question
stringlengths 11
149
| article
stringlengths 529
63.5k
| summary
stringlengths 4
444
| model source
stringclasses 3
values | length bucket
int8 0
2
| url
stringlengths 35
310
| qa classifier score
float32 0.1
0.85
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Where is the best corned beef hash in Portland? | When its done right, the potatoes are both crunchy and soft, the egg is easy and the corned beef is salty without sending you to the hospital. Its the kind of meal that can last you a whole day. Portland, a super brunch city, is full of creative hashes. Theres crab, theres salmon, theres vegan versions. We have some ideas, as well as some places we deeply miss (R.I.P. Kerns Kitchen), but we want your help! Nominate your favorite using the form below and we just might try it out! Loading... -- Lizzy Acker 503-221-8052 lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. | Nominate your favorite Portland corned beef hash using the form below. There are plenty of options, including crab, salmon and vegan versions. The best corned Beef Hash in Portland is served at Kerns Kitchen in downtown Portland. It's the kind of meal that can last you a whole day. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/2019/01/where-is-the-best-corned-beef-hash-in-portland.html | 0.789572 |
Is Mindfulness A Promising Option For Treating Chronic Pain? | For the 1 in 5 adults who suffer with chronic pain--defined as lasting longer than 3 months--finding a solution is often elusive. Based on the type of pain, various medications may provide some relief, but achieving a more lasting approach--in which you are personally empowered to make a difference--would certainly be more rewarding. Mindfulness represents a type of meditation that places a focus on the here and now how you perceive your environment moment to moment. This empowermentby virtue of capturing your thoughts and feelings, can be an important element in reducing and coping with stress, which effects perception of pain. Meditation also offers the unique ability to regulate your heart rate and blood pressure, integral aspects of the autonomic nervous system, which have an important effect on the perception of pain. Based on a new study published in the journal, Evidence Based Mental Health, mindfulness meditation represents a promising option and a powerful tool for alleviating the grips of chronic pain. Not only can it reduce the degree or perception of pain, but mindfulness--practiced via meditation--may also ease its effects which trigger anxiety or emotional distress, which can intensify the pain itself. This finding is relevant because many people who rely on CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, may not achieve meaningful reductions in chronic pain using this approach alone. CBT is a psychosocial intervention used by therapists to help develop coping strategies to allow people to better regulate their emotions, and therefore reduce levels of anxiety and depression. Adding mindfulness to a daily regimen may help to supplement the effects of CBT to allow patients to more effectively manage and modulate their chronic pain. For their study, the researchers conducted a pooled analysis of data, selecting 21 out of 184 trials, encompassing 2000 patients. They searched databases for trials examining the effectiveness of CBT or mindfulness-based methods for stress reduction for treating chronic pain. The majority of the study participants were women between the ages of 3565 years of age. Musculoskeletal pain was the primary cause of the pain, with some enduring such pain for greater than 10 years. The researchers pooled both direct and indirect evidence for possible effects of CBT compared with standard or no treatment, mindfulness compared with standard or no treatment, and mindfulness compared with CBT. Interestingly, the study overall revealed no significant differences in CBT or mindfulness, with both approaches leading to improvements in physical functioning, reducing severity of pain and depression, compared with standard treatment or no intervention at all. But the researchers qualified their findings by explaining that only 1 of the 21 trials examined made a head-to-head comparison of CBT with mindfulness, and only 12 of 21 trials were felt to be of reasonable or good quality for inclusion in the study. Interestingly, in the head-to head comparison of CBT with mindfulness, the CBT group did experience more improvement regarding depression symptoms compared to mindfulness techniques. The results of this study would need to be replicated on a larger scale to place the results of this single study into better context. And while the analysis overall revealed similar results for both approaches, the margin of error revealed wide confidence intervals, meaning that the data may not differentiate between which approach is better for patients with various types of pain and psychological symptoms. They suggest further research to better understand this gap in understanding, sparked by this study. That said, the researchers believe that adding an additional approach to CBT--and integrating mindfulness--may be the most effective way to treat chronic pain, while also helping to reduce anxiety and depression. While CBT is considered to be the preferred psychological intervention of [chronic pain], not all patients with [it] experience a clinically significant treatment response, the authors write. Although a number of recommendations have been proposed to improve CBT for patients with chronic pain, an additional solution may be to offer patients mindfulness based stress reduction since it shows promise in improving pain severity and reducing pain interference and psychological distress." | Many people who rely on CBT may not achieve meaningful reductions in chronic pain using this approach alone. Adding an additional approach to CBT--and integrating mindfulness--may be the most effective way to treat chronic pain. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2019/01/31/is-mindfulness-a-promising-option-for-treating-chronic-pain/ | 0.3182 |
Is Mindfulness A Promising Option For Treating Chronic Pain? | For the 1 in 5 adults who suffer with chronic pain--defined as lasting longer than 3 months--finding a solution is often elusive. Based on the type of pain, various medications may provide some relief, but achieving a more lasting approach--in which you are personally empowered to make a difference--would certainly be more rewarding. Mindfulness represents a type of meditation that places a focus on the here and now how you perceive your environment moment to moment. This empowermentby virtue of capturing your thoughts and feelings, can be an important element in reducing and coping with stress, which effects perception of pain. Meditation also offers the unique ability to regulate your heart rate and blood pressure, integral aspects of the autonomic nervous system, which have an important effect on the perception of pain. Based on a new study published in the journal, Evidence Based Mental Health, mindfulness meditation represents a promising option and a powerful tool for alleviating the grips of chronic pain. Not only can it reduce the degree or perception of pain, but mindfulness--practiced via meditation--may also ease its effects which trigger anxiety or emotional distress, which can intensify the pain itself. This finding is relevant because many people who rely on CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, may not achieve meaningful reductions in chronic pain using this approach alone. CBT is a psychosocial intervention used by therapists to help develop coping strategies to allow people to better regulate their emotions, and therefore reduce levels of anxiety and depression. Adding mindfulness to a daily regimen may help to supplement the effects of CBT to allow patients to more effectively manage and modulate their chronic pain. For their study, the researchers conducted a pooled analysis of data, selecting 21 out of 184 trials, encompassing 2000 patients. They searched databases for trials examining the effectiveness of CBT or mindfulness-based methods for stress reduction for treating chronic pain. The majority of the study participants were women between the ages of 3565 years of age. Musculoskeletal pain was the primary cause of the pain, with some enduring such pain for greater than 10 years. The researchers pooled both direct and indirect evidence for possible effects of CBT compared with standard or no treatment, mindfulness compared with standard or no treatment, and mindfulness compared with CBT. Interestingly, the study overall revealed no significant differences in CBT or mindfulness, with both approaches leading to improvements in physical functioning, reducing severity of pain and depression, compared with standard treatment or no intervention at all. But the researchers qualified their findings by explaining that only 1 of the 21 trials examined made a head-to-head comparison of CBT with mindfulness, and only 12 of 21 trials were felt to be of reasonable or good quality for inclusion in the study. Interestingly, in the head-to head comparison of CBT with mindfulness, the CBT group did experience more improvement regarding depression symptoms compared to mindfulness techniques. The results of this study would need to be replicated on a larger scale to place the results of this single study into better context. And while the analysis overall revealed similar results for both approaches, the margin of error revealed wide confidence intervals, meaning that the data may not differentiate between which approach is better for patients with various types of pain and psychological symptoms. They suggest further research to better understand this gap in understanding, sparked by this study. That said, the researchers believe that adding an additional approach to CBT--and integrating mindfulness--may be the most effective way to treat chronic pain, while also helping to reduce anxiety and depression. While CBT is considered to be the preferred psychological intervention of [chronic pain], not all patients with [it] experience a clinically significant treatment response, the authors write. Although a number of recommendations have been proposed to improve CBT for patients with chronic pain, an additional solution may be to offer patients mindfulness based stress reduction since it shows promise in improving pain severity and reducing pain interference and psychological distress." | Many people who rely on CBT may not achieve meaningful reductions in chronic pain using this approach alone. Adding an additional approach to CBT--and integrating mindfulness--may be the most effective way to treat chronic pain. Musculoskeletal pain was the primary cause of the pain, with some enduring such pain for greater than 10 years. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2019/01/31/is-mindfulness-a-promising-option-for-treating-chronic-pain/ | 0.369154 |
Could any of these five Wisconsin-connected athletes win Super Bowl LIII MVP? | The Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots are inching closer to Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, and there are a handful of Wisconsin sports connections in the annual bonanza. We're glad you asked. Here they are, ranked in order from least likely to most. Tony Romo Tony Romo has become one of the biggest names in football broadcasting in just two seasons. (Photo: The Associated Press) Odds: No chance, except in our hearts. The announcer isn't technically eligible, but he may win the MVP in the court of popular opinion. He certainly won it during the AFC Championship Game. With an uncommon prescience and trademarked enthusiasm, Romo was basically the second-biggest story of championship game weekend, behind the officiating. The Burlington native will be part of the broadcast team when CBS airs Sunday's game. RELATED: Jim Nantz on Tony Romo's predictions: Not getting a message from the gods Rob Havenstein Dec 16, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) meets with Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Rob Havenstein (79) after the Eagles beat the Rams 30-23 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Offensive linemen have about as good a chance to win the Super Bowl MVP as you or me, but maybe there's a crazy fumble recovery in the end zone or something. Or maybe he throws a pancake block so good, it just has to merit attention. The former University of Wisconsin lineman was taken by the Rams in the second round of the 2015 draft, and he signed a four-year contract extension before this season through 2022. Hes cemented as the starting right tackle for one of the leagues most electric offenses one that finished second in yards and points per game. Lawrence Guy Lawrence Guy has made a bunch of stops in his NFL career, but he seems to have found a home in New England. (Photo: The Associated Press) Odds: Not a great chance, but impressive that he's here. Patriots defensive lineman Lawrence Guy is in his eighth NFL season and enjoyed a strong 2018, with a career-best 59 tackles and a forced fumble. He's played with the Colts, Chargers, Ravens and Patriots -- never actually the Packers, who drafted Guy in the seventh round in 2011. He spent his first season on injured reserve and was then part of the Green Bay practice squad in 2012. The Colts signed him away in October of that season, and he gradually worked his way into becoming an NFL regular. Guy had three tackles, including a partial sack, in the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs. Sam Shields Los Angeles Rams cornerback Sam Shields right, and Los Angeles Rams Cory Littleton (58) celebrate after overtime of the NFL football NFC championship game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, in New Orleans. The Rams won 26-23. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Photo: The Associated Press) Odds: Would need a big defensive play, but it's possible. The former Packers cornerback did not play for most of 2016 and all of 2017 as he recovered from a head injury, but he has made it back and has contributed this year for the Rams, with 22 tackles and an interception in the regular season. Shields became an undrafted diamond in the rough when he saw action in 14 games for the Super Bowl-winning Packers of 2010, and he spent a total of seven seasons with Green Bay. One of L.A.'s secondary coaches is Aubrey Pleasant, a three-year letter-winner at Wisconsin from 2005-'08. James White New England Patriots running back James White (28) runs against Los Angeles Chargers defensive back Adrian Phillips (31) during the first quarter in an AFC Divisional playoff football game at Gillette Stadium. (Photo: Greg M. Cooper, USA TODAY Sports) Odds: Very good, and he should already have one from two years ago. And you know it, Tom Brady. We probably re-litigate the Super Bowl MVP trophy from two years ago more than we need to, but let's do it again, anyway. The University of Wisconsin product should already have one of these awards. His 20 points scored were a single-game Super Bowl record after the 2016 season, when the Patriots won Super Bowl LI, and he also scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime (with a Super Bowl-record 14 receptions that helped his team rally from 25 points down, as well as 110 yards receiving and 29 yards rushing). The dynamic pass-catching running back had 425 rushing yards and five touchdowns this season, along with 87 catches (easily a career best) for 751 yards and seven scores. He ran for 23 yards and caught four passes in the AFC Championship Game. But let's be honest, it'll probably be Brady who wins MVP if the Patriots win. | Tony Romo, Rob Havenstein, Lawrence Guy and James White are among those who could win MVP. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nfl/2019/01/31/five-wisconsin-connected-names-know-super-bowl-lii/2702976002/ | 0.133128 |
Could any of these five Wisconsin-connected athletes win Super Bowl LIII MVP? | The Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots are inching closer to Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, and there are a handful of Wisconsin sports connections in the annual bonanza. We're glad you asked. Here they are, ranked in order from least likely to most. Tony Romo Tony Romo has become one of the biggest names in football broadcasting in just two seasons. (Photo: The Associated Press) Odds: No chance, except in our hearts. The announcer isn't technically eligible, but he may win the MVP in the court of popular opinion. He certainly won it during the AFC Championship Game. With an uncommon prescience and trademarked enthusiasm, Romo was basically the second-biggest story of championship game weekend, behind the officiating. The Burlington native will be part of the broadcast team when CBS airs Sunday's game. RELATED: Jim Nantz on Tony Romo's predictions: Not getting a message from the gods Rob Havenstein Dec 16, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) meets with Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Rob Havenstein (79) after the Eagles beat the Rams 30-23 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Offensive linemen have about as good a chance to win the Super Bowl MVP as you or me, but maybe there's a crazy fumble recovery in the end zone or something. Or maybe he throws a pancake block so good, it just has to merit attention. The former University of Wisconsin lineman was taken by the Rams in the second round of the 2015 draft, and he signed a four-year contract extension before this season through 2022. Hes cemented as the starting right tackle for one of the leagues most electric offenses one that finished second in yards and points per game. Lawrence Guy Lawrence Guy has made a bunch of stops in his NFL career, but he seems to have found a home in New England. (Photo: The Associated Press) Odds: Not a great chance, but impressive that he's here. Patriots defensive lineman Lawrence Guy is in his eighth NFL season and enjoyed a strong 2018, with a career-best 59 tackles and a forced fumble. He's played with the Colts, Chargers, Ravens and Patriots -- never actually the Packers, who drafted Guy in the seventh round in 2011. He spent his first season on injured reserve and was then part of the Green Bay practice squad in 2012. The Colts signed him away in October of that season, and he gradually worked his way into becoming an NFL regular. Guy had three tackles, including a partial sack, in the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs. Sam Shields Los Angeles Rams cornerback Sam Shields right, and Los Angeles Rams Cory Littleton (58) celebrate after overtime of the NFL football NFC championship game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, in New Orleans. The Rams won 26-23. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Photo: The Associated Press) Odds: Would need a big defensive play, but it's possible. The former Packers cornerback did not play for most of 2016 and all of 2017 as he recovered from a head injury, but he has made it back and has contributed this year for the Rams, with 22 tackles and an interception in the regular season. Shields became an undrafted diamond in the rough when he saw action in 14 games for the Super Bowl-winning Packers of 2010, and he spent a total of seven seasons with Green Bay. One of L.A.'s secondary coaches is Aubrey Pleasant, a three-year letter-winner at Wisconsin from 2005-'08. James White New England Patriots running back James White (28) runs against Los Angeles Chargers defensive back Adrian Phillips (31) during the first quarter in an AFC Divisional playoff football game at Gillette Stadium. (Photo: Greg M. Cooper, USA TODAY Sports) Odds: Very good, and he should already have one from two years ago. And you know it, Tom Brady. We probably re-litigate the Super Bowl MVP trophy from two years ago more than we need to, but let's do it again, anyway. The University of Wisconsin product should already have one of these awards. His 20 points scored were a single-game Super Bowl record after the 2016 season, when the Patriots won Super Bowl LI, and he also scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime (with a Super Bowl-record 14 receptions that helped his team rally from 25 points down, as well as 110 yards receiving and 29 yards rushing). The dynamic pass-catching running back had 425 rushing yards and five touchdowns this season, along with 87 catches (easily a career best) for 751 yards and seven scores. He ran for 23 yards and caught four passes in the AFC Championship Game. But let's be honest, it'll probably be Brady who wins MVP if the Patriots win. | There are a handful of Wisconsin sports connections in the Super Bowl LIII. Tony Romo, Rob Havenstein, James White and Sam Shields are among them. Romo is the favorite to win the MVP award. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nfl/2019/01/31/five-wisconsin-connected-names-know-super-bowl-lii/2702976002/ | 0.598095 |
Could any of these five Wisconsin-connected athletes win Super Bowl LIII MVP? | The Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots are inching closer to Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, and there are a handful of Wisconsin sports connections in the annual bonanza. We're glad you asked. Here they are, ranked in order from least likely to most. Tony Romo Tony Romo has become one of the biggest names in football broadcasting in just two seasons. (Photo: The Associated Press) Odds: No chance, except in our hearts. The announcer isn't technically eligible, but he may win the MVP in the court of popular opinion. He certainly won it during the AFC Championship Game. With an uncommon prescience and trademarked enthusiasm, Romo was basically the second-biggest story of championship game weekend, behind the officiating. The Burlington native will be part of the broadcast team when CBS airs Sunday's game. RELATED: Jim Nantz on Tony Romo's predictions: Not getting a message from the gods Rob Havenstein Dec 16, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) meets with Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Rob Havenstein (79) after the Eagles beat the Rams 30-23 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Offensive linemen have about as good a chance to win the Super Bowl MVP as you or me, but maybe there's a crazy fumble recovery in the end zone or something. Or maybe he throws a pancake block so good, it just has to merit attention. The former University of Wisconsin lineman was taken by the Rams in the second round of the 2015 draft, and he signed a four-year contract extension before this season through 2022. Hes cemented as the starting right tackle for one of the leagues most electric offenses one that finished second in yards and points per game. Lawrence Guy Lawrence Guy has made a bunch of stops in his NFL career, but he seems to have found a home in New England. (Photo: The Associated Press) Odds: Not a great chance, but impressive that he's here. Patriots defensive lineman Lawrence Guy is in his eighth NFL season and enjoyed a strong 2018, with a career-best 59 tackles and a forced fumble. He's played with the Colts, Chargers, Ravens and Patriots -- never actually the Packers, who drafted Guy in the seventh round in 2011. He spent his first season on injured reserve and was then part of the Green Bay practice squad in 2012. The Colts signed him away in October of that season, and he gradually worked his way into becoming an NFL regular. Guy had three tackles, including a partial sack, in the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs. Sam Shields Los Angeles Rams cornerback Sam Shields right, and Los Angeles Rams Cory Littleton (58) celebrate after overtime of the NFL football NFC championship game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, in New Orleans. The Rams won 26-23. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (Photo: The Associated Press) Odds: Would need a big defensive play, but it's possible. The former Packers cornerback did not play for most of 2016 and all of 2017 as he recovered from a head injury, but he has made it back and has contributed this year for the Rams, with 22 tackles and an interception in the regular season. Shields became an undrafted diamond in the rough when he saw action in 14 games for the Super Bowl-winning Packers of 2010, and he spent a total of seven seasons with Green Bay. One of L.A.'s secondary coaches is Aubrey Pleasant, a three-year letter-winner at Wisconsin from 2005-'08. James White New England Patriots running back James White (28) runs against Los Angeles Chargers defensive back Adrian Phillips (31) during the first quarter in an AFC Divisional playoff football game at Gillette Stadium. (Photo: Greg M. Cooper, USA TODAY Sports) Odds: Very good, and he should already have one from two years ago. And you know it, Tom Brady. We probably re-litigate the Super Bowl MVP trophy from two years ago more than we need to, but let's do it again, anyway. The University of Wisconsin product should already have one of these awards. His 20 points scored were a single-game Super Bowl record after the 2016 season, when the Patriots won Super Bowl LI, and he also scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime (with a Super Bowl-record 14 receptions that helped his team rally from 25 points down, as well as 110 yards receiving and 29 yards rushing). The dynamic pass-catching running back had 425 rushing yards and five touchdowns this season, along with 87 catches (easily a career best) for 751 yards and seven scores. He ran for 23 yards and caught four passes in the AFC Championship Game. But let's be honest, it'll probably be Brady who wins MVP if the Patriots win. | There are a handful of Wisconsin sports connections in the Super Bowl LIII. Tony Romo, Rob Havenstein, James White and Sam Shields are among them. Romo is the favorite to win the MVP, while Havenstein and Shields have the best shot at it. The winner will be announced Sunday night. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nfl/2019/01/31/five-wisconsin-connected-names-know-super-bowl-lii/2702976002/ | 0.668817 |
Is Trump Trying to Bully Americas Intelligence Agencies Into Silence? | On Tuesday morning, the countrys spy chiefs filed into an ornate meeting room on Capitol Hill to testify at the Senate Intelligence Committees annual hearing on the threats currently facing the United States. Dan Coats, an affable former Republican senator from Indiana, who is the director of National Intelligence; Gina Haspel, a career C.I.A. covert operative who now leads that agency; and Christopher Wray, a former federal prosecutor, who is now the head of the F.B.I., shook hands with the senators and became the focus of attention. In the course of two hours, the three officials delivered carefully measured testimony that included pronouncements that would seemingly please the President. While we were sleeping in the last decade and a half, Coats said, China had a remarkable rise in capabilities. Wray concurred, noting that China has blurred if not erased the line between lawful behavior and fair competition and lying and hacking and cheating and stealing. And Haspel said that the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of premeditated murder but declined to state whether Saudi Arabias crown prince Mohammed bin Salman was personally responsible. But the three chiefs also quietly but clearly disagreed with the President. Coats stated that North Korea was unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities, contradicting Trump, who has claimed that it might. Wray said that the Russians had used social media to try to interfere in the 2018 midterm elections, and were continuing to adapt their model, contradicting skeptical comments that Trump has made about Russias involvement. And Haspel said that Iran was technically in compliance with the nuclear deal that it had struck with the Obama Administration, contradicting claims by Trump that it is violating the terms of that agreement. Midway through the hearings, news alerts that the intelligence chiefs were openly contradicting Trumps assertions started hitting mobile phones and television screens. On Wednesday morning, Trump was furious after seeing cable-television news headlines saying that the intelligence chiefs had contradicted him, according to CNN, and he attacked them in two tweets, without having seen their full testimony. The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran. They are wrong! Trump tweeted. Perhaps Intelligence should go back to school! (On Thursday afternoon, Trump tweeted a photo of himself meeting with Coats and Haspel in the Oval Office. He suggested that people read the COMPLETE testimony from the hearing, and blamed the media for putting out a false narrative.) That twenty-four-hour cyclefrom a two-hour hearing to two angry tweetswas the latest charged interaction in the fraught relationship between Trump and the intelligence agencies. In an unprecedented act for a sitting President, Trump has repeatedly accused members of the F.B.I. and other agencies of being part of a deep state that is trying to oust him from power. His critics say that he is blatantly pressuring the intelligence community to politicize intelligence by producing findings that match his political goalsmirroring a process that was blamed, in part, for the faulty intelligence assessments that helped lead to the invasion of Iraq during the George W. Bush Administration. But the President may also be trying to achieve something simpler: bullying the intelligence agencies into silence. On Tuesday, James Clapper, who served as the director of National Intelligence during the Obama Administration, told me that the agency heads had spoken truth to power, which, he said, is the primary duty of intelligence officers. He also praised them for presenting their findings without flaunting their disagreements with the President. I think that what happened today is proof positive that the intelligence community, two years into Trumps term, is still doing its job, he said. Current and former intelligence officials warned that, within the community, Trumps rancor is having an impact. Over all, one current senior official said, the community has hunkered down to stay focussed on the mission, and senior members try to avoid getting in the Presidents cross hairs. The senior official told me that the leaders of these agencies are exhorting their troops to ignore the political swirl, telling them to just get on with your job. But there is a growing sense that the President and his inner circle are rejecting intelligence assessments that disagree with their views. A former senior intelligence official told me that Mike Pompeo, Trumps former C.I.A. director and now the Secretary of State, gave analysts a lot of real pushback when they told him, in briefings, that Iran was complying with the nuclear agreement. Trump has reportedly taken issue with intelligence briefers on this topic as well. In 2017, after transcripts of Trumps conversations with several foreign leaders leaked to the press, intelligence-agency employees were required to attend seminars in which they were instructed on the damage caused by leaks. With this President, the political pressure to go after leakers was incredible, the former official said. More broadly, current and former officials say that a sense of caution has taken hold. Officials often take painstaking efforts to insure that none of their actions can be interpreted as being politicalby Trumps supporters or by his opponentsand that they will not somehow be penalized for their actions in the future. The current senior official said that this caution has not yet resulted in self-censorship within the agencies. People are extra careful to be nonpolitical, the official said. People are doing what theyre doing, theyre just dotting every I and crossing every T. Yet the former official believes that the feeling that the President and his advisers may dismiss the communitys findings is resulting in a rote production of intelligence. There is a certain sense of people going through the motions and doing things for the record, that official told me, because if the President isnt interested in the intelligence there is little incentive to go above and beyond and think outside of the box. The implicit risk is that the community could fail to anticipate the emergence of new threats, as it has been accused of doing before 9/11 and during the 2016 election. Clapper, however, disagreed with this assessment, saying that, for now, he doesnt think that the analysts have succumbed to political pressure. I imagine now they are going to be very careful when theyre writing about Russia, or North Koreas nuclear program, he said. Im sure theyre still writing that stuff. Institutionally, there are too many checks and balances. Trumps efforts to pressure the agencies are particularly unusual, though, because they are public. C.I.A. analysts said that Bush Administration officials accused them of trying to sabotage the Presidents policies when they questioned intelligence reports that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but the Administration did so in private. Clapper said that Obama never commented, publicly or privately, about testimony that Clapper gave before Congress. He never said, Id like you to soft-pedal this, or not that say that. Not once. The current and former officials, as well Clapper, told me that they are most concerned about the long-term impact of the Presidents claims that the F.B.I. and C.I.A. are part of the deep state. They worry that such statements will fuel a decline in the willingness of Americans to work for intelligence agencies. The whole gutting of the institution is possible, the former official said. That is a huge concern. Clapper said that he isnt sure the community can withstand the political pressure in the long term. But, he said, for now, it is performing as it should. Intelligence people are mindful of history. Did I continue to tell the truth? The intelligence community will continue to speak truth to power even when the power ignores the truth. | On Tuesday, the country's spy chiefs testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee. In the course of two hours, they delivered carefully measured testimony that would seem to please the President. But the three chiefs also quietly but clearly disagreed with the President. The President may also be trying to achieve something simpler: bullying the intelligence agencies into silence. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/is-trump-trying-to-bully-americas-intelligence-agencies-into-silence | 0.338585 |
