Giuliani replied. "And it might be attorney-client privileged if it happened, where I can't acknowledge it. But I have no knowledge that he spoke to him. But I'm telling you, I wasn't there then." In a sentencing memorandum Cohen's lawyers filed on his behalf in December, they said he was in "close and regular contact" with White House staff and Trump's lawyers as he was drafting his false congressional testimony in 2017. They added that he was "fully aware" of Trump's repeated disavowals of ties to Russia, as well as his and his allies' claims that any contacts with Russians by Trump, his campaign, or the Trump Organization ended before February 2016. One former senior Justice Department official who worked closely with Mueller at the FBI told INSIDER they were flummoxed by Giuliani's interview with Tapper. "There is no discernible legal strategy here," they said. This is a goldmine for prosecutors." Another prominent criminal defense lawyer who is currently active in the Mueller investigation echoed that sentiment, telling Axios, "Rudy is the gift that keeps on creating issues that do not otherwise exist. He should have taken the Mueller statement [denying the BuzzFeed story], embraced it and not said another word." A cryptic allusion to 'tapes' and a hasty walkback Michael Cohen and Donald Trump. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters On Monday evening, The New Yorker jumped into the fray with a new interview in which Giuliani told the magazine that even if Trump did collude with Russia, "it wouldn't be a crime." Perhaps the most perplexing part of the interview came when the former New York mayor said he had listened to "tapes" that proved Trump never instructed Cohen to lie to Congress. When pressed on his revelation, Giuliani hastily walked back his previous comments. "I can tell you, from the moment I read the story, I knew the story was false," Giuliani said of BuzzFeed's report. "I have been through all the tapes, I have been through all the texts, I have been through all the e-mails, and I knew none existed." "Wait, what tapes have you gone through?" asked New Yorker staff writer Isaac Chotiner. "I shouldn't have said tapes," Giuliani said. "They alleged there were texts and e-mails that corroborated that Cohen was saying the President told him to lie. There were no texts, there were no e-mails, and the President never told him to lie." "So, there were no tapes you listened to, though?" Chotiner asked. "No tapes," Giuliani said. "Well, I have listened to tapes, but none of them concern this." Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story. It's "impossible to find a consistent position with Rudy over the past few weeks," Jeffrey Cramer, a longtime former federal prosecutor who spent 12 years at the Justice Department, told INSIDER. It's possible "he honestly doesn't have a clue as to the truth about Trump and his Moscow connections, relevant dates, business opportunities, lies," and more, Cramer said. It's also possible "he's a confused man who just spouts off what comes to mind and then walks it back when he sees the reaction." A third, less likely possibility, Cramer added, is that Giuliani has "been fully briefed by Trump as to the truth and is lining up various defenses depending upon any potential charges: 'Trump didn't talk to Cohen before the congressional hearing. Even if he did, it isn't a crime. Even if it is a crime, you can't indict the president.'" At a minimum, Giuliani's comments indicate that "Trump was trying to line up a Trump Tower Moscow with the Russians to line his pockets while running to be the President of the United States," Cramer said. "It also seems at a minimum that Trump is taking actions that benefit the Russian government." | https://www.businessinsider.com/rudy-giuliani-buzzfeed-trump-tower-moscow-statements-walkbacks-2019-1 |
Has there been no major terror attack in India since 2014? | Claim: India has not experienced a single major terror attack since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government came to power in 2014. Verdict: Both official and independent data provide details of a series of fatal attacks by militant groups within India since 2014. The government's own documents refer to at least two of these as being "major" attacks. In a speech to a recent convention of India's ruling BJP, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made a bold claim. "We have not had one major terrorist attack in this country after 2014," she said. "There are of course disturbances on the border," she went on, "but the Indian Army has made sure that every attempt to come into this country is eliminated even at the border." The remarks have proved controversial, provoking discussion over what constitutes a "major" attack, given the large number of incidents that have taken place. Opposition response "Will the defence minister take the map of India and locate Pathankot and Uri?" tweeted P Chidambaram, former finance minister from the main opposition Congress party. He was referring to two attacks on military establishments in 2016. Seven Indian soldiers and six militants were killed in an attack on a base in Pathankot in Punjab state in January that year, blamed on a Pakistan-based group Four gunmen attacked the army base at Uri in Indian-administered Kashmir in September, killing 17 soldiers Government figures The Indian Ministry of Defence breaks down internal security issues into four categories: incidents in the Indian-administered Kashmir region insurgency in the north-eastern states left-wing extremism in various areas terror attacks in the hinterland (ie the rest of the country) According to the government's own data, presented to parliament by the home affairs ministry, there was a "major terrorist attack in the hinterland" in both 2015 and 2016. The data presented mentions incidents in the other three categories, but the term "major" is only used with reference to the hinterland. "There's no policy statement or government release where the difference between a major or minor attack has been defined clearly," according to defence expert Ajai Shukla. "It's a matter of perception," he says. "It depends on intangible factors such as the importance of the target, the origin and outcome of the attack and its symbolic value." Image copyright Getty Images The BBC has sought clarification from the Indian government, pointing out that its own documents refer to "major" terror incidents, but has not received a response at the time of writing this article. One non-governmental group, the South Asian Terrorism Portal (SATP), provides its own definition of a major attack. It calls any incident with three or more fatalities - civilian or military - a major attack. According to SATP, there were 388 "major" incidents in India from 2014 to 2018 using their definition. Their reporting uses available ministry data and other media reports. It's helpful to look at how insurgent and militant attacks have changed over time, comparing the situation under the current government with that under the previous administration. From 2009 to 2013, when a Congress-led government was in power, government records show 15 "major cases of terrorist incidents in the hinterland" - significantly more than under the current government. But incidents in Indian-administered Kashmir, which were showing a steady decline from 2009 to 2014, have been on the rise under the current government. And in 2018, Indian-controlled Kashmir saw the highest fatalities in terror-related violence in a decade with 451 deaths, according to SATP's Ajai Sahni. The last time this toll was exceeded was in 2008 when Congress held power. In the north-eastern part of the country, except for a spike in 2012, there have been fewer and fewer reports of violent incidents - and a sharp fall in civilian deaths since 2015, according to official data. The region has seen ethnic and separatist conflicts for decades, involving a variety of groups fighting for local autonomy or complete independence. When it comes to left-wing insurgent groups in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has compared his government's track record favourably to the previous Congress-led administration. Mr Modi told the Swarajya magazine in July 2018: "Maoist violence has declined by 20% in the affected states with a concomitant reduction of 34% in deaths in 2017 compared to 2013." Maoist rebels, who are active in several eastern and central states, say they are fighting for communist rule and greater rights for tribal people and the rural poor. Mr Modi's figures about the decrease in fatalities match the official tally. But according to the Home Affairs Ministry's own reports, the declining trend in this type of insurgency actually began in 2011 under the previous government. Read more from Reality Check Send us your questions Follow us on Twitter | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46902935 |
Will the Chris Brown Rape Allegations Affect His Career? | When Chris Brown released his first album in 2005, people were floored by the then 16-year-olds talent. He belted out the bops, and his dance moves drew comparisons to Michael Jackson. Then, when he took his relationship with Rihanna public in 2007, it was like an R&B fairytale come to life. But that all came crashing down in 2009 when he assaulted Rihanna, the first in a steady string of charges that have spanned the past decade, right up to today, when Brown was detained in Parisalongside two other unnamed individualsover allegations of sexual assault. And although none of his albums have matched the success of his self-titled debut, Brown has still had a pretty stellar career, both with music and acting. He has the support of fellow artists and producers even after, time and time again, he proves that hes a troubled, violent person with a massive temper who has repeatedly assaulted women, and some men. Here, we chart how Browns infractions have been peppered with success, and how hes managed to maintain a much better social standing than he deserves. February 2009: Rihanna is hospitalized after an argument with then-boyfriend, Brown, turned physical. Shocking photos of her puffy and bruised faced circulate on the internet; Brown turns himself in to the LAPD, and is arrested. He is supposed to appear at the 2009 GRAMMYs later this month, but he backs out. June 2009: After being charged in March, he pleads guilty to felony assault. August 2009: Brown gets five years probation, 180 days of community service, and has to attend an anti-violence program for a year. Rihanna gets a restraining order against him. September 2009: Brown drops I Can Transform Ya, the first single off his new album, Graffiti. Although a lot of radio stations pull his songs following his sentencing, it still becomes his eighth top-20 hit on the Billboard charts. December 2009: Graffiti is released. It becomes Browns lowest-selling album, and critics give it negative reviews, but it debuts at number seven on the Billboard charts, and is the weeks second highest-selling debut. June 2010: Brown pulls off an intense tribute to Michael Jackson at the BET Awards, where he chokes up while singing Man in the Mirror. People see it as a heartfelt apology for his assault of Rihanna, and it marks a huge turning point on his quest for forgiveness. March 2011: After an interview with Good Morning Americas Robin Roberts, Brown apparently breaks a window his dressing room, seemingly agitated by a question about the 2009 assault. June 2011: Brown wins five BET Awards for his fourth studio album, F.A.M.E., which also earns him a number-one spot on the Billboard charts. Tyga, T-Pain and Kelly Rowland all join him on the album tour. February 2012: Brown makes his first GRAMMYs performance since the 2009 assault, and he takes home the award for Best R&B Album. Also in February 2012, Brown is accused of stealing a phone from a fan who snapped a photo of him, but he is never charged with any crime. April 2012: Brown is cast alongside Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union and Kevin Hart in the romantic comedy, Think Like A Man. June 2012: Brown gets into a fight with Drake at a club in New York, allegedly over Rihanna, but no charges are laid and he and Drake eventually reconcile. July 2012: His fifth album, Fortune, debuts at number-one on the Billboard charts, and includes appearances from Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean and Nas. October 2012: Brown violates Rihannas restraining order and shows up at her Halloween party dressed as a terrorist. January 2013: Reports surface that show Brown possibly lied about his community serviceclaiming hours when he was, in fact, outside the U.S. Later this month, he and Frank Ocean fight over a parking spot in West Hollywood. The police report shows that Brown punched and pushed Ocean. No charges are laid. October 2013: Brown punches a man outside a hotel in Washington, D.C., and he is arrested for felony assault. (The man apparently tried to get in on a photo with the singer and two women, and after Brown said Im not into this gay shit, Im into boxing, he broke the mans nose.) The charge was eventually brought down to a misdemeanour, and Brown checks himself into a rehab facility while waiting for his sentence. November 2013: Brown is kicked out of the aforementioned rehab facility for throwing a rock through his mothers car window following a family therapy session. Soon after, his sentence comes through: 90 days at a rehab specializing in anger management. March 2014: Brown gets kicked out of another rehab facility, and is taken into custody for not completing a drug test and for touching a fellow patient. He is then sentenced to 131 days in jail for violating his probation. October 2014: Browns sixth album, X, peaks at number two on the Billboard charts, and includes collaborations with Nicki Minaj, Ludacris and Usher. November 2015: As a prelude to his next album, Brown releases a mixtape called Before the Party, featuring a bunch of high-profile producers and artists, including Rihanna. December 2015: Brown drops his seventh album, Royalty, named after his daughter, who is also pictured on the cover. (Her mother is Nia Amey, Browns ex-girlfriend.) It debuts at number three on the Billboard charts, and is the second best-selling album the week of its release. January 2016: Las Vegas police investigate Brown after a woman alleges that he stole her phone and then hit her in the face during a party. Browns reps deny the womans claims; he eventually pays a financial settlement to the woman in a civil suit. August 2016: After a standoff with the police that lasts a full day, Brown is arrested under suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly pointing a gun at a womans face. February 2017: Browns former girlfriend Karrueche Tran files a restraining order against him after he allegedly threatened to kill her several times. Tran also says that he punched her in the stomach, pushed her down the stairs, and threatened her friends and family. The five-year restraining order is granted later that year. April 2017: According to police, Brown allegedly sucker punches a photographer in Florida during a performance. He is eventually arrested for felony battery related to this incident in July 2018, and released on a $2,000 bond. June 2017: Brown releases a documentary, Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life, about his fameand the trouble hes landed in since it began. In the doc, several celebrities, including DJ Khaled and Mary J. Blige, defend him, and Brown insists that his time in the spotlight isnt over yet. August 2017: Brown gets a gig on Black-ish, playing a troubled rapper. Following criticism for that casting, the shows creator Kenya Barris defended the choice, saying It had been 10 years since the Rihanna incident, which happened when he was a kid, basically, 19 years old. She did say the show was unaware of Trans restraining order at the time, though. November 2017: Heartbreak On A Full Moon, Browns eighth album, hits number three on the Billboard charts. March 2018: Brown appears in Lil Dickys video, Freaky Friday, alongside Kendall Jenner and Ed Sheeran. Both Jenner and Sheeran were criticized for associating with Brown. June 2018: A woman is granted a temporary restraining order against Brown for allegedly harassing and stalking her. Browns reps responded to these claims, saying that he doesnt know the woman. May 2018: Brown, rapper Young Lo (Lowell Grissom Jr.) and an unnamed woman are included in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a woman accusing them of a whole host of things, including sexual battery, assault and interference with civil rights. All of these incidents allegedly took place at a party at Browns home in L.A. October 2018: Drake calls Brown one of the most talented human beings on the planet during a concert in Los Angeles, and brings him onstage so the pair can perform Browns 2017 hit Party. January 2019: Brown and two other people are arrested in Paris after a woman filed a rape complaint against them. He remains in custody while a French judge investigates the allegations, though an Instagram post to his account noted that the allegations were false and a whole lot of cap [sic]. He is later released without charge. Prior to the rape allegations, Browns year was off to a relatively good start. His single, Undecided, became his 91st Billboard chart entry, which means he is now tied for the second most chart entries in history with James Brown (and just behind Elvis Presley). He also just cut a new deal with RCA Records. So well have to wait and see if the latest on his long, long list of allegations affects his success, or if he keeps on forging ahead the way he has over the past 10 years. | https://www.flare.com/news/chris-brown-rape-allegations/ |