Why are so many women dying from drug overdoses? | No community is immune from Americas drug crisis. And new statistics show that its severely affected a group you might not expect: middle-aged women. In the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Jan. 11, researchers found that the drug overdose death rate among women between 30- and 64-years old climbed a staggering 260 percent from 1999 to 2017. Women aged 55 to 64 were hit the hardest, with drug overdose death rates increasing by nearly 500 percent during the 18-year period. HOW FLESH-EATING BACTERIA FEAST ON FLESH The average age of overdose death for women was 46.3 years old in 2017, up 2.8 years from 1999. The average age of death increased in all drug categories except synthetic opioids, which stayed the same. In an effort to address the drug epidemic, the CDC analyzed womens mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System. There was an increase in fatal overdoses related to different categories of drugs, including antidepressants, benzodiazepine, cocaine, heroin, prescription opioids, and synthetic opioids. The latest report highlights the increased vulnerability of women dying from an overdose as they get older. Comparatively, a November 2018 report from the CDC that looked at overdose deaths of both men and women found that the rates climbed the highest for people of all genders aged 24 to 54. But when you look at the data for just women, those 55- to 64-years old fared worse. Everyone wants a simple answer about why this is happening, but it just doesnt exist, said Dr. Michael Genovese, a clinical psychiatrist and chief medical officer at Acadia Healthcare, a multinational provider of substance use disorder services. He added that the trend may be related to womens changing roles in society. DRUG-RESISTANT INFECTIONS FOUND IN US WEIGHT-LOSS PATIENTS AFTER SURGERY IN MEXICO There is much more expected of women in the workplace and at home, Genovese said. They feel like they need to be all things to all people. Its not surprising that mental health issues like addiction are on the rise among women given the additional stressors they face and the current societal norms. Drug overdose deaths tend to happen in more men than women and to younger individuals. As such, the medical community may have missed warning signs in women aged 55 to 64, leaving them more vulnerable to overdoses over the last 18 years, said Dr. Katherine Michael, a psychiatrist and medical director of community health at Western Connecticut Health Network. This is a group that might be overlooked because its not the usual demographic doctors would expect to have a problem with substances, said Michael, who is on a team that recently received a $4.7 million federal grant to expand substance abuse screenings and interventions for families in Connecticut. Other doctors blame the skyrocketing overdose deaths on the over-prescribing of drugs, especially opioids, and the possibility that women are mixing medications theyve been prescribed over the years. Someone who dies from a drug overdose didnt necessarily suffer from an addiction, said Dr. Kevin Zacharoff, a chronic pain and opioid abuse expert and clinical professor at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Zacharoff pointed out that people may end up accidentally overdosing on prescription medications. Its the human condition to try to take control of a painful situation if they feel like theyre not being treated, and perhaps they end up taking a melting pot of medications that lead to a drug interaction with negative consequences, he said. Additionally, suicide rates also increased for women in an overlapping age group (45 to 64)from 1999 to 2017, climbing from 6 to 9.7 per 100,000 people. Theres a link between this trend and the increase in rates of death from drug overdose among women, said Dr. Jonathan Avery, director of addiction psychiatry at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, who also runs NewYork-Presbyterians community naloxone trainings. When youre suffering from a substance use disorder, it exacerbates everything else in your life, including your physical health and social issues, Avery said. Its one of the biggest risk factors for suicide. How to stop fatal overdoses While experts may have different theories about the cause of the rising rates of drug overdose deaths in middle-aged women, they agree that prevention and treatment programs need to start targeting this particular demographic. Curbing the increase in fatal overdoses starts by asking all patients not just those in certain demographics about their substance-use habits when they go to the doctor, Michael said. We cant make assumptions that someones not going to have an issue with substances just because of age or gender, she said. The authors of the CDC report also emphasize the importance of providing access to substance use disorder treatment services that focus on the particular needs of women. We need evidence-based treatment to be available in settings that feel comfortable to women, Avery said. It can be hard to find treatment centers that are focused on womens mental and physical health issues. He added that increasing the availability of medications that can reverse a narcotics overdose is essential to saving lives. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Naloxone kits are being given across the country to people who are at risk, but at times we might have overlooked giving them to other groups, like middle-aged women, he said. Taking another look at their prescriptions The report recommends that providers consider following the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. Michael said that in an effort to curb drug-related health problems, her healthcare network already follows opioid prescription guidelines based on those from the CDC, and its working on implementing similar measures for prescribing benzodiazepine. Were having doctors look at the dosages theyre prescribing, the duration the drugs are prescribed for, and the potency of the drugs, and to spell out all of the risks to their patients, she said. But despite some of the preventive measures now in place to help rein in the drug crisis, some experts say we may still be years away from seeing major improvements in overdose death rates. Theres been an ocean liner of devastation over the last 20 years, and it will take a while to turn the ship, Michael said. It will require a lot of different modalities, from prevention and screening to treatment programs, and it will take time. For now, Avery hopes the findings from the latest report will bring increased awareness and understanding of the drug epidemic and who it impacts. We often feel like its happening to other people, not to me. The real message is that its happening to all of us, he said. We need to rally around people who are suffering and help them get better. This article first appeared on HealthLine.com | Women aged 55 to 64 were hit the hardest, with drug overdose death rates increasing by nearly 500 percent during the 18-year period. Doctors blame the skyrocketing overdose deaths on the over-prescribing of drugs, especially opioids, and the possibility that women are mixing medications they've been prescribed over the years. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.foxnews.com/health/why-are-so-many-women-dying-from-drug-overdoses | 0.492218 |
How will Michigan football's TEs fit in Josh Gattis' offense? | CLOSE Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh recaps Peach Bowl after the 41-15 loss to Florida on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018, in Atlanta. Nick Baumgardner, Freep Michigan's Nick Eubanks, right, celebrates a first-half touchdown with Tarik Black against Indiana at Michigan Stadium on Nov. 17, 2018 in Ann Arbor. (Photo: Gregory Shamus, Getty Images) (Note: This is Part 4 of a series reviewing Michigans 2018 position groups and looking ahead to 2019). We don't know what Michigan football's offense is going to look like in 2019. But we do know, based on everything Jim Harbaugh and Josh Gattis have said since they joined forces two weeks ago, that things are changing. Michigan fans want a new offense, they want a fast offense, they want a modern offense. Just ask them via social media. More: Michigan football's wide receivers hold key to 2019 season Every offense Gattis has worked in during his eight-year coaching career has been fast and modern and has pushed the football into all areas of the field. The offense he's about to inherit has, traditionally, not, instead relying on a bevy of personnel groups with a high reliance on multiple backs and multiple tight ends. Yes. Whether that means being in 11 personnel, 10 personnel, 12 personnel, you name it. Multiple by formation," Gattis said earlier this month. "It'll be personnel-driven, we'll get our playmakers the ball, we'll get our speed out in space and let (them) be active. ... This isn't about Josh Gattis or a new Michigan offense, this will be player-driven." More: Michigan football loses RB production but welcomes talented youth For those scoring at home: The first number in a personnel grouping refers to the number of running backs on the field. The second is the number of tight ends. If Michigan had a home personnel set last season, it was probably 12 one back, two tight ends. Michigan disguised a lot of 11 personnel plays with two tight ends on the field and would, at times, run offense with three receivers on the field. Not really, no. The bulk of Harbaugh's tenure has featured a constant stockpiling of tight end talent. Michigan still has plenty on the roster right now. Tight ends Whos eligible to return: Nick Eubanks (6-5, 252), r-junior. ; Sean McKeon (6-5, 251), senior; Mustapha Muhammad (6-4, 245), r-freshman; Luke Schoonmaker (6-6, 231), r-freshman. Who's gone: Zach Gentry (NFL draft). Who's coming in: Erick All (Fairfield, Ohio; 6-4, 216). 2018 recap Michigan's offense threw the ball to the tight end less last season than it ever has during the Harbaugh era. Gentry, McKeon and Eubanks combined for 54 receptions in 2018, tied with 2017 for the fewest number of Harbaugh's four years. Michigan tight end Sean McKeon runs by Michigan State defensive lineman Raequan Williams during the first half in Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press) Keep in mind, though, that the 2017 season was one of the worst passing campaigns by a Michigan football team in modern history. In 2017, tight ends caught roughly 30 percent of Michigan's completions. In 2018, that dipped to 24 percent. Gentry turned into Michigan's go-to flex tight end, spending plenty of time split off the line of scrimmage. McKeon, meanwhile, continued his role as more of a blocker(or "Y" tight end) in the run game. He drew plenty of criticism for missed blocks at times, but for everything Michigan asked him to do in its zone-read game and at the line of scrimmage, McKeon was more than capable. Eubanks was a bit of a wild card; his usage wasn't very high (just eight catches), but his athleticism allowed for the big play far more often as he averaged better than 19 yards per catch. The extra tight end has always been a critical piece of Michigan's run game disguise. It was that way during the Harbaugh-Tim Drevno years when Michigan lived off powers and counters. It was that way again last season when Ed Warinner brought more of a zone approach. Moving forward, Eubanks appears ready to step into Gentry's role as a flex tight end. He's athletic enough to run against linebackers and safeties and be a legit downfield threat. That'll be interesting. 2019 outlook The last two offenses Gattis worked in featured no-doubt NFL tight ends. Alabama had Irv Smith Jr. last season, who is one of this year's top-ranked NFL prospects at his position. At Penn State in 2017, it was Mike Gesicki, a star in college and an eventual second-round pick. Michigan's Nick Eubanks makes a catch during the first half against Wisconsin, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press) Still, in terms of catch rate, Alabama went to tight ends 16 percent of the time last season. Penn State, even with Gesicki, went to the tight end 21 percent of the time. The whole "speed in space" thing works with tight ends if you've got tight ends like Smith and Gesicki who can split out and create matchup problems with their athleticism on the outside. And based on the assumption that this offense will actually start featuring more than two wide receivers on the field at the same time, it would stand to reason that tight end usage is going to dip further. If it doesn't, this offense really won't be any different than it's been. Michigan has a load of talent at wide receiver right now, beyond the big three of Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and Tarik Black. If all these proclamations become reality, then Michigan's home personnel group won't be 12 any longer. There will be even less 13. And, perhaps, more 10 or 11 situations. Bottom line Michigan has what it needs here to be flexible. Eubanks is ready to be a player on the outside if Michigan wants him to be. McKeon's skill set is still valuable, even if his reps are lost to wide receivers. The most interesting part here might show up in future recruiting. Harbaugh has tried to pile up as many tight ends as he could. Tight ends are still valuable in every offense. But, perhaps, they're not as necessary these days in a modern offense. Michigan might be entering that territory now. Contact Nick Baumgardner: nbaumgardn@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickbaumgardner. Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices! | Jim Harbaugh and Josh Gattis have said things are changing at Michigan. The new offense will rely on multiple backs and multiple tight ends. | bart | 0 | https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2019/01/25/michigan-football-how-tes-fit-josh-gattis-offense/2670443002/ | 0.207268 |
How will Michigan football's TEs fit in Josh Gattis' offense? | CLOSE Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh recaps Peach Bowl after the 41-15 loss to Florida on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018, in Atlanta. Nick Baumgardner, Freep Michigan's Nick Eubanks, right, celebrates a first-half touchdown with Tarik Black against Indiana at Michigan Stadium on Nov. 17, 2018 in Ann Arbor. (Photo: Gregory Shamus, Getty Images) (Note: This is Part 4 of a series reviewing Michigans 2018 position groups and looking ahead to 2019). We don't know what Michigan football's offense is going to look like in 2019. But we do know, based on everything Jim Harbaugh and Josh Gattis have said since they joined forces two weeks ago, that things are changing. Michigan fans want a new offense, they want a fast offense, they want a modern offense. Just ask them via social media. More: Michigan football's wide receivers hold key to 2019 season Every offense Gattis has worked in during his eight-year coaching career has been fast and modern and has pushed the football into all areas of the field. The offense he's about to inherit has, traditionally, not, instead relying on a bevy of personnel groups with a high reliance on multiple backs and multiple tight ends. Yes. Whether that means being in 11 personnel, 10 personnel, 12 personnel, you name it. Multiple by formation," Gattis said earlier this month. "It'll be personnel-driven, we'll get our playmakers the ball, we'll get our speed out in space and let (them) be active. ... This isn't about Josh Gattis or a new Michigan offense, this will be player-driven." More: Michigan football loses RB production but welcomes talented youth For those scoring at home: The first number in a personnel grouping refers to the number of running backs on the field. The second is the number of tight ends. If Michigan had a home personnel set last season, it was probably 12 one back, two tight ends. Michigan disguised a lot of 11 personnel plays with two tight ends on the field and would, at times, run offense with three receivers on the field. Not really, no. The bulk of Harbaugh's tenure has featured a constant stockpiling of tight end talent. Michigan still has plenty on the roster right now. Tight ends Whos eligible to return: Nick Eubanks (6-5, 252), r-junior. ; Sean McKeon (6-5, 251), senior; Mustapha Muhammad (6-4, 245), r-freshman; Luke Schoonmaker (6-6, 231), r-freshman. Who's gone: Zach Gentry (NFL draft). Who's coming in: Erick All (Fairfield, Ohio; 6-4, 216). 2018 recap Michigan's offense threw the ball to the tight end less last season than it ever has during the Harbaugh era. Gentry, McKeon and Eubanks combined for 54 receptions in 2018, tied with 2017 for the fewest number of Harbaugh's four years. Michigan tight end Sean McKeon runs by Michigan State defensive lineman Raequan Williams during the first half in Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press) Keep in mind, though, that the 2017 season was one of the worst passing campaigns by a Michigan football team in modern history. In 2017, tight ends caught roughly 30 percent of Michigan's completions. In 2018, that dipped to 24 percent. Gentry turned into Michigan's go-to flex tight end, spending plenty of time split off the line of scrimmage. McKeon, meanwhile, continued his role as more of a blocker(or "Y" tight end) in the run game. He drew plenty of criticism for missed blocks at times, but for everything Michigan asked him to do in its zone-read game and at the line of scrimmage, McKeon was more than capable. Eubanks was a bit of a wild card; his usage wasn't very high (just eight catches), but his athleticism allowed for the big play far more often as he averaged better than 19 yards per catch. The extra tight end has always been a critical piece of Michigan's run game disguise. It was that way during the Harbaugh-Tim Drevno years when Michigan lived off powers and counters. It was that way again last season when Ed Warinner brought more of a zone approach. Moving forward, Eubanks appears ready to step into Gentry's role as a flex tight end. He's athletic enough to run against linebackers and safeties and be a legit downfield threat. That'll be interesting. 2019 outlook The last two offenses Gattis worked in featured no-doubt NFL tight ends. Alabama had Irv Smith Jr. last season, who is one of this year's top-ranked NFL prospects at his position. At Penn State in 2017, it was Mike Gesicki, a star in college and an eventual second-round pick. Michigan's Nick Eubanks makes a catch during the first half against Wisconsin, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press) Still, in terms of catch rate, Alabama went to tight ends 16 percent of the time last season. Penn State, even with Gesicki, went to the tight end 21 percent of the time. The whole "speed in space" thing works with tight ends if you've got tight ends like Smith and Gesicki who can split out and create matchup problems with their athleticism on the outside. And based on the assumption that this offense will actually start featuring more than two wide receivers on the field at the same time, it would stand to reason that tight end usage is going to dip further. If it doesn't, this offense really won't be any different than it's been. Michigan has a load of talent at wide receiver right now, beyond the big three of Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and Tarik Black. If all these proclamations become reality, then Michigan's home personnel group won't be 12 any longer. There will be even less 13. And, perhaps, more 10 or 11 situations. Bottom line Michigan has what it needs here to be flexible. Eubanks is ready to be a player on the outside if Michigan wants him to be. McKeon's skill set is still valuable, even if his reps are lost to wide receivers. The most interesting part here might show up in future recruiting. Harbaugh has tried to pile up as many tight ends as he could. Tight ends are still valuable in every offense. But, perhaps, they're not as necessary these days in a modern offense. Michigan might be entering that territory now. Contact Nick Baumgardner: nbaumgardn@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickbaumgardner. Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices! | Jim Harbaugh and Josh Gattis have said things are changing at Michigan. The new offense will rely on multiple backs and multiple tight ends. Michigan's offense threw the ball to the tight end less last season than it ever has during the Harbaugh era. | bart | 1 | https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2019/01/25/michigan-football-how-tes-fit-josh-gattis-offense/2670443002/ | 0.236682 |
How will Michigan football's TEs fit in Josh Gattis' offense? | CLOSE Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh recaps Peach Bowl after the 41-15 loss to Florida on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018, in Atlanta. Nick Baumgardner, Freep Michigan's Nick Eubanks, right, celebrates a first-half touchdown with Tarik Black against Indiana at Michigan Stadium on Nov. 17, 2018 in Ann Arbor. (Photo: Gregory Shamus, Getty Images) (Note: This is Part 4 of a series reviewing Michigans 2018 position groups and looking ahead to 2019). We don't know what Michigan football's offense is going to look like in 2019. But we do know, based on everything Jim Harbaugh and Josh Gattis have said since they joined forces two weeks ago, that things are changing. Michigan fans want a new offense, they want a fast offense, they want a modern offense. Just ask them via social media. More: Michigan football's wide receivers hold key to 2019 season Every offense Gattis has worked in during his eight-year coaching career has been fast and modern and has pushed the football into all areas of the field. The offense he's about to inherit has, traditionally, not, instead relying on a bevy of personnel groups with a high reliance on multiple backs and multiple tight ends. Yes. Whether that means being in 11 personnel, 10 personnel, 12 personnel, you name it. Multiple by formation," Gattis said earlier this month. "It'll be personnel-driven, we'll get our playmakers the ball, we'll get our speed out in space and let (them) be active. ... This isn't about Josh Gattis or a new Michigan offense, this will be player-driven." More: Michigan football loses RB production but welcomes talented youth For those scoring at home: The first number in a personnel grouping refers to the number of running backs on the field. The second is the number of tight ends. If Michigan had a home personnel set last season, it was probably 12 one back, two tight ends. Michigan disguised a lot of 11 personnel plays with two tight ends on the field and would, at times, run offense with three receivers on the field. Not really, no. The bulk of Harbaugh's tenure has featured a constant stockpiling of tight end talent. Michigan still has plenty on the roster right now. Tight ends Whos eligible to return: Nick Eubanks (6-5, 252), r-junior. ; Sean McKeon (6-5, 251), senior; Mustapha Muhammad (6-4, 245), r-freshman; Luke Schoonmaker (6-6, 231), r-freshman. Who's gone: Zach Gentry (NFL draft). Who's coming in: Erick All (Fairfield, Ohio; 6-4, 216). 2018 recap Michigan's offense threw the ball to the tight end less last season than it ever has during the Harbaugh era. Gentry, McKeon and Eubanks combined for 54 receptions in 2018, tied with 2017 for the fewest number of Harbaugh's four years. Michigan tight end Sean McKeon runs by Michigan State defensive lineman Raequan Williams during the first half in Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press) Keep in mind, though, that the 2017 season was one of the worst passing campaigns by a Michigan football team in modern history. In 2017, tight ends caught roughly 30 percent of Michigan's completions. In 2018, that dipped to 24 percent. Gentry turned into Michigan's go-to flex tight end, spending plenty of time split off the line of scrimmage. McKeon, meanwhile, continued his role as more of a blocker(or "Y" tight end) in the run game. He drew plenty of criticism for missed blocks at times, but for everything Michigan asked him to do in its zone-read game and at the line of scrimmage, McKeon was more than capable. Eubanks was a bit of a wild card; his usage wasn't very high (just eight catches), but his athleticism allowed for the big play far more often as he averaged better than 19 yards per catch. The extra tight end has always been a critical piece of Michigan's run game disguise. It was that way during the Harbaugh-Tim Drevno years when Michigan lived off powers and counters. It was that way again last season when Ed Warinner brought more of a zone approach. Moving forward, Eubanks appears ready to step into Gentry's role as a flex tight end. He's athletic enough to run against linebackers and safeties and be a legit downfield threat. That'll be interesting. 2019 outlook The last two offenses Gattis worked in featured no-doubt NFL tight ends. Alabama had Irv Smith Jr. last season, who is one of this year's top-ranked NFL prospects at his position. At Penn State in 2017, it was Mike Gesicki, a star in college and an eventual second-round pick. Michigan's Nick Eubanks makes a catch during the first half against Wisconsin, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press) Still, in terms of catch rate, Alabama went to tight ends 16 percent of the time last season. Penn State, even with Gesicki, went to the tight end 21 percent of the time. The whole "speed in space" thing works with tight ends if you've got tight ends like Smith and Gesicki who can split out and create matchup problems with their athleticism on the outside. And based on the assumption that this offense will actually start featuring more than two wide receivers on the field at the same time, it would stand to reason that tight end usage is going to dip further. If it doesn't, this offense really won't be any different than it's been. Michigan has a load of talent at wide receiver right now, beyond the big three of Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and Tarik Black. If all these proclamations become reality, then Michigan's home personnel group won't be 12 any longer. There will be even less 13. And, perhaps, more 10 or 11 situations. Bottom line Michigan has what it needs here to be flexible. Eubanks is ready to be a player on the outside if Michigan wants him to be. McKeon's skill set is still valuable, even if his reps are lost to wide receivers. The most interesting part here might show up in future recruiting. Harbaugh has tried to pile up as many tight ends as he could. Tight ends are still valuable in every offense. But, perhaps, they're not as necessary these days in a modern offense. Michigan might be entering that territory now. Contact Nick Baumgardner: nbaumgardn@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickbaumgardner. Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices! | Jim Harbaugh and Josh Gattis have said things are changing at Michigan. The new offense will rely on multiple backs and multiple tight ends. The bulk of Harbaugh's tenure has featured a constant stockpiling of tight end talent. Michigan threw the ball to the tight end less last season than it ever has during the Harbaugh era. | bart | 2 | https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2019/01/25/michigan-football-how-tes-fit-josh-gattis-offense/2670443002/ | 0.235949 |
What are the economic and security implications of Trump's Venezuela policy? | Ccuta, Colombia The U.S. State Department is ordering all non-essential U.S. personnel out of Venezuela amid the country's growing political crisis. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro severed ties with the U.S. after President Trump endorsed an opposition leader as interim president. Maduro claims the U.S. wants to install its own unconstitutional government to Venezuela. The military has pledged its allegiance to Maduro, who also has the support of Russia and China. To put on pressure, the U.S. is now considering sanctions on Venezuela's oil exports. Venezuela is the fourth largest supplier of crude oil to the U.S., and sanctions could lead to a rise in gas prices for Americans. Venezuela is in the midst of an economic and humanitarian crisis. More than two million Venezuelans have fled since 2015, some crossing into Colombia. Now, opposition leader Juan Guaid is promising to change that, but he wants Maduro out, reports CBS News' Manuel Bojorquez. One day after swearing in himself as president, Guaid said he would consider granting amnesty to Maduro if the president helps return the country to democracy, but he also called him a dictator, responsible for the recent deaths of protesters. This week, an estimated 14 people have died in mostly anti-Maduro protests. Oil accounts for 98 percent of Venezuela's exports, and it once made it Latin America's richest nation. When the price of oil plummeted the economy took a nosedive, sending the country into crisis. Under Maduro's policies, inflation has skyrocketed to nearly 10 million percent. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that the U.S. supports the opposition and pledged $20 million in humanitarian aid. "The time for debate is done. The regime of former President Nicolas Maduro is illegitimate," Pompeo said. But at the Venezuelan supreme court, Maduro accused President Trump of staging a coup. "Let there be no doubt that Donald Trump in all his madness believes himself to be the world's police," Maduro told the court. When asked by a reporter if he was considering a military option for Venezuela, President Trump said, "We're not considering anything, but all options are on the table." Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda is a UCLA professor of Latin American studies who observed the elections in Venezuela that gave Maduro a second term last year. The U.S. and most democratic nations across the globe deemed that vote illegitimate as Maduro barred all major opposition candidates from running. Hinojosa-Ojeda tells CBS News that any U.S. military intervention could escalate the violence. "I think it's a huge mistake," he said. "When the United States gets involved in these types of conflicts within countries it really polarizes the situation making the risk of bloodshed even stronger." There are an estimated 70 to 80 Americans working for the U.S. in Venezuela. Senator Marco Rubio has warned that if any harm comes to them, the consequences will be swift and decisive. Maduro said Venezuela will close its embassy and all consulates in the U.S., but Guaid is encouraging Venezuelan embassy workers to stay put. | State Department orders all non-essential U.S. personnel out of Venezuela. Venezuela is in the midst of an economic and humanitarian crisis. Opposition leader Juan Guaid is promising to change that, but he wants Maduro out. President Trump has endorsed an opposition leader as interim president. | bart | 2 | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-are-the-economic-implications-of-trumps-venezuela-policy/ | 0.129465 |
Are Albemarle Corporations Returns On Capital Worth Investigating? | Today we are going to look at Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. In particular, well consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that can give us insight into how profitably the company is able to employ capital in its business. Firstly, well go over how we calculate ROCE. Then well compare its ROCE to similar companies. Finally, well look at how its current liabilities affect its ROCE. ROCE measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussin has suggested that a high ROCE can indicate that one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar. The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets Current Liabilities) Or for Albemarle: 0.12 = US$678m (US$7.5b US$1.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.) So, Albemarle has an ROCE of 12%. One way to assess ROCE is to compare similar companies. We can see Albemarles ROCE is around the 12% average reported by the Chemicals industry. Separate from Albemarles performance relative to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms looks satisfactory, and it may be worth researching in more depth. In our analysis, Albemarles ROCE appears to be 12%, compared to 3 years ago, when its ROCE was 4.3%. This makes us wonder if the company is improving. NYSE:ALB Last Perf January 25th 19 More It is important to remember that ROCE shows past performance, and is not necessarily predictive. Companies in cyclical industries can be difficult to understand using ROCE, as returns typically look high during boom times, and low during busts. This is because ROCE only looks at one year, instead of considering returns across a whole cycle. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company. How Albemarles Current Liabilities Impact Its ROCE Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To counter this, investors can check if a company has high current liabilities relative to total assets. Albemarle has total assets of US$7.5b and current liabilities of US$1.1b. Therefore its current liabilities are equivalent to approximately 15% of its total assets. Current liabilities are minimal, limiting the impact on ROCE. The Bottom Line On Albemarles ROCE With that in mind, Albemarles ROCE appears pretty good. But note: Albemarle may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20). If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements. The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. | Albemarle Corporation has a Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) of 12%. | bart | 0 | https://news.yahoo.com/albemarle-corporation-returns-capital-worth-113525189.html | 0.402337 |