Can RPA shift lower-grade federal employees to higher-value work? | Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Federal Drives daily audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne. Automation wont put federal employees out of a job anytime soon, but the spread of robotic process automation (RPA) in agencies will likely have an impact on the types of government jobs that are available within the next decade or so, the General Services Administrations leading voice on RPA said Wednesday. Ed Burrows, a senior adviser to GSAs chief financial officer, said agencies RPA pilot projects have helped meet a goal within the Presidents Management Agenda to shift federal employees from low-value to high-value work. Advertisement We shouldnt be hiring for positions that can be automated. That becomes a dead-end job, Burrows said at an ACT-IAC conference in Washington. We should think about automation first. Agencies have found success using RPA to tackle repetitive, menial tasks, like copying and pasting text into forms, but Burrows said its unclear what tasks lower-grade employees will do when an algorithm can do aspects of their jobs more quickly and efficiently. What were finding so far is many of the jobs are being done by mid-level employees, and so its actually very easy to move them to more valuable work. They immediately know what they can do with their time, Burrows said. We have another group of people who are lower-skilled, lower grade level thats a more challenging situation. GSA, the IRS and State Department have experimented with RPA pilots to free up labor hours, but actual cost savings have been less apparent. You dont get cost savings immediately because the people arent leaving, Burrows said. But if you look over the next 10-15 years, theres a wave of retirements coming. As a result, Burrows said agencies wont fully invest in RPA tools until the government hits a couple home runs with the technology. One case study he identified would free up as much as 7,000 labor hours per month. With processes like that, your [return on investment] just shoots up. I think then well see it more. But its too new, we dont see a big commitment of investment as agencies are exploring it, Burrows said. While some agency job series may change over the course of the next 10 years, automation may also make it easier to attract the next generation of talent with in-demand technology skills. For example, Burrows said an agency job description today in which an employee performs 100 hours a month of menial tasks someday might become a job where an employee builds and manages a suite of bots, and monitors their performance. Thats a much more appealing type of job for a young person, so there are a lot of long-term benefits to the government, he said. GSA has 10 bots operating at this point, and has been rolling new bots out at a rate of about one per month since February 2018. Looking ahead, Burrows said GSA is thinking about how to increase capacity. The agency has trained about a dozen people in the CFOs office to develop bots. Im finding its not easy to scale up, he said. I hear in the private sector companies that have thousands of bots running. To be honest, I cant imagine. How many people would you need, and what kind of monthly rate of deployment of bots would you have to have? | https://federalnewsnetwork.com/automation/2019/01/can-rpa-shift-lower-grade-federal-employees-to-higher-value-work/ |
Is Married At First Sight's Martha Kalifatidis trying to be Kim Kardashian? | When Married At First Sight's sixth season graces screens next week, viewers may be surprised to find that one of the participants looks eerily familiar. Bondi-based makeup artist Martha Kalifatidis, 30, shares a striking resemblance to Kim Kardashian, with the pair appearing so similar in some photos that it's often difficult to tell them apart. From their identical brunette waves to their plump pouts and bronzed complexions, the similarities between Martha and Kim are endless. Keeping up with Kalifatidis! Married At First Sight's Martha Kalifatidis (L) looks almost identical to Kim Kardashian (R) While it's unclear if Martha's Kardashian-esque look is intentional or simply a coincidence, the brunette bride has openly admitted to receiving cosmetic tweaks to enhance her appearance. 'I do Botox,' she told NW magazine on Monday. 'I like to keep it really understated and natural so I don't look like I've had anything done.' She added: 'I haven't had filler in my lips - but I do them in other places on my face, and I've had a boob job.' 'I do Botox and fillers': While it's unclear if Martha's Kardashian-esque look is intentional or simply a coincidence, the brunette bride has openly admitted to undergoing cosmetic tweaks Outside of her physical appearance, Martha also seems to take style cues from the famed American reality star. Not only does the MAFS bride have the exact same hairstyle as Kim, she also appears to have copied everything from Kim's makeup to her bikinis. Little is known about Martha's role on the new season of Married At First Sight, with the show's promos largely leaving her out so far. Even Martha's personal style appears to be inspired by the Kardashians However, the brunette is featured on the show's official poster alongside Sam Ball, indicating that she'll probably have a large role in the season. Channel Nine have already touted season six of MAFS as the best in the show's history, with more drama and scandal than ever before. Woman's Day reported on Monday the highly-anticipated sixth season will feature, 'tempestuous gatecrashers, dirty weekends away and even more couple-swapping.' Some of Martha's bikini photos (L) are eerily similar to Kim's (R) What's more a source told Daily Mail Australia this week the 'couple-swapping will become so rampant the cast will almost graduate into a swingers club.' Woman's Day also revealed the season will feature one of the biggest twists ever, which involves the 'first-ever couples weekend away,' according to a source. Married At First Sight returns to Channel Nine on January 28. | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6621199/Is-Married-Sights-Martha-Kalifatidis-trying-Kim-Kardashian.html |
Who could benefit if Pacific Gas & Electric Co. falls apart? | CLOSE PG&E, the nation's largest utility, plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because it faces at least $30 billion in potential damages over the catastrophic wildfires in California that killed scores of people and destroyed thousands of homes. (Jan. 15) AP If theres one classic line in the controversial movie Vice, it probably comes early in the film, when then-Vice President Richard Cheney is portrayed thinking about the World Trade Center attacks of 9-11 as an opportunity, rather than a tragedy. So it might be today in California, where tragedies partly of its own making afflict the states largest utility, whose chief executive has left the firm just when it says it will declare bankruptcy. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. faces as much as $29 billion in uninsured lawsuit liabilities from homeowners and others harmed by the massive fires of the last two years, at least some of them started by sparks from PG&E electric transmission lines. Previously, the company suffered a criminal conviction and billions of dollars worth of fines and negative publicity over the 2010 natural gas pipeline explosion that killed eight persons in San Bruno. But just as the cinematic Cheney is shown realizing that in other peoples misery lies a potential opportunity for him, so it can also be in real life. Thats the case right now with PG&Es predicament. As the potential extent of the companys responsibility emerged in recent weeks, its stock price dropped precipitately, losing more than two-thirds of its previous value. Brown said no. Newsom hasn't said Thomas Elias: California's economic success explains low GOP vote Opportunity for others has been expanded both by statements from the state Public Utilities Commission about possibly breaking up PG&E because of both proven and possible misdeeds and by the companys own public comments. PG&E openly contemplates selling off its natural gas operations and files for bankruptcy. But two major players on the California utility scene could benefit from a PG&E breakup or selloff while keeping customers supplied with the energy they need. Those are investor Warren Buffetts Oregon-based PacifiCorp, owned by Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway investment firm, and San Diego-based Sempra Energy, parent of both the Southern California Gas Co. and San Diego Gas & Electric Co. PG&Es natural gas assets could make excellent synergy for both Buffett and Sempra, bidding rivals last year when Sempra paid more than $9 billion for 80 percent ownership of Oncor Electric Delivery Corp., the largest electric utility in Texas, serving Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco and other large cities. Though in expansion mode, Sempra last fall sold off 42 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage in the Deep South for $332 million, demonstrating both the companys readiness to wheel and deal and the fact it has cash on hand. Buffett, meanwhile, has bought up electric and gas utilities in 10 Western states. His PacifiCorp already serves 45,000 customers in several Northern California counties. Berkshire Hathaway also owns the Kern River gas pipeline, a major transporter of Colorado natural gas to California utilities. Berkshire Hathaway had no comment on reports it might be a bidder if PG&Es gas operations, which serve 4.5 million metered customers in a large swath of California including cities like San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose and Bakersfield, come up for auction. Sempra also refused comment. Its SoCalGas and SDG&E units serve 6.5 million metered gas customers across Southern California. Each meter generally serves multiple persons. For both Buffett and Sempra, then, the synergies are obvious. Sempra, for one, could gain access to vast new supplies from the natural gas fields of western Canada, from which PG&E imports much of its supply. PG&E has said its gas operations might sell for more than $9 billion, but that could prove low if there is active bidding between Sempra and Buffett and especially if a surprise third party should enter the auction. A complete natural gas selloff to either large company might be more efficient and cost-effective for consumers than selling off PG&Es gas operation piecemeal, as the state PUC has discussed. However this plays out, its clear PG&Es self-inflicted wounds present a major opportunity for others who could make hay with almost half that company. Which might also bring some satisfaction to disgruntled PG&E customers and homeowners harmed by the huge utilitys safety problems. Email Thomas Elias at [email protected]. Read or Share this story: https://www.redding.com/story/opinion/columnists/tom-elias/2019/01/22/thomas-elias-column-feb-5-2019/2570385002/ | https://www.redding.com/story/opinion/columnists/tom-elias/2019/01/22/thomas-elias-column-feb-5-2019/2570385002/ |
What Company Will Reach $1 Trillion In 2019? Apple Or Alphabet? | Judging by the forecasts, in 2019 Apple will face a decrease in revenue, which within the bounds of my model means a decrease in the companys capitalization. According to analyst expectations for Q2 '19, Alphabet's revenue TTM will be $148.95 bn, and in my model this means that Alphabet's rational capitalization will come close to $1 trln. Those who read my articles know that I try to analyze companies primarily through statistical analysis and model building. And having analyzed a considerable number of companies, I can confidently assert that revenue is the most powerful driver for a companys capitalization. Let me prove it. Here's a graph that shows the long-term relationship between Alphabet's (GOOG) (GOOGL) revenue TTM and its market capitalization: In the case of Google for the last 10 years, these indicators have been demonstrating a statically very high-quality direct relationship (R2=0.97 and p-value<0.05), which is best described by a linear trend. At a glance, it's this trend that determines the companys rational capitalization on the basis of its revenue. Now lets do the following. Using the proposed model, we will determine Alphabet's rational capitalization based on the average revenue forecasts for the next two quarters: As we can see, according to analysts average expectations, in Q2 '19 Alphabet's revenue TTM will be $148.95 bn, and in my model this means that Alphabet's rational capitalization will come close to $1 trillion. At the same time, I would like to note an interesting fact: Over the last 10 years there has not been a quarter in which Alphabet's revenue would have shown negative growth, and judging by forecasts, there will be no departure from this rule even in 2019. Now lets look at Apple (AAPL). There's also a qualitative direct relationship between revenue TTM and market capitalization here, which also is described best of all by a linear trend: Lets add to this graph the average revenue forecasts for Apple for fiscal quarters 1, 2 and 3 of 2019: So, judging by the forecasts, in 2019 Apple will face a decrease in revenue compared to 2018, which within the bounds of the proposed model means a decrease in the companys rational capitalization to $870 bn. But there's more bad news. Please note that in 2016 Apple also demonstrated a decrease in revenue, and during that period the companys capitalization was persistently below the linear trend line, which, let me remind you, within my model determines the companys rational capitalization. This means that most likely in 2019 the same situation will happen again and the real average size of Apples capitalization will be below $870 bn in, at least, the first two quarters of this year. Bottom Line Summing up, I should say that Alphabet's and Apples capitalization are closely related to the values of their revenue. Judging by the average forecast, in the case of Alphabet this relationship means that in two quarters Alphabets capitalization will approach $1 trillion, and in the case of Apple the average forecasts mean that its rational capitalization will drop to $870 billion. In addition, most likely in the current year, Apple will face a period of negative revenue growth, which quite naturally means pressure on the companys capitalization and its probable decrease below the rational level. So, I personally would focus on Alphabet. Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. | https://seekingalpha.com/article/4234846-company-will-reach-1-trillion-2019-apple-alphabet |
Is Hollyoaks Louis Loveday dead after being kidnapped by Breda McQueen? | (Picture: Lime Pictures) Hollyoaks viewers have been left horrified after Louis Loveday met a grim fate at the hands of Breda McQueen. The killer with a mission to give bad dads their just desserts had been holding Louis hostage at her pig farm, hoping she could change him from a bad dad to a good one. Things reached a head in Monday nights episode as he almost earned his freedom only for things to go very wrong. (Picture: Lime Pictures) Well the bad news for fans is that yes, unfortunately, the character didnt survive his encounter with Breda. Having attempted to escape from her clutches, Louis did manage to successfully beg for his life, promising she would be a good family man to Leela and Daniel. Having left Simone heartbroken after telling her he wanted Leela under Bredas orders he began packing to leave, only for her to discover that he had seen her killer confession and hidden it down the back of his bed. Advertisement Advertisement All of which meant she couldnt possibly let him go instead grabbing the telephone and killing him with a blow to the head. Hollyoaks continues on Channel 4 weekdays at 6.30pm and E4 at 7pm. 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/2019/01/22/hollyoaks-louis-loveday-dead-kidnapped-breda-mcqueen-8375360/ |
Has Hayley Slater left EastEnders? | Theres no doubt Hayley Slater has had a tumultuous few months but it seems things are about to look up for her. EastEnders' Alfie Moon is in deep crisis tonight as his lies leave him in danger The self-destructive mum has made the decision to reach out for help after struggling with her alcohol addiction which saw her neglect her baby Cherry and cheat death after stepping in front of a minibus. While Hayley had previously agreed to speak to a mental health professional for help dealing with her problems, she was later caught sneaking out of the hospital. Its time to say goodbye to Hayley for now. #EastEnders pic.twitter.com/UuIZzJU58y BBC EastEnders (@bbceastenders) January 21, 2019 The desperate mother then stole money from Jeans purse to buy a toy for Cherry before Stacey secretly called Jean who tried and failed to get through to Hayley. Advertisement Advertisement The intervention left Hayley feeling increasingly frustrated but it was Kat who was able to open her eyes and persuade her to seek help. With her family rallied around her, Hayley accepted that she needs to get better for both herself and her daughter and returned to the hospital for treatment. Fans saw Hayley return at the end of last nights episode and admitting that she had been experiencing suicidal thoughts. While her storyline may take a backseat in the coming weeks, fans will be happy to know Hayley is not waving goodbye to Walford for good and she will return to Albert Square in a few weeks. | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/22/hayley-slater-left-eastenders-8374088/ |