Are Albemarle Corporations Returns On Capital Worth Investigating? | Today we are going to look at Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. In particular, well consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that can give us insight into how profitably the company is able to employ capital in its business. Firstly, well go over how we calculate ROCE. Then well compare its ROCE to similar companies. Finally, well look at how its current liabilities affect its ROCE. ROCE measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussin has suggested that a high ROCE can indicate that one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar. The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets Current Liabilities) Or for Albemarle: 0.12 = US$678m (US$7.5b US$1.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.) So, Albemarle has an ROCE of 12%. One way to assess ROCE is to compare similar companies. We can see Albemarles ROCE is around the 12% average reported by the Chemicals industry. Separate from Albemarles performance relative to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms looks satisfactory, and it may be worth researching in more depth. In our analysis, Albemarles ROCE appears to be 12%, compared to 3 years ago, when its ROCE was 4.3%. This makes us wonder if the company is improving. NYSE:ALB Last Perf January 25th 19 More It is important to remember that ROCE shows past performance, and is not necessarily predictive. Companies in cyclical industries can be difficult to understand using ROCE, as returns typically look high during boom times, and low during busts. This is because ROCE only looks at one year, instead of considering returns across a whole cycle. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company. How Albemarles Current Liabilities Impact Its ROCE Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To counter this, investors can check if a company has high current liabilities relative to total assets. Albemarle has total assets of US$7.5b and current liabilities of US$1.1b. Therefore its current liabilities are equivalent to approximately 15% of its total assets. Current liabilities are minimal, limiting the impact on ROCE. The Bottom Line On Albemarles ROCE With that in mind, Albemarles ROCE appears pretty good. But note: Albemarle may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20). If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements. The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. | Albemarle Corporation has a Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) of 12%. The ROCE is calculated by subtracting its current liabilities from its total assets. | bart | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/albemarle-corporation-returns-capital-worth-113525189.html | 0.365803 |
Are Albemarle Corporations Returns On Capital Worth Investigating? | Today we are going to look at Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. In particular, well consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that can give us insight into how profitably the company is able to employ capital in its business. Firstly, well go over how we calculate ROCE. Then well compare its ROCE to similar companies. Finally, well look at how its current liabilities affect its ROCE. ROCE measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Renowned investment researcher Michael Mauboussin has suggested that a high ROCE can indicate that one dollar invested in the company generates value of more than one dollar. The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets Current Liabilities) Or for Albemarle: 0.12 = US$678m (US$7.5b US$1.1b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.) So, Albemarle has an ROCE of 12%. One way to assess ROCE is to compare similar companies. We can see Albemarles ROCE is around the 12% average reported by the Chemicals industry. Separate from Albemarles performance relative to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms looks satisfactory, and it may be worth researching in more depth. In our analysis, Albemarles ROCE appears to be 12%, compared to 3 years ago, when its ROCE was 4.3%. This makes us wonder if the company is improving. NYSE:ALB Last Perf January 25th 19 More It is important to remember that ROCE shows past performance, and is not necessarily predictive. Companies in cyclical industries can be difficult to understand using ROCE, as returns typically look high during boom times, and low during busts. This is because ROCE only looks at one year, instead of considering returns across a whole cycle. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company. How Albemarles Current Liabilities Impact Its ROCE Liabilities, such as supplier bills and bank overdrafts, are referred to as current liabilities if they need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To counter this, investors can check if a company has high current liabilities relative to total assets. Albemarle has total assets of US$7.5b and current liabilities of US$1.1b. Therefore its current liabilities are equivalent to approximately 15% of its total assets. Current liabilities are minimal, limiting the impact on ROCE. The Bottom Line On Albemarles ROCE With that in mind, Albemarles ROCE appears pretty good. But note: Albemarle may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20). If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements. The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. | Albemarle Corporation has a Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) of 12%. The ROCE is calculated by subtracting its current liabilities from its total assets. It is considered to be a useful gauge of a company's ability to employ capital. The amount of capital employed in a business can be seen by comparing it to others. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/albemarle-corporation-returns-capital-worth-113525189.html | 0.472878 |
Is Mitch McConnell doing a good job amid the government shutdown? | Amid the longest-running government shutdown in U.S. history, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been largely absent. He abstained from speaking engagements and refused to allow funding bills to reach the floor of the Senate for debate and vote. Many feel the longtime lawmaker is hurting the nation with his intransigence. Others say he is protecting the Republican Party. PERSPECTIVES McConnell has been deferring completely to the president on the shutdown. While bills have passed through the House that would allow the government to re-open, they do not have support from the president -- something McConnell requires of any bill before reaching the floor of the Senate. Per the New York Times Magazine: "He's been very quiet," Dick Durbin, the Democratic minority whip, who was in recent shutdown-negotiation meetings with McConnell and the Democratic Senate leadership, told me that afternoon, "and has said repeatedly that he's not going to call any bill that the president doesn't approve of. And that has basically been the sum and substance of his contribution." As of Jan. 23, the Hill reports McConnell blocked four bills that would fund the government while debates over the wall continued. Democrats have been coming to the floor on a near-daily basis while the Senate is in session to try to bring up the House package, even though the GOP leader has said he will not allow them to come to the Senate floor. Under Senate rules any one senator can try to pass a bill, but any one senator can also object. Not only did the shutdown occur on McConnell's watch, he refused to allow Senators to debate bills in good faith. Some note McConnell routinely makes political calculations he believes will result in the best solution to any crisis. During the shutdown, he refused to bring bills to the floor he knew would fail. McConnell changed his tactic in late January, allowing both Democrats and Republicans to bring bills to the Senate floor for a vote. Jim Manley, who worked for former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, told Vox he believed McConnell was planning for both bills to fail, giving him more leverage to broker a compromise. "It looks to me like he's taken a playbook out of previous House leaders like Boehner and Ryan, calling for a vote knowing that both are going to fail to show everyone involved that the votes aren't there and we need another plan," says Manley of the Thursday votes. While McConnell's perceived lack of movement on the shutdown frustrated critics, his absence successfully protected Senate Republicans from blame. As Majority Leader, McConnell is responsible for maintaining the power of his party. By staying to the sidelines and allowing Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to battle President Trump, he staved off any criticism. Per NBC News: Because viewed from a purely political perspective, McConnell's approach has been a resounding success -- at least, so far: only 5 percent of registered voters surveyed in a Politico/Morning Consult poll this month blamed congressional Republicans for the shutdown while 47 percent blame Trump and 33 percent blamed Democrats. While shutdowns hurt the government, McConnell's actions could save Republicans from retribution in the polls in 2020. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been largely absent during the government shutdown. McConnell has been deferring completely to the president on the shutdown. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/is_mitch_mcconnell_doing_a_goo.html | 0.2846 |
Is Mitch McConnell doing a good job amid the government shutdown? | Amid the longest-running government shutdown in U.S. history, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been largely absent. He abstained from speaking engagements and refused to allow funding bills to reach the floor of the Senate for debate and vote. Many feel the longtime lawmaker is hurting the nation with his intransigence. Others say he is protecting the Republican Party. PERSPECTIVES McConnell has been deferring completely to the president on the shutdown. While bills have passed through the House that would allow the government to re-open, they do not have support from the president -- something McConnell requires of any bill before reaching the floor of the Senate. Per the New York Times Magazine: "He's been very quiet," Dick Durbin, the Democratic minority whip, who was in recent shutdown-negotiation meetings with McConnell and the Democratic Senate leadership, told me that afternoon, "and has said repeatedly that he's not going to call any bill that the president doesn't approve of. And that has basically been the sum and substance of his contribution." As of Jan. 23, the Hill reports McConnell blocked four bills that would fund the government while debates over the wall continued. Democrats have been coming to the floor on a near-daily basis while the Senate is in session to try to bring up the House package, even though the GOP leader has said he will not allow them to come to the Senate floor. Under Senate rules any one senator can try to pass a bill, but any one senator can also object. Not only did the shutdown occur on McConnell's watch, he refused to allow Senators to debate bills in good faith. Some note McConnell routinely makes political calculations he believes will result in the best solution to any crisis. During the shutdown, he refused to bring bills to the floor he knew would fail. McConnell changed his tactic in late January, allowing both Democrats and Republicans to bring bills to the Senate floor for a vote. Jim Manley, who worked for former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, told Vox he believed McConnell was planning for both bills to fail, giving him more leverage to broker a compromise. "It looks to me like he's taken a playbook out of previous House leaders like Boehner and Ryan, calling for a vote knowing that both are going to fail to show everyone involved that the votes aren't there and we need another plan," says Manley of the Thursday votes. While McConnell's perceived lack of movement on the shutdown frustrated critics, his absence successfully protected Senate Republicans from blame. As Majority Leader, McConnell is responsible for maintaining the power of his party. By staying to the sidelines and allowing Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to battle President Trump, he staved off any criticism. Per NBC News: Because viewed from a purely political perspective, McConnell's approach has been a resounding success -- at least, so far: only 5 percent of registered voters surveyed in a Politico/Morning Consult poll this month blamed congressional Republicans for the shutdown while 47 percent blame Trump and 33 percent blamed Democrats. While shutdowns hurt the government, McConnell's actions could save Republicans from retribution in the polls in 2020. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been largely absent during the government shutdown. He abstained from speaking engagements and refused to allow funding bills to reach the floor of the Senate. Many feel the longtime lawmaker is hurting the nation with his intransigence. | bart | 1 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/is_mitch_mcconnell_doing_a_goo.html | 0.346434 |
Is Mitch McConnell doing a good job amid the government shutdown? | Amid the longest-running government shutdown in U.S. history, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been largely absent. He abstained from speaking engagements and refused to allow funding bills to reach the floor of the Senate for debate and vote. Many feel the longtime lawmaker is hurting the nation with his intransigence. Others say he is protecting the Republican Party. PERSPECTIVES McConnell has been deferring completely to the president on the shutdown. While bills have passed through the House that would allow the government to re-open, they do not have support from the president -- something McConnell requires of any bill before reaching the floor of the Senate. Per the New York Times Magazine: "He's been very quiet," Dick Durbin, the Democratic minority whip, who was in recent shutdown-negotiation meetings with McConnell and the Democratic Senate leadership, told me that afternoon, "and has said repeatedly that he's not going to call any bill that the president doesn't approve of. And that has basically been the sum and substance of his contribution." As of Jan. 23, the Hill reports McConnell blocked four bills that would fund the government while debates over the wall continued. Democrats have been coming to the floor on a near-daily basis while the Senate is in session to try to bring up the House package, even though the GOP leader has said he will not allow them to come to the Senate floor. Under Senate rules any one senator can try to pass a bill, but any one senator can also object. Not only did the shutdown occur on McConnell's watch, he refused to allow Senators to debate bills in good faith. Some note McConnell routinely makes political calculations he believes will result in the best solution to any crisis. During the shutdown, he refused to bring bills to the floor he knew would fail. McConnell changed his tactic in late January, allowing both Democrats and Republicans to bring bills to the Senate floor for a vote. Jim Manley, who worked for former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, told Vox he believed McConnell was planning for both bills to fail, giving him more leverage to broker a compromise. "It looks to me like he's taken a playbook out of previous House leaders like Boehner and Ryan, calling for a vote knowing that both are going to fail to show everyone involved that the votes aren't there and we need another plan," says Manley of the Thursday votes. While McConnell's perceived lack of movement on the shutdown frustrated critics, his absence successfully protected Senate Republicans from blame. As Majority Leader, McConnell is responsible for maintaining the power of his party. By staying to the sidelines and allowing Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to battle President Trump, he staved off any criticism. Per NBC News: Because viewed from a purely political perspective, McConnell's approach has been a resounding success -- at least, so far: only 5 percent of registered voters surveyed in a Politico/Morning Consult poll this month blamed congressional Republicans for the shutdown while 47 percent blame Trump and 33 percent blamed Democrats. While shutdowns hurt the government, McConnell's actions could save Republicans from retribution in the polls in 2020. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been largely absent during the government shutdown. He abstained from speaking engagements and refused to allow funding bills to reach the Senate floor for debate and vote. While shutdowns hurt the government, McConnell's actions could save Republicans from retribution in the polls in 2020. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/is_mitch_mcconnell_doing_a_goo.html | 0.475854 |
Could Closing Stores Be Good For Business? | I was the CFO of a heating, ventalation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) wholesale distribution company in a large metro area for over seven years. One of my biggest goals was finding ways to grow the business and expand into new territories without investing a lot of additional capital (because we didnt have it). Then one day it occurred to us that the metro had two stores within 15 minutes of each other. We thought, What would happen if we closed one of those stores? The idea of closing a profitable store seemed crazy, but the team and I believed it would save resources that we could invest in a new territory. We also felt that we could retain our existing customers by offering free delivery for one year. So we closed one of the metro stores and opened a store in a new territory. In the first year, the new store made over $2 million in profits, and we didnt lose significant business from the closed location. We bet that our metro customers didnt need, or even want, to go to a physical store if we could deliver the parts and products they needed. And the bet paid off. Our Changing Expectations: Online Ordering & Fast Delivery In the last 10 years, the customer journey was flipped on its head. Before, when we needed groceries or clothes or household essentials, wed drive to the nearest store. Now, with Amazon, BiteSquad, Postmates and other services, we simply grab a smartphone, order our products and wait for them to be delivered. These new technologies forever changed our expectations about the customer experience. The shift happened quickly for large retailers and individual consumers, but business to business (B2B) companies and smaller retailers have lagged behind. They often lack the resources and infrastructure for online ordering and efficient, cost-effective delivery. Now the CEO of a company that offers on-demand courier services, I think a change is coming. As technologies continue to advance, B2B companies and small businesses are gaining access to the ordering and delivery tools they need. Additionally, as labor costs continue rising, it will become increasingly untenable to send specialized employees on deliveries. I predict that in the next few years, more and more B2B companies and small businesses will close physical storefronts to invest in online stores and new order fulfillment processes. And I think, in many cases, this will be good for business. The Benefits of Fewer Stores Amazon forever changed the way we do business by recognizing the costs of physical stores and the value of bringing the products to the customers. They built an intuitive online platform, streamlined the ordering process, built or purchased massive distribution centers and found ways to make their deliveries increasingly efficient. Now, other retailers, B2B companies and small businesses are seeing the benefits of this model: Reduced Overhead The costs of managing and maintaining a physical location can be large and unpredictable, including building costs, taxes, utilities and maintenance, equipment (transport, storage, technology) and staff. All of these costs drain capital that could be used to grow your business, expand into a new sector or territory or develop new products. Streamlined Inventory When you manage multiple locations, and you have no way of knowing which store your customers will visit, each store needs to be stocked with a minimum number of each item. This leads to redundancy and, in most cases, carrying more inventory than you need. Expanded Reach By closing stores that are clustered in an area and rethinking your distribution model, you may find that you have the resources to expand into new territories without investing a large amount of capital. Rethinking Distribution And Delivery The risk of closing physical stores is losing customers and revenue. But this risk shrinks as customers grow increasingly accustomed to online ordering and distribution tools continue to advance. Here are a couple of different options for managing distribution and delivery: Get a delivery fleet. If deliveries are a core part of your business, then building your own fleet may be the most obvious solution. Maintaining a fleet can be costly and time-consuming, though, so its important to weigh the costs of vehicles, fuel, maintenance, insurance, storage, hiring and training drivers first. To get started, purchase or build a dedicated storage facility, carefully plan the type and number of vehicles youll need, and develop comprehensive fleet maintenance and driver training programs. Partner with distribution and delivery services. Partnering with a courier service can be a good way to make deliveries without needing to maintain your own fleet of delivery vehicles. Its important to look for a courier service that provides transparency into delivery schedules, prices and customer experience. Startups are rethinking the old distribution and delivery model. Small businesses and B2B companies often need warehouse space and warehouse management software (WMS) to manage inventory and orders. Both are expensive. Stord is a startup that leases warehouse space and provides access to its WMS. It also connects you to third-party logistics providers to manage order fulfillment and delivery. Companies like ShipBob connect your online store to its order fulfillment centers, then store your products, process orders and manage deliveries. Technology-based on-demand couriers, including my current company, connect you to local drivers to schedule deliveries, track deliveries with GPS and bring transparency to the process. However, keep in mind that working with a technology-based startup will require you to adopt new technologies and adapt your processes. Keeping Pace With A Changing World The world is constantly changing. Were doing everything we can to keep up. For those of us in the B2B or small business sector, this means finding ways to simplify logistics and maximize efficiency. Fortunately, technology startups continue developing innovative solutions to help manage distribution and delivery. Its been amazing to be a part of that journey and Im excited to see what the future holds. | In the last 10 years, the customer journey has been flipped on its head. The benefits of closing stores that are clustered in an area and rethinking your distribution model are many. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2019/01/25/could-closing-stores-be-good-for-business/ | 0.101225 |
Could Closing Stores Be Good For Business? | I was the CFO of a heating, ventalation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) wholesale distribution company in a large metro area for over seven years. One of my biggest goals was finding ways to grow the business and expand into new territories without investing a lot of additional capital (because we didnt have it). Then one day it occurred to us that the metro had two stores within 15 minutes of each other. We thought, What would happen if we closed one of those stores? The idea of closing a profitable store seemed crazy, but the team and I believed it would save resources that we could invest in a new territory. We also felt that we could retain our existing customers by offering free delivery for one year. So we closed one of the metro stores and opened a store in a new territory. In the first year, the new store made over $2 million in profits, and we didnt lose significant business from the closed location. We bet that our metro customers didnt need, or even want, to go to a physical store if we could deliver the parts and products they needed. And the bet paid off. Our Changing Expectations: Online Ordering & Fast Delivery In the last 10 years, the customer journey was flipped on its head. Before, when we needed groceries or clothes or household essentials, wed drive to the nearest store. Now, with Amazon, BiteSquad, Postmates and other services, we simply grab a smartphone, order our products and wait for them to be delivered. These new technologies forever changed our expectations about the customer experience. The shift happened quickly for large retailers and individual consumers, but business to business (B2B) companies and smaller retailers have lagged behind. They often lack the resources and infrastructure for online ordering and efficient, cost-effective delivery. Now the CEO of a company that offers on-demand courier services, I think a change is coming. As technologies continue to advance, B2B companies and small businesses are gaining access to the ordering and delivery tools they need. Additionally, as labor costs continue rising, it will become increasingly untenable to send specialized employees on deliveries. I predict that in the next few years, more and more B2B companies and small businesses will close physical storefronts to invest in online stores and new order fulfillment processes. And I think, in many cases, this will be good for business. The Benefits of Fewer Stores Amazon forever changed the way we do business by recognizing the costs of physical stores and the value of bringing the products to the customers. They built an intuitive online platform, streamlined the ordering process, built or purchased massive distribution centers and found ways to make their deliveries increasingly efficient. Now, other retailers, B2B companies and small businesses are seeing the benefits of this model: Reduced Overhead The costs of managing and maintaining a physical location can be large and unpredictable, including building costs, taxes, utilities and maintenance, equipment (transport, storage, technology) and staff. All of these costs drain capital that could be used to grow your business, expand into a new sector or territory or develop new products. Streamlined Inventory When you manage multiple locations, and you have no way of knowing which store your customers will visit, each store needs to be stocked with a minimum number of each item. This leads to redundancy and, in most cases, carrying more inventory than you need. Expanded Reach By closing stores that are clustered in an area and rethinking your distribution model, you may find that you have the resources to expand into new territories without investing a large amount of capital. Rethinking Distribution And Delivery The risk of closing physical stores is losing customers and revenue. But this risk shrinks as customers grow increasingly accustomed to online ordering and distribution tools continue to advance. Here are a couple of different options for managing distribution and delivery: Get a delivery fleet. If deliveries are a core part of your business, then building your own fleet may be the most obvious solution. Maintaining a fleet can be costly and time-consuming, though, so its important to weigh the costs of vehicles, fuel, maintenance, insurance, storage, hiring and training drivers first. To get started, purchase or build a dedicated storage facility, carefully plan the type and number of vehicles youll need, and develop comprehensive fleet maintenance and driver training programs. Partner with distribution and delivery services. Partnering with a courier service can be a good way to make deliveries without needing to maintain your own fleet of delivery vehicles. Its important to look for a courier service that provides transparency into delivery schedules, prices and customer experience. Startups are rethinking the old distribution and delivery model. Small businesses and B2B companies often need warehouse space and warehouse management software (WMS) to manage inventory and orders. Both are expensive. Stord is a startup that leases warehouse space and provides access to its WMS. It also connects you to third-party logistics providers to manage order fulfillment and delivery. Companies like ShipBob connect your online store to its order fulfillment centers, then store your products, process orders and manage deliveries. Technology-based on-demand couriers, including my current company, connect you to local drivers to schedule deliveries, track deliveries with GPS and bring transparency to the process. However, keep in mind that working with a technology-based startup will require you to adopt new technologies and adapt your processes. Keeping Pace With A Changing World The world is constantly changing. Were doing everything we can to keep up. For those of us in the B2B or small business sector, this means finding ways to simplify logistics and maximize efficiency. Fortunately, technology startups continue developing innovative solutions to help manage distribution and delivery. Its been amazing to be a part of that journey and Im excited to see what the future holds. | In the last 10 years, the customer journey has been flipped on its head. The benefits of closing stores that are clustered in an area and rethinking your distribution model are many. The costs of managing a physical location can be large and unpredictable, including building costs, taxes, utilities and maintenance. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2019/01/25/could-closing-stores-be-good-for-business/ | 0.15156 |
Where Will AI Take Us In 2019? | For several years now, artificial intelligence (AI) has featured prominently in the ubiquitous technological predictions lists that emerge this time of the year. When asked what will take the world by storm in 2019, AI is a regular motif. But AI isnt just one simple innovation or technology its an entire field, and one thats shaping our economic and social landscape in a number of ways. As the CEO of a company driving machine learning and AI innovation to help businesses gain insights from their text-based and unstructured data, I wanted to share my thoughts on what I expect well see from AI in 2019. Welcome to the year of the 'medium.' AI proponents have typically gone in one of two directions: swing big or start small. On one side, a small fortune has been spent on attempting to tackle big-ticket yet ill-defined issues, such as health care, transportation and energy consumption. Big problems like these are simply too big for the current state of AI. On the other side, AI has been used for routine tasks, such as sending automated emails after youve completed a banking transaction. Simple problems like these have already been solved, and given their minimal impact on business, are no longer worth pursuing. In 2019, I expect to see something in the middle. We may not cure cancer, but well be working on something more challenging than just using AI to recognize the word cancer such as predicting how cancers grow and spread. Therell be a focus on the tactical. On a similar note, well also see a shift toward the tactical. Rather than aiming to solve broad systems-level issues, AI in 2019 will look at problems that can be more easily defined and whose outcomes are more measurable. An incremental approach allows for more specific, efficient and productive outcomes as well as more effective resource allocations. Take the challenge of self-driving cars. Rather than leaping into the fray with a fully autonomous vehicle, a number of automakers have started with a small-scale innovation: automatic emergency braking. Its a technology that will eventually be incorporated into self-driving vehicles, but in the meantime, it is solving a more granular problem: front-to-rear crashes. Theres real return on investment (ROI) attached to the technology. Similarly, while it wont solve climate change, AI is increasingly sophisticated when it comes to modeling its impact. Large-scale data gathered from organizations such as NASA or the U.S. Geological Survey can be used for risk identification and reduction purposes, helping us respond better to severe weather events, such as floods or forest fires. Expect more protests over facial recognition technology. Facial recognition technology has been pitched to consumers as both a convenience and a safety feature, but tech workers arent buying it. Staff from Google and Amazon, among others, have taken to the streets to protest their employers roles in government contracts related to law enforcement using facial recognition technology and the military using AI to improve drone strikes. With AI now able to recognize faces even when obscured by glasses, scarves and hats, or to identify people based on their walks, there are very real concerns about what the powers that be will do with the technology in 2019 and beyond. AI will beat us at another game. In recent years, AI has bested us in Go and even Texas Hold-Em. AI has also held its own in games like Pac-Man and Dota 2, suggesting that it will soon be a viable opponent in just about every game genre. With companies like Google and Elon Musks OpenAI along with a number of universities working to ensure AI supremacy in the gaming world, its not a huge reach to bet that 2019 will see humans coming in second to AI in yet another game. It shows how AI has advanced from being able to solve perfect information games, where everything it needs to solve a problem is right before it, to being able to handle those where some information is hidden. The latter requires a more complex, lateral approach, rather than just crunching thousands of possibilities and picking the best one. This kind of problem solving can eventually be applied to much more than just games. Certain verticals will enjoy a boom time. Banking, hospitality and retail have been leveraging the power of AI for years. But the verticals that will make inroads in 2019 are medical and pharma. With the current push to reduce costs and prescription drug prices, the pharmaceutical industry has plenty of incentive to take a more targeted, efficient approach, and AI will make that possible. Pharma marketers will use AI to combine real-time data with personalized responses, bringing tailored pharmaceutical solutions to consumers right when they need them. Medicine, on the other hand, will tap AI to help with triage, image analysis and decision making as well as reducing the burden on physicians. One reason that health care will see major AI advances in 2019 is the rollout of 5G, which will make virtual medicine approaches, such as remote monitoring, viable and cost effective. Second, AI has now reached the point where its diagnostic abilities are sophisticated enough for it to be able to act as a second opinion. AI will have another big year. As I recently shared with insideBIGDATA, were continuing to see significant investment in AI and high expectations about the growth AI will bring about in the near future. It looks like this year will be another big one for the industry. And thats great for all of us. | We may not cure cancer, but well be working on something more challenging. Rather than aiming to solve broad systems-level issues, AI in 2019 will look at problems that can be more easily defined. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/01/25/where-will-ai-take-us-in-2019/ | 0.112222 |