Where is Norris Cole and when is he returning to Coronation Street? | Regular Coronation Street viewers will have noticed that Norris Cole has been absent for some time now. The character has not been seen on our screens for a while after actor Malcolm Hebden suffered a serious heart attack with the ITV soap has explained Norris absence by sending him off to Peru to join his old friend Emily Bishop. Well the good news is that his return isnt very far off at all, with the 78-year-old set to make a gradual comeback. Show boss Iain MacLeod revealed to metro.co.uk exactly what we will see in his return. Hes back for a short stint in a little sort of cameo return in the hope we can have him back permanently in the future, he said late last year. The character has been sent to Peru (Picture: ITV) Hes on that list of Emily Bishops of characters who are so Corrie that the show doesnt feel correct without them in there. Soap characters come and go but I am reading bits in the scripts where I know Norris would have something to say. Advertisement Advertisement And viewers are in for a treat, as Norris will revisit his relationship with Mary during his return. Iain continued: His return story is pleasantly silly and revisits his relationship with Mary in a meaningful way. I hope Malcolm likes it, hes not read the script yet. Next week, Rita will discover that Norris is selling the Kabin from under her so theres sure to be some conflict when the two friends come face to face. Speaking earlier in 2018 about his heart attack, Malcolm told the Blackpool Gazette: Most of December [2017] I was in an induced coma, in the care of these brilliant, wonderful people at the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU). Fortunately I didnt realise how bad it was; I was dying. The cardiac team, headed by Mr Joseph Zacharias, simply saved my life. I was informed by my doctor I had had at least one heart attack. I was sent to hospital, by emergency ambulance to Blackburn hospital and was there one night. While there I collapsed and was brought here to Blackpool Victoria where I was operated on, in a procedure which was described by my surgeon Mr Zacharias as groundbreaking. 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/2019/01/22/where-is-norris-cole-and-when-is-he-returning-to-coronation-street-8370462/ |
Is It Time To Invest In Shipping? | Analyst reactions have been mixed, but I believe this is clearly superior capital allocation at this stage. A few weeks ago, I noted that 'something strange' was happening in the shipping sector as valuations were at record lows despite strong underlying rates. Note: This is a follow-up to previous sector commentary which was posted on 27 December 2018. Since that report the average shipping company we referenced has increased between 7% and 54%, with the median return at 14%. This compares to the weaker performance of the primary shipping ETF (SEA) at 10.5% and the S&P 500 at 9.4%. I believe we're just getting started. Shipping Stocks: Still Barely Off Record Lows As we covered last month, shipping stocks were caught in a brutal crossfire between the small cap and oil price sell-off during late-2018. The Russell 2000 (RUT) fell by 25% and WTI oil prices had collapsed by 40% during Q4-18, dragging down shipping stocks which were otherwise enjoying the best rates they had seen in several years. The LNG sector in particular logged all-time record highs and crude tanker rates set multi-year levels along with product tanker rates are also hitting multi-year highs. Tankers in general were bolstered by the highest level of scrapping witnessed in over 30-years, which more than offset strong delivery levels and fairly tepid demand. In the intro note, I reviewed how our focus firms from the last public update have risen between 7% from Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK) to 54% from Navios Maritime Acquisition (NNA). It might seem controversial, but I believe we are just getting started. Yes, even recently-mighty NNA, which has posted mega gains in the past few weeks, is just getting started and could see tremendous upside. Record Low Valuations: Even after the pick-up the past few weeks, shipping companies still sit at lower P/NAV (i.e. tangible book) multiples than we've seen even during previous crisis periods such as '08-'09. Regulatory Tailwinds: The ballast water ("BWM") requirements and related capital expenses are pushing hundreds of previously borderline ships into the demolition yards. IMO 2020 will further separate modern efficient vessels from older fringe assets. Low Orderbooks: Forward supply expectations (in terms of % growth) are near record lows for many of the key tanker and dry bulk sectors. Major Demand Growth: Demand is correctly measured in ton-miles, NOT in raw total consumption. While the news-writers of today are discussing OPEC's impact on crude tankers, the real investors are looking towards the coming replacement from Atlantic basin sources (i.e. U.S. Gulf & Brazil). The same volume leads to nearly double the transportation need. Proper Capital Allocation: With many stocks trading at near-record lows, companies are taking the proper initiatives to repurchases shares instead of foolishly squandering capital on fleet expansion initiatives. Bonus: Potential US-China Deal: The latest recorded rumor on the US-China deal is for a potential 6-year $1T trade re-balancing. Although this might not be enough as U.S. stakeholders will argue for stronger intellectual property protections, reforms to foreign investment requirements, and a reduction in state subsidies, this marks tremendous progress. We should note that this sort of deal is extremely tentative, but if successful, that level ($1T over 6-years) of trade would require an almost unimaginable level of LNG, LPG, crude oil, agricultural, and other raw materials (perhaps even major met coal) purchases from China. Such a deal could lead to the largest boom in crude tanker rates since the previous record set in 2003-2008 and it would be massively bullish for several other sectors including LNG, LPG, and dry bulk. Trade War in Focus Our investment thesis and posturing is not directly related to the trade war, but it would be naive to think newsflow won't have an impact on stock prices. In terms of fundamental impacts, the current level of US-China trade is quite low for the major routes (only 2-3% of dry bulk and LNG flows while crude exports are still nascent), so there's not a lot of downside there, but the far bigger risk is that if the U.S. ratchets tariffs from 10% up to 25%, the already slowing Chinese economy could suffer a collateral blow. The trade war is already having a marked impact and it could get worse. President Trump has taken notice and is savvy to push the issue. Whatever one may think politically on other related issues, the U.S. is clearly getting the better first step here in the trade conflict. Source: Twitter, @realDonaldTrump China has thus far given positive messaging, but as we've mentioned, its important for the deal to be a long-term win-win for both parties and it is also very important for the Chinese government, notably President Xi, to save face. Likewise, President Trump also needs to claim a major victory to try to pull away from domestic challenges. Thankfully, there is lots of low-hanging fruit that would benefit both countries. China's foreign investment and intellectual property abuses have been limiting their attractiveness for new foreign capital, which hamstrings their economy. Although subsidizing state-owned enterprises is a popular domestic policy, China must realize that long-term performance is weighed down by these arrangements. Finally, the U.S. offers some of the cheapest and highest-quality sources of crude oil, natural gas, LPG, and agricultural products. I'm optimistic on the basis of pure common sense, but we are admittedly in trying times and U.S. insiders have recently been more cautious. Advanced talks will start next week as Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He travels to Washington. All eyes are here for now. Source: South China Morning Post, 20 Jan 19 This selection is down between 17% and 43% since October 1st, underscoring the terrible nature of the current markets. Note these are all firms with strong underlying performance, and repurchases or insider buying. GLOG in particular is finishing a quarter that included all-time record high LNG shipping rates. Yes, the highest rates ever recorded. Product tanker rates are also hitting multi-year highs, but don't tell that to stocks like Capital Product Partners LP (NASDAQ:CPLP) or Scorpio Tankers (STNG). Misleading Narratives There are considerable misleading narratives in the market, primarily prevalent in the tanker space, but also in the LNG sector and dry bulk space. We'll address one of these here and tackle others in future updates and private research reports. False Narrative #1: OPEC Exports will Drive Tanker Markets The historical adage for tankers has been that we can tell the strength of the markets by watching the days available for tankers in the Arabian Gulf ("AG"). This used to be true, and still plays a strong role to some extent. From the 1960s until recently, AG to the U.S. Gulf ("USG") was a major trade line and with U.S. exports growing year-over-year, one could simply chart the market demand in this fashion. Source: Energy Information Administration, U.S. Imports of Crude Oil (Annual) Then in the 2000s, a new consumption engine hit the market: China. Crude flows surged and OPEC rolled in the cash as they now had two major customers to feed. The below chart is slightly outdated, but the growth line is quite clear. Source: CEIC Data, China Crude Oil: Imports This reality has now been shaken to pieces as OPEC has finally realized they can no longer 'defend market share,' and they must cut exports and concede supply if they want to continue to influence global oil pricing. Unless every major OPEC member wants to go bankrupt, this is what we're likely to keep seeing and the current OPEC cuts might just be the first of many. U.S. oil exports. The U.S. has recently set record levels of oil exports, but they are currently restricted due to insufficient pipeline infrastructure and outdated ports which cannot handle supertankers ("VLCCs") capable of 2M barrel capacity. Experts believe that exports could further double by 2020, and I believe they could theoretically triple by the mid-2020s, especially if China is pulling. It is the most bullish set-up we've seen in nearly two decades and a massive surge of USG-Asia trade could ignite a bull run that would rival the mid-2000s. The route from Atlantic basin producers (Brazil is also growing) to China is double the distance from the Arabian Gulf to China. Distances to India are even larger yet! Euronav (EURN) clearly illustrates this in their recent presentation. Demand growth is set to double, even with the same amount of end-consumption. Yes, China growth could totally stagnate and tanker demand would still surge! They estimate that Atlantic basin production will provide 81% of forward supply growth. I suspect they might be aiming too low. The more OPEC cuts, the more the U.S. and Brazil will have room to expand. Source: Euronav, December 2018 Presentation, Slide 15 This trend is very bullish for all crude carriers involved, but particularly for the largest VLCC class. DHT Holdings (DHT), Teekay Tankers (INSW), International Seaways (INSW), Frontline (FRO), Navios Maritime Acquisition (NNA), and Tsakos Energy (TNP) are among those most involved. Some are bullish, but the latest headline was a major sector downgrade by Wells Fargo. Ouch! Not everyone is missing the forest for the trees, Jefferies is quite positive on the sector and Cleaves Securities analyst Joakim Hannisdahl is certainly not sleeping on the job! He's printed a 246-page report and points to the oil tankers space as a significant overweight. Nowhere! In fact, many are down... Take our favorite, DHT Holdings (DHT)- read latest report here. The last time rates were this strong, the share price was $7-$8. Source: Google Finance, DHT Share Price The market has completely ignored the strengthening of rates and shift in sector sentiment. Meanwhile underlying asset valuations have risen more than 10% across the board as all the major industry players are paying attention. Part of it is the aforementioned small-cap weakness and trade war concerns, but another major factor is the strengthening correlation between tanker stock prices and the U.S. oil prices (USO). The below chart shows the past two-years of correlation, with a strengthening to the 0.5 range the past quarter. Oil prices have essentially zero predictive power for tanker market rates and in some instances, dropping oil prices can boost contango (i.e. higher prices in the future) and boost demand for floating storage. Additionally, volatile prices can lead to additional trades and higher demand for transportation. There's no predictive correlation to actual performance and if anything we should see a slight negative correlation, yet here we are. Oil prices drive tanker stock prices (in the short-term). Source: Portfolio Visualizer, DHT vs. USO Responding to the Disconnect - Major Repurchases As we've covered, shipping stocks are trading at near record lows while prospects are quite strong and current rates have been excellent. Firms have recently stepped up to the plate to repurchase shares. Since our last update (see full previous list here) we can add DHT Holdings (DHT), Navios Maritime Partners (NMM), and Euronav (EURN) to the list of participants. EURN in particular has repurchased 1.42M shares (around $10M) just in the past month. NMM has announced a $50M program, which is good for nearly 25% of the entire firm. Finally, Stealth Gas (GASS) also signaled a major repurchase program is in the works. This is an excellent use of capital, but analyst reactions have been mixed. Source: TradeWinds, 8 Jan 19 Article Deutsche Bank analyst Amit Mehrotra has been the most vocal in his commentary arguing that companies might be better served by keeping cash on their balance sheet. He also cautions against reduced trading liquidity if shares are taken off the market. In my view, these allocations are clear-cut wins. If a company is trading at a fraction of their net-asset value and has excess liquidity, they should plow whatever they can into buying effective $20-bills for $10. If their liquidity is tight, they should dispose of older assets and use proceeds to buy back shares. I believe that trading liquidity concerns are a sorry focus point and this tack misses the long-term point entirely. If shipowners want to see their stocks trade at stronger levels, they need to convey trust to their investors that funds will be utilized appropriately. When shares trade at steep discounts, assets should be exchanged for shares, thus optimizing the capital structure. I do however agree with Amit that balance sheet liquidity is important. At these prices, there is no excuse to sit around at major discounts and twiddle thumbs. Inaction even gets to the point of being abusive with shareholder funds. Thankfully, as we've noted, firms have started taking action in droves. I'd previously called out Teekay LNG Partners (TGP), DHT Holdings (DHT), and Navios Maritime Partners (NMM) for not repurchasing, but they have stepped up with $100M, $50M, and $50M programs respectively in the past month. Genco Shipping (GNK) and Teekay Tankers (TNK). Genco trades at nearly a 50% discount to NAV while also boasting a rock-solid balance sheet with around 30% debt-to-assets. Teekay Tankers also trades at a discount of more than 40% and trades at about 3x expected free cash flow. Conclusion Even after a fairly strong beginning to 2019, shipping stocks remain near all-time lows in valuations. Underlying markets have been strong and repurchase programs are leading to additional value creation. As mentioned a few weeks ago, the best time to buy is when panic is in the air and everyone is cursing the sector. I still believe the risk/reward skew is very strong, and I am very long the sector. Earnings season begins this week with Euronav (EURN) reporting on Thursday. I am looking forward to a string of earnings beats and have established several related trades. Earnings Coverage & Key Trades We will be continuing to cover top ideas and earnings-related trades as part of exclusive coverage at Value Investor's Edge. We are currently offering a two-week free trial until 24 January. Those who sign up this week will be able to lock-in our reduced 2018 rates prior to an increase this Friday. Members of Value Investor's Edge will receive the first look at new coverage updates and potential changes to our portfolios as the year progresses. We have recently updated our income portfolios and full coverage of preferred and fixed income opportunities. Roughly 90-95% of our research is fully exclusive to our members, join our group now to check it out for free! Disclosure: I am/we are long DHT, CPLP, GNK, NMM, NNA, GASS, STNG, SBLK, TGP, TNK. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. | https://seekingalpha.com/article/4234804-time-invest-shipping |