Where Will AI Take Us In 2019? | For several years now, artificial intelligence (AI) has featured prominently in the ubiquitous technological predictions lists that emerge this time of the year. When asked what will take the world by storm in 2019, AI is a regular motif. But AI isnt just one simple innovation or technology its an entire field, and one thats shaping our economic and social landscape in a number of ways. As the CEO of a company driving machine learning and AI innovation to help businesses gain insights from their text-based and unstructured data, I wanted to share my thoughts on what I expect well see from AI in 2019. Welcome to the year of the 'medium.' AI proponents have typically gone in one of two directions: swing big or start small. On one side, a small fortune has been spent on attempting to tackle big-ticket yet ill-defined issues, such as health care, transportation and energy consumption. Big problems like these are simply too big for the current state of AI. On the other side, AI has been used for routine tasks, such as sending automated emails after youve completed a banking transaction. Simple problems like these have already been solved, and given their minimal impact on business, are no longer worth pursuing. In 2019, I expect to see something in the middle. We may not cure cancer, but well be working on something more challenging than just using AI to recognize the word cancer such as predicting how cancers grow and spread. Therell be a focus on the tactical. On a similar note, well also see a shift toward the tactical. Rather than aiming to solve broad systems-level issues, AI in 2019 will look at problems that can be more easily defined and whose outcomes are more measurable. An incremental approach allows for more specific, efficient and productive outcomes as well as more effective resource allocations. Take the challenge of self-driving cars. Rather than leaping into the fray with a fully autonomous vehicle, a number of automakers have started with a small-scale innovation: automatic emergency braking. Its a technology that will eventually be incorporated into self-driving vehicles, but in the meantime, it is solving a more granular problem: front-to-rear crashes. Theres real return on investment (ROI) attached to the technology. Similarly, while it wont solve climate change, AI is increasingly sophisticated when it comes to modeling its impact. Large-scale data gathered from organizations such as NASA or the U.S. Geological Survey can be used for risk identification and reduction purposes, helping us respond better to severe weather events, such as floods or forest fires. Expect more protests over facial recognition technology. Facial recognition technology has been pitched to consumers as both a convenience and a safety feature, but tech workers arent buying it. Staff from Google and Amazon, among others, have taken to the streets to protest their employers roles in government contracts related to law enforcement using facial recognition technology and the military using AI to improve drone strikes. With AI now able to recognize faces even when obscured by glasses, scarves and hats, or to identify people based on their walks, there are very real concerns about what the powers that be will do with the technology in 2019 and beyond. AI will beat us at another game. In recent years, AI has bested us in Go and even Texas Hold-Em. AI has also held its own in games like Pac-Man and Dota 2, suggesting that it will soon be a viable opponent in just about every game genre. With companies like Google and Elon Musks OpenAI along with a number of universities working to ensure AI supremacy in the gaming world, its not a huge reach to bet that 2019 will see humans coming in second to AI in yet another game. It shows how AI has advanced from being able to solve perfect information games, where everything it needs to solve a problem is right before it, to being able to handle those where some information is hidden. The latter requires a more complex, lateral approach, rather than just crunching thousands of possibilities and picking the best one. This kind of problem solving can eventually be applied to much more than just games. Certain verticals will enjoy a boom time. Banking, hospitality and retail have been leveraging the power of AI for years. But the verticals that will make inroads in 2019 are medical and pharma. With the current push to reduce costs and prescription drug prices, the pharmaceutical industry has plenty of incentive to take a more targeted, efficient approach, and AI will make that possible. Pharma marketers will use AI to combine real-time data with personalized responses, bringing tailored pharmaceutical solutions to consumers right when they need them. Medicine, on the other hand, will tap AI to help with triage, image analysis and decision making as well as reducing the burden on physicians. One reason that health care will see major AI advances in 2019 is the rollout of 5G, which will make virtual medicine approaches, such as remote monitoring, viable and cost effective. Second, AI has now reached the point where its diagnostic abilities are sophisticated enough for it to be able to act as a second opinion. AI will have another big year. As I recently shared with insideBIGDATA, were continuing to see significant investment in AI and high expectations about the growth AI will bring about in the near future. It looks like this year will be another big one for the industry. And thats great for all of us. | AI is shaping our economic and social landscape in a number of ways. We may not cure cancer, but well be working on something more challenging than just using AI to recognize the word cancer Rather than aiming to solve broad systems-level issues, AI in 2019 will look at problems that can be more easily defined. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/01/25/where-will-ai-take-us-in-2019/ | 0.176664 |
Is Onboarding The New HR Secret For Company Success? | A Series of Q&A Interviews with innovators working at the intersection of human behavior and business transformation: Christian Harpelund, Co-founder and Consulting Director, Onboarding Group and author of the book: Onboarding: Getting new hires off to a flying start. Christian Harpelund: Onboarding is the discipline of receiving and integrating new employees into the company, so they feel part of the team. Good onboarding enables them to perform and provide value to the organization. This is what we call structured onboarding. Today the approach to onboarding in many companies is not professionalized. Most organizations use checklist approach to onboarding. But onboarding is much more than a checklist, more than an information package and more than an introduction program. Unstructured Onboarding is bad for business and bad for people and companies who take a proactive approach to Onboarding are seeing great results. Harpelund: Employees expect more from companies today, and if they dont feel connected and onboard they will leave for a new opportunity somewhere else. The following facts says it all: 25% of new hires leave their company within the first 12 month. 48% of new hires in their first job have moved on within the first 18 month. The average onboarding time to performance is 6,2 months for new hires. The cost of losing a new employee within the first 12 month equals 2 years of salary. The average tenure for the new generation is below 2 years so you need to get your new hires up to speed faster than before. Companies with structured and standardized onboarding processes experience 54% higher productivity from their newly employed and twice as high level of engagement. These results underline the business case for Onboarding. Companies who work with a professional approach will get faster time-to-performance, increase retention rates, get higher employee engagement, reduce stress and sick days, and build a better Employer Brand and Reputation. Harpelund: Good onboarding involves 3 tracks and 6 dimensions. First of all, you need a framework for your Onboarding activities which covers the tracks of forming, connection and unfolding the new employees into your organization. This include focus on activities within 6 dimensions of Onboarding: culture, rules, network, collaboration, competencies, and performance. The Onboarding Model is rooted in motivational theory and integrates perfectly with employee and leadership development. To successfully onboard new employees they should be integrated across these six dimensions, combining training, team meetings, one-to-one dialogue and work assignments in a fast, effective, and structured onboarding process all this is based on a data-driven approach. Our global research tells us, that structured Onboarding is by far the most unnoticed discipline in HR Management today and the one with the most potential to solve one of the biggest global challenges for public and private companies: To retain and attract new employees. Harpelund: In 2015 we gathered some of the most talented and experienced people within Recruitment, HR and Business Intelligence and established Onboarding Group with a clear mission to improve onboarding and work life transitions for as many people as possible. Together we have completed the most extensive and we believe comprehensive study around onboarding and put it into the book: Onboarding: Getting New Hires off to a Flying Start. We have written the book for companies and HR professionals who want to improve the integration of new hires into their companies. We believe that every employee deserves the opportunity to become successful in their job - to feel a fuller sense of meaning with their working life. Without a flying start in a new job, chances are that person will not deliver on expectations and will not feel their work is meaningful. This is a vital task for any HR department and manager. It helps create a meaningful working life for people and helps them to succeed. And with the individual success of each employee, you help companies grow and reach their goals. In this way, onboarding of new hires is critical for success. Rogers: Thank you. | Onboarding is the discipline of receiving and integrating new employees into the company, so they feel part of the team. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucerogers/2019/01/25/is-onboarding-the-new-hr-secret-for-company-success/ | 0.173426 |
Is Onboarding The New HR Secret For Company Success? | A Series of Q&A Interviews with innovators working at the intersection of human behavior and business transformation: Christian Harpelund, Co-founder and Consulting Director, Onboarding Group and author of the book: Onboarding: Getting new hires off to a flying start. Christian Harpelund: Onboarding is the discipline of receiving and integrating new employees into the company, so they feel part of the team. Good onboarding enables them to perform and provide value to the organization. This is what we call structured onboarding. Today the approach to onboarding in many companies is not professionalized. Most organizations use checklist approach to onboarding. But onboarding is much more than a checklist, more than an information package and more than an introduction program. Unstructured Onboarding is bad for business and bad for people and companies who take a proactive approach to Onboarding are seeing great results. Harpelund: Employees expect more from companies today, and if they dont feel connected and onboard they will leave for a new opportunity somewhere else. The following facts says it all: 25% of new hires leave their company within the first 12 month. 48% of new hires in their first job have moved on within the first 18 month. The average onboarding time to performance is 6,2 months for new hires. The cost of losing a new employee within the first 12 month equals 2 years of salary. The average tenure for the new generation is below 2 years so you need to get your new hires up to speed faster than before. Companies with structured and standardized onboarding processes experience 54% higher productivity from their newly employed and twice as high level of engagement. These results underline the business case for Onboarding. Companies who work with a professional approach will get faster time-to-performance, increase retention rates, get higher employee engagement, reduce stress and sick days, and build a better Employer Brand and Reputation. Harpelund: Good onboarding involves 3 tracks and 6 dimensions. First of all, you need a framework for your Onboarding activities which covers the tracks of forming, connection and unfolding the new employees into your organization. This include focus on activities within 6 dimensions of Onboarding: culture, rules, network, collaboration, competencies, and performance. The Onboarding Model is rooted in motivational theory and integrates perfectly with employee and leadership development. To successfully onboard new employees they should be integrated across these six dimensions, combining training, team meetings, one-to-one dialogue and work assignments in a fast, effective, and structured onboarding process all this is based on a data-driven approach. Our global research tells us, that structured Onboarding is by far the most unnoticed discipline in HR Management today and the one with the most potential to solve one of the biggest global challenges for public and private companies: To retain and attract new employees. Harpelund: In 2015 we gathered some of the most talented and experienced people within Recruitment, HR and Business Intelligence and established Onboarding Group with a clear mission to improve onboarding and work life transitions for as many people as possible. Together we have completed the most extensive and we believe comprehensive study around onboarding and put it into the book: Onboarding: Getting New Hires off to a Flying Start. We have written the book for companies and HR professionals who want to improve the integration of new hires into their companies. We believe that every employee deserves the opportunity to become successful in their job - to feel a fuller sense of meaning with their working life. Without a flying start in a new job, chances are that person will not deliver on expectations and will not feel their work is meaningful. This is a vital task for any HR department and manager. It helps create a meaningful working life for people and helps them to succeed. And with the individual success of each employee, you help companies grow and reach their goals. In this way, onboarding of new hires is critical for success. Rogers: Thank you. | Onboarding is the discipline of receiving and integrating new employees into the company. Onboarding is much more than a checklist, more than an information package and more than an introduction program. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucerogers/2019/01/25/is-onboarding-the-new-hr-secret-for-company-success/ | 0.129875 |
Is Onboarding The New HR Secret For Company Success? | A Series of Q&A Interviews with innovators working at the intersection of human behavior and business transformation: Christian Harpelund, Co-founder and Consulting Director, Onboarding Group and author of the book: Onboarding: Getting new hires off to a flying start. Christian Harpelund: Onboarding is the discipline of receiving and integrating new employees into the company, so they feel part of the team. Good onboarding enables them to perform and provide value to the organization. This is what we call structured onboarding. Today the approach to onboarding in many companies is not professionalized. Most organizations use checklist approach to onboarding. But onboarding is much more than a checklist, more than an information package and more than an introduction program. Unstructured Onboarding is bad for business and bad for people and companies who take a proactive approach to Onboarding are seeing great results. Harpelund: Employees expect more from companies today, and if they dont feel connected and onboard they will leave for a new opportunity somewhere else. The following facts says it all: 25% of new hires leave their company within the first 12 month. 48% of new hires in their first job have moved on within the first 18 month. The average onboarding time to performance is 6,2 months for new hires. The cost of losing a new employee within the first 12 month equals 2 years of salary. The average tenure for the new generation is below 2 years so you need to get your new hires up to speed faster than before. Companies with structured and standardized onboarding processes experience 54% higher productivity from their newly employed and twice as high level of engagement. These results underline the business case for Onboarding. Companies who work with a professional approach will get faster time-to-performance, increase retention rates, get higher employee engagement, reduce stress and sick days, and build a better Employer Brand and Reputation. Harpelund: Good onboarding involves 3 tracks and 6 dimensions. First of all, you need a framework for your Onboarding activities which covers the tracks of forming, connection and unfolding the new employees into your organization. This include focus on activities within 6 dimensions of Onboarding: culture, rules, network, collaboration, competencies, and performance. The Onboarding Model is rooted in motivational theory and integrates perfectly with employee and leadership development. To successfully onboard new employees they should be integrated across these six dimensions, combining training, team meetings, one-to-one dialogue and work assignments in a fast, effective, and structured onboarding process all this is based on a data-driven approach. Our global research tells us, that structured Onboarding is by far the most unnoticed discipline in HR Management today and the one with the most potential to solve one of the biggest global challenges for public and private companies: To retain and attract new employees. Harpelund: In 2015 we gathered some of the most talented and experienced people within Recruitment, HR and Business Intelligence and established Onboarding Group with a clear mission to improve onboarding and work life transitions for as many people as possible. Together we have completed the most extensive and we believe comprehensive study around onboarding and put it into the book: Onboarding: Getting New Hires off to a Flying Start. We have written the book for companies and HR professionals who want to improve the integration of new hires into their companies. We believe that every employee deserves the opportunity to become successful in their job - to feel a fuller sense of meaning with their working life. Without a flying start in a new job, chances are that person will not deliver on expectations and will not feel their work is meaningful. This is a vital task for any HR department and manager. It helps create a meaningful working life for people and helps them to succeed. And with the individual success of each employee, you help companies grow and reach their goals. In this way, onboarding of new hires is critical for success. Rogers: Thank you. | Onboarding is the discipline of receiving and integrating new employees into the company, so they feel part of the team. Onboarding is much more than a checklist, more than an information package and more than an introduction program. The average tenure for a new generation is below 2 years so you need to get your new hires up to speed faster than before. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucerogers/2019/01/25/is-onboarding-the-new-hr-secret-for-company-success/ | 0.243859 |
What's in Store for Eastman Chemical (EMN) in Q4 Earnings? | Eastman Chemical Company EMN is set to release fourth-quarter 2018 results after the closing bell on Jan 31. The chemical maker saw its profits rise in the third quarter of 2018, aided by strong growth in its specialty businesses and cost management actions. The company recorded profit of $412 million or $2.89 per share, up roughly 28% from the year-ago figure of $323 million or $2.22. Adjusted earnings of $2.34 per share topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.29. Revenues rose around 3% year over year to $2,547 million in the quarter, also exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,534.9 million. Notably, Eastman Chemical topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters with an average earnings beat of roughly 15.4%. Eastman Chemicals shares have lost around 23.7% over a year, outperforming the roughly 26.7% decline recorded by the industry. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors at Play Eastman Chemical, in its third-quarter call, noted that strong volume gains in the specialty businesses, disciplined cost management and a lower effective tax rate helped it achieve adjusted earnings per share growth of 13% year over year during the first nine months of 2018. The company continues to expect adjusted earnings per share growth for full-year 2018 to be 10-14% year over year. Revenues for Eastman Chemical for the fourth quarter is projected to rise roughly 2.6% year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is currently pegged at $2,423 million. Revenues from Eastman Chemicals Additives and Functional Products division is anticipated to witness a 3% rise year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter is pegged at $880 million. However, operating earnings (as adjusted) for the unit are expected to fall 5% as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $152 million. Advanced Materials units revenues are expected to increase 6% year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter is $673 million. Operating earnings are expected to dip 1.1% as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $93 million. Revenues for the Chemical Intermediates segment are projected to rise 2% from the year-ago quarter as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter stands at $672 million. Operating earnings for the unit are expected to be flat as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $53 million. Moreover, the Fibers segment is expected to witness a 3.5% rise in revenues year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $207 million for the fourth quarter. Operating earnings are expected to decline 2.4% as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $49.8 million. Eastman Chemicals high margin products and its aggressive cost management actions are likely to continue to drive its earnings in the fourth quarter. The company should gain from sustained growth of its high margin specialty products. The companys productivity measures and actions to raise selling prices of products should also support margins. Eastman Chemical should also gain from synergies of acquisitions, especially Taminco Corporation. The Taminco acquisition has provided attractive cost and revenue synergy opportunities. However, Eastman Chemical has been seeing a spike in raw materials costs, mostly in its chemical intermediates and additives and functional products units. Raw materials cost headwind is expected to persist in the December quarter. The company also faces headwind from higher energy costs. It is taking actions to raise selling prices of its products amid the inflationary environment. The companys Fibers segment is also exposed to certain challenges. The divisions results were hurt by lower acetate tow sales volume and selling prices due to reduced industry capacity utilization in the third quarter. The same is likely to continue in the to-be-reported quarter. The company expects profits for the segment to be modestly lower on a year over year basis for full-year 2018. What the Zacks Model Says Our proven model does not show that Eastman Chemical is likely to beat estimates this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below: Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP for Eastman Chemical is -1.33%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate is currently pegged at $1.58 while the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $1.60. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Eastman Chemical currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Note that we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or #5 (Strong Sell) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. | Eastman Chemical Company EMN is set to release fourth-quarter 2018 results after the closing bell on Jan 31. The chemical maker saw its profits rise in the third quarter of 2018, aided by strong growth in its specialty businesses. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/whats-store-eastman-chemical-emn-125712080.html | 0.103455 |
What's in Store for Eastman Chemical (EMN) in Q4 Earnings? | Eastman Chemical Company EMN is set to release fourth-quarter 2018 results after the closing bell on Jan 31. The chemical maker saw its profits rise in the third quarter of 2018, aided by strong growth in its specialty businesses and cost management actions. The company recorded profit of $412 million or $2.89 per share, up roughly 28% from the year-ago figure of $323 million or $2.22. Adjusted earnings of $2.34 per share topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.29. Revenues rose around 3% year over year to $2,547 million in the quarter, also exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,534.9 million. Notably, Eastman Chemical topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters with an average earnings beat of roughly 15.4%. Eastman Chemicals shares have lost around 23.7% over a year, outperforming the roughly 26.7% decline recorded by the industry. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors at Play Eastman Chemical, in its third-quarter call, noted that strong volume gains in the specialty businesses, disciplined cost management and a lower effective tax rate helped it achieve adjusted earnings per share growth of 13% year over year during the first nine months of 2018. The company continues to expect adjusted earnings per share growth for full-year 2018 to be 10-14% year over year. Revenues for Eastman Chemical for the fourth quarter is projected to rise roughly 2.6% year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter is currently pegged at $2,423 million. Revenues from Eastman Chemicals Additives and Functional Products division is anticipated to witness a 3% rise year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter is pegged at $880 million. However, operating earnings (as adjusted) for the unit are expected to fall 5% as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $152 million. Advanced Materials units revenues are expected to increase 6% year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter is $673 million. Operating earnings are expected to dip 1.1% as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $93 million. Revenues for the Chemical Intermediates segment are projected to rise 2% from the year-ago quarter as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the fourth quarter stands at $672 million. Operating earnings for the unit are expected to be flat as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $53 million. Moreover, the Fibers segment is expected to witness a 3.5% rise in revenues year over year as the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $207 million for the fourth quarter. Operating earnings are expected to decline 2.4% as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $49.8 million. Eastman Chemicals high margin products and its aggressive cost management actions are likely to continue to drive its earnings in the fourth quarter. The company should gain from sustained growth of its high margin specialty products. The companys productivity measures and actions to raise selling prices of products should also support margins. Eastman Chemical should also gain from synergies of acquisitions, especially Taminco Corporation. The Taminco acquisition has provided attractive cost and revenue synergy opportunities. However, Eastman Chemical has been seeing a spike in raw materials costs, mostly in its chemical intermediates and additives and functional products units. Raw materials cost headwind is expected to persist in the December quarter. The company also faces headwind from higher energy costs. It is taking actions to raise selling prices of its products amid the inflationary environment. The companys Fibers segment is also exposed to certain challenges. The divisions results were hurt by lower acetate tow sales volume and selling prices due to reduced industry capacity utilization in the third quarter. The same is likely to continue in the to-be-reported quarter. The company expects profits for the segment to be modestly lower on a year over year basis for full-year 2018. What the Zacks Model Says Our proven model does not show that Eastman Chemical is likely to beat estimates this quarter. That is because a stock needs to have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here, as you will see below: Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP for Eastman Chemical is -1.33%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate is currently pegged at $1.58 while the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $1.60. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Eastman Chemical currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Note that we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or #5 (Strong Sell) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. | Eastman Chemical Company EMN is set to release fourth-quarter 2018 results after the closing bell on Jan 31. The company recorded profit of $412 million or $2.89 per share in the third quarter of 2018, up roughly 28% from the year-ago figure. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/whats-store-eastman-chemical-emn-125712080.html | 0.102276 |
Are federal workers being forced into involuntary servitude? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Michael H. LeRoy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (THE CONVERSATION) Many federal employees are being ordered by the federal government to work without pay until a spending bill is enacted. Some workers object, arguing that they are being pressured to show up for work with no clear prospect of a payday. Some individuals have sued claiming that this violates the 13th Amendment, which abolished involuntary servitude. For now, the answer is likely no. In my law review article, Compulsory Labor in a National Emergency, I found that legal protections against forced labor often fail to help workers. Why most 13th Amendment lawsuits fail Every year, a small number of workers prevail in involuntary servitude cases. The legal standard for arguing that someone is working against their will is evidence of physical or legal coercion. The Supreme Court articulated the standard in 1988 in a case about two mentally disabled men working on a farm. The best way to explain the standard is with an example. In Mouloki v. Epee, a nanny named Christine Mouloki sued the husband and wife who employed her for wages and damages. She alleged that the family refused to let her leave their suburban home near Chicago. The court concluded that a scheme, plan, or pattern intended to convince a plaintiff (person) that serious harm or physical restraint would result if she did not continue to perform the labor and services constitutes involuntary servitude. At trial, the nanny won her case. But plenty of involuntary lawsuits fail. The most common are from high school students whose school districts require them to perform community service as a condition to graduate. In one such case, students were required to provide 50 hours of community service during their four years in school. Parents sued, alleging a violation of the 13th Amendment. The court rejected the 13th Amendment claim, stating: Graduation from a public high school is an important opportunity, but the threat of not graduating does not rise to the level of physical or legal coercion. Pressure, not coercion Federal employees working without pay fall in the gray area between the high school and nanny scenario. So far, their situation does not present the coercion in the nannys home confinement case. The main impediment for the federal employees case is that lack of coercion, not lack of pay for their labor. In a preliminary ruling, workers lost a motion for an injunction but they are scheduled to make a similar motion soon and as time passes, their case improves. For now, however, these employees can call in sick, take vacation time or simply not answer the phone or emails from a supervisor. A court would likely view an order to work without being paid as unfair, or a violation of wage laws, but not coercion. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/are-federal-workers-being-forced-into-involuntary-servitude-110460. | Michael LeRoy: Are federal workers being forced into involuntary servitude? For now, the answer is likely no. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/Are-federal-workers-being-forced-into-involuntary-13560850.php | 0.336823 |