What is the correct way to draw an X? | (Picture: Getty, sixers smasey/Twitter) You spend your whole life thinking you know how to do things but then a pesky internet hack comes along to tell you youve been pooing all wrong, or not cutting apples the right way. The latest point of contention on the internet might send you back to the days of trying to figure out trigonometry in maths lessons and wondering how finding x will ever help you in life (spoiler; it probably wont). Because apparently, not everyone is doing it the same way. Colored line being the first stroke pic.twitter.com/a0WTl8WT7P sixers smasey (@SMASEY) January 20, 2019 While the answer might be painfully obvious to you (number seven, duh), there seems to be a difference in how people around the world write their X. Advertisement Advertisement A picture of different ways to write the letter has been doing the rounds on Twitter with everyone weighing in with their preferences. One Twitter user noticed there was a difference between how Brits and Americans do it; General consensus is that Americans do seven and eight while the UK does five and six. Probably how we were taught. Not sure about other countries. Another user suggested it may be due to which hand you use to write: Depending on if youre right or left handed, it should be seven or eight. What kind of sick person draws an x any other way? Meanwhile, others went for a more dramatic approach saying anyone who draws it in any way other than seven probably showers with their socks on (true, probably). You might be surprised at all this chat over one little x but the way you write it could actually say something about your personality. According to stationery sellers, The Penn Warehouse, more than 5,000 personality traits can be shown through your handwriting. We dont have time for all of those so here are a few things the way you draw an x or any other letter might be telling of your characteristics. According to Readers Digest, if you slant slightly to the right when you write, you like to meet and work with new people whereas a left slant means you prefer to keep to yourself. Left slanters also tend to be reserved and introspective. Advertisement Advertisement If your letters are all joined up it could mean youre very logical and make decisions based on hard facts and experiences. Those who disconnect their letters may be more imaginative, impulsive, and base decisions on intuition. And unsurprisingly, if you rush your writing you may be impulsive and impatient, whereas if you take your time, you are self-reliant and methodical. MORE: If you have high moral standards, youre less likely to be funny MORE: Someones created a vegan Cornish pasty and non-vegans arent happy MORE: Woman claims she was left with a bald patch after new curler ripped her hair out Advertisement Advertisement | https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/22/what-is-the-correct-way-to-draw-an-x-8372679/ |
How Low Can Ford Stock Go? | Ford Motor (NYSE: F ) is due to report earnings after the market closes Jan. 23, and analysts are wondering just how bad things can get. Expectations are for 30 cents per share of earnings on $36.96 billion of revenue. Hitting the number should send the stock higher, because those earnings would be twice the companys 15-cent-per-share quarterly dividend, and the stock is already selling at a super-low 5.5 times trailing-12-month earnings. But there are growing hints Ford may miss estimates, and possibly by a lot. Worse, some of those hints are coming from Ford itself, which forecast a miss last week and said it couldnt be confident about 2019 either, thanks to the Trump tariffs and Brexit. Trouble Ahead for Ford Stock Ford is known as a U.S. carmaker, but it is also the top-selling brand in England, and a no-deal Brexit, which is increasingly likely, could send that economy into a tailspin. Ford has an international supply chain, so tariffs on imported parts are going to hit its U.S. operations and overall profitability. Also, large industrial companies hate uncertainty, and thats what the current U.S. administration specializes in. There are even rumors that James Hackett, who was placed in the CEO chair in May 2017, could get the axe. The former Steelcase CEO and University of Michigan athletic director has been unable to complete any big tech deals, and the alliance with Volkswagen (OTCMKTS: VLKAY ) announced at last weeks Detroit Auto Show impressed no one. Its possible that William Clay Ford, 61, a descendent of founder Henry Ford who personally ran the company from 2001 to 2006, may be forced to take back control to steady the ship. Hackett announced a major restructuring plan last year, aiming to cut costs in gasoline engines by $14 billion, getting out of cars and investing that money into electrics and hybrids. The plan wasnt bad. Rival General Motors (NYSE: GM ) has since announced similar plans. Ford is retreating from Europe but staying in China. Like the manager of a losing football team Hackett has called for patience and told investors big surprises are in store for 2019. The problem is he hasnt been specific enough to calm the skeptics. If it can continue delivering 15 cents per share to shareholders this year, Ford will be yielding 7.18% at current prices, while GMs yield has fallen to 4%. The problem is no one believes Hackett can deliver those earnings. Ford is very vulnerable to a recession right now. It lists only $12 billion of long-term debt but it also borrows to help buyers with their purchases, and if you include Ford Motor Credit, the combined debt is over $102 billion. Moodys has downgraded that debt to near-junk status, raising fears of a dividend cut. Ford has also been fighting overextended dealers in court. The Bottom Line Hackett has tried to be transparent about his plans and Ford continues to make a lot of money on its F-Series trucks. The shares traded as low as $7.50 each but have recently bounced back as bargain-hunters have circled it. At its current price, Ford is worth just $34 billion. Thats less than its expected fourth-quarter sales. Meanwhile, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA ) has a market cap of $52 billion when its expected to have just $21 billion in sales for the year. If the global economy contracts before those trucks buyers can pay off their loans which have longer-and-longer durations as the price of their trucks has risen the company could collapse. On the surface Ford is an incredible bargain, but I bought that argument in 2017 and paid for it with a fat loss in 2018. Fool me once shame on me, fool me twice, wont get fooled again. Dana Blankenhorn is a financial and technology journalist. He is the author of a new mystery thriller, The Reluctant Detective Finds Her Family, available now at the Amazon Kindle store. Write him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @danablankenhorn. As of this writing he owned no shares in companies mentioned in this article. | https://investorplace.com/2019/01/how-low-can-ford-stock-go/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InvestorPlace+%28InvestorPlace%29 |
Is the Help-to-Buy scheme for first-time buyers working? | A few weeks into the new year, and the calls for Government to retain the Help-to-Buy scheme for first-time buyers have already begun. A demand-side measure with the ultimate aim of boosting supply and enabling first-time buyers purchase a home, the scheme, which offers a tax rebate of up to 5 per cent on the purchase price of a new home, was launched to much fanfare in January 2017 but is due to run out on December 31st of this year. Unless Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe grants an extension, first-time buyers will have to sign a contract to purchase a property by this date, or their application will expire. Those who apply for the scheme between October 1st and December 31st will have a bit more flexibility, however, and will be able to make a claim by March 31st, 2020 to qualify, according to Revenue. AIB has been quick out of the blocks, urging Government to make an announcement to extend the scheme now, rather than risk the inevitable scramble as home-buyers look to lock into the tax rebate by the end of the year. Estate agent Sherry FitzGerald is looking to take advantage of the potential expiration of the scheme to boost demand, running ads telling first-time buyers that time is running out to get up to 20,000 back on the cost of a new home. But it doesnt look like either the industry or buyers will get an answer any time soon. Mr Donohoe asserted in the Dil last week that the decision would be made in the context of Budget 2020, which means we wont have a decision until October. Help-to-Buy: There is still a significant pipeline of potential buyers who could opt to make a claim between now and year-end. Many apply, but fewer complete a sale Since its launch, almost 22,000 first-time buyers have successfully applied for the scheme. However, figures for November show that fewer than 9,500 buyers have successfully claimed the tax rebate. There are a host of reasons why this would be the case. Some will have decided against buying, others will have opted for a second-hand home, more still may have had their application declined. Even taking these things into account, given the differential between the two figures there is still a significant pipeline of potential buyers who could opt to make a claim between now and year-end. And uncertainty over the schemes end-date could spur this cohort to try to complete a sale by the year-end. Figures for the scheme show a strong emphasis towards the greater Dublin region, with Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow accounting for 71 per cent of all claims up to November 2018. The only other county with a significant proportion is Cork at 10 per cent. This means that the rest of the country accounts for only 29 per cent of claims, while other urban areas, such as Limerick (3.3 per cent), Galway (4 per cent) and Kilkenny (1 per cent), have low participation rates. Just 83 buyers in Kilkenny have benefited from the scheme since its launch, 312 in Limerick and just 29 buyers in Leitrim. It helps people who would have bought anyway Revenue figures show that since the scheme launched, almost 25 per cent of successful claimants borrowed less than 80 per cent of the purchase price, while one in four borrowed 85 per cent or less. Under the Central Bank rules, all first-time buyers can borrow up to 90 per cent. So it seems that help to buy isnt always assisting first-time buyers close the gap on that much needed deposit, without which, they couldnt buy. Rather, its helping a lot of people who could have bought anyway reduce the amount they borrow and ultimately the cost of their loan. Most claims are for houses that cost 300,000 or more Most successful claimants of the scheme are also buying properties at the upper end of the first-time buyer budget. Revenue says more than half of the properties purchased under the scheme were worth 301,000 or more. If you consider Central Bank rules on income, this would suggest more than 50 per cent have income of at least 77,400 (either individually or combined). Not only that, but 20 per cent of claimants bought a house for 376,000-500,000, which corresponds to an income of 96,685-128,571. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe is facing calls to extend the Governments Help-to-Buy scheme for first-time buyers beyond the end of 2019. Photograph: Dara Mac Dnaill / The Irish Times This may be a factor of the new-build market, where most of the activity is in Dublin, which has higher prices, and which necessitates a higher salary. But why cant the scheme help more people on lower salaries. After all, just 2.4 per cent of claimants bought a house worth 150,000 or less. Its hard to be definitive but research suggests that new house price growth is outpacing that in the second-hand market. AIB, for example, recently found that the cumulative rate of residential property price inflation for first-time buyer new homes was 25 per cent in the period October 2016 to 2018, ahead of the rate of 20 per cent reported for all buyer types. A combination of factors soaring rents that leave little scope to save, changing attitudes and lack of affordable homes have all meant that home-ownership levels hit a record low in recent years. However, latest unpublished figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the trend might be shifting, albeit moderately. During the third quarter of 2018, the proportion of owner occupiers in Dublin the place where the scheme is having the biggest impact rose to 62.6 per cent, up from 59.1 per cent a year earlier. If Government policy wants to support home ownership, this trend could be a big factor in why it might choose to renew the scheme. | https://www.irishtimes.com/business/personal-finance/is-the-help-to-buy-scheme-for-first-time-buyers-working-1.3767086?localLinksEnabled=false |
Is it a hepatitis C rash? | Hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes inflammation in the liver. The liver plays a role in other body systems, including the skin. As a result, hepatitis C may cause rashes and other changes in the skin. Hepatitis C can cause scarring in the liver and lead to further issues, such as liver failure. Early signs of a hepatitis C infection include: abnormal fatigue fever abdominal pain, especially near the liver clay-colored stools dark urine jaundice, which involves a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes However, hepatitis can also affect the skin. Skin changes may start as simple bumps or irritation but may change into a different issue over time. Rashes are relatively common in people with hepatitis C. The type and severity of the rash may vary, and people who have chronic hepatitis C may be more prone to rashes. Anyone who notices sudden changes in their skin should see a doctor for a full diagnosis. Hepatitis C may cause the following possible skin issues. Urticaria Image credit: John, 2014 Image credit: John, 2014 Urticaria, or hives, often appears as red, raised, and itchy blotches of skin that might look like bug bites. Urticaria may also spread across the body, causing widespread redness, swelling, and itchiness. Urticaria may last for a few hours at a time and then fade, only to come back again later. If it is a result of hepatitis C, the person is also likely to experience other symptoms, such as joint pain or abdominal pain. They may also be more likely to bruise. Lichen planus People who have a long-term hepatitis C infection may be more likely than others to develop lichen planus. A person can develop lichen planus in their mouth or on their scalp, genitals, or other areas of their body. Lichen planus presents as patchy or scaly bumps that have a flat surface. The affected skin usually has a reddish-purple appearance, and sometimes the lesions have white areas in them. Sometimes, a person may mistake lichen planus for other skin conditions, such as eczema, particularly if it develops on the hands or wrists. Blood spots Image credit: James Heilman MD, 2010 Image credit: James Heilman MD, 2010 Purpura is the medical term for a blood spot. Purpura is a rash of reddish to purple blotches on the skin that occurs when red blood cells leak out of a broken blood vessel and accumulate in the skin. They may vary in size from tiny dots (petechiae) to much larger spots or patches. The patches do not change color when a person applies pressure over them. Purpura on the skin may also be a sign that there are also blood spots on the deeper tissues or organs. Blood spots may have links with other skin problems related to hepatitis C infection, such as vasculitis (Inflammation of the blood vessels) or ulcers that itch and cause pain. Doctors may recommend medications if these spots appear because of hepatitis C. Hepatitis C may cause purpura because of its relationship with a specific type of vasculitis, caused by cryoglobulins, which are abnormal proteins in the blood. Mixed cryoglobulinemia is a rare condition that occurs in colder temperatures when the cryoglobulins thicken and crowd together. This can affect the large and small blood vessels, causing a range of symptoms including, inflammation, skin rashes, and pain. Jaundice Image credit: Doc James, 2008 Image credit: Doc James, 2008 Jaundice is a condition that most people associate with liver damage, so it may be no surprise that hepatitis C can cause the condition. When a person develops jaundice, their skin and the whites of their eyes turn yellow. This is because their body produces too much bilirubin. Bilirubin is a bright yellow compound produced when red blood cells break down. The liver normally processes bilirubin and expels it from the body with the feces. However, when a person has a damaged liver, such as in the case of a hepatitis C infection, the body has more difficulty processing and eliminating this pigment. This causes a buildup of bilirubin (hyperbilirubinemia) and leads to changes in skin color. Jaundice is a sign of an underlying condition that needs treatment. A person may need a plasma exchange transfusion in some severe cases of hyperbilirubinemia with jaundice. Chronic itching Pruritus is the medical term for skin itchiness. It is a common symptom of hepatitis C. A person may feel an itchy sensation without a visible rash or another sign as to why they are itching. This feeling can be persistent, and while pruritus is generally not dangerous, it is irritating. Scratching too much may also result in injury to the skin, causing other irritations or possible bleeding. Other possible skin issues Hepatitis C can cause porphyria cutanea tarda. Image credit: Wellcome Collection Hepatitis C can cause porphyria cutanea tarda.Image credit: Wellcome Collection The liver plays an essential role in the body, and a poorly functioning liver may lead to other skin conditions. Hepatitis C might also cause the following skin problems: Porphyria cutanea tarda : A condition resulting