Are federal workers being forced into involuntary servitude? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Michael H. LeRoy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (THE CONVERSATION) Many federal employees are being ordered by the federal government to work without pay until a spending bill is enacted. Some workers object, arguing that they are being pressured to show up for work with no clear prospect of a payday. Some individuals have sued claiming that this violates the 13th Amendment, which abolished involuntary servitude. For now, the answer is likely no. In my law review article, Compulsory Labor in a National Emergency, I found that legal protections against forced labor often fail to help workers. Why most 13th Amendment lawsuits fail Every year, a small number of workers prevail in involuntary servitude cases. The legal standard for arguing that someone is working against their will is evidence of physical or legal coercion. The Supreme Court articulated the standard in 1988 in a case about two mentally disabled men working on a farm. The best way to explain the standard is with an example. In Mouloki v. Epee, a nanny named Christine Mouloki sued the husband and wife who employed her for wages and damages. She alleged that the family refused to let her leave their suburban home near Chicago. The court concluded that a scheme, plan, or pattern intended to convince a plaintiff (person) that serious harm or physical restraint would result if she did not continue to perform the labor and services constitutes involuntary servitude. At trial, the nanny won her case. But plenty of involuntary lawsuits fail. The most common are from high school students whose school districts require them to perform community service as a condition to graduate. In one such case, students were required to provide 50 hours of community service during their four years in school. Parents sued, alleging a violation of the 13th Amendment. The court rejected the 13th Amendment claim, stating: Graduation from a public high school is an important opportunity, but the threat of not graduating does not rise to the level of physical or legal coercion. Pressure, not coercion Federal employees working without pay fall in the gray area between the high school and nanny scenario. So far, their situation does not present the coercion in the nannys home confinement case. The main impediment for the federal employees case is that lack of coercion, not lack of pay for their labor. In a preliminary ruling, workers lost a motion for an injunction but they are scheduled to make a similar motion soon and as time passes, their case improves. For now, however, these employees can call in sick, take vacation time or simply not answer the phone or emails from a supervisor. A court would likely view an order to work without being paid as unfair, or a violation of wage laws, but not coercion. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/are-federal-workers-being-forced-into-involuntary-servitude-110460. | Michael LeRoy: Are federal workers being forced into involuntary servitude? For now, the answer is likely no, he says. LeRoy says the legal standard for arguing that someone is working against their will is physical or legal coercion. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/Are-federal-workers-being-forced-into-involuntary-13560850.php | 0.474337 |
Are federal workers being forced into involuntary servitude? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Michael H. LeRoy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (THE CONVERSATION) Many federal employees are being ordered by the federal government to work without pay until a spending bill is enacted. Some workers object, arguing that they are being pressured to show up for work with no clear prospect of a payday. Some individuals have sued claiming that this violates the 13th Amendment, which abolished involuntary servitude. For now, the answer is likely no. In my law review article, Compulsory Labor in a National Emergency, I found that legal protections against forced labor often fail to help workers. Why most 13th Amendment lawsuits fail Every year, a small number of workers prevail in involuntary servitude cases. The legal standard for arguing that someone is working against their will is evidence of physical or legal coercion. The Supreme Court articulated the standard in 1988 in a case about two mentally disabled men working on a farm. The best way to explain the standard is with an example. In Mouloki v. Epee, a nanny named Christine Mouloki sued the husband and wife who employed her for wages and damages. She alleged that the family refused to let her leave their suburban home near Chicago. The court concluded that a scheme, plan, or pattern intended to convince a plaintiff (person) that serious harm or physical restraint would result if she did not continue to perform the labor and services constitutes involuntary servitude. At trial, the nanny won her case. But plenty of involuntary lawsuits fail. The most common are from high school students whose school districts require them to perform community service as a condition to graduate. In one such case, students were required to provide 50 hours of community service during their four years in school. Parents sued, alleging a violation of the 13th Amendment. The court rejected the 13th Amendment claim, stating: Graduation from a public high school is an important opportunity, but the threat of not graduating does not rise to the level of physical or legal coercion. Pressure, not coercion Federal employees working without pay fall in the gray area between the high school and nanny scenario. So far, their situation does not present the coercion in the nannys home confinement case. The main impediment for the federal employees case is that lack of coercion, not lack of pay for their labor. In a preliminary ruling, workers lost a motion for an injunction but they are scheduled to make a similar motion soon and as time passes, their case improves. For now, however, these employees can call in sick, take vacation time or simply not answer the phone or emails from a supervisor. A court would likely view an order to work without being paid as unfair, or a violation of wage laws, but not coercion. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/are-federal-workers-being-forced-into-involuntary-servitude-110460. | Michael LeRoy: Are federal workers being forced into involuntary servitude? For now, the answer is likely no, he says. LeRoy says the legal standard for arguing that someone is working against their will is evidence of physical or legal coercion. He says federal employees working without pay fall in the gray area between the high school and nanny scenario. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/Are-federal-workers-being-forced-into-involuntary-13560850.php | 0.623844 |
What Will The Digital Workplace Look Like In 2019? | As we begin the new year with a fresh perspective on our goals, it is important to take a collective pause to reflect on what we have learned this past year for a clearer look into the future. The pace of digital change is showing no signs of slowing. More than a decade into the era of this transformation, the corporate world is still far from reaching digital maturity. However, organizations adopting a digital-first approach are quickly leaving their competitors in the dust. Business leaders hoping to leap aboard the moving train of digital should take critical note of its trajectory for the coming year. Here are four predictions on the future of the digital workplace in 2019: 1. AI Will Change How Employees Acquire Knowledge And What They Need To Know The past few years have seen countless headlines foretelling an AI takeover that will potentially wipe out the careers of millions of hard-working Americans. While articles of this nature receive clicks, they fail to accurately assess the situation. AI will change the workplace -- this much is true -- but its role will be a supporting one. These technologies, once fully adopted, will not only serve to replace human employees but will also be used to empower them. This means that employees will move away from being skill-focused. Workplace skills that were once valuable, such as fluency in a specific digital platform, will soon become irrelevant. Instead, the core principles that make one a professional in their field will carry increased weight. In the new workplace, there will be no need for paper-pushing employees. However, there are certain processes that cannot be replaced by AI. These include decision making, assessing talent, negotiation and people management. These traits that make an employee good at those core human functions will become increasingly valuable as automation arrives in the workplace. The requirements for new talent will need a makeover, centering on employees traits rather than skills. Automation and AI will replace some workers, but with each need that is filled by technology, a new need will arise that requires human traits. The workplace of the future will allow for human abilities to truly shine. Businesses that understand the potential of this future will start to bolster their workforces with talent to carry them through the age of automation. 2. Convergence Of Devices Means The Laptop Will Be Demoted In Favor Of More Mobile Digital Tools In tune with the ever-growing cohort of digital-native employees, demands for mobile communication will continue to rise. The fast pace of the digital workplace requires its employees to bounce between emails, clients and information systems without missing a beat. Increasingly, employees have been turning to their pocket-sized computers to get the job done. This is disrupting the nature of work. In fact, a study conducted by Staffbase (via Harvard Business Review) revealed that a mobile employee app boosts internal communication, and it pinpointed four domains in which companies can see concrete ROI. While tech employees have already begun migrating to their mobile devices, in 2019, I believe it will be the non-tech industries that begin to have a mobile-first approach in their workplaces. Mainstream industries will start incorporating mobile-native enterprise applications into their everyday work, and the slow legacy systems will be left behind. Companies that embrace the evolution of mobile will see an increase in engagement and collaboration. If harnessed, this trend will birth a new era of productivity in the workforce. 3. AI Will Be Used To Reinforce The Enterprise User Experience The user experience revolution first swept consumer technology and is now making its debut in enterprise technology. Forward-thinking companies are realizing that the usability of their digital systems can have powerful and costly effects on the bottom line. When it comes to streamlining systems and improving the employee digital experience, the answer is quite literally right under our noses. Applications are holding a wealth of usability data, and in 2019, I believe companies will realize they can learn how workers are using this data with company systems. AI has the ability to enable greater process discovery, a tool that can immediately extract valuable actionable insights into any process on any software. By unlocking the potential of process discovery, AI will have the ability to decipher how each employee can best use a system, providing a range of possibilities based on what the individual needs to do. With the overwhelming number of enterprise systems used by an organization, applying deep learning will bring said organizations closer to realizing a systems true value to their business. 4. IT Will Become Increasingly Decentralized Companies are abandoning complicated legacy enterprise software systems and are turning to hyperspecialized applications created for one purpose. One of these micro-platforms, for example, could be a system whose sole purpose is to monitor the sound quality of sales calls. Companies have begun investing in these micro-platforms for a couple of reasons: 1) They fill in functionality gaps between what digital systems offer and new needs that may arise, and 2) they can be deployed more quickly and with greater customization than more robust platforms. The result is a divorce of IT from the software purchasing life cycle. With an ever-growing arsenal of digital systems, businesses will need to have visibility into usability and put extra focus on the adoption of these new tools. Leaders need to reorient themselves to face an ever-growing number of digital systems and empower their staff to learn to operate them. Businesses should begin to imagine a future in which digital systems and technology are recognized as true assets in their digital transformation journey. This type of digital-first approach, with businesses utilizing technology to empower their workforce and users, must be a priority for organizations in 2019. | The pace of digital change is showing no signs of slowing. Here are four predictions on the future of the digital workplace in 2019. AI will change how employees acquire knowledge and what they need to know. In the new workplace, there will be no need for paper-pushing employees. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/01/25/what-will-the-digital-workplace-look-like-in-2019/ | 0.137025 |
Will Lower Revenues Dampen Juniper's (JNPR) Q4 Earnings? | Juniper Networks, Inc. JNPR is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2018 financial results after the closing bell on Jan 29. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 22.7%. Notably, Juniper surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, the average beat being 11%. Volatile demand and intense market competition are likely to have affected the companys revenues. Lets find out how things are shaping up prior to the announcement. Factors at Play During the fourth quarter, Junipers Metro Fabric solutions were picked by Epsilon for the latters global network upgrades to power IoT applications and enterprise services. The companys Metro Fabric unifies Metro Ethernet, cable, broadband, mobile and cloud-based offerings into a single control domain. Juniper also strengthened its collaboration with Nutanix by announcing new initiatives under their partnership, which aims to simplify the transition process of enterprises to multicloud environments. Notably, both the companies collaborated on providing seamless integration between virtual and physical networks for automated network management. The alliance involves the integration of Junipers Contrail Enterprise Multicloud with Nutanix APIs. During the quarter, Juniper announced that CENIC, a non-profit network provider connecting Californias education and research institutions with the world, has simplified its infrastructure leveraging Junipers MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platform for current 10GbE and future 100GbE service growth. Furthermore, Juniper announced that its advanced multicloud visualization and analytics platform Juniper AppFormix and security solution Juniper Networks Advanced Threat Prevention Appliance were integrated into NEC Networks & System Integration Corporations FA Network Monitor solution. The company also unveiled new offerings as part of the Juniper Networks Advanced Threat Prevention Appliances. The solution helps businesses to detect malware, understand behavior as well as mitigate threats with a single touch. The telecommunications equipment provider expects Chinese tariffs not to have material impact on its fourth-quarter results. However, customer buying behavior could be affected and gross margin may be adversely impacted. Top-Line Contraction Despite the positives, unfavorable global macro environment and weak investment patterns among customers are likely to have hampered Junipers revenue growth. Ongoing consolidation in the telecom market is also expected to weigh on the companys financials. Moreover, Cloud revenues, which are expected to be $257 million in the to-be-reported quarter, is facing challenges due to slower pace of expected deployments from cloud customers. For the fourth quarter, net revenues from Routing are expected to decrease to $503 million from $510 million a year ago. Net revenues from Switching are expected to increase to $237 million from $233 million, and the same from Security is likely to decline to $87 million from $88 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues from the Product segment (comprising Routing, Security and Switching products), which accounts for the lions share of total revenues, is currently pegged at $823 million. It reported $830 million in fourth-quarter 2017. Revenues from the Service segment are expected to decline to $403 million from $409 million. Consequently, total revenues for the quarter are likely to fall to $1,229 million from $1,240 million reported in the year-earlier quarter. Adjusted earnings per share are pegged at 57 cents. The company reported earnings of 53 cents a year ago. What Our Model Says Our proven model does not conclusively show that Juniper is likely to beat earnings this quarter as it does not possess one of the two key components. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. This is not the case here as you will see below: Earnings ESP: Junipers Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is 0.00% as both are pegged at 57 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Juniper Networks, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Juniper Networks, Inc. JNPR is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2018 financial results after the closing bell on Jan 29. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 22.7%. Volatile demand and intense market competition are likely to have affected the companys revenues. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/lower-revenues-dampen-junipers-jnpr-144902793.html | 0.257759 |
Who is Roger Stone, the longtime Trump ally caught in Mueller's net? | The self-proclaimed dirty trickster, who was arrested on Friday, has spent decades cultivating a reputation as a combative political operative Roger Stone the self-proclaimed dirty trickster of Republican politics and longtime ally of Donald Trump has spent decades cultivating a reputation as a combative political operative with a penchant for making brash statements and trafficking in conspiracy theories. Trump ally Roger Stone arrested on seven charges in Mueller inquiry Read more Stone, 66, was arrested by the FBI on Friday following an indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller, whose team is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US election, as well as ties between Moscow and the Trump campaign. The arrest came after months of scrutiny over Stones fate as federal prosecutors zeroed in on the veteran Republican strategist. Stone predicted in August Robert Mueller is coming for me, though he denied wrongdoing and said he faced legal peril simply because he had advised Trump for decades. Sign up for the US morning briefing Raised in Lewisboro, New York, Stones foray into national politics began when he was just 19. An ardent supporter of Richard Nixon, Stone was part of a scheme in 1972 to sink the former presidents longshot primary challenger, Pete McCloskey. The plot, which was uncovered during the congressional hearings on Watergate, entailed sending McCloskey donations from the Young Socialist Alliance and then leaking the information to the press in an attempt to damage his image. Stone remained such a Nixon devotee that he infamously got the former presidents face tattooed on his back. During the 1970s, Stone also played a key role in bringing the full force of outside campaign money behind negative advertising against congressional candidates. He went on to work for Ronald Reagans unsuccessful 1976 presidential campaign and served as a political director on Reagans second bid for president in 1980, which sent him to the White House. Although he did not join the Reagan administration, Stone remained a key player in politics. A Washington Post profile, published in 1986, wrote that Stone, then only 33, earns a reported $450,000 a year, owns two homes and a hot tub, wears $800 designer suits and a Patek Phillipe watch. The following year, Stone urged a real estate developer in New York to run for president: his name was Donald Trump. Over the next three decades, Stone would repeatedly encourage Trump whose celebrity status grew more solidified by his foray into reality television to seek the presidency. When Trump ultimately threw his hat in the race in the 2016 election cycle, Stone was by his side as a campaign adviser. Although Stone later left the campaign in an official capacity, he continued to informally advise then candidate Trump. Left unknown is what if anything Stone told Trump about his alleged contacts with WikiLeaks. Muellers indictment included evidence purporting to show that Stone had advanced knowledge of WikiLeaks plans to leak thousands of hacked Democratic party emails. Trump expressed confidence last month that Stone would ultimately stay loyal to his cause, despite mounting pressure from the ongoing FBI investigation. I will never testify against Trump, the president tweeted last month, quoting Stone. This statement was recently made by Roger Stone, essentially stating that he will not be forced by a rogue and out of control prosecutor to make up lies and stories about President Trump. Nice to know that some people still have guts! | Roger Stone, 66, was arrested by the FBI on Friday following an indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller. Stone has spent decades cultivating a reputation as a combative political operative with a penchant for making brash statements and trafficking in conspiracy theories. | bart | 1 | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/25/roger-stone-trump-who-is-he-russia-mueller-investigation | 0.17949 |
Who is Roger Stone, the longtime Trump ally caught in Mueller's net? | The self-proclaimed dirty trickster, who was arrested on Friday, has spent decades cultivating a reputation as a combative political operative Roger Stone the self-proclaimed dirty trickster of Republican politics and longtime ally of Donald Trump has spent decades cultivating a reputation as a combative political operative with a penchant for making brash statements and trafficking in conspiracy theories. Trump ally Roger Stone arrested on seven charges in Mueller inquiry Read more Stone, 66, was arrested by the FBI on Friday following an indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller, whose team is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US election, as well as ties between Moscow and the Trump campaign. The arrest came after months of scrutiny over Stones fate as federal prosecutors zeroed in on the veteran Republican strategist. Stone predicted in August Robert Mueller is coming for me, though he denied wrongdoing and said he faced legal peril simply because he had advised Trump for decades. Sign up for the US morning briefing Raised in Lewisboro, New York, Stones foray into national politics began when he was just 19. An ardent supporter of Richard Nixon, Stone was part of a scheme in 1972 to sink the former presidents longshot primary challenger, Pete McCloskey. The plot, which was uncovered during the congressional hearings on Watergate, entailed sending McCloskey donations from the Young Socialist Alliance and then leaking the information to the press in an attempt to damage his image. Stone remained such a Nixon devotee that he infamously got the former presidents face tattooed on his back. During the 1970s, Stone also played a key role in bringing the full force of outside campaign money behind negative advertising against congressional candidates. He went on to work for Ronald Reagans unsuccessful 1976 presidential campaign and served as a political director on Reagans second bid for president in 1980, which sent him to the White House. Although he did not join the Reagan administration, Stone remained a key player in politics. A Washington Post profile, published in 1986, wrote that Stone, then only 33, earns a reported $450,000 a year, owns two homes and a hot tub, wears $800 designer suits and a Patek Phillipe watch. The following year, Stone urged a real estate developer in New York to run for president: his name was Donald Trump. Over the next three decades, Stone would repeatedly encourage Trump whose celebrity status grew more solidified by his foray into reality television to seek the presidency. When Trump ultimately threw his hat in the race in the 2016 election cycle, Stone was by his side as a campaign adviser. Although Stone later left the campaign in an official capacity, he continued to informally advise then candidate Trump. Left unknown is what if anything Stone told Trump about his alleged contacts with WikiLeaks. Muellers indictment included evidence purporting to show that Stone had advanced knowledge of WikiLeaks plans to leak thousands of hacked Democratic party emails. Trump expressed confidence last month that Stone would ultimately stay loyal to his cause, despite mounting pressure from the ongoing FBI investigation. I will never testify against Trump, the president tweeted last month, quoting Stone. This statement was recently made by Roger Stone, essentially stating that he will not be forced by a rogue and out of control prosecutor to make up lies and stories about President Trump. Nice to know that some people still have guts! | Roger Stone, 66, was arrested by the FBI on Friday following an indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller. Stone, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, has spent decades cultivating a reputation as a combative political operative with a penchant for making brash statements and trafficking in conspiracy theories. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/25/roger-stone-trump-who-is-he-russia-mueller-investigation | 0.381805 |
How Appropriate Is The Objective Of Maximizing Societal Health Outcomes? | Given a set of available healthcare resources, surely maximizing societal health outcomes is a reasonable objective. The conventional utilitarian approach to economic analysis evaluates healthcare interventions with the aim to maximize the efficiency of the healthcare system in order to produce the greatest population-wide number of a given outcome, such as the Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY), given certain budget constraints. In effect, what matters according to this narrative is the sum total of the population health and not the distribution of health. Judging from where a disproportionate number of health dollars are spent, namely, difficult to treat conditions that are life-threatening, rare diseases, and end-of-life care, healthcare systems don't operate under a maximization principle. Legislators, for that matter, tend not to think in maximizing terms. Federal and state laws often serve to protect those with severe disabilities, cancer, and other life-threatening diseases by directing funds to shield such patients from the vagaries of the market; for example, mandates to cover cancer and HIV drugs, and Medicare Part D's protected classes clause which ensures that "all or substantially all" drugs in six broad therapeutic categories are covered by Medicare plans. As Professor Tony Culyer of York University once showed in an enlightening hypothetical example several decades ago, societal health maximization ignores distributional concerns and doesn't serve those who are in the poorest baseline health states well. Specifically, Culyer compared the objectives health maximization, resource equalization, and health equalization. In the illustrative example, summarized and adapted from Culyer and depicted in the two tables below, policymakers have 20 resource units to distribute across four subgroups of patients. The initial health outcomes total 230 units of, say, QALYs, with a distribution among subgroups A through D as shown in Table 1. Under each societal objective, such as health maximization, there are three columns. The left-hand column shows the baseline health outcome units for each subgroup. The middle column depicts the healthcare resource distribution per subgroup. And, the right-hand column contains the health outcome units per subgroup after healthcare resources have been spent. The marginal products of healthcare resources - or added QALYs accruing to an increments of resources - are listed in Table 2. 1. Distribution of Healthcare Resources Health maximization Health equalization Resource equalization Subgroup A 100 (5) 100 100 (0) 50 100 (5) 100 Subgroup B 80 (10) 100 80 (0) 50 80 (5) 70 Subgroup C 40 (5) 50 40 (5) 50 40 (5) 50 Subgroup D 10 (0) 0 10 (15) 50 10 (5) 10 Aggregate health outcomes and resources allocated 230 (20) 250 230 (20) 200 230 (20) 230 In parentheses, the allocated healthcare resource units are enumerated. 2. Marginal Products of Deployed Healthcare Resources Effect of doing nothing Increasing resources from 0 to 5 Increasing resources from 5 to 10 Increasing resources from 10 to 15 Subgroup A -50 50 30 10 Subgroup B -30 20 30 10 Subgroup C -10 20 30 10 Subgroup D -10 10 30 10 When compared to the two other policy objectives, health maximization yields the greatest overall health outcomes across the population, but also leads to the largest disparity between different subgroups of patients. Subgroup D dies as a result of having no resources allocated to it, while subgroups A, B, and C each gain in terms of health outcomes. Health equalization implies spending nothing at all on the first two subgroups, while spending everything on subgroups C and D. This leveling approach reduces the health of subgroups A and B, while raising the levels of C and D. Resource equalization provides an equal amount of resources to all four subgroups. Here, A and D remain the same in terms of health outcome, while B loses and C gains. In sum, health maximization bumps up against considerable distributional challenges, because it would allocate healthcare resources strictly in accordance with their marginal product, i.e., where they have the most benefit. Though healthcare systems often attempt to maximize health outcomes within specific disease areas or subgroups of patients, for equity reasons healthcare systems generally allocate a disproportionate amount of resources to those in poor health states where the yield (marginal product) of current treatments is usually low. | Maximizing societal health outcomes is a reasonable objective. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2019/01/25/how-appropriate-is-the-objective-of-maximizing-societal-health-outcomes/ | 0.492207 |
How Appropriate Is The Objective Of Maximizing Societal Health Outcomes? | Given a set of available healthcare resources, surely maximizing societal health outcomes is a reasonable objective. The conventional utilitarian approach to economic analysis evaluates healthcare interventions with the aim to maximize the efficiency of the healthcare system in order to produce the greatest population-wide number of a given outcome, such as the Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY), given certain budget constraints. In effect, what matters according to this narrative is the sum total of the population health and not the distribution of health. Judging from where a disproportionate number of health dollars are spent, namely, difficult to treat conditions that are life-threatening, rare diseases, and end-of-life care, healthcare systems don't operate under a maximization principle. Legislators, for that matter, tend not to think in maximizing terms. Federal and state laws often serve to protect those with severe disabilities, cancer, and other life-threatening diseases by directing funds to shield such patients from the vagaries of the market; for example, mandates to cover cancer and HIV drugs, and Medicare Part D's protected classes clause which ensures that "all or substantially all" drugs in six broad therapeutic categories are covered by Medicare plans. As Professor Tony Culyer of York University once showed in an enlightening hypothetical example several decades ago, societal health maximization ignores distributional concerns and doesn't serve those who are in the poorest baseline health states well. Specifically, Culyer compared the objectives health maximization, resource equalization, and health equalization. In the illustrative example, summarized and adapted from Culyer and depicted in the two tables below, policymakers have 20 resource units to distribute across four subgroups of patients. The initial health outcomes total 230 units of, say, QALYs, with a distribution among subgroups A through D as shown in Table 1. Under each societal objective, such as health maximization, there are three columns. The left-hand column shows the baseline health outcome units for each subgroup. The middle column depicts the healthcare resource distribution per subgroup. And, the right-hand column contains the health outcome units per subgroup after healthcare resources have been spent. The marginal products of healthcare resources - or added QALYs accruing to an increments of resources - are listed in Table 2. 1. Distribution of Healthcare Resources Health maximization Health equalization Resource equalization Subgroup A 100 (5) 100 100 (0) 50 100 (5) 100 Subgroup B 80 (10) 100 80 (0) 50 80 (5) 70 Subgroup C 40 (5) 50 40 (5) 50 40 (5) 50 Subgroup D 10 (0) 0 10 (15) 50 10 (5) 10 Aggregate health outcomes and resources allocated 230 (20) 250 230 (20) 200 230 (20) 230 In parentheses, the allocated healthcare resource units are enumerated. 2. Marginal Products of Deployed Healthcare Resources Effect of doing nothing Increasing resources from 0 to 5 Increasing resources from 5 to 10 Increasing resources from 10 to 15 Subgroup A -50 50 30 10 Subgroup B -30 20 30 10 Subgroup C -10 20 30 10 Subgroup D -10 10 30 10 When compared to the two other policy objectives, health maximization yields the greatest overall health outcomes across the population, but also leads to the largest disparity between different subgroups of patients. Subgroup D dies as a result of having no resources allocated to it, while subgroups A, B, and C each gain in terms of health outcomes. Health equalization implies spending nothing at all on the first two subgroups, while spending everything on subgroups C and D. This leveling approach reduces the health of subgroups A and B, while raising the levels of C and D. Resource equalization provides an equal amount of resources to all four subgroups. Here, A and D remain the same in terms of health outcome, while B loses and C gains. In sum, health maximization bumps up against considerable distributional challenges, because it would allocate healthcare resources strictly in accordance with their marginal product, i.e., where they have the most benefit. Though healthcare systems often attempt to maximize health outcomes within specific disease areas or subgroups of patients, for equity reasons healthcare systems generally allocate a disproportionate amount of resources to those in poor health states where the yield (marginal product) of current treatments is usually low. | The conventional utilitarian approach to economic analysis evaluates healthcare interventions with the aim to maximize the efficiency of the healthcare system in order to produce the greatest population-wide number of a given outcome. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2019/01/25/how-appropriate-is-the-objective-of-maximizing-societal-health-outcomes/ | 0.183341 |