from specific substances, known as porphyrins, building up in the liver. It may cause fragile skin and painful blisters in areas exposed to sunlight. The skin may also get darker or lighter, and people may grow extra hair. : A condition resulting from specific substances, known as porphyrins, building up in the liver. It may cause fragile skin and painful blisters in areas exposed to sunlight. The skin may also get darker or lighter, and people may grow extra hair. Necrolytic acral erythema : A rare skin condition that causes patches of skin resembling psoriasis or other skin conditions to appear. : A rare skin condition that causes patches of skin resembling psoriasis or other skin conditions to appear. Raynaud's phenomenon : An issue that occurs from spasms in the small blood vessels. It may cause the skin of the fingers, toes, nose, or ears to turn pale or blue : An issue that occurs from spasms in the small blood vessels. It may cause the skin of the fingers, toes, nose, or ears to turn pale or blue Sicca syndrome: An autoimmune disorder that causes dry eyes and a dry mouth. Rashes as a sign of chronic infection Sometimes, an acute hepatitis C infection may become a chronic, long-lasting infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate there are as many as 2.4 million people in the United States living with chronic hepatitis C. As the liver continues to deteriorate due to chronic hepatitis C, signs of liver damage often begin to appear on the skin. Signs of liver damage can include spider veins. Signs of liver damage can include spider veins. Signs include: spider veins dark, discolored patches of skin extremely dry or red skin severe itching, specifically in one area. swollen abdominal cavity full of fluid edema, or swelling in the lower limbs from fluid buildup Other signs of chronic liver problems may include abdominal pain and excessive swelling. These signs require medical attention. The person may even need a liver transplant depending on the extent of the damage. Rashes from treatment It is also possible for a person to get a rash from hepatitis C treatment. A study in the Journal of Hepatology notes that skin rashes are a fairly common occurrence with some hepatitis C medications. However, some people develop severe skin conditions due to the drugs. People who inject their medications may develop more localized rashes. They typically appear near the injection site and spread from there. In these cases, a person can apply an ice pack or use an over-the-counter steroid cream to reduce the irritation. Anyone experiencing a severe reaction from medication should see their doctor immediately. Similarly, where rash symptoms come and go, people can use topical ointments and anti-allergy medications to treat the reaction and alleviate symptoms. People who experience chronic or persistent skin problems may require a more in-depth treatment. These rashes may last longer and be more severe because the virus that is causing them is usually long-lasting as well. If a rash develops due to a specific medication, doctors may recommend switching treatments. Other tips to help reduce or manage symptoms include: oral or topical antihistamines topical corticosteroid ointment limiting sun exposure wearing loose-fitting clothing made from natural fibers moisturizing the skin regularly bathing in lukewarm water avoiding skin contact with chemicals, such as harsh detergents, soaps, or lotions Outlook and when to see a doctor It is never a good idea to self-diagnose a skin rash. Anyone experiencing a persistent rash should consider seeing a doctor for a diagnosis. Even people who know they have the virus or who are undergoing treatment should see a doctor, as the rash may be a reaction to the medication itself. It may also be an indication that treatment is not going to plan. Anyone who notices any changes in their skin should see a doctor as soon as soon as possible. The doctor can help them identify and treat the issue, or at least help manage symptoms. | https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324249.php |
Is Bigg Boss Tamil 2 winner Riythvika getting married soon? | Reports of actress Riythvika, who won the second season of Bigg Boss Tamil, bidding goodbye to films and getting married have been doing rounds for some time now. After the fans started bombarding her with wedding-related questions to her, she has responded to the rumours on Twitter. The actress has expressed her unhappiness over the marriage rumours by asking people not to believe such "fake" reports. Riythvika is apparently upset with the patriarchal mindset as people raised questions whether she would bid goodbye to films after getting married. Indeed, she is more sad at the thought of marriage bringing an end to the career of an actress. Riythvika's journey in films started with National Award-winning filmmaker Bala's Paradesi. She was also part of Pa Ranjith's Madras and Rajinikanth's Kabali before coming to limelight with Kamal Haasan-hosted Bigg Boss Tamil 2. Her simplicity and honesty in the show won her millions of fans and it was a cake walk for her to win the trophy. Her last movie was Torchlight, starring Sadhaa. She was seen as a sex worker in the movie. Apart from Kathir starrer Sigai and Vinay's Nethraa, she is working on MGR biopic where she will be seen in the role of his wife Janaki Ramachandran. She will be teaming up with Yashika Aannand in a film titled Odavum Mudiyathu Oliyavum Mudiyathu. | https://www.ibtimes.co.in/bigg-boss-tamil-2-winner-riythvika-getting-married-soon-790573 |
Who the f**k are... AWOLNATION? | AWOLNATIONs top five tracks on Spotify have almost 500 million fucking streams between them, their albums have gone platinum multiple fucking times, they were the first band to ever have a number one after already being in the Billboard Hot 100 for over a year, and theyre poised to drop one of the hottest fucking albums of 2018 when third album Here Come The Runts arrives in February. Absolute stonking trendsetters that we are, weve been covering the fucks ever since their first album Megalithic Symphony dropped back in 2011. Lets get this fucking straight from the start: AWOLNATION is the brainchild of one fucking dude, and that dude is frontman and mastermind Aaron Bruno. You might recognise him from his time with neo-grunge rockers Home Town Hero, or the alt-rock fuckery of Under The Influence Of Giants, but chances are you wont because both of those bands did fuck all and flopped without a fucking trace, leaving Bruno feeling pretty fucking miserable about the whole music thing. But thats where AWOLNATION came in, and thanks to runaway sleeper hit Sail, which went absolutely fucking everywhere, their debut album went platinum, Bruno became the biggest fucking electro-rock star in the world, was widely credited with creating a whole new blend of electronic alternative music (yeah, hes the talented fuck you can thank for that), AND went on tour with Prophets Of fucking Rage. So, yknow, fuck the haters, etc. Aaron Bruno with Tom Fucking Morello! Bruno recently told us that you cant go a whole career and not have an Iron Maiden gallop in one of your songs and hes damn fucking right for our money, there. However, Iron Maiden this most certainly fucking aint. Its hard-edged electro indie rock that befits its frequent appearances in the dramatic montages of US dramas. However, as members of the select very-fucking-few whove heard new 2018 album Here Come The Runts in its entirety, we can confidently tell you its pretty fucking out there, veering between plinky plonky ballads and fucking box-of-frogs bananas synth thrash. Fuck it: listen for yourselves. Their mega-hit Sail is a good a place as any to give you the general fucking idea. Youll probably recognise it from one of the many TV shows and commercials its been fucking plastered all over. Sail has been streamed on Spotify over 360 million times. THREE FUCKING HUNDRED AND SIXTY FUCKING MILLION. Thats more fucking streams than there are people in fucking America, and thats not counting the 63 million people who took to fucking YouTube to hear it. Basically, this is pretty much the most popular rock song since records began. But as we all know, popular and good mean different fucking things, so well go out on a limb and say the vaguely lesser-known Kill Your Heroes, from their 2011 debut, is the tastemakers choice. The video for latest single Passion is actually pretty fucking cool. It follows the real life story of disabled skater Og De Souza as he throws a massive middle finger at the world and spends his day skating the fuck around Brazil despite, presumably, people telling him he couldnt/shouldnt/whatever. Again, fuck the haters, etc. YouTube viewers were quick to pick up on the very-fucking-thinly-veiled message behind the video, bless em. AWOLNATIONs last released album didnt get a single fucking bad review. Anywhere. Its un-fucking-precedented, but for good reason: its fucking good. Q got a little over-excited and dubbed Run heroic, while Alternative Press was less effusive in calling it a quality listen. Let us know in the comments below. AWOLNATION's Aaron Bruno on making "the best rock album in years" Awolnation's Aaron Bruno: "I still feel like the underdog" Watch video for Awolnations catchy new track Passion | https://www.loudersound.com/features/who-the-f-k-are-awolnation |
How Much Does It Cost to Attend the Super Bowl? | If youre like most people, youll probably never be able to afford actually going to the Super Bowl. CNBC tried to take a stab at figuring out how much it costs, but there are COUNTLESS variables, including fluctuating ticket and lodging prices, not to mention different travel expenses depending on where youre coming from. And then theres how much youd pay on food and entertainment. But heres what they came up with for this years Big Game: 1. Getting into the game: $3,475 to $15,925. As of last night, tickets on the SECONDARY market were going for between $3,800 and $35,000. 2. Transportation to Atlanta: $64 to $220 3. Lodging: $300 to $1,422 4. Food: $70 to $125 5. Getting around town: $19 to $110 6. Entertainment: $0 to $285. So according to those estimates, youre looking at a grand total between: $3,928 and $18,087. Heres the complete breakdown from CNBC. | https://www.wccq.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-attend-the-super-bowl/ |
Why Are There No Yellow Vests in China? | There's the rich, the poor, and the tax payers...also known as the middle class. Robert Kiyosaki The Tax you pay is The Bill for Staying Stupid Stefan Molyneux Taxation is legalized Theft UNKNOWN "The Objective of the Bank is not the control of a conflict , it's the control of the debt that a conflict produces . The real value of a conflict , the true value is in the debt that it creates . You control the debt , you control everything . this is THE VERY ESSENCE OF THE BANKING INDUSTRY , to make us all , whether we be nations or individuals , SLAVES TO DEBT " An UNKNOWN Banker Patriotism is the last refuge... to which the scoundrel clings .... Steal a little and they throw you in jail ..steal a lot and they make you king .... Bob Dylan "Corporations are stealing billions in tax breaks, while the confused, screwed citizenry turn on each other. International corporations have no national allegiance, they care only for profit." Robert Reich Steve Quayle Your Greatest Teacher is Your Last Mistake DAVID ICKE The one who Controls the Education System , Controls Perception UNKNOWN | https://financearmageddon.blogspot.com/2019/01/why-are-there-no-yellow-vests-in-china.html |
How Can We Save BCs Small Businesses Facing Death by Property Tax? | Announcements, Events & more from Tyee and select partners We Asked for 2019 Builders by 2019. You Blew Us Away Tyee supporters blast past the goal we sought. Way past. You and the business owners might think so. But if that bookstore could be replaced with a condo development, BC Assessment would disagree with your own personal assessment. Neighbourhood businesses from grocers to pubs could be busy around the clock, but if theyre sitting on Vancouver land with development potential that wont be enough to pay the rising property taxes. Soaring land values in Metro Vancouver compel condo construction. And small businesses are hit especially hard because standard triple-net leases make them responsible for property taxes. When the land a shop is on jumps in value, typically so does the tax bill. New businesses and decades-old institutions alike are feeling the crunch. Among the casualties are the beloved outdoor store 3 Vets and the West Ends Dover Arms pub, both of which closed in 2017. There is often retail space in the new developments. But the displaced small businesses have a hard time returning because theyre competing for leased space with deep-pocketed banks, chains and offices. As a result, the price of entry is much higher on Vancouver streets once known for being springboards for eclectic entrepreneurs. The province assesses properties based on their highest and best use, which ignores the community benefits of small businesses. (The Tyee reported on this as well as the urban design implications here.) City of Vancouver staff will be reporting to council on possible solutions this April, but we asked a tax expert who knows both the landlord and assessors angles for his thoughts. David Nishi-Beckingham is the director of B.C. operations at AEC Property Tax. Previously, he worked 17 years at BC Assessment. (You can hear Nishi-Beckingham and others speak at an event on triple-net leases at the Museum of Vancouver. More info at the end of this article.) Heres our full exchange with Nishi-Beckingham on why this is happening and how we can keep our neighbourhoods and small business landscape vibrant. Its been lightly edited for clarity. David Nishi-Beckingham: Thats pretty much the standard in British Columbia and the commercial real estate world. The whole theory of buying and investing in commercial property is that the tenant pays for all the expenses and landlords get a decent return from their investments. Many small businesses dont usually understand what a triple-net lease means until they get the bill a year later. They might have been at a location for several years and get used to the normal increase in taxes. But when theres a sudden increase in property taxes, it can destroy their business. Highest and best use is the theoretical use of the property if it were to be put on the market. Today, a lot of these properties are being assessed based on their redevelopment potential. The prime example in the paper now is the old Dairyland site in Burnaby. Its been there for years and years. Dairyland recently sold the property for $209 million and is moving out to a more efficient plant. But this affects the assessments of all of the properties around it. Theyll all increase because of that sale. The Dairyland site will likely be a huge, mixed-use development. It will depend on what sort of development the city is interested in. Usually, the Official Community Plan will allow higher density in these properties. As some point, the land value will increase in value so that the raw land is worth more than the current building. The current rapid increase in property values has caused a number of properties to have to pay dramatically higher property taxes. Back to the Dairyland example. Dairyland is planning on moving out of the area. The properties around this site have been hit with dramatic increases in assessments. Many of the business will not be able to afford the taxes and will close. Historically, there hasnt been a lot of major redevelopment. It only really affects business in periods of large increases in property values. The theory behind this rationale is that it will encourage development. A developer cannot afford to keep a property vacant. If tenants cant pay the high taxes, this will encourage development of the site. So, what were starting to see in the face of redevelopment is the hollowing out of small businesses from the city. Weve seen a lot of gas stations in the city sell for unprecedented, astronomical prices. Yes, a prime example is the Esso on Burrard and Davie. The amount of taxes theyre paying on that site is approximately $492,000 a year. Theyd have to sell a lot of gas to pay for the property taxes. Lets say a bookstore in a one-storey building moves into a retail unit of the same size at the bottom of a new tower. The rent for the new building will most likely be higher. However, the taxes paid in the older building with redevelopment potential will be much higher. We have seen examples in Vancouver where the taxes end up being three to four times what the rent is. You have to sell a lot of books to cover the taxes. The overall rent and taxes for the store in the redevelopment will end up being higher than what the business was paying before the large increase in assessment with a redevelopment potential valuation. So we end up in a situation where the new developments dont have any tenants, because the former business cant afford the new higher rent. The City of Vancouver used to have a phase-in for land value changes. This would phase in the large increase over three years. So youd be paying for one-third of the increase in the first year, two-thirds in the second year. It gives some time to adjust to the large increase. Currently, the city only does land averaging for very large increases in property value for 2018, land averaging only occurred for properties that increased more than 36 per cent. The city could also lower the commercial tax rate. Vancouver has one of the largest ratios between commercial tax rates and residential tax rates. In Canada, the average ratio of commercial tax to residential tax is 2.91 to one. In B.C., its 2.64. In the City of Vancouver, its currently 4.4 to one. The province could step in and change commercial property tax assessments from highest and best use to current use. They stepped in and did this for major industrial properties. That only affected a few properties, but a change for commercial properties would affect a large number of properties. But until this becomes a political issue, theyre probably not going to make any changes. Broadzilla Attacks! When Land Assemblies Trample Shopping Streets read more There could also be a change in legislation that would allow exemptions or tax credits for commercial properties with small business in them. For example, have vacant properties valued at the highest and best use, but occupied properties valued on current use. This would be similar to the empty home tax or speculation tax where the properties are rented out are exempted. Well see more empty commercial spaces. Its all a catch-22. Its those businesses that create the quality of life that makes Vancouver special, with all those interesting small places to go and see. If they cant afford to be here, were losing what makes Vancouver Vancouver. David Nishi-Beckingham will be speaking on a panel on triple-net leases and Vancouvers small business landscape at the Museum of Vancouver on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. More info here. | https://thetyee.ca/News/2019/01/22/Save-BC-Small-Businesses-Property-Tax/ |
What Would a "Green New Deal" Look Like for Architecture? | Newly elected Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got tongues wagging this month when she championed a plan for a Green New Deal, and drafted a proposal to kickstart the committee that would create it. While shes not the first to suggest the idea, timing and the cultural climate are apt for a renewal of the discussion. Ocasio-Cortezs plan, which emphasizes decarbonization, job creation, and social and economic justice, is politically audaciousit aims for 100 percent renewable energy within 12 yearsbut in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s most recent warning that the world has about a decade to get climate change under control if we are to thwart its worst effects. With close to half of all greenhouse gas emissions coming from the built environment, architects and designers should feel welcome wading into the conversation. In the past, buildings were designed to hold people and things and to receive energy along a one-way artery from a faraway grid. Under a Green New Deal, that way of building would be considered outdated and obsolete. Instead, buildings would be considered mini power plants that can not only produce enough energy to supply their own needs, but also fuel vehicles and send excess energy back to the grid. Engineer testing solar panels at sunny power plant Photo: Caiaimage / Trevor Adeline / Getty Images More Theres a loosening of the boundaries around things that define energytheyre not siloed anymore, says Jacob Corvidae, a principal at the Rocky Mountain Institute's Buildings Practice. Suddenly, a building is not just a building. Corvidae believes all new construction should already be held to such standards. We should stop the bleeding now, he explains. If you dont build it to zero-energy now, you run the risk of being obsolete in ten years. In other words, any building not designed to meet net-zero-energy standards is already archaic. A Green New Deal would inject capital, job training, and manufacturing incentives into the system, accelerating the pace of a green economy. Building green infrastructure would be a major source of employment, and would help establish better social and economic equity, too; reliable, multimodal transit infrastructure to and from working-class neighborhoods would provide access to more jobs, schools, grocery stores, and other essentials they may currently be isolated from. Better infrastructure also builds resiliency for those communitiesan important element in the face of ever more extreme weather events. Design that considers this helps ensure that some communities aren't marginalized and isolated afterward, and considers environmental impact, too. Having lived through Hurricane Harvey, its so important to recognize that we are living in transitional times where the transformation of the built environment for resilience is key, says Rives Taylor, sustainability leader at Gensler in Houston. This means not building in a way where we have to throw away much distressed or damaged material after events like this. Germany, Tuebingen, ecological multi-family houses at French quarter Photo: Getty Images More | https://news.yahoo.com/green-deal-look-architecture-201524029.html |
Which Countries are Apartheid States? | A Nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones. Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom Although Israel is frequently accused of being an apartheid state, few of those who hear the accusation and none of those who make it understand what it actually means. Apartheid is the legal, institutionalized segregation of a country into a caste system. It forcibly separates a society by gender, by race or a combination of the two. Apartheid originally described the system of state-enforced repression of blacks in South Africa from 1948 and into the early 1990s. Codified discrimination mandated that public facilities and social events be segregated, that housing and employment opportunities be dictated by race and that marriages and even relationships across racial lines be prohibited. Non-white South Africans were removed from their homes and driven into segregated neighborhoods. Apartheid ideology was based on the belief of racial superiority of the minority ruling class. Recently, the term apartheid has been hijacked by the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement and, absurdly, applied to Israel, where it does not exist. Christian Arabs, Muslim Arabs and Jewish Israelis all share in Israeli society and all fully participate under the legal system. All may be citizens, all may serve in the Parliament and judiciary, all may partake of the education offered in Israeli universities and all are free to become doctors, lawyers, bankers or whatever they choose and they do. The same holds true for Israeli women, who thrive in its open society and, like the men, serve in its defense forces. Based on the central value of equality of all citizens before the law, Israel is a flourishing democracy which actively encourages vibrant debate, including a free press, and civic participation among all its citizens regardless of race, creed or gender. In stark contrast to Israel, apartheid against non-Muslims and also against Muslim women is actively enforced in the Muslim countries which surround it. In fact, apartheid is part of every Islamic state by definition. That is because an Islamic state is essentially an ideological state, and is thus radically different from a national state, writes Samuel Shahid in Rights of Non-Muslims in an Islamic State. Islamic ideology intentionally institutionalizes discrimination against people according to their religious affiliations (believers and non-believers) and segregation between men and women. In an Islamic state, non-Muslims (dhimmis) are considered inferior to Muslims; dhimmis, even those native to the country, are not allowed to hold citizenship. Responsibility for policy and administration should rest primarily with those who believe in the Islamic ideology, according to Shahid. Religious freedom is non-existent. In an Islamic state, dhimmis must pay Jizya (a special penalty or tax) to the government as a calculated symbol of humiliation and submission. Jizya necessarily prevents dhimmis from being an essential part of the community. Even if a dhimmi embraces Islam, the obligation to pay Jizya is not automatically abrogated, making the Islamic caste system nearly unalterable. Among restrictions on dhimmis are the following: they may not build churches, temples or synagogues; they may not pray or read their sacred books out loud at home or in churches, lest Muslims hear their prayers; they may not print their religious books or sell them in public places and markets; they may not install a cross even inside their homes or churches since it is considered a symbol of infidelity; they may not broadcast or display their ceremonial religious rituals on radio or television or use the media or publish any picture of their religious ceremonies in newspapers and magazines; they may not congregate in the streets during their religious festivals; they may not enlist in the army unless there is indispensable need for them in which case they are not allowed to assume leadership positions but are considered mercenaries; and they can not be issued licenses to carry weapons. A dhimmi, regarded as an infidel, cannot testify against any Muslim regardless of his moral credibility. Muslims cannot work for dhimmi employers. It is not permissible for a Christian to be in charge of Muslims by the virtue of the Islamic belief in the superiority of Muslims over others. In a Muslim country, it is illegal to criticize the government or the head of state, and the press is not free. Many political prisoners are confined to jails for expressing views critical of the government. Muslims are not permitted to criticize Islam without being persecuted or sentenced to death. Existing along with the dhimmi caste system in Islamist states is gender apartheid. Female inheritance is half of male heirs. In Sharia courts, womens testimony carries half the weight of mens except for criminal trials, in which womens testimony is not even allowed. Girls of 10 may be married off to older men and women can obtain a divorce only with consent of her husband or judicially if he has harmed her. Men, on the other hand, can divorce their wives without justification, immediate effectively, and are obligated to their wives financially for only four months and ten days thereafter. Female genital mutilation is common practice. A special committee of men called the religious police control womens bodies through enforced separation (they may not even sit with men in a restaurant) and attire (they must be fully covered in a loose fitting head to toe robe-like garment). In Saudi Arabia, women were given the right to vote only in 2015. It was only in 2017 that women were allowed access to education and healthcare without the need of a consenting male guardian. In 2018, King Salman lifted the ban on women drivers but women may drive in a car with a man only if he is a husband or close relative. Muslim activists such as Wajeha Al-Huwaider have compared the condition of a Saudi woman to slavery. The legal caste system in Islamic countries and its restrictions on non-Muslims and women are indeed like chains from which it is very difficult to free oneself. Recently, Saudi woman Rahaf al-Qunun renounced Islam and had to flee for her life, seeking refuge in Canada, after receiving death threats and being hunted. Irwin Cotler, a former lawyer for Nelson Mandela, has recognized that calling Israel an apartheid state is simply an act of anti-Semitism and an attempt to delegitimize Israel, and dismantle it just as opposition to actual apartheid had been used to dismantle South Africa. Reprinted with authors permission from The Times of Israel | https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/120712/which-countries-are-apartheid-states-opinion/ |
What time will it snow in Devon on Wednesday? | Get Daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Devon looks set to see more snow on Wednesday as well as sleet and hail with wintry showers forecast to last through the day. The Met Office has updated its weather warning, in place for Devon until 11am, to say snow could settle anywhere over 200metres above sea level. That warning covers the whole of Dartmoor and Exmoor as well as other parts of the county across mid and North Devon. But the current forecast shows snow should be restricted to the highest parts of Dartmoor today. Princetown is forecast to see more snow at 9am and then sleet or snow at around 4pm. Temperatures will be as low as 0C today and feel as cold as -5C thanks to north-westerly winds. After today the weather is set to warm slightly with temperatures climbing to 5C or 6C as we head into the weekend. For the rest of Devon while the ice warning remains in place until 11am today there will be warmer weather later in teh day. Exeter, East Devon and Mid Devon will see temperatures climb to 6C with some clear skies. It will be cloudier in North Devon but will relatively warm at 5C or 6C while Torbay is forecast for clear, sunny skies. Plymouth and West Devon are forecast temperatures as high as 7C today with mixed sun and cloud | https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/what-time-snow-devon-wednesday-2458739 |
What Are The 25 Best Jobs In The U.K. And How Much Do They Pay According To Glassdoor? | Audit manager has come #1 in Glassdoors annual 25 best jobs in the UK survey, followed by finance manager at #2 and marketing manager at # 3, see the full list below. The results are also notable for all but one of the salaries being flat compared to last year and, in several cases including audit manager, actually having decreased year-on-year. Onwards and upwards The rise of the audit manager - from #3 in 2017 to #2 last year and #1 today - can be explained by the methodology of the survey despite the role's declining earning potential. Glassdoor ranks jobs not just by median base salary (that is the amount paid before any extras) but also overall satisfaction and number of openings. Our own research showed the status and reputation of audit managers has gone up fast because of the fallout from the financial crisis, says Ian Peters, the CEO of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors. In the immediate aftermath, the professional body worked with the Financial Conduct Authority and two other regularity bodies to produce a financial services code which included new requirements such as heads of audit having direct access to the CEO and the executive committee. Theres more influence and authority around auditing so it is far more attractive and satisfying to do compared to the past, continues Peters. A new reliance on audit has not been restricted to the private sector. The state of government finances following the crisis and pressure on resources led central government to launch the Government Internal Audit Agency in 2015 which now employs 450 people in 65 locations. Bumping along It is ironic, therefore, that just as the Glassdoor survey reflects auditor managers satisfaction at their new-found influence within the workplace and the increased number of job opportunities, the role is one of several to show a year-on-year decline in salaries. Audit manager has seen a 13% decline in two years, or 7,500. It is not alone. Finance manager has seen a 12% decline in salary; marketing manager has slipped 6% in earnings and even commercial manager 12%. It is only as employees try to move jobs - from one company to another, from the private to the public sector or promoted within an organisation to managerial level - that they are likely to become aware of this decline in their earning potential. The situation has not been helped that employees have been battling with what are in effect stagnating wage growth. Weve been in a relatively low inflation and low pay rise environment, seen at most levels of salaries, says Stefan Stern, Visiting Professor at Cass Business School and former director of the High Pay Centre. The Office for National Statistics shows an annual earnings growth for managers, directors and senior officials of 2% in 2018 following a mere 1.6% the year before. Money isn't everything If there have been some higher salaries it is to get people through the door such as starting levels and key functions. But that is not spreading to rest of the workplace, says Charles Cotton. Nor to people at managerial level. And if we are seeing more jobs from the voluntary sector and not-for-profit sectors, they will have an impact because they cannot match salaries in the private sector, continues the Performance and Reward Advisor of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Of course, uncertainty over Brexit has impacted investment along with other headwinds such as the threat of a U.S-China trade war. Luckily, and as these results indicate, we dont just go to work to pay the mortgage. Businesses nervous about the economy need to be imaginative and think more widely about reward than just cash, says Stern. What we are interested in is intrinsic motivation and salary is not that." 25 best jobs in the U.K. the complete results 1. Audit manager (up from #3 last year*) Job score: 4.6 Job satisfaction rating: 4.5 Number of job openings: 1,124 Median base salary: 52,000 2. Finance manager (up from #4*) Job score: 4.5 Job satisfaction rating: 3.8 Number of job openings: 2,001 Median base salary: 60,000 3. Marketing manager (down from #1*) Job score: 4.4 Job satisfaction rating: 3.9 Number of job openings: 1,966 Median base salary: 42,500 4. Product manager (no change*) Job score: 4.4All Posts Job satisfaction rating: 3.8 Number of job openings: 1,697 Median base salary: 52,500 5. Sales manager (new entry*) Job score: 4.4 Job satisfaction rating: 3.8 Number of job openings: 2,795 Median base salary: 42,000 6. Risk manager (new entry*) Job score: 4.3 Job satisfaction rating: 3.9 Number of job openings: 1,111 Median base salary: 60,000 