How Appropriate Is The Objective Of Maximizing Societal Health Outcomes? | Given a set of available healthcare resources, surely maximizing societal health outcomes is a reasonable objective. The conventional utilitarian approach to economic analysis evaluates healthcare interventions with the aim to maximize the efficiency of the healthcare system in order to produce the greatest population-wide number of a given outcome, such as the Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY), given certain budget constraints. In effect, what matters according to this narrative is the sum total of the population health and not the distribution of health. Judging from where a disproportionate number of health dollars are spent, namely, difficult to treat conditions that are life-threatening, rare diseases, and end-of-life care, healthcare systems don't operate under a maximization principle. Legislators, for that matter, tend not to think in maximizing terms. Federal and state laws often serve to protect those with severe disabilities, cancer, and other life-threatening diseases by directing funds to shield such patients from the vagaries of the market; for example, mandates to cover cancer and HIV drugs, and Medicare Part D's protected classes clause which ensures that "all or substantially all" drugs in six broad therapeutic categories are covered by Medicare plans. As Professor Tony Culyer of York University once showed in an enlightening hypothetical example several decades ago, societal health maximization ignores distributional concerns and doesn't serve those who are in the poorest baseline health states well. Specifically, Culyer compared the objectives health maximization, resource equalization, and health equalization. In the illustrative example, summarized and adapted from Culyer and depicted in the two tables below, policymakers have 20 resource units to distribute across four subgroups of patients. The initial health outcomes total 230 units of, say, QALYs, with a distribution among subgroups A through D as shown in Table 1. Under each societal objective, such as health maximization, there are three columns. The left-hand column shows the baseline health outcome units for each subgroup. The middle column depicts the healthcare resource distribution per subgroup. And, the right-hand column contains the health outcome units per subgroup after healthcare resources have been spent. The marginal products of healthcare resources - or added QALYs accruing to an increments of resources - are listed in Table 2. 1. Distribution of Healthcare Resources Health maximization Health equalization Resource equalization Subgroup A 100 (5) 100 100 (0) 50 100 (5) 100 Subgroup B 80 (10) 100 80 (0) 50 80 (5) 70 Subgroup C 40 (5) 50 40 (5) 50 40 (5) 50 Subgroup D 10 (0) 0 10 (15) 50 10 (5) 10 Aggregate health outcomes and resources allocated 230 (20) 250 230 (20) 200 230 (20) 230 In parentheses, the allocated healthcare resource units are enumerated. 2. Marginal Products of Deployed Healthcare Resources Effect of doing nothing Increasing resources from 0 to 5 Increasing resources from 5 to 10 Increasing resources from 10 to 15 Subgroup A -50 50 30 10 Subgroup B -30 20 30 10 Subgroup C -10 20 30 10 Subgroup D -10 10 30 10 When compared to the two other policy objectives, health maximization yields the greatest overall health outcomes across the population, but also leads to the largest disparity between different subgroups of patients. Subgroup D dies as a result of having no resources allocated to it, while subgroups A, B, and C each gain in terms of health outcomes. Health equalization implies spending nothing at all on the first two subgroups, while spending everything on subgroups C and D. This leveling approach reduces the health of subgroups A and B, while raising the levels of C and D. Resource equalization provides an equal amount of resources to all four subgroups. Here, A and D remain the same in terms of health outcome, while B loses and C gains. In sum, health maximization bumps up against considerable distributional challenges, because it would allocate healthcare resources strictly in accordance with their marginal product, i.e., where they have the most benefit. Though healthcare systems often attempt to maximize health outcomes within specific disease areas or subgroups of patients, for equity reasons healthcare systems generally allocate a disproportionate amount of resources to those in poor health states where the yield (marginal product) of current treatments is usually low. | Given a set of available healthcare resources, surely maximizing societal health outcomes is a reasonable objective. Judging from where a disproportionate number of health dollars are spent, namely, difficult to treat conditions that are life-threatening, rare diseases, and end-of-life care, healthcare systems don't operate under a maximization principle. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2019/01/25/how-appropriate-is-the-objective-of-maximizing-societal-health-outcomes/ | 0.524547 |
Did Dave Dombrowski close the door on Craig Kimbrel's return? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Judging by Dave Dombrowski's most recent comments, it doesn't look like Craig Kimbrel will be back in Boston for 2019. Scroll to continue with content Ad The Red Sox President of Baseball Operations already implied earlier in the offseason that there would be no big expenditure for a closer. That insinuation now appears to be more definitive. Dombrowski appeared on Thursday's episode of Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney, where he was asked whether he anticipates the team making any additions before the 2019 season. "I don't, really," Dombrowski said. "I mean, I would gather that if we did anything, they would be bullpen oriented. That's where we've lost a couple guys, but we do like some of the people we have in our 'pen and some guys coming back. And I think the rest of the club is pretty well stabilized so I don't really see where we would make any moves. So that's the one area where you keep an open mind to." "I don't anticipate a large expenditure there. I think it'd be more big-league roster invites and see if they can make the club. But of course you keep a pulse on everything taking place and if there's one area, that would be it." If Dombrowski indeed decides to pass on Kimbrel, that means it'll likely be Ryan Brasier, Matt Barnes, and Tyler Thornburg competing for the closer role. Kimbrel has been linked to the Phillies as a possible destination. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said there would be no big expenditure for a closer. Kimbrel has been linked to the Phillies as a possible destination. | bart | 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/did-dave-dombrowski-close-door-230043817.html?src=rss | 0.144589 |
Did Dave Dombrowski close the door on Craig Kimbrel's return? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Judging by Dave Dombrowski's most recent comments, it doesn't look like Craig Kimbrel will be back in Boston for 2019. Scroll to continue with content Ad The Red Sox President of Baseball Operations already implied earlier in the offseason that there would be no big expenditure for a closer. That insinuation now appears to be more definitive. Dombrowski appeared on Thursday's episode of Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney, where he was asked whether he anticipates the team making any additions before the 2019 season. "I don't, really," Dombrowski said. "I mean, I would gather that if we did anything, they would be bullpen oriented. That's where we've lost a couple guys, but we do like some of the people we have in our 'pen and some guys coming back. And I think the rest of the club is pretty well stabilized so I don't really see where we would make any moves. So that's the one area where you keep an open mind to." "I don't anticipate a large expenditure there. I think it'd be more big-league roster invites and see if they can make the club. But of course you keep a pulse on everything taking place and if there's one area, that would be it." If Dombrowski indeed decides to pass on Kimbrel, that means it'll likely be Ryan Brasier, Matt Barnes, and Tyler Thornburg competing for the closer role. Kimbrel has been linked to the Phillies as a possible destination. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said he doesn't anticipate the team making any additions before the 2019 season. Kimbrel has been linked to the Phillies as a possible destination. The Red Sox are currently in the midst of a seven-game winning streak. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/did-dave-dombrowski-close-door-230043817.html?src=rss | 0.212943 |
Why is Vanderbilt turning hostile to religion on its campus? | Once upon a time, American universities encouraged students to create community around common interests and protected the right of student organizations to operate in a manner consistent with their beliefs. But a rising tide of resistance to religious organizations on college campuses, allegedly aimed at reducing intolerance, ironically advances it, fostering an unwelcoming and hostile learning environment for many students and threatening the very existence of religious student organizations. In the fall of 2010, Vanderbilt University began investigating the constitutions of every religious organization on its Nashville, Tenn., campus after a discrimination complaint was filed against a Christian fraternity. During the investigation, the university changed the student organization handbook to remove a section protecting religious association. The university eliminated a clause that read, "In affirming its commitment to this principle [of non-discrimination], the University does not limit freedom of religious association and does not require adherence to this principle by government agencies or external organizations that associate with but are not controlled by the University." In a letter to Vanderbilt students and faculty on Jan. 20, Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos insisted that the university "does not seek to limit anyone's freedom to practice his or her religion. We do, however, require all Vanderbilt registered student organizations to observe our nondiscrimination policy. That means membership in registered student organizations is open to everyone and that everyone, if desired, has the opportunity to seek leadership positions." Contrary to the university's stated goal of inclusion and tolerance, the change in policy jeopardizes the operational freedom of all religious organizations on campus. Patricia Helland, an associate dean who oversees religious life at Vanderbilt, defended the change in an interview saying "organizations can have core beliefs, but that organizations can't require their members or leaders to abide by or adhere to those core beliefs." The answer is: It can't. Vanderbilt's new nondiscrimination policy enables a Jewish student to become president of the Muslim student organization, or a Christian student to become the president of the campus Hindu organization. Vanderbilt's new nondiscrimination policy undermines the very purpose of encouraging students to organize around a common interest, threatening students' ability to create community and develop vibrant supporting and learning environments for themselves. While university administrations and it's not just Vanderbilt; certain universities across America are instituting overly broad, counterproductive nondiscrimination policies seem blind to their own cognitive dissonance, the Supreme Court, fortunately, has acknowledged the fundamental importance to religious entities of government noninterference with their leadership standards. In his concurring opinion in the Jan. 11 decision in Hosanna-Tabor vs. EEOC regarding religious association, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that "a religious body's right to self-governance must include the ability to select, and to be selective about, those who will serve as the very embodiment of its message." University administrators and the activists who are targeting religious organizations with discrimination complaints would have us believe that new anti-discrimination policies are not that big of a deal. But under Vanderbilt's policy, for example, all registered organizations religious, non-religious, fraternities, sororities and political organizations alike must agree to the new policy by April 16. Otherwise, in the name of fairness under these misguided policies, they should be forced off campus. Vanderbilt's new religious nondiscrimination policy is still subject to input from the community (although university officials have denied the local Christian Legal Society president a chance to speak on behalf of the school's religious organizations at an upcoming town hall meeting.) But on many campuses the quest for tolerance has already codified aggressive intolerance, and on many more it could come in the near future. If students are to flourish in a learning environment that values diversity, community and debate, college administrators must return to the nationwide practice of allowing an exemption in their religious nondiscrimination policy for religious organizations organizations whose very reason for existence is to promote a particular religion. Policies like Vanderbilt's irrationally discriminate against such groups, and fail to fulfill universities' duty to protect students' rights to associate and operate under their constitutionally-protected beliefs. Jason Hoyt is the Executive Director of Beta Upsilon Chi, a national Christian fraternity affected by Vanderbilt's change in policy. | Vanderbilt University changed its student organization handbook to remove a section protecting religious association. David Perry: The change jeopardizes the operational freedom of all religious organizations on campus. Perry: On many campuses the quest for tolerance has codified aggressive intolerance. | bart | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/why-is-vanderbilt-turning-hostile-to-religion-on-its-campus | 0.218741 |
Why is Vanderbilt turning hostile to religion on its campus? | Once upon a time, American universities encouraged students to create community around common interests and protected the right of student organizations to operate in a manner consistent with their beliefs. But a rising tide of resistance to religious organizations on college campuses, allegedly aimed at reducing intolerance, ironically advances it, fostering an unwelcoming and hostile learning environment for many students and threatening the very existence of religious student organizations. In the fall of 2010, Vanderbilt University began investigating the constitutions of every religious organization on its Nashville, Tenn., campus after a discrimination complaint was filed against a Christian fraternity. During the investigation, the university changed the student organization handbook to remove a section protecting religious association. The university eliminated a clause that read, "In affirming its commitment to this principle [of non-discrimination], the University does not limit freedom of religious association and does not require adherence to this principle by government agencies or external organizations that associate with but are not controlled by the University." In a letter to Vanderbilt students and faculty on Jan. 20, Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos insisted that the university "does not seek to limit anyone's freedom to practice his or her religion. We do, however, require all Vanderbilt registered student organizations to observe our nondiscrimination policy. That means membership in registered student organizations is open to everyone and that everyone, if desired, has the opportunity to seek leadership positions." Contrary to the university's stated goal of inclusion and tolerance, the change in policy jeopardizes the operational freedom of all religious organizations on campus. Patricia Helland, an associate dean who oversees religious life at Vanderbilt, defended the change in an interview saying "organizations can have core beliefs, but that organizations can't require their members or leaders to abide by or adhere to those core beliefs." The answer is: It can't. Vanderbilt's new nondiscrimination policy enables a Jewish student to become president of the Muslim student organization, or a Christian student to become the president of the campus Hindu organization. Vanderbilt's new nondiscrimination policy undermines the very purpose of encouraging students to organize around a common interest, threatening students' ability to create community and develop vibrant supporting and learning environments for themselves. While university administrations and it's not just Vanderbilt; certain universities across America are instituting overly broad, counterproductive nondiscrimination policies seem blind to their own cognitive dissonance, the Supreme Court, fortunately, has acknowledged the fundamental importance to religious entities of government noninterference with their leadership standards. In his concurring opinion in the Jan. 11 decision in Hosanna-Tabor vs. EEOC regarding religious association, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that "a religious body's right to self-governance must include the ability to select, and to be selective about, those who will serve as the very embodiment of its message." University administrators and the activists who are targeting religious organizations with discrimination complaints would have us believe that new anti-discrimination policies are not that big of a deal. But under Vanderbilt's policy, for example, all registered organizations religious, non-religious, fraternities, sororities and political organizations alike must agree to the new policy by April 16. Otherwise, in the name of fairness under these misguided policies, they should be forced off campus. Vanderbilt's new religious nondiscrimination policy is still subject to input from the community (although university officials have denied the local Christian Legal Society president a chance to speak on behalf of the school's religious organizations at an upcoming town hall meeting.) But on many campuses the quest for tolerance has already codified aggressive intolerance, and on many more it could come in the near future. If students are to flourish in a learning environment that values diversity, community and debate, college administrators must return to the nationwide practice of allowing an exemption in their religious nondiscrimination policy for religious organizations organizations whose very reason for existence is to promote a particular religion. Policies like Vanderbilt's irrationally discriminate against such groups, and fail to fulfill universities' duty to protect students' rights to associate and operate under their constitutionally-protected beliefs. Jason Hoyt is the Executive Director of Beta Upsilon Chi, a national Christian fraternity affected by Vanderbilt's change in policy. | Vanderbilt University is investigating the constitutions of every religious organization on its Nashville, Tenn., campus after a discrimination complaint was filed against a Christian fraternity. John Sutter: Vanderbilt's new nondiscrimination policy undermines the very purpose of encouraging students to organize around a common interest. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/why-is-vanderbilt-turning-hostile-to-religion-on-its-campus | 0.282672 |
Whats the Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes? | Diabetes is a serious and lifelong condition, typically associated with abnormally high levels of glucose, or sugar, in the blood. Although there are numerous similarities between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, its important to note that they are two very distinct conditions, each with its own symptoms and treatments. By understanding these differences and learning the correct treatment strategies for your specific condition, you should be able to manage it more effectively. Here are the main differences between the two most common forms of diabetes. Causes Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is a chronic illness in which the pancreas is unable to produce insulin a hormone that enables cells to absorb sugar and convert it into energy. Although it can occur at any age, type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed in younger people. The disease can be caused by a range of factors, including genetics and contact with certain viruses. Similar to type 1, type 2 diabetes is related to the bodys inability to use insulin effectively. Individuals with type 2 diabetes can produce insulin, but it is either resisted by the body or produced at insufficient levels. This is, by far, the most common form of the disease, accounting for roughly 95 percent of all diabetes cases, according to the American Diabetes Association. Although the exact cause is unknown, excess weight and poor diet are thought to contribute to its development. Symptoms While both types of diabetes exhibit similar symptoms, there are a few small, noticeable differences. Like those with type 1 diabetes, type 2 sufferers may experience increased thirst, hunger and frequent urination, as well as weight loss, fatigue and blurred vision. However, while these symptoms often develop very quickly with type 1 diabetes, many individuals can live with type 2 diabetes for years before it is diagnosed. Sufferers of type 2 diabetes may also notice telltale dark patches on the skin around the folds of the body, such as the armpits. If you suspect that you may have diabetes, ask your doctor about getting a blood test. Treatment Unfortunately, both types of diabetes are chronic, lifelong conditions. However, by closely monitoring and managing your blood sugar levels, you can keep the effects of diabetes to a minimum. Since type 1 sufferers are unable to produce insulin properly, they require regular insulin therapy. Insulin levels are generally managed using a combination of rapid-acting and long-acting insulin, in conjunction with intermediate treatments. Managing type 2 diabetes can be less demanding, though it still requires plenty of discipline and determination. Monitoring your glucose levels regularly is essential to preventing dangerous fluctuations. You should be vigilant about eating a healthy diet and trying to exercise regularly. Over time, you should begin to learn how your body responds to specific foods and activities, which will enable you to treat your glucose levels accordingly. | Type 1 diabetes is a chronic illness in which the pancreas is unable to produce insulin. | bart | 0 | https://www.foxnews.com/health/whats-the-difference-between-type-1-and-type-2-diabetes | 0.15334 |
Whats the Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes? | Diabetes is a serious and lifelong condition, typically associated with abnormally high levels of glucose, or sugar, in the blood. Although there are numerous similarities between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, its important to note that they are two very distinct conditions, each with its own symptoms and treatments. By understanding these differences and learning the correct treatment strategies for your specific condition, you should be able to manage it more effectively. Here are the main differences between the two most common forms of diabetes. Causes Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is a chronic illness in which the pancreas is unable to produce insulin a hormone that enables cells to absorb sugar and convert it into energy. Although it can occur at any age, type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed in younger people. The disease can be caused by a range of factors, including genetics and contact with certain viruses. Similar to type 1, type 2 diabetes is related to the bodys inability to use insulin effectively. Individuals with type 2 diabetes can produce insulin, but it is either resisted by the body or produced at insufficient levels. This is, by far, the most common form of the disease, accounting for roughly 95 percent of all diabetes cases, according to the American Diabetes Association. Although the exact cause is unknown, excess weight and poor diet are thought to contribute to its development. Symptoms While both types of diabetes exhibit similar symptoms, there are a few small, noticeable differences. Like those with type 1 diabetes, type 2 sufferers may experience increased thirst, hunger and frequent urination, as well as weight loss, fatigue and blurred vision. However, while these symptoms often develop very quickly with type 1 diabetes, many individuals can live with type 2 diabetes for years before it is diagnosed. Sufferers of type 2 diabetes may also notice telltale dark patches on the skin around the folds of the body, such as the armpits. If you suspect that you may have diabetes, ask your doctor about getting a blood test. Treatment Unfortunately, both types of diabetes are chronic, lifelong conditions. However, by closely monitoring and managing your blood sugar levels, you can keep the effects of diabetes to a minimum. Since type 1 sufferers are unable to produce insulin properly, they require regular insulin therapy. Insulin levels are generally managed using a combination of rapid-acting and long-acting insulin, in conjunction with intermediate treatments. Managing type 2 diabetes can be less demanding, though it still requires plenty of discipline and determination. Monitoring your glucose levels regularly is essential to preventing dangerous fluctuations. You should be vigilant about eating a healthy diet and trying to exercise regularly. Over time, you should begin to learn how your body responds to specific foods and activities, which will enable you to treat your glucose levels accordingly. | There are numerous similarities between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic illness in which the pancreas is unable to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is related to the body s inability to use insulin effectively. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/health/whats-the-difference-between-type-1-and-type-2-diabetes | 0.406723 |
Whats the Difference Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes? | Diabetes is a serious and lifelong condition, typically associated with abnormally high levels of glucose, or sugar, in the blood. Although there are numerous similarities between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, its important to note that they are two very distinct conditions, each with its own symptoms and treatments. By understanding these differences and learning the correct treatment strategies for your specific condition, you should be able to manage it more effectively. Here are the main differences between the two most common forms of diabetes. Causes Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is a chronic illness in which the pancreas is unable to produce insulin a hormone that enables cells to absorb sugar and convert it into energy. Although it can occur at any age, type 1 diabetes is typically diagnosed in younger people. The disease can be caused by a range of factors, including genetics and contact with certain viruses. Similar to type 1, type 2 diabetes is related to the bodys inability to use insulin effectively. Individuals with type 2 diabetes can produce insulin, but it is either resisted by the body or produced at insufficient levels. This is, by far, the most common form of the disease, accounting for roughly 95 percent of all diabetes cases, according to the American Diabetes Association. Although the exact cause is unknown, excess weight and poor diet are thought to contribute to its development. Symptoms While both types of diabetes exhibit similar symptoms, there are a few small, noticeable differences. Like those with type 1 diabetes, type 2 sufferers may experience increased thirst, hunger and frequent urination, as well as weight loss, fatigue and blurred vision. However, while these symptoms often develop very quickly with type 1 diabetes, many individuals can live with type 2 diabetes for years before it is diagnosed. Sufferers of type 2 diabetes may also notice telltale dark patches on the skin around the folds of the body, such as the armpits. If you suspect that you may have diabetes, ask your doctor about getting a blood test. Treatment Unfortunately, both types of diabetes are chronic, lifelong conditions. However, by closely monitoring and managing your blood sugar levels, you can keep the effects of diabetes to a minimum. Since type 1 sufferers are unable to produce insulin properly, they require regular insulin therapy. Insulin levels are generally managed using a combination of rapid-acting and long-acting insulin, in conjunction with intermediate treatments. Managing type 2 diabetes can be less demanding, though it still requires plenty of discipline and determination. Monitoring your glucose levels regularly is essential to preventing dangerous fluctuations. You should be vigilant about eating a healthy diet and trying to exercise regularly. Over time, you should begin to learn how your body responds to specific foods and activities, which will enable you to treat your glucose levels accordingly. | There are numerous similarities between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic illness in which the pancreas is unable to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is related to the body s inability to use insulin effectively. Both types of diabetes are chronic, lifelong conditions. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.foxnews.com/health/whats-the-difference-between-type-1-and-type-2-diabetes | 0.430083 |
Can Ruthy Hebard, Oregon continue dominance against Washington State? | EUGENE Few players have dominated a conference opponent as much as Ruthy Hebard has tormented Washington State. The Oregon junior forward scored a career-high 34 points and had nine rebounds in a 98-58 dismantling of the Cougars earlier this month, which came after she averaged 27 points and 9.5 boards against Wazzu last season. Hebard, who is 39 for her last 47 from the field against WSU, cant explain why she has so much success in the series entering tonights game in Pullman (7 p.m., Pac-12 Network). Im not sure but Im glad I am having it, she said. I have great teammates that can move the ball inside and I think we all do well against all of our opponents. The obvious reason for Hebards success is her size advantage against the undersized Cougars. No. 5 Oregon (17-1, 6-0 Pac-12) can score from anywhere on the floor, but with such a disparity in size and athleticism the Ducks can pound the ball inside against Washington State (7-11, 2-5 Pac-12). They have a little smaller girls, not as fast, Hebard said. So we have to go inside to the bigger, faster post players and hopefully dominate in there. Satou Sabally, who is leading the Ducks in scoring (20.3 points) in Pac-12 play, had 25 points and seven rebounds against WSU earlier this month, when the Ducks outscored the Cougars 62-40 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 45-26. Shes noticed teams defending her differently and trying to take away her 3-point shots. I definitely realize that theyre taking my shot more serious, which frees me more open for a drive," Sabally said. "So I guess thats fine. If WSU takes that approach it would play into Oregons hand even more, further underlining how lopsided a matchup this series is. | Ruthy Hebard is 39 for her last 47 from the field against Washington State. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2019/01/can-ruthy-hebard-oregon-continue-dominance-against-washington-state.html | 0.194893 |
Can Ruthy Hebard, Oregon continue dominance against Washington State? | EUGENE Few players have dominated a conference opponent as much as Ruthy Hebard has tormented Washington State. The Oregon junior forward scored a career-high 34 points and had nine rebounds in a 98-58 dismantling of the Cougars earlier this month, which came after she averaged 27 points and 9.5 boards against Wazzu last season. Hebard, who is 39 for her last 47 from the field against WSU, cant explain why she has so much success in the series entering tonights game in Pullman (7 p.m., Pac-12 Network). Im not sure but Im glad I am having it, she said. I have great teammates that can move the ball inside and I think we all do well against all of our opponents. The obvious reason for Hebards success is her size advantage against the undersized Cougars. No. 5 Oregon (17-1, 6-0 Pac-12) can score from anywhere on the floor, but with such a disparity in size and athleticism the Ducks can pound the ball inside against Washington State (7-11, 2-5 Pac-12). They have a little smaller girls, not as fast, Hebard said. So we have to go inside to the bigger, faster post players and hopefully dominate in there. Satou Sabally, who is leading the Ducks in scoring (20.3 points) in Pac-12 play, had 25 points and seven rebounds against WSU earlier this month, when the Ducks outscored the Cougars 62-40 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 45-26. Shes noticed teams defending her differently and trying to take away her 3-point shots. I definitely realize that theyre taking my shot more serious, which frees me more open for a drive," Sabally said. "So I guess thats fine. If WSU takes that approach it would play into Oregons hand even more, further underlining how lopsided a matchup this series is. | Ruthy Hebard is 39 for her last 47 from the field against WSU. The obvious reason for Hebards success is her size advantage against the undersized Cougars. | bart | 1 | https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2019/01/can-ruthy-hebard-oregon-continue-dominance-against-washington-state.html | 0.256002 |