7. Data scientist (up from #17*) Job score: 4.3 Job satisfaction rating: 4.0 Number of job openings: 995 Median Base Salary: 46,000 8. Operations manager (down from #2*) Job score: 4.3 Job satisfaction rating: 3.7 Number of job openings: 2,226 Median base salary: 42,000 9. Design manager (new entry*) Job score: 4.3 Job satisfaction rating: 4.1 Number of job openings: 719 Median base salary: 55,000 10. Business analyst (down from #9*) Job score: 4.3 Job satisfaction Rating: 3.7 Number of job openings: 2,949 Median base salary: 40,000 11. Front end developer (new entry*) Job score: 4.3 Job satisfaction rating: 4.0 Number of job openings: 1,841 Median base salary: 35,000 12. Commercial manager (down from #8*) Job score: 4.2 Job satisfaction rating: 4.0 Number of job openings: 701 Median base salary: 57,000 13. Business development manager (down from #11*) Job score: 4.2 Job satisfaction rating: 3.7 Number of job openings: 3,915 Median base salary: 37,060 14. Project manager (down from #10*) Job score: 4.2 Job satisfaction rating: 3.6 Number of job openings: 7,320 Median base salary: 39,000 15. HR manager (down from #6*) Job score: 4.2 Job satisfaction rating: 4.1 Number of job openings: 664 Median base salary: 49,000 16. Contract manager (down from #7*) Job score: 4.1 Job satisfaction rating: 3.7 Number of job openings: 1,687 Median base salary: 40,000 17. Communication manager (up from #18*) Job score: 4.1 Job satisfaction rating: 4.1 Number of job openings: 651 Median base salary: 43,700 18. Software engineer (down from #12*) Job score: 4.1 Job satisfaction rating: 3.5 Number of job openings: 4,876 Median base salary: 43,000 19. Executive assistant (up from #25*) Job score: 4.1 Job satisfaction rating: 4.1 Number of job openings: 853 Median Base Salary: 37,000 20. HR business partner (down from #13*) Job score: 4.1 Job satisfaction rating: 3.8 Number of job openings: 753 Median base salary: 49,000 21. Engagement manager (up from #24*) Job score: 4.1 Job satisfaction rating: 4.3 Number of job openings: 405 Median base salary: 48,000 22. Web developer (new entry*) Job score: 4.1 Job satisfaction rating: 3.9 Number of job openings: 1,586 Median base salary: 31,000 23. Recruiter (down from #19*) Job score: 4.1 Job satisfaction rating: 4.4 Number of job openings: 2,862 Median base salary: 25,000 24. Solutions architect (down from #14*) Job score: 4.1 Job satisfaction rating: 3.4 Number of job openings: 1,597 Median base salary: 70,000 25. Software developer (new entry*) Job score: 4.1 Job satisfaction rating: 3.5 Number of job openings: 3,088 Median base salary: 37,000 * see previous years results. | https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwelsheurope/2019/01/23/what-are-the-25-best-jobs-in-the-u-k-and-how-much-do-they-pay-according-to-glassdoor/ |
Will 'Baahubali' Prabhas get married in 2019? | Prabhas is one of those rare actors who want to keep their private life private. He always made it clear that his personal life is not for sale. However, the actor has been linked to Anushka Shetty, but both have maintained that they are just good friends. Their great bond and acting together in more than three films is the reason for all the rumours. Well, with Baahubali, Prabhas has become a pan-India actor and he became a superstar with an incredible fan following. For the last few years, his marriage has been one of the most discussed topics ever as he is one of the most eligible bachelors around. Though many have been asking about it, the actor has never given any clarity on his wedding plans and has been skipping the question. The latest buzz is that this handsome hunk, who is 39-year-old, will be getting married this year. Yes, at least this is what his uncle Krishnam Raju says. The veteran actor, Krishnam Raju, who turned a year older a couple of days back had organised a press meet on the occasion, where he said that Prabhas will definitely get married once he completes shooting for 'Saaho'. While a few sources say that it will be an arranged marriage, few reveal that the actor is already in a relationship, but has kept his private life under wraps. 'Saaho' is slated for release on August 15 this year, so it is sure that the actor will get married this year | https://zeenews.india.com/regional/will-baahubali-prabhas-get-married-in-2019-2173266.html |
Will Uris Rs 100-crore score make Vicky Kaushals presence stronger for brand endorsements? | Uri: The Surgical Strike, a movie produced for Rs 25 crore has earned Rs 100 crore in just 10 days, giving Bollywood a dream start in 2019. The success has given its lead star Vicky Kaushal, recognition not just in the film industry, but also among advertisers. What may work in the actors favour in terms of bagging brand deals, is his versatility. Talking to Moneycontrol, Harish Bijoor, brand strategist and founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc, said, Brands are looking towards the chemistry a star can awoke for their individual fit. Brands are looking for endorsers that fit quite right. It could be the boy next kind of an image or the action star kind of an image these two are normally liked. Aamir Khan is the classic guy who embodied it for a period of time, Ranveer Singh is embodying it. Good guy-bad guy is a great combination. While the actor came to limelight with Masaan in 2015, it was year 2018 that reaffirmed Kaushals status as a star in the making. His ventures like Sanju, Raazi, digital offerings like Lust Stories and Love Per Square Foot gained traction among viewers. He will be seen next in Karan Johar's magnum opus Takht. Kaushal bagged four brand endorsements in 2018. He currently endorses brands like Housing.com, Wildstone, Aegon Life and Goibibo. I think it is yet another stepping stone for him (Vicky Kaushal) to reach a point where he comes into the consideration to a set of people towards brand endorsements. However, stars take many films to come into the brand endorsement set. And my view is that you need to have core good hits before you actually command the correct kind of brands coming to you. There is a huge clutter in the space that he operates in but he has to rise above the clutter, Bijoor said when asked if Uris strong performance will make a difference to the actors endorsement deals. Fastest to Rs 100 crore Uri's success is notable as the film was fastest to touch the Rs 100-crore mark among medium-sized films in the last one year. Movies like Stree, Raazi, Badhaai Ho, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety reached this benchmark in 16, 17, 17, 25 days, respectively. The only film coming closer to Uri in recent times is Tanu Weds Manu Returns, which achieved the feat in eleven days. According to film trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Uri: The Surgical Strike is the best trending film, as far as medium-budget films go. Even better than Tanu Weds Manu Returns, which is the highest grossing film in this category. Uri has not only emerged as the first Rs 100 crore film of 2019 but is also the first blockbuster of this year. Its dream run has continued as the film has now collected over Rs 115 crore in 12 days of its release. It is also surpassing the business of new and holdover titles. The film is continuing the winning streak offshore as well. Its collections have crossed $3 million (Rs 21.36 crore approximately), in the overseas market. In the SA and Canada markets, the film raked in Rs 11.39 crore. Experts are of the opinion that smaller budget films are proving to be an important factor in the film industrys growth. According to Rahul Puri, Managing Director, Mukta A2 Cinemas, limited budget is the key to sustenance of films and the industry through the year. Producers are also keen on investing in films made on tight budgets. The primary reason for this is the amount of money spent in making them. It is the small cost of the film that makes the proposition risk-free as producers do not have to invest a lot in various aspects of movie-making. When the cost is less, an average performance of the film is a lower risk for the producer. With more small and mid-size films tasting success, studios have become more affirmative is taking up such films. | https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/will-uris-rs-100-crore-score-make-vicky-kaushals-presence-stronger-for-brand-endorsements-3422391.html |
What happened when Marilyn Manson came to Sydney? | As we sit at the harbour in Sydney and enjoy the Australian sunshine over a margarita, the heavens suddenly open and ruin the lives of those of us who left the hotel in shorts and a t-shirt. Well, something menacing is coming to town Outside the Enmore Theatre the Australian goth contingent have gathered en masse to show their devotion to the Pale Emperor, the God Of Fuck, the Antichrist Superstar Marilyn fucking Manson. And while he may no longer send the media into a blind panic with his shock tactics, if Double M is on form hes virtually untouchable. Well judging by the hundreds of people gathered outside, and even more in the theatre, hes still revered and worshipped by goths, metalheads and rockers from around the world. However, it must be noted that as of late Mansons live show hasnt lived up to expectations. Late arrivals, early finishes, and a nonplussed approach have left bitter tastes in the mouths of his fans for the past ten years then something happened. Stories have been circulating across the web from media and fans alike that Marilyn Manson is back in the game and ready to stir shit up once more. This has to be seen to be believed, and at 9:35pm we stand and bear witness to the industrial shock artist. What bolsters anticipation for tonight is that Mansons latest album The Pale Emperor is by far his best work in a decade. Filled with melancholic anthems and the raw emotion we loved from MMs heyday, theres more here than just a greatest hits set and with nine albums under his belt, there are many. Opener Deep Six shakes the room from floorboards to rafters as the (rather impressive) soundsystem takes a pummelling and the stage show is set into turbodrive with strobes, smoke and steam everywhere. Youd think the crowd down front would be losing their minds, but its a sea of smartphones filming their idol returning to claim his throne as the best showman in metal. And thats the devotion Manson and his band have garnered in their 25-year history. Sydney is awash with black t-shirts, black hair and black make-up thanks to this man and the voice he gave to the voiceless. Chances are if youre aged 25-30 you grew up listening to his bitter social commentaries that fuelled your teenage angst, and despite being older and wiser now, we defy you not to regress to that formative period when Disposable Teens drops into mOBSCENE. Its a set of newbies, golden and grotesque oldies and even the odd cover in the form of Sweet Dreams and Personal Jesus complete with rally-esque banners emblazoned with the double cross. While the show itself perhaps isnt as theatrical as, say, Slipknot, all Manson needs is some smoke and lights to for complete immersion into his twisted world. The odd costume change gives the night a narrative as his revolving wardrobe provides for than enough leather and even different mics in the shape of knives and knuckledusters. In short, tonight is a milestone for Manson and his fans. Not only has he delivered the goods in inimitable fashion, but it has more than made up for the broken promises of the last decade so much so, one crazed fan stormed the stage to try and get up close with the evil genius. Closing on the double-whammy of Beautiful People and Irresponsible Hate Anthem, the Aussie crowd are buzzing as they swarm out into the night with make-up streaming down their faces and sweat drenching their Jesus Is A Cunt t-shirt (yes, we saw one!). The God Of Fuck is back and thank fucking god for that. GALLERY: The Goths Of Sydney | https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/marilyn-manson-live-in-sydney |
Is Karnataka-like political turmoil brewing in Madhya Pradesh? | India oi-Vikas SV Bhopal, Jan 23: The Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has the backing of two BSP MLAs, along with the support from 4 independents and one Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA. Now, BSP MLA Ramabai Ahirwar has demanded two ministerial berths for her party in the Kamal Nath cabinet and warned of a Karnataka like situation. The Congress had fallen short by two seats in the December assembly polls. In the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the Congress has 114 seats, the BJP 109, BSP two, Samajwadi Party one, and four Independents. Also Read | Karnataka resort brawl: Congress suspends MLA JN Ganesh for assaulting fellow MLA Anand Singh This comes at a time when the Congress-JDS goverment in Karnataka is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. There is bickering among Congress MLAs in Karnataka and the party has sent all its legislators to a resort near Bengaluru, where a fight had reportedly broken out on Monday. "If they don't give us ministerial berth, then not only me but others also oppose. They need to keep everyone happy. If he wants to keep the party strong, then firstly, he must make us strong. He should give us the ministerial berth," news agency ANI quoted BSP MLA Ramabai Ahirwar as saying. "Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has been formed with support of Behen Ji. We demand ministerial berth for 2 BSP MLAs in Kamal Nath government. We have seen the situation in Karnataka, we don't want a similar situation here," she further said. Also Read | Resort brawl: Singh tells cops, Ganesh asked for a gun to kill him Earlier, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had expressed his displeasure over the lone SP MLA not being made a minister by chief minister Kamal Nath. In Karnataka, two independent MLAs withdrew suppoprt from Kumaraswamy-led government while the Congress and the BJP accused each other of poaching lawmakers. | https://www.oneindia.com/india/is-karnataka-like-political-turmoil-brewing-in-madhya-pradesh-2840761.html?utm_source=/rss/news-india-fb.xml&utm_medium=173.223.204.225&utm_campaign=client-rss |
Why are we so scared of giving Mrs Thatcher and Mary Queen their power on screen? | The casting of The Crown is more thrilling each day, as its writer Peter Morgan the best contemporary dramatist on monarchy spends Netflix billions on series three. Olivia Colman, trailing clouds of Baroque glory from The Favourite, freshly nominated for an Academy Award, will play The Queen, succeeding Claire Foy, who made the monarch studied, vulnerable and practical. Helena Bonham Carter, who is less versatile but almost too good at flinty entitlement, is Princess Margaret. And now we know that Gillian Anderson will be Margaret Thatcher, a self-made woman more conservative, and sometimes grander, than the Queen herself.... | https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/scared-giving-mrs-thatcher-mary-queen-power-screen/ |
Will Asheville try to stop the state from splitting it into districts? | ASHEVILLE - The City Council revealed Tuesday it is renewing efforts against a state law forcing the city into political districts. The move came after weeks of public pressure for an answer as to whether the liberal council would oppose a new Republican-backed law fundamentally changing how Asheville picks its leaders. Mayor Esther Manheimer broke the silence after a public comment session at the end of Tuesday's regular council meeting, saying the council was seeking advice from legal experts. Questions to the specialist attorney, Manheimer said, would include, "If one of the options is to file a legal claim, which it obviously is, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the legal claim?" Here is a preliminary map drawn by Blake Esselstyn, head of local urban planning and GIS firm FrontWater, outlining City Council districts proposed by Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-Henderson. Esselstyn blogs on redistricting issues at districks.com. Areas shaded but outside city limits are not included in proposed districts. (Photo: Courtesy Blake Esselstyn/districks.com) Another option, she said, might be to hold a binding vote asking city residents what system they want. "The bill interestingly does not take away Asheville's right of referendum, which previous districting bills in other cities did," she said. In another option council members might decide it is not worth a fight with the General Assembly, the mayor said in an interview after the meeting. A referendum would be the second citywide vote on the issue. In a 2017 referendum 75 percent of residents said they did not want to change the current at-large election system in which all residents voted for each council position. The referendum was considered non-binding, but Manheimer at the time raised the question as to whether it carried some legal weight in what appeared to be a set up for a lawsuit. Lawmakers ignored the overwhelming vote and in 2018 pushed through Senate Bill 813 mandating five council members be elected from districts. The mayor and one of the other seven council members would remain at-large, according to the bill sponsored by NC Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-Henderson. The change would take effect in 2020 along with other shifts in the law mandating an end to primaries and switching elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, a time when state and federal races are held. The council had wanted to wait to make any moves until it hired a permanent city attorney, the mayor said. But because of delays in that process the elected body