Can Ruthy Hebard, Oregon continue dominance against Washington State? | EUGENE Few players have dominated a conference opponent as much as Ruthy Hebard has tormented Washington State. The Oregon junior forward scored a career-high 34 points and had nine rebounds in a 98-58 dismantling of the Cougars earlier this month, which came after she averaged 27 points and 9.5 boards against Wazzu last season. Hebard, who is 39 for her last 47 from the field against WSU, cant explain why she has so much success in the series entering tonights game in Pullman (7 p.m., Pac-12 Network). Im not sure but Im glad I am having it, she said. I have great teammates that can move the ball inside and I think we all do well against all of our opponents. The obvious reason for Hebards success is her size advantage against the undersized Cougars. No. 5 Oregon (17-1, 6-0 Pac-12) can score from anywhere on the floor, but with such a disparity in size and athleticism the Ducks can pound the ball inside against Washington State (7-11, 2-5 Pac-12). They have a little smaller girls, not as fast, Hebard said. So we have to go inside to the bigger, faster post players and hopefully dominate in there. Satou Sabally, who is leading the Ducks in scoring (20.3 points) in Pac-12 play, had 25 points and seven rebounds against WSU earlier this month, when the Ducks outscored the Cougars 62-40 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 45-26. Shes noticed teams defending her differently and trying to take away her 3-point shots. I definitely realize that theyre taking my shot more serious, which frees me more open for a drive," Sabally said. "So I guess thats fine. If WSU takes that approach it would play into Oregons hand even more, further underlining how lopsided a matchup this series is. | Ruthy Hebard is 39 for her last 47 from the field against Washington State. Hebard averaged 27 points and 9.5 boards against the Cougars last season. Satou Sabally is leading the Ducks in scoring (20.3 points) in Pac-12 play. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2019/01/can-ruthy-hebard-oregon-continue-dominance-against-washington-state.html | 0.308072 |
Should steroid users be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? | The Baseball Hall of Fame revealed its Class of 2019 in late January, and there are a few notorious names on the ballots. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are infamous steroid users, but they are still garnering votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Many believe steroid users shattered the integrity of the game and should not be honored among the game's greatest players. Others believe they have paid the price, and their greatness deserves to be recognized. PERSPECTIVES Baseball is a game of integrity and honor. There is no room for cheaters. Steroid users represent an era of players who didn't respect the game enough to play it the right way. Instead of earning their way with talent and hard work, they turned to substances to get money and glory. They may have gotten numbers, but those numbers mean nothing because they were ill-conceived. Baseball has lost its way by thinking that the Steroid Era was acceptable because everyone was doing it. The bottom line is that steroid users cheated, and cheaters should not be inducted into the Hall of Fame. If you ever failed a test, got suspended, or admitted to using performance enhancers you should NOT be in the hall of fame. No hard feelings but you disgraced the integrity of the game, your stats are tainted. You don't deserve the honor. -- Chris Archer (@ChrisArcher22) January 18, 2019 It is pretty rich that baseball players of yesteryear are complaining about steroid use when they weren't clean themselves. Most players took "greenies" or amphetamines in order to gain an unfair advantage against those who wouldn't. The hypocrisy of those players has no merit in the discussion of letting steroids users into the Hall of Fame. The reality is that players who played in the Steroid Era made it more popular with their long bombs and incredible pitching. Steroids might make you bigger and stronger, but it doesn't help with seeing a pitch and making contact with it. It doesn't help curve a ball more. It still takes an immense amount of talent to be a great player. If steroids helped so much, then everyone would be a Hall of Famer. They may not have been clean, but Steroid Era greats still belong in the Hall of Fame. COLUMN: It's past time for Bonds, Clemens to earn Hall of Fame induction The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | The Baseball Hall of Fame revealed its Class of 2019 in late January. Many believe steroid users shattered the integrity of the game and should not be honored. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/should_steroid_users_be_induct.html | 0.231562 |
Should steroid users be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? | The Baseball Hall of Fame revealed its Class of 2019 in late January, and there are a few notorious names on the ballots. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are infamous steroid users, but they are still garnering votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Many believe steroid users shattered the integrity of the game and should not be honored among the game's greatest players. Others believe they have paid the price, and their greatness deserves to be recognized. PERSPECTIVES Baseball is a game of integrity and honor. There is no room for cheaters. Steroid users represent an era of players who didn't respect the game enough to play it the right way. Instead of earning their way with talent and hard work, they turned to substances to get money and glory. They may have gotten numbers, but those numbers mean nothing because they were ill-conceived. Baseball has lost its way by thinking that the Steroid Era was acceptable because everyone was doing it. The bottom line is that steroid users cheated, and cheaters should not be inducted into the Hall of Fame. If you ever failed a test, got suspended, or admitted to using performance enhancers you should NOT be in the hall of fame. No hard feelings but you disgraced the integrity of the game, your stats are tainted. You don't deserve the honor. -- Chris Archer (@ChrisArcher22) January 18, 2019 It is pretty rich that baseball players of yesteryear are complaining about steroid use when they weren't clean themselves. Most players took "greenies" or amphetamines in order to gain an unfair advantage against those who wouldn't. The hypocrisy of those players has no merit in the discussion of letting steroids users into the Hall of Fame. The reality is that players who played in the Steroid Era made it more popular with their long bombs and incredible pitching. Steroids might make you bigger and stronger, but it doesn't help with seeing a pitch and making contact with it. It doesn't help curve a ball more. It still takes an immense amount of talent to be a great player. If steroids helped so much, then everyone would be a Hall of Famer. They may not have been clean, but Steroid Era greats still belong in the Hall of Fame. COLUMN: It's past time for Bonds, Clemens to earn Hall of Fame induction The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | The Baseball Hall of Fame revealed its Class of 2019 in late January. Many believe steroid users shattered the integrity of the game and should not be honored. Others believe they have paid the price and their greatness deserves to be recognized. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/should_steroid_users_be_induct.html | 0.24448 |
Should steroid users be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? | The Baseball Hall of Fame revealed its Class of 2019 in late January, and there are a few notorious names on the ballots. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are infamous steroid users, but they are still garnering votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Many believe steroid users shattered the integrity of the game and should not be honored among the game's greatest players. Others believe they have paid the price, and their greatness deserves to be recognized. PERSPECTIVES Baseball is a game of integrity and honor. There is no room for cheaters. Steroid users represent an era of players who didn't respect the game enough to play it the right way. Instead of earning their way with talent and hard work, they turned to substances to get money and glory. They may have gotten numbers, but those numbers mean nothing because they were ill-conceived. Baseball has lost its way by thinking that the Steroid Era was acceptable because everyone was doing it. The bottom line is that steroid users cheated, and cheaters should not be inducted into the Hall of Fame. If you ever failed a test, got suspended, or admitted to using performance enhancers you should NOT be in the hall of fame. No hard feelings but you disgraced the integrity of the game, your stats are tainted. You don't deserve the honor. -- Chris Archer (@ChrisArcher22) January 18, 2019 It is pretty rich that baseball players of yesteryear are complaining about steroid use when they weren't clean themselves. Most players took "greenies" or amphetamines in order to gain an unfair advantage against those who wouldn't. The hypocrisy of those players has no merit in the discussion of letting steroids users into the Hall of Fame. The reality is that players who played in the Steroid Era made it more popular with their long bombs and incredible pitching. Steroids might make you bigger and stronger, but it doesn't help with seeing a pitch and making contact with it. It doesn't help curve a ball more. It still takes an immense amount of talent to be a great player. If steroids helped so much, then everyone would be a Hall of Famer. They may not have been clean, but Steroid Era greats still belong in the Hall of Fame. COLUMN: It's past time for Bonds, Clemens to earn Hall of Fame induction The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | The Baseball Hall of Fame revealed its Class of 2019 in late January. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are infamous steroid users. Many believe steroid users shattered the integrity of the game and should not be honored. Others believe they have paid the price, and their greatness deserves to be recognized. | bart | 2 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/should_steroid_users_be_induct.html | 0.419939 |
What's Texas Instruments' 2019 Outlook After Its Q4 Earnings Beat? | Semiconductor bellwether Texas Instruments published its Q4 2018 results on Wednesday. While the company reported a stronger than expected set of earnings, its guidance for the first quarter was somewhat mixed, on account of cooling demand for semiconductor products and the uncertainty caused by the trade tensions between the U.S. and China. In this note, we provide a brief overview of what could lie ahead for the company. Our interactive dashboard on what to expect from Texas Instruments in 2019 provides an overview of the company's key value drivers. You can modify any of our forecasts and estimates to gauge the impact changes would have on the company's valuation. Outlook For Q1 2019 Texas Instruments has guided for Q1 2019 earnings of between $1.03 per share to $1.21 per share, marking a decline of ~17% year-over-year at the midpoint, with revenues expected to come in between $3.34 billion and $3.62 billion a decline of close to 8% year-over-year at the midpoint. The semiconductor industry appears headed to a downturn, on account of slower demand for personal electronics such as smartphones after years of robust growth. The Chinese market, in particular, is cooling off, with TI noting that this could be due to both lower local demand as well as reduced exports. China (including Hong Kong) accounted for over 40% of the companys shipments over the first nine months of the year. However, this could be partly mitigated by stronger demand for analog semiconductors from the deployment of 5G telecom networks as well as continued growth in areas such as industrial and automotive, where semiconductor content is generally rising. While the downcycles typically last about 12 months, the company has indicated that this could be worsened by the current trade tensions. Inventory holding is typically a closely-watched metric for analog semiconductor players, as the build-up of unsold components serves as an indicator of customer confidence, with higher inventory levels potentially hurting selling prices. TIs inventory position has been expanding, coming in ahead of its projected range at 152 days in Q4, up by about 18 days from a year ago. This could also point to some softness in the market going forward. | Texas Instruments has guided for Q1 2019 earnings of between $1.03 per share to 1.21 per share. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/01/25/whats-texas-instruments-2019-outlook-after-its-q4-earnings-beat/ | 0.300437 |
What's Texas Instruments' 2019 Outlook After Its Q4 Earnings Beat? | Semiconductor bellwether Texas Instruments published its Q4 2018 results on Wednesday. While the company reported a stronger than expected set of earnings, its guidance for the first quarter was somewhat mixed, on account of cooling demand for semiconductor products and the uncertainty caused by the trade tensions between the U.S. and China. In this note, we provide a brief overview of what could lie ahead for the company. Our interactive dashboard on what to expect from Texas Instruments in 2019 provides an overview of the company's key value drivers. You can modify any of our forecasts and estimates to gauge the impact changes would have on the company's valuation. Outlook For Q1 2019 Texas Instruments has guided for Q1 2019 earnings of between $1.03 per share to $1.21 per share, marking a decline of ~17% year-over-year at the midpoint, with revenues expected to come in between $3.34 billion and $3.62 billion a decline of close to 8% year-over-year at the midpoint. The semiconductor industry appears headed to a downturn, on account of slower demand for personal electronics such as smartphones after years of robust growth. The Chinese market, in particular, is cooling off, with TI noting that this could be due to both lower local demand as well as reduced exports. China (including Hong Kong) accounted for over 40% of the companys shipments over the first nine months of the year. However, this could be partly mitigated by stronger demand for analog semiconductors from the deployment of 5G telecom networks as well as continued growth in areas such as industrial and automotive, where semiconductor content is generally rising. While the downcycles typically last about 12 months, the company has indicated that this could be worsened by the current trade tensions. Inventory holding is typically a closely-watched metric for analog semiconductor players, as the build-up of unsold components serves as an indicator of customer confidence, with higher inventory levels potentially hurting selling prices. TIs inventory position has been expanding, coming in ahead of its projected range at 152 days in Q4, up by about 18 days from a year ago. This could also point to some softness in the market going forward. | Texas Instruments has guided for Q1 2019 earnings of between $1.03 per share to 1.21 per share, marking a decline of 17% year-over-year at the midpoint. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/01/25/whats-texas-instruments-2019-outlook-after-its-q4-earnings-beat/ | 0.248868 |
What's Texas Instruments' 2019 Outlook After Its Q4 Earnings Beat? | Semiconductor bellwether Texas Instruments published its Q4 2018 results on Wednesday. While the company reported a stronger than expected set of earnings, its guidance for the first quarter was somewhat mixed, on account of cooling demand for semiconductor products and the uncertainty caused by the trade tensions between the U.S. and China. In this note, we provide a brief overview of what could lie ahead for the company. Our interactive dashboard on what to expect from Texas Instruments in 2019 provides an overview of the company's key value drivers. You can modify any of our forecasts and estimates to gauge the impact changes would have on the company's valuation. Outlook For Q1 2019 Texas Instruments has guided for Q1 2019 earnings of between $1.03 per share to $1.21 per share, marking a decline of ~17% year-over-year at the midpoint, with revenues expected to come in between $3.34 billion and $3.62 billion a decline of close to 8% year-over-year at the midpoint. The semiconductor industry appears headed to a downturn, on account of slower demand for personal electronics such as smartphones after years of robust growth. The Chinese market, in particular, is cooling off, with TI noting that this could be due to both lower local demand as well as reduced exports. China (including Hong Kong) accounted for over 40% of the companys shipments over the first nine months of the year. However, this could be partly mitigated by stronger demand for analog semiconductors from the deployment of 5G telecom networks as well as continued growth in areas such as industrial and automotive, where semiconductor content is generally rising. While the downcycles typically last about 12 months, the company has indicated that this could be worsened by the current trade tensions. Inventory holding is typically a closely-watched metric for analog semiconductor players, as the build-up of unsold components serves as an indicator of customer confidence, with higher inventory levels potentially hurting selling prices. TIs inventory position has been expanding, coming in ahead of its projected range at 152 days in Q4, up by about 18 days from a year ago. This could also point to some softness in the market going forward. | Texas Instruments has guided for Q1 2019 earnings of between $1.03 per share to 1.21 per share, marking a decline of 17% year-over-year at the midpoint. The semiconductor industry appears headed to a downturn, on account of slower demand for personal electronics such as smartphones. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/01/25/whats-texas-instruments-2019-outlook-after-its-q4-earnings-beat/ | 0.314546 |
Who is the Brexit-supporting Lord Bamford of JCB fame? | Long before Lord Bamford, the chairman of the machinery manufacturer JCB, invited Boris Johnson to speak at his company earlier this month, the billionaire had bulldozed his way into British politics. Johnson was paid 10,000 by the company three days before he gave his 18 January Brexit-themed speech, which was widely seen as his latest tilt at the Conservative leadership and which he peppered with repeated praise for the companys business acumen and innovation. The payment was disclosed on the new register of MPs financial interests this week, which also showed that JCB was paying the former Brexit secretary David Davis 60,000 a year as an external adviser. But while this has caused the odd eyebrow to arch, JCB has a long track record of working closely with top Tories to further the Conservative cause. This was the billionaire Bamford playing to form. First, the tycoon is a director of the Centre for Policy Studies, which will forever be known as Margaret Thatchers favourite thinktank. Second, the Brexit-supporting Conservative peer and his family have a long history of writing cheques not only to fund the obligatory yacht, the private jet and the classic Ferrari collection, but also in support of their favourite political causes and actors. The Bamford family, which was said to be worth 3.6bn in last years Sunday Times Rich List, along with JCB have handed over almost 10m in political donations since 2001, according to records held by the Electoral Commission. The vast majority of that largesse has benefited the Conservative party and its MPs with former chancellor George Osborne, as well as Johnson and Davis, recorded as receiving donations ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 in the decade to 2010. Around 1.3m was donated to organisations campaigning to leave the European Union. This all chimes with the image of Bamford, who started running JCB in 1975 after his father and company founder Joseph Cyril Bamford stepped down. Born in 1945, Bamford fils was schooled at Ampleforth College, the North Yorkshire Catholic school, and then Grenoble University in the south-east of France, where he has said he did more skiing than anything else. But he was quickly to grow up, taking control of the company and converting it into a firm that now employs more than 15,000 people and in 2017 had revenues topping 3bn. The company boasts, probably justifiably, that Bamford has presided over JCB winning 30 Queens Awards for Innovation and Enterprise. So JCB is a business success, but it is far from just being a British success. Plenty of its triumphs have been forged overseas and, specifically, in Europe. JCB Service the top of the chain in the group of UK JCB companies is owned by a company in the Netherlands, which the UK accounts say is controlled by the Bamford family. Europe accounts for 28% of the more than 3bn revenues booked at JCB Service, the largest single market, India is next with 23%, and the UK third at 19%. But it is not just Bamfords education, property and business that ties him to jurisdictions outside the British Isles. The register of Lords interests shows that Bamford owns a house in Cabasson on the French south coast, where a yacht reportedly owned by the tycoon is currently moored. On Thursday the JCB private jet touched down in Barbados, which apart from being the venue where England were playing a Test match is also a part of the world in which Bamford has had other ties. Months before he was made a peer by David Cameron, the businessman closed down a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, according to documents seen by the Guardian during the Panama Papers investigation. This had echoes of the previous occasion Bamford had been recommended for a peerage by Cameron, shortly after the Conservatives formed a government in 2010. However, the businessman then withdrew his name from consideration. Sign up to the daily Business Today email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk He told the Telegraph in 2013: There was a black mark next to my name with the [Inland] Revenue, but PricewaterhouseCoopers, who had not been my personal accountants, did an in-depth and complete review of my accounts going back 10 years. And actually found that the revenue owed me money. [The allegations were] completely wrong. Other controversies include a 39.6m fine for JC Bamford Group in 2000 from the European commission for very serious antitrust violations. The competition commissioner, Mario Monti, said at the time: It is shocking that important companies present in all member states still jeopardise the most fundamental principles of the internal market to the detriment of distributors and, ultimately, consumers.. JCB did not respond to invitations to comment. | Lord Bamford is the chairman of the machinery manufacturer JCB. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/25/brexit-supporting-lord-bamford-of-jcb-fame-boris-johnson-david-davis | 0.317872 |
Why Are Investors Pouring Millions Into 3-D Printing? | 3-D printing, once thought to be a consumer-targeted solution, is more often seen today in industrial environments, speeding prototyping processes and increasingly producing end-use parts. Demanding industries like automotive, aerospace, medical and manufacturing are installing 3-D printers -- both desktop and industrial, printing in both plastics and metals -- and putting them to use in operations. To continue to see advances in additive manufacturing, the companies behind the technologies need significant funding. And theyre getting it. This week alone, major investments included Desktop Metals phenomenal $160 million and a $22 million funding round for Essentium. Following successful rounds of investment, three companies in the 3-D printing industry are currently valued at over $1 billion. These unicorns, Carbon, Desktop Metal and Formlabs, have each seen marvelous growth over the last several years. Carbon, which hit unicorn status back in 2015, has, as of November 2018, raised $422 million in venture funding at a valuation of $1.7 billion. The Redwood City, California-based company has since been joined by the two Boston-based firms in unicorn status. In 2017, Desktop Metal hit the billion dollar valuation mark; after this weeks round, valuation is up to approximately $1.5 billion, with $438 million in total investment. Kickstarted on Kickstarter and with investment north of $100M and significant desktop 3-D printer sales, Formlabs reached unicorn status in August 2018. With startups seeing success and long-lived public companies that patented some of the first 3-D printing technologies -- think 3D Systems (with selective laser sintering, or SLS) and Stratasys (with fused deposition, or FDM) -- pulling in hefty revenues, this industry is picking up significantly. Valuations are high, investments rising steadily and business prospects booming. The investment announcements this week provide some insight there: both Desktop Metal and Essentium are looking specifically toward industrial solutions. While 3-D printing traces its roots back to prototyping applications -- where there remains significant opportunity to lower costs and shorten timelines in the product development cycle -- excitement in 2019 centers around production. Scale production, at speeds and costs to rival traditional technologies, remains something of a holy grail for 3-D printing. The additive manufacturing workflow is still held up with several well-known roadblocks and barriers to entry. Design for additive manufacture (DfAM) is its own skill set unique from conventional design for subtractive technologies, and mastering these new techniques and putting to use next-generation capabilities (e.g., generative design, topology optimization) is a stumbling block in adoption. Once designed, a piece must then be built: the actual 3-D printing. Process controls and metrology are critical here, as is the materials science of the powders, resins, pellets, filaments or other input materials that will be built up. Post-processing was long referred to in the industry as the dirty secret of additive manufacturing, as impressive print speeds would be followed up with post-processing flows that might be equivalent to 100% of the print time with the many processes involved (think removal of support material, sintering for metals, surface finishing). The companies that are overcoming these hurdles in the end-to-end additive manufacturing process are the ones attracting investment. Essentium, for instance, has developed a High Speed Extrusion (HSE) platform that promises unprecedented speed and strength in extrusion-based 3-D printing. Work with partners BASF for materials and Materialise for software extended into this weeks $22M funding, as both partners are also investors. (The three companies relationships run deep, as BASF is also a $25M investor into Materialise.) The hope for HSE is to overcome existing limitations in extrusion-based (FFF/FDM) 3-D printing for, ultimately, impact in industries like aerospace, automotive, biomedical and contract manufacturing. This Series A funding round is designated for scale manufacturing, engineering, international distribution, sales and marketing operations to meet market demand for HSE as the technology targets injection molding for strength, speed and scale. For its part, Desktop Metals $438M combined funding rounds now make it, says the company, the highest funded private 3D printing endeavor in history. This is unsurprising for the fast-growing operation, which had pulled in hundreds of millions before shipping a single product but had plenty to show potential investors. Now shipping its initial suite of products, the Studio System that seems to give Desktop Metal its name with desktop 3-D printers, the company is set to soon start shipping its larger Production Systems this quarter. But the massive cash flow at Desktop Metal is not bound only for these two systems. A recent conversation with Desktop Metal co-founder and CEO Ric Fulop elicited more intrigue with promise of still more to come from the busy Boston company. Fulop, who called from Davos, where hes been exchanging thoughts on 3-D printing at the World Economic Forum this week, said that his team is continuing to do our thing and this investment round was a long time in the making and opens up lots of opportunities. We have a very rich product roadmap of things we have not talked about publicly, Fulop told me. Whats exciting for us in funding these projects is that were expanding the applications our technology is currently targeting. Hopefully this will turn into lots of new things that will really advance our industry forward. The company is set to explore advanced materials and metal processes, working to amplify the range of things you can do with 3-D printing. Conversations at Davos were interesting for Fulop, as he noted interactions with people you thought would never need a metal 3-D printer. But metal parts are used in all sorts of stuff, if you can change the design of products it really opens the possibilities. Opening possibilities is something of a throughline across the board in 3-D printing, which enables new geometries and properties not possible with any other manufacturing method. Todays technologies are increasingly differentiated, with new solutions emerging to target existing deficiencies. Recent funding rounds are many, indicating the many ways in which the additive manufacturing industry is growing. A very small sampling of investments to emerge recently include: $19M for Stratasys spin-off Evolve Additive Solutions $13M for metal company Digital Alloys $5M for post-processing startup Dye Mansion $2.5M for Fortify and its composite technology $1.2M for ASTM International to continue to develop standards around additive manufacturing And of course, companies continue to seek additional investment to grow. Israel-based Nano Dimension, with about $30M in funding to date for its electronics 3-D printing technology, is reportedly seeking a $29M investment round. Poland-based Sinterit, which raised $1M in 2017, is currently seeking new investors for its desktop SLS 3-D printers. The breadth and increasing depth of the 3-D printing industry show an increasingly competitive environment. With seven ASTM-recognized 3-D printing processes to date, each with their own unique pros and cons, and additional technologies developing at a fast clip, investors have quite a field to examine. The companies looking to grow know this. The reckless start-up era is going down, and money-burning companies are in retreat. Now, especially in Europe, it is more difficult to get financing for the venture, so the companies must show the real potential, Sinterit acknowledges as it prepares for its next funding round. The company says it experienced 260% growth in 2018, adding that, Effective investment trend shows that we are facing the professionalization of the market. 3-D printing has faced hype in the past, with the accompanying disappointment of technologies that did not live up to their promises and companies that saw their stock values plummet. The promises are growing again as the industry grows up, and investors are increasingly requiring further proof to build their confidence and open their wallets. Growth in 3-D printing is significant, and the currently $7 billion industry is expected to continue to see substantial (read: double-digit annual) gains. Large players see great potential, with promises from the likes of HP Inc. to disrupt the $12 trillion global manufacturing market as 3-D printing continues to make headway in production. Investors are buying in, and we can expect to hear announcements of more major funding rounds pop up regularly as R&D and proofs-of-concept continue to make their way toward viability. With such a bright road ahead for 3-D printing, it makes sense that the path to funding is an important part of the journey. While more competitive than ever before, the landscape of 3-D printing is flush with opportunity to develop and grow new processes and business strategies -- and investors are keeping close watch. | Three companies in the 3-D printing industry are currently valued at over $1 billion. This week alone, major investments included Desktop Metals phenomenal $160 million and a $22 million funding round for Essentium. The companies that are overcoming these hurdles in the end-to-end additive manufacturing process are the ones attracting investment. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahgoehrke/2019/01/25/why-are-investors-pouring-millions-into-3-d-printing/ | 0.164186 |
Were the British really the first Europeans to sight Australia? | We've long been taught that the British were the first Europeans to land on Australian waters. Popular history dictates that Australia was first visited by the Dutch in the early 17th century, and later fully explored by Captain Cook. But some theorists claim our pubs and shepherd's pies could just as easily could have been Oportos and caldo verde on every block, news.com.au reports. Some historians have claimed Portuguese navigators were the first Europeans to sight Australia in the 16th century. Advertisement In his 2007 book Beyond Capricorn, Canberra-based science journalist Peter Trickett made the startling claim that Australia was actually discovered in 1522 by a Portuguese seafarer named Christopher de Mendonca. The book points to a 16th century maritime map showing that Portuguese adventurers rather than the British or Dutch were actually the first Europeans to hit Australian land. The map, which accurately marks geographical sites along Australia's east coast in Portuguese, appears to prove that de Mendonca lead a fleet of four ships into Botany Bay almost 250 years before Britain's Captain James Cook. In the mid-1500s, the Dieppe mapmakers created elaborate hand-drawn world maps, which were beautifully preserved. The world maps depicted a large landmass located between Indonesia and Antarctica, labelled as Java la Grande. Part of one of the maps, which bore a close resemblance to the coast of Queensland, featured 120 place names in Portuguese. Trickett, who bought a rare portfolio of these maps in the late 1990s, argued that the atlas compliers in Dieppe may have made an alignment error in the Portuguese charts they were copying from. When a computer expert cut the map in two and rotated the bottom half, it revealed the east coast of Australia stretching right down to Kangaroo Island in great detail, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. In Kenneth McIntyre's 1977 book The Discovery of Australia, he notes that the chart scripts were written in both French and Portuguese. The Australian historian suggested the Portuguese may have been searching for Marco Polo's fabled Isles of Gold and sighted Australia in the process. That's not the only relic that suggests the Portuguese beat the Dutch and English to the punch. Some have speculated that this is a drawing of a kangaroo. Photo / Supplied In 2014, a document was acquired by a New York gallery, Les Enluminures, which appeared to show a sketch of a kangaroo curled in the letters of a Portuguese manuscript. That manuscript dates back to the 16th century hundreds of years before the British officially entered Australian waters. However, some have disputed what the animal in question is. La Trobe University's Peter Pridmore suggested it was more likely an aardvark than a kangaroo, noting the shape of its snout and ears, the proportions of its limbs, and its deep thorax. But despite objection from several critics, McIntyre stands firm that the Portuguese discovered Australia before the Dutch. "Every critic who seeks to deny the Portuguese discovery of Australia is faced with the problem of providing an alternative theory to explain away the existence of the Dieppe maps. If the Dauphin is not the record of real exploration, then what is it?" he wrote in his book. RARE MAP SHEDS DOUBT ON PORTUGUESE THEORY In 2017, a rare 17th-century wall map was rediscovered that directly contradicted the Portuguese theory. According to Sotheby's, it was the very first map to call Australia "Nova Hollandia" and was "extremely rare". It was the first to put Tasmania on the map, quite literally, following the findings of Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman during his explorations in 1642-1643 and 1644. Tasman spotted the west coast of Tasmania on November 24, 1642, naming his discovery Van Diemen's Land, after Antonio van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. He set foot on its shores in Blackman Bay, approximately 50 kilometres east of metropolitan Hobart, and proceeded to plant the Dutch flag in his newly discovered land. He returned on a second voyage in 1644, mapping the north coast of Australia and "making observations". Tasman gave Australia the name New Holland, which remained popular until the mid-1850s. Just a few years later, Tasman's discoveries would be added to the map. In his book, Australia Unveiled, Dutch author Gnter Schilder said it was "possibly the best general map of Dutch sea power in South-East Asia executed in the seventeenth century. It contains all Dutch discoveries in Australia and those in Tasmania and New Zealand of Tasman's first voyages". The map was chartered after the Dutch became attracted to new areas of trade and were looking for new routes across the world in the hope to expand their operations. Dutch trading interests "already extended to the Moluccas in the east, to China and Japan in the north and to the Coromandel Coast and Surat in the west. The expansion to the south was immanent", wrote Mr Shilder in his book. But despite basically discovering an entire new country, the Dutch were disappointed by Tasman's explorations; to them he returned empty-handed, he hadn't found a useful shipping route and didn't fully explore this new land. After this, for more than 100 years, until James Cook's explorations in 1770 and the subsequent landing of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia was largely untouched by Europeans. | Historians claim Portuguese navigators were the first Europeans to sight Australia in the 16th century. A 16th century maritime map shows that Portuguese adventurers rather than the British or Dutch were actually the first Europeans to hit Australian land. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12196611 | 0.323355 |
Were the British really the first Europeans to sight Australia? | We've long been taught that the British were the first Europeans to land on Australian waters. Popular history dictates that Australia was first visited by the Dutch in the early 17th century, and later fully explored by Captain Cook. But some theorists claim our pubs and shepherd's pies could just as easily could have been Oportos and caldo verde on every block, news.com.au reports. Some historians have claimed Portuguese navigators were the first Europeans to sight Australia in the 16th century. Advertisement In his 2007 book Beyond Capricorn, Canberra-based science journalist Peter Trickett made the startling claim that Australia was actually discovered in 1522 by a Portuguese seafarer named Christopher de Mendonca. The book points to a 16th century maritime map showing that Portuguese adventurers rather than the British or Dutch were actually the first Europeans to hit Australian land. The map, which accurately marks geographical sites along Australia's east coast in Portuguese, appears to prove that de Mendonca lead a fleet of four ships into Botany Bay almost 250 years before Britain's Captain James Cook. In the mid-1500s, the Dieppe mapmakers created elaborate hand-drawn world maps, which were beautifully preserved. The world maps depicted a large landmass located between Indonesia and Antarctica, labelled as Java la Grande. Part of one of the maps, which bore a close resemblance to the coast of Queensland, featured 120 place names in Portuguese. Trickett, who bought a rare portfolio of these maps in the late 1990s, argued that the atlas compliers in Dieppe may have made an alignment error in the Portuguese charts they were copying from. When a computer expert cut the map in two and rotated the bottom half, it revealed the east coast of Australia stretching right down to Kangaroo Island in great detail, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. In Kenneth McIntyre's 1977 book The Discovery of Australia, he notes that the chart scripts were written in both French and Portuguese. The Australian historian suggested the Portuguese may have been searching for Marco Polo's fabled Isles of Gold and sighted Australia in the process. That's not the only relic that suggests the Portuguese beat the Dutch and English to the punch. Some have speculated that this is a drawing of a kangaroo. Photo / Supplied In 2014, a document was acquired by a New York gallery, Les Enluminures, which appeared to show a sketch of a kangaroo curled in the letters of a Portuguese manuscript. That manuscript dates back to the 16th century hundreds of years before the British officially entered Australian waters. However, some have disputed what the animal in question is. La Trobe University's Peter Pridmore suggested it was more likely an aardvark than a kangaroo, noting the shape of its snout and ears, the proportions of its limbs, and its deep thorax. But despite objection from several critics, McIntyre stands firm that the Portuguese discovered Australia before the Dutch. "Every critic who seeks to deny the Portuguese discovery of Australia is faced with the problem of providing an alternative theory to explain away the existence of the Dieppe maps. If the Dauphin is not the record of real exploration, then what is it?" he wrote in his book. RARE MAP SHEDS DOUBT ON PORTUGUESE THEORY In 2017, a rare 17th-century wall map was rediscovered that directly contradicted the Portuguese theory. According to Sotheby's, it was the very first map to call Australia "Nova Hollandia" and was "extremely rare". It was the first to put Tasmania on the map, quite literally, following the findings of Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman during his explorations in 1642-1643 and 1644. Tasman spotted the west coast of Tasmania on November 24, 1642, naming his discovery Van Diemen's Land, after Antonio van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. He set foot on its shores in Blackman Bay, approximately 50 kilometres east of metropolitan Hobart, and proceeded to plant the Dutch flag in his newly discovered land. He returned on a second voyage in 1644, mapping the north coast of Australia and "making observations". Tasman gave Australia the name New Holland, which remained popular until the mid-1850s. Just a few years later, Tasman's discoveries would be added to the map. In his book, Australia Unveiled, Dutch author Gnter Schilder said it was "possibly the best general map of Dutch sea power in South-East Asia executed in the seventeenth century. It contains all Dutch discoveries in Australia and those in Tasmania and New Zealand of Tasman's first voyages". The map was chartered after the Dutch became attracted to new areas of trade and were looking for new routes across the world in the hope to expand their operations. Dutch trading interests "already extended to the Moluccas in the east, to China and Japan in the north and to the Coromandel Coast and Surat in the west. The expansion to the south was immanent", wrote Mr Shilder in his book. But despite basically discovering an entire new country, the Dutch were disappointed by Tasman's explorations; to them he returned empty-handed, he hadn't found a useful shipping route and didn't fully explore this new land. After this, for more than 100 years, until James Cook's explorations in 1770 and the subsequent landing of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia was largely untouched by Europeans. | Some historians have claimed Portuguese navigators were the first Europeans to sight Australia in the 16th century. The theory is based on a 16th-century maritime map showing that Portuguese adventurers rather than the British or Dutch were actually the first European to hit Australian land. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12196611 | 0.260217 |
Where are self-driving cars being tested? | An Arizona woman was killed after being struck by a self-driving Uber vehicle this week - prompting the company to suspend all testing of self-driving vehicles in cities across the country. The Uber was in autonomous mode at the time of the collision in Tempe, and there was a vehicle operator behind the wheel, police said. The crash killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg. Uber is one of dozens of companies testing out self-driving cars across the country. Here is a look at where a few companies are testing their vehicles. Cruise Automation Our driverless cars are on the road in California, Arizona, and Michigan navigating some of the most challenging and unpredictable driving environments, Cruise Automation says online. We look forward to introducing this amazing technology to more communities soon. Lyft Lyft is set to test self-driving cars at GoMentum Stations 5,000 acre autonomous vehicle proving grounds located in Concord, California, a March 8 release said. Lyft has a driverless pilot program in Boston and offered driverless rides around the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Digital Trends reported. Uber The company has been testing autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Toronto and the greater Phoenix area for months. Waymo We've tested our self-driving vehicles across multiple locations in the US, Waymo says online. By driving every day in different types of real-world conditions, we teach our cars to navigate safely and comfortably through all sorts of situations. Testing locations listed on the Waymo site include Atlanta, Detroit and Austin. Arizona is also the home for multipe testing sites, including Chandler, Gilbert, Guadalupe, Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe. California testing sites include Carmel, Daly City, Half Moon Bay, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Merced, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Sunnyvale,Tiburon and Truckee. At least 52 companies have permits to test out self-driving cars California alone. Fox News Travis Fedschun and The Associated Press contributed to this report. | Uber is one of dozens of companies testing out self-driving cars across the country. An Arizona woman was killed after being struck by a self-driving Uber vehicle this week. At least 52 companies have permits to test out self-driving cars California alone. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.foxnews.com/auto/where-are-self-driving-cars-being-tested | 0.114025 |
Will Canadas choir-boy act finally pay off? | Long-time Trump associate Roger Stone is indicted in the Mueller probe. Donald Trumps State of the Union address is postponed after he is outfoxed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The record-length government shutdown finally concludes. Venezuela erupts. The U.S supports an opposition takeover. Russia doesnt. Oh and theres a story about the Trudeau governments ambassador to China. He strayed off the party line in making some controversial remarks about a potentially pending extradition case in Canada involving an executive of a telecommunications giant. To say this story, amid so many other detonations, hasnt come across the radar down here would be an understatement. Story continues below advertisement John McCallum, the ambassador in question, humiliatingly had to roll back his declarations, which lent some credibility to the Chinese position vis-a-vis the American one in respect to the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Ms. Meng was taken into custody in Canada for allegedly covering up violations of sanctions on Iran. But his apology, oddly, wasnt prompted by any public pressure from the Trump administration (who, it should be said, should hardly be allowed to complain about mixed messaging from governments). The Canadian embassy didnt get one complaint from the Trumpites before the mea culpa materialized. Rather, Mr. McCallum had to withdraw his statements because he had crossed the line into the political sphere from the legal one. The Chinese, of course, have brutally forced the matter into the political sphere with the detention of two Canadians and the death sentence of another on drug-smuggling charges. And with Mr. Trump, everything is in the political sphere. Hes said he would use the Meng case as a bargaining chip if necessary in trade negotiations with China. But in contrast to the two megapowers, choir-boy Canada wont dirty its hands. It will keep the matter Mr. McCallum be damned entirely in the legal realm. Yes, he went off message. Yes, he was on shaky ground commenting on a matter possibly going before the courts. But it was good that he let the Chinese know and did so publicly that Washington wouldnt automatically get its way in Canada. Though it lasted only a flash, it was one of the few instances of proactivity from the Canadian government. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we learned this week, told Mr. Trump that if the Meng case is used as a negotiating chip, the U.S. needs to make sure the two innocent Canadians are released as a result of the bargaining. Its a message that should be repeated. Friendly, said Canadas Washington envoy, David MacNaughton. But Ottawa did not go public with it when it happened and has no plans to escalate any kind of political pressure on Mr. Trump. I have kept the U.S. fully informed of our position from when she was first detained, Mr. MacNaughton said Friday. That position hasnt changed. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Playing by the book and trying to abide by sound principles were strategies used by Ottawa in the trade negotiations. Unlike the Americans, our negotiators didnt put forward unreasonable demands that they could use as bargaining chips. It appeared the Canadian side was on the defensive most of the way. But the strategy didnt work out too badly. Ultimately, Mr. Trump backed down on a couple of his demands and an agreement was reached. In a similar way, Canada could find its way out of the China imbroglio. Mr. Trump is facing so many challenges that, as on a new North American free-trade agreement, calmer heads might persuade him to compromise on trade with China. In respect to Ms. Meng, several scenarios are possible. The U.S. might conveniently miss next weeks deadline for the extradition filing, or the Americans might file such a weak case that it will easily be dismissed in a Canadian hearing. They dont appear to have a strong case in the first place, and the Chinese are masters of inscrutability in their business dealings. Another is that Mr. Trump, using Ms. Meng as leverage, will get a trade deal with Beijing. The Canadians will be released in the process of it. Mr. McCallum will slip the villain tag. | Canada's ambassador to China was forced to apologize for comments about extradition case. Peter Bergen says Canada's choir-boy act may finally be paying off. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-will-canadas-choir-boy-act-finally-pay-off/ | 0.248429 |
Will Canadas choir-boy act finally pay off? | Long-time Trump associate Roger Stone is indicted in the Mueller probe. Donald Trumps State of the Union address is postponed after he is outfoxed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The record-length government shutdown finally concludes. Venezuela erupts. The U.S supports an opposition takeover. Russia doesnt. Oh and theres a story about the Trudeau governments ambassador to China. He strayed off the party line in making some controversial remarks about a potentially pending extradition case in Canada involving an executive of a telecommunications giant. To say this story, amid so many other detonations, hasnt come across the radar down here would be an understatement. Story continues below advertisement John McCallum, the ambassador in question, humiliatingly had to roll back his declarations, which lent some credibility to the Chinese position vis-a-vis the American one in respect to the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Ms. Meng was taken into custody in Canada for allegedly covering up violations of sanctions on Iran. But his apology, oddly, wasnt prompted by any public pressure from the Trump administration (who, it should be said, should hardly be allowed to complain about mixed messaging from governments). The Canadian embassy didnt get one complaint from the Trumpites before the mea culpa materialized. Rather, Mr. McCallum had to withdraw his statements because he had crossed the line into the political sphere from the legal one. The Chinese, of course, have brutally forced the matter into the political sphere with the detention of two Canadians and the death sentence of another on drug-smuggling charges. And with Mr. Trump, everything is in the political sphere. Hes said he would use the Meng case as a bargaining chip if necessary in trade negotiations with China. But in contrast to the two megapowers, choir-boy Canada wont dirty its hands. It will keep the matter Mr. McCallum be damned entirely in the legal realm. Yes, he went off message. Yes, he was on shaky ground commenting on a matter possibly going before the courts. But it was good that he let the Chinese know and did so publicly that Washington wouldnt automatically get its way in Canada. Though it lasted only a flash, it was one of the few instances of proactivity from the Canadian government. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we learned this week, told Mr. Trump that if the Meng case is used as a negotiating chip, the U.S. needs to make sure the two innocent Canadians are released as a result of the bargaining. Its a message that should be repeated. Friendly, said Canadas Washington envoy, David MacNaughton. But Ottawa did not go public with it when it happened and has no plans to escalate any kind of political pressure on Mr. Trump. I have kept the U.S. fully informed of our position from when she was first detained, Mr. MacNaughton said Friday. That position hasnt changed. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Playing by the book and trying to abide by sound principles were strategies used by Ottawa in the trade negotiations. Unlike the Americans, our negotiators didnt put forward unreasonable demands that they could use as bargaining chips. It appeared the Canadian side was on the defensive most of the way. But the strategy didnt work out too badly. Ultimately, Mr. Trump backed down on a couple of his demands and an agreement was reached. In a similar way, Canada could find its way out of the China imbroglio. Mr. Trump is facing so many challenges that, as on a new North American free-trade agreement, calmer heads might persuade him to compromise on trade with China. In respect to Ms. Meng, several scenarios are possible. The U.S. might conveniently miss next weeks deadline for the extradition filing, or the Americans might file such a weak case that it will easily be dismissed in a Canadian hearing. They dont appear to have a strong case in the first place, and the Chinese are masters of inscrutability in their business dealings. Another is that Mr. Trump, using Ms. Meng as leverage, will get a trade deal with Beijing. The Canadians will be released in the process of it. Mr. McCallum will slip the villain tag. | Canada's ambassador to China was forced to apologize for comments about extradition case. Peter Bergen says Canada's choir-boy act may finally be paying off. He says it was good that John McCallum let the Chinese know that Washington wouldn't automatically get its way in Canada. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-will-canadas-choir-boy-act-finally-pay-off/ | 0.433034 |
Will Nike's Partnership With MLB Result In Radical Uniform Changes Or More Of The Same? | Today, Nike and Major League Baseball confirmed the rumors that sent shock waves across the sports uniform landscape last year. Nike will indeed become the official uniform and shoe provider for MLB and this will go into effect for the 2020 season and will go on for 10 years. This also includes an agreement with Fanatics when it comes to merchandise which means that MLB is about to enter a brave new world when it comes to aesthetics for both their uniforms and their merchandise as well. The main question that will probably receive plenty of discussion from now until Nike officially takes control is whether or not we'll see another sea change of uniforms once the agreement kicks in. When Nike took control of the NFL, we saw plenty of teams take that opportunity to make changes to their uniform, whether they were slight changes or complete overhauls. The same went for the NBA and that included what could be considered an avalanche of uniform changes and additions. It would be safe to assume that Nike would probably like to implement their own design tastes onto MLB uniforms as well, so we'll probably see a few teams make some major changes once Nike comes aboard. It'll be especially interesting to see what happens with the San Diego Padres, who will be undergoing changes ahead of the 2020 season. Will Nike take the opportunity to do a bit of experimentation with San Diego's uniforms, or will we see them continue to stick to normal baseball trends when it comes to the new look. It will definitely be interesting to see just how Nike treads the line between radical experimentation and traditional baseball uniform aesthetics. Football and basketball tend to learn towards the progressive side of design and that's why you see all sorts of interesting color schemes and striping patterns when it comes to their uniform designs in those sports. Baseball, on the other hand, is a completely different animal. This is a sport where simply wearing a color such as powder blue in lieu of gray as a road jersey is considered to be a major switch in uniform design. There is room to experiment and come up with progressive design but you also run the risk of messing with a good thing. Major League Baseball is currently sitting on extremely solid ground when it comes to their uniforms and you could argue that no team could use a major change. It's safe to say that we won't see teams like the Yankees or Tigers making major changes but we could see teams use the alternate uniform landscape as their opportunity to take Nike's hand and explore their options. Of course, this is all speculation at this point in time. There's still a year to go before this goes into affect and other than San Diego, there's no telling as to who will make a big change at this time. However, it will be interesting to see which direction Nike goes in when it comes to their aesthetic influence. Only time will tell. | Nike will become the official uniform and shoe provider for MLB. This will go into effect for the 2020 season and will go on for 10 years. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/demetriusbell/2019/01/25/major-league-baseball-nike-uniform-changes-2020/ | 0.149465 |
Will Nike's Partnership With MLB Result In Radical Uniform Changes Or More Of The Same? | Today, Nike and Major League Baseball confirmed the rumors that sent shock waves across the sports uniform landscape last year. Nike will indeed become the official uniform and shoe provider for MLB and this will go into effect for the 2020 season and will go on for 10 years. This also includes an agreement with Fanatics when it comes to merchandise which means that MLB is about to enter a brave new world when it comes to aesthetics for both their uniforms and their merchandise as well. The main question that will probably receive plenty of discussion from now until Nike officially takes control is whether or not we'll see another sea change of uniforms once the agreement kicks in. When Nike took control of the NFL, we saw plenty of teams take that opportunity to make changes to their uniform, whether they were slight changes or complete overhauls. The same went for the NBA and that included what could be considered an avalanche of uniform changes and additions. It would be safe to assume that Nike would probably like to implement their own design tastes onto MLB uniforms as well, so we'll probably see a few teams make some major changes once Nike comes aboard. It'll be especially interesting to see what happens with the San Diego Padres, who will be undergoing changes ahead of the 2020 season. Will Nike take the opportunity to do a bit of experimentation with San Diego's uniforms, or will we see them continue to stick to normal baseball trends when it comes to the new look. It will definitely be interesting to see just how Nike treads the line between radical experimentation and traditional baseball uniform aesthetics. Football and basketball tend to learn towards the progressive side of design and that's why you see all sorts of interesting color schemes and striping patterns when it comes to their uniform designs in those sports. Baseball, on the other hand, is a completely different animal. This is a sport where simply wearing a color such as powder blue in lieu of gray as a road jersey is considered to be a major switch in uniform design. There is room to experiment and come up with progressive design but you also run the risk of messing with a good thing. Major League Baseball is currently sitting on extremely solid ground when it comes to their uniforms and you could argue that no team could use a major change. It's safe to say that we won't see teams like the Yankees or Tigers making major changes but we could see teams use the alternate uniform landscape as their opportunity to take Nike's hand and explore their options. Of course, this is all speculation at this point in time. There's still a year to go before this goes into affect and other than San Diego, there's no telling as to who will make a big change at this time. However, it will be interesting to see which direction Nike goes in when it comes to their aesthetic influence. Only time will tell. | Nike will become the official uniform and shoe provider for Major League Baseball. This will go into effect for the 2020 season and will go on for 10 years. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/demetriusbell/2019/01/25/major-league-baseball-nike-uniform-changes-2020/ | 0.141306 |
Will Nike's Partnership With MLB Result In Radical Uniform Changes Or More Of The Same? | Today, Nike and Major League Baseball confirmed the rumors that sent shock waves across the sports uniform landscape last year. Nike will indeed become the official uniform and shoe provider for MLB and this will go into effect for the 2020 season and will go on for 10 years. This also includes an agreement with Fanatics when it comes to merchandise which means that MLB is about to enter a brave new world when it comes to aesthetics for both their uniforms and their merchandise as well. The main question that will probably receive plenty of discussion from now until Nike officially takes control is whether or not we'll see another sea change of uniforms once the agreement kicks in. When Nike took control of the NFL, we saw plenty of teams take that opportunity to make changes to their uniform, whether they were slight changes or complete overhauls. The same went for the NBA and that included what could be considered an avalanche of uniform changes and additions. It would be safe to assume that Nike would probably like to implement their own design tastes onto MLB uniforms as well, so we'll probably see a few teams make some major changes once Nike comes aboard. It'll be especially interesting to see what happens with the San Diego Padres, who will be undergoing changes ahead of the 2020 season. Will Nike take the opportunity to do a bit of experimentation with San Diego's uniforms, or will we see them continue to stick to normal baseball trends when it comes to the new look. It will definitely be interesting to see just how Nike treads the line between radical experimentation and traditional baseball uniform aesthetics. Football and basketball tend to learn towards the progressive side of design and that's why you see all sorts of interesting color schemes and striping patterns when it comes to their uniform designs in those sports. Baseball, on the other hand, is a completely different animal. This is a sport where simply wearing a color such as powder blue in lieu of gray as a road jersey is considered to be a major switch in uniform design. There is room to experiment and come up with progressive design but you also run the risk of messing with a good thing. Major League Baseball is currently sitting on extremely solid ground when it comes to their uniforms and you could argue that no team could use a major change. It's safe to say that we won't see teams like the Yankees or Tigers making major changes but we could see teams use the alternate uniform landscape as their opportunity to take Nike's hand and explore their options. Of course, this is all speculation at this point in time. There's still a year to go before this goes into affect and other than San Diego, there's no telling as to who will make a big change at this time. However, it will be interesting to see which direction Nike goes in when it comes to their aesthetic influence. Only time will tell. | Nike will become the official uniform and shoe provider for Major League Baseball. This will go into effect for the 2020 season and will go on for 10 years. It will be interesting to see just how Nike treads the line between radical experimentation and traditional baseball uniform aesthetics when it comes to their uniforms. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/demetriusbell/2019/01/25/major-league-baseball-nike-uniform-changes-2020/ | 0.266794 |
Are These Expired Tax Breaks Gone for Good? | Tax season is just about to start, and taxpayers will be starting to prepare their returns for the 2018 tax year. Yet even as they do so, lawmakers haven't yet addressed some key provisions of the tax laws that expired at the end of 2017 -- and there's no guarantee that they'll be able to get their act together in time to let taxpayers and the IRS take them into account in their tax filings. Most tax policy specialists have paid close attention to all the tax reform-related changes from new laws that took effect in 2018. That's pushed some older tax breaks out of the spotlight, and between the government shutdown and the latest incarnation of Washington gridlock, things aren't happening the way they usually do to fix them. Alarm clock, piles of coins, and letter magnets spelling "TAX" on a wood table. More Image source: Getty Images. How tax extenders got to be a problem The tax laws are full of provisions that offer breaks to certain groups of taxpayers for certain activities. Some of them are permanent provisions of the tax code that taxpayers can rely on year in and year out, but others are designed to last for a specific period of time, with firm expiration dates. Each year, lawmakers face pressure to extend the expiration dates on favored tax breaks. However, doing so comes with a budgetary cost, and that cost can be substantial when tax breaks become permanent. It's cheaper from a budgetary perspective simply to extend the expiration date for a single year, kicking the can down the road into the future. Recently, Congress has been increasingly late in dealing with tax extenders. For the 2017 tax year, these provisions didn't get extended until February 2018. That was late enough to create challenges for both taxpayers and IRS staff members. Yet it seems that no one's learned from that lesson, and now some think that lawmakers might just give up on the extenders rather than trying to deal with them after the start of tax season. At issue are a number of popular tax breaks, including the following: Deductibility of private mortgage insurance (PMI) payments in the same manner as mortgage interest. Deductions from gross income for qualified tuition and fees for college. Exclusion from income of debt forgiven on a qualifying principal residence. Various credits for renewable energy initiatives, including certain electric vehicles. There are also dozens of breaks that apply largely to businesses, especially in the energy arena. Even though the extenders have generally had a good track record of getting renewed each year, there's reason to believe that this year could be different. With so many other tax changes having taken effect, it'd be easier to end these provisions without having as many taxpayers notice as they would in a year with fewer tax changes. In addition, some of the provisions have largely run their course. For instance, the exclusion of debt forgiveness was largely tied to the housing crisis in the late 2000s, and a rising housing market in the past decade has made mortgage modifications a lot less common. It'd be tougher to kill some of the other credits. Electric vehicles have gotten a lot of notoriety from the rise of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), and even though enough Tesla vehicles have used the credit that the amount of money available has been on the decline, it's still an incentive to further innovation in the industry. Millions of homeowners pay PMI on their mortgages, and although the higher standard deduction might make this deduction less relevant than in past years, it could still be perceived as negative. Similarly, many taxpayers use education provisions other than the tuition deduction, but those who do use it will feel its loss. | Some tax extenders expired at the end of the 2017 tax year. Lawmakers face pressure to extend the expiration dates on favored tax breaks, but doing so comes with a budgetary cost. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/expired-tax-breaks-gone-good-224600731.html | 0.134322 |
Are These Expired Tax Breaks Gone for Good? | Tax season is just about to start, and taxpayers will be starting to prepare their returns for the 2018 tax year. Yet even as