recently decided to proceed, ordering Interim City Attorney Sabrina Rockoff to contact lawyers specializing in the issue. Prior to her Sept. 27 resignation, former City Attorney Robin Currin had advised council members on the idea, Councilwoman Julie Mayfield said. Mayfield began to share some of that advice with Tuesday's meeting attendees, saying Currin "was very clear," before being cut off by other council members. Manheimer said they were "managing this in a closed session format because we are receiving legal advice." RELATED STORIES: Edwards: Asheville district vote a 'sham,' ignores law Asheville council: 220 years, 14 women, 10 African-Americans Residents had issued pleas and demands about council's position on the law. "I urge you as strenuously as possible to fight," said Casey Campfield Tuesday. Campfield made a similar appeal during a Jan. 8 public comment time. He was joined Tuesday by two other residents asking the council to fight the law. One resident asked them to support it. Democratic state lawmakers representing parts of Asheville had in the past opposed majority General Assembly efforts to impose districts, though when it came time for the June vote on SB 813, Senate Democrat Terry Van Duyn of Biltmore Forest sided with Republicans. In an October interview with the Citizen Times Van Duyn said she didn't want the law to pass, but saw it as inevitable. "I could not stop it and I had an opportunity to, I think, make it better by moving elections to even years because it would increase turnout." Tuesday Manheimer said she had requested that Van Duyn try to insert the amendment. She said other Buncombe County municipalities are now looking to make the change. Former mayoral candidate Jonathan Wainscott spoke during public comment time arguing for districts, saying they would increase chances for African-American candidates. But the two black council members, Sheneika Smith and Keith Young, have called the districts racial gerrymandering that will weaken African-American votes. Edwards, whose senate district covers a piece of South Asheville strongly denied racial motivation. Edwards and his predecessor, former Republican NC Sen. Tom Apodaca, also of Henderson County, had said the intent was to allow someone from South Asheville to get elected to a council that had been dominated primarily by North Asheville residents. But prior to SB 813's passage, South Asheville resident Vijay Kapoor was elected, beating all other candidates by a wide margin. A later argument was the districts would give a conservative a chance to enter the all-Progressive council. Council elections are non-partisan, but all council members are registered Democrats. The city's heavily Progressive demographics, meanwhile, now appear to preclude the creation of any Republican-majority district. Read or Share this story: https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2019/01/22/asheville-try-stop-state-splitting-into-districts-north-carolina-general-assembly-republicans/2652633002/ | https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2019/01/22/asheville-try-stop-state-splitting-into-districts-north-carolina-general-assembly-republicans/2652633002/ |
What has changed in the Mojave 10.14.3 update? | The update from macOS Mojave 10.14.2 to 10.14.3 is the smallest of Mojaves updates so far, but is still substantial by any reckoning: a download of around 2.3 GB, it installs over 4 GB of updated files. Apples release notes only detail one change, an improvement to Kerberos authentication which may be of interest to enterprise users. Security fixes are also few in number, but of those six are in the kernel, according to Apples detailed listing. There are EFI firmware updates only for models with T2 chips (iMac Pro for certain). The standard installer contains a full set of current firmware updaters. I have already updated my list of current firmware versions. The bulk of the 10.14.3 update consists of replacement apps and software which have new creation dates, unchanged version numbers, and no mention in any release notes. Thus they have changed, but its anyones guess as to whether anything works differently. For the record, here are the major apps which this update replaces: App Store Automator Books Calculator Calendar Contacts FaceTime FontBook iTunes, which remains at version 12.9.2 Mail, which remains at version 12.2 Maps Messages News, which remains at version 4.1.1 Photos Preview Safari, which advances to version 12.0.3, fixing vulnerabilities in WebKit TextEdit, which stays at version 1.14 Activity Monitor Console Disk Utility Terminal, which remains at version 2.9.1 Voice Memos, which remains at version 2.0. A great deal of the command tools and other files in /usr are also replaced, as is a lot of Marzipan iOSSupport. Most of the apps, tools and components in /System/Library/CoreServices are replaced, as are most extensions, and most public and private frameworks. TCCs AllowApplicationsList.plist remains with the older version 15.0 installed in 10.14.2, having reverted from an earlier update to 16.0. APFS has been updated from version 945.230.6 in 10.14.2 to 945.241.4 in 10.14.3 the smallest increment that I can recall since Apple first released the first version of APFS in Sierra. The pace of change and fixing of bugs in Mojave has changed quite dramatically. Perhaps the 10.14.4 update around the end of March will bring some changes in preparation for macOS 10.15. | https://eclecticlight.co/2019/01/23/what-has-changed-in-the-mojave-10-14-3-update/ |
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Will Arafat's Jerusalem property be used to pay terror victims? | The Jerusalem District Court has placed a temporary lien on a plot of land in Jerusalem owned by the late Yasser Arafat. The court issued the order after a lawsuit was filed against the Palestinian Authority and Yasser Arafats estate. The lawsuit was filed by Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center on behalf of eight families of victims killed by Palestinian Arab terrorists. Shurat Hadin is seeking damages from the Palestinian Authority and the Arafat estate for the deaths of the eight terror victims killed during Arafats tenure as PA chief. Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, President of Shurat Hadin, told the court that if they win the lawsuit, it will be difficult to collect the compensation from the Arafat estate, and as a result she requested to place a lien on the property so that the victims can collect damages. The land in question is mainly situated in the Mount of Olives Cemetery; overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. Yasser Arafat was the grandfather of modern terrorism, responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children. This move is one step closer towards justice for the victims and their families. We will not allow a situation in which the Arafat estate can own land in the heart of Jerusalem, while avoiding paying damages to his victims Said Nistana Darshan Leitner, President of Shurat Hadin The Israel Law Center. | http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/258025 |
How housing industry can foster employment generation? | Housing Financing Ali Khizar Pakistans rising housing shortage is alarming. The gap has been widening due to population growth and an emerging trend in rural to urban migration. Together these factors have made the existing housing supply insufficient. But not only that, the current housing supply is also unaffordable. Little to no options for low-income housing exist. The country has a room density of 3.5 persons per room which is significantly higher than the developed world standard of 1.1 person per room. The persistent backlog of housing supply together with the increase in gap each year puts the total shortage at 10-12 million units, though this seems to be an outdated figure. Nearly half of Pakistani urban dwellers live in informal settlements, or kacchiabaadis (8 million in Karachi; 1.7 million in Lahore); against Indias 24 percent of the urban population. Couple that with nearly three-fifths of the population still in the rural and underdeveloped areas, the need for low-cost housing is dire. The problem is recognized by successive governments as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) during its tenure in 2008-13promised to construct a million houses per year while the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) government during 2013-18 charted down plans of building 0.5 million units per year. Virtually none of these plans panned out. In recent history, there is no example of a successful housing scheme launched by the governments, while the regulatory and financing frameworks remain weak and inadequate. Promises however, still prevail. The new government formed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) has now come with a housing target to make 5 million houses in five years as part of its economic reform agenda. Weak regulatory environment poses a big challenge The governments job should not be to construct houses, but to create an enabling regulatory environment that would encourage and incentivize the private sector to meet the growing demand in all income-segments, not just the affluent one. Pakistan could look toward Modis Housing for All initiative in India which targets building 20 million housing units each year to cater to the low-income segment that forms over 60 percent of the demand. Thatmarket has been developed over the last decade and the latest housing sector regulations introduced by the Indian government are harnessing efforts from private developers to introduce schemes that are catered toward the low-income segment. Pakistan is faced with a number of challenges. The incidence of bank financing is low for bothmortgage and builder finance, in part due to the weak regulatory structure and banks low confidence in the real estatethat is a magnet to illicit wealth. The unclarity of titles exacerbated by property exchanging hands many times over leads to speculative price hikes causing commercial lenders to distance themselves from this sector.The government owns huge parcelsof land in Pakistan and auctions these off to builders and developers. This land is bought and sold in secondary market but construction often never begins, projects are delayed and land prices keep on increasing. This speculative interest in the real estate sector must be curbed to restrain prices from skyrocketing. To do so, builders should be requiredto develop the land in a stipulated time frame and not be allowed to sell un-developed land. In case of housing in new localities, it is recommended that part of the development should consist of low cost units which should be developed earlier and sold at low pricesto accommodate the low-income segment. Streamlining land registration databases to bring clarity to titles, updating building codes and density laws in favor of vertical development, strengthening foreclosure laws, and ensuring that only registered and authentic builders are allowed to undertake construction. The sector needs to build credibility from the ground up which will persuade banks to be more open to lending in this sector and in turn solving the key issue of financing for home buyers and builders. To that end, the SBP has recently launched a policy document to promote low-income housing finance in Pakistan, which proposes public-private models that could work if executed well. Importance of housing beyond addressing the shortage Bridging the housing gap is not only important for providing formal living means for the growing population but also because adding to the housing stock creates opportunities for a plethora of SME segments which are directly and indirectly associated with the housing industry. Construction is one of the most labour intensive industries in Pakistanits contribution to labor force (7.3%) is more than double its contribution to GDP (2.7%) . Within the industry, housing is deemed to be more labour intensive, especially in urban areas. Thus, a boost in the housing industry will go a long way in generating urban employment. The real estate industry has more than 250 associated industries with 4050 construction allied industries, including, aside from larger cement and steel industries, a host of SMEs . The industry has a significant impact on the economy and on employment. According to a 2008 World Bank study, a unit increase in expenditure in construction sector has a multiplier effect and the capacity to generate income as great as five times the cost of the unit. The former Chairman of Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD), Akber Sheikh in an interview claimed that constructing 100,000 more houses every year would generate one million jobs. While this number may be overstated, a study on enhancing builder finance in Pakistan conducted by Karandaaz Pakistan finds that the construction of the same number of3-marla houses per year in Lahore would create nearly 150,000 rolling jobs. These employment numbers will be 200,000 and 380,000 for 5 and 10 marla houses, respectively. A mix of 100,000 houses of these different sizes can create up to 250,000 jobs a year in Lahore only. In Karachi, about 360,000 laborers are put to work when 100,000 apartments are constructed in a year. These estimate come from existing construction activity in the two cities. These calculations suggest the housing gap will generate additional employment for thousands of laborers, contractors, architects, builders and agents etc. But it is also clear that this cannot be done without a robust regulatory environment, market-based solutions with public sector involvement and housing finance in place. The writer is Consultant of Karandaaz Pakistan Share on: WhatsApp | https://pakobserver.net/how-housing-industry-can-foster-employment-generation/ |
Has Microsoft lost it? | On the face of it, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Gordon Brown don't have much in common. One is a plain speaking, unpretentious, horny-handed son of toil who, after what seemed like an eternity, took over the top job from his best friend only to find himself in charge of a crumbling empire with no clear direction, declining popularity and endless media coverage of his smoother, more stylish rival. The other is the Prime Minister. The comparison isn't as bizarre as it might seem. With the departure of Bill Gates, Ballmer has inherited a Microsoft whose position looks much less secure than it did in the Gates era. Despite massive spending on search, Microsoft's market share is dwarfed by Google. It's outflanked in entertainment and mobile computing by Apple, it's losing browser market share to Firefox, and Silverlight is barely scratching Adobe's Flash. The 'Wow' marketing campaign for Vista has been replaced with the more desperate 'if you try it, you might not hate it' Mojave campaign, and mini-PCs one of the few PC sectors that hasn't stagnated are sticking with Windows XP. Even Office, Microsoft's cash cow, is under attack from free and open source rivals. Cracks appearing Microsoft is still making enormous sums of money, but cracks are appearing in its $16billion Windows business. The death of XP has been postponed several times the current rash of ultra-small, ultra-cheap laptops don't have the horsepower to run Vista and while Microsoft claims to have sold 180 million Vista licences, many of those licences are for machines running XP. As Jane Bradburn of HP Australia told reporters in July, "From 30 June, we have no longer been able to ship a PC with an XP licence. However, what we have been able to do [is] to ship PCs with a Vista business licence but with XP pre- loaded. That is still the majority of business PCs we are selling today." There's no compelling reason for users to upgrade: Vista requires more powerful hardware than XP, and it's been plagued by driver problems and incompatibilities. As a result, it's faced an avalanche of bad publicity some of it deservedly so, as users found that their devices didn't work. The bad publicity isn't helping enterprise adoption. According to Forrester analyst Ben Gray, "Desktop operations professionals tell Forrester that they see the value in standardising on Vista, but many are having a hard time convincing their CIOs that the move isn't a risky bet, given the mixed reaction it's received in the press and the speculation surrounding what to expect after Vista." Forrester reports that 8.8 per cent of enterprise customers have migrated to Vista; 87 per cent are still running XP. The 'mixed reaction' has been a gift for Apple, whose 'Mac vs PC' campaign mocked Microsoft ruthlessly. The ads worked: according to BMO Capital Markets analyst Keith Bachman, "More than 50 per cent of customers buying Macs in Apple stores are first time buyers." Fixing Vista Microsoft doesn't normally acknowledge its competitors, but in July, Steve Ballmer used the A-word in a company-wide memo. "In the competition between PCs and Macs, we outsell Apple 30 to one," he wrote. "But there is no doubt that Apple is thriving." That's something of an understatement. Apple is now the third biggest computer manufacturer in the US and the sixth biggest worldwide, with a US market share of 8.5 per cent compared to two per cent in 1996. While the PC market grew 4.2 per cent in the last year, Mac sales are up by 38 per cent. It has 17.2 per cent of the UK educational PC market and its iPhone came from nowhere to grab 27 per cent of the American smartphone market. | https://www.techradar.com/au/news/operating-systems/software/computing/pc/has-microsoft-lost-it-470879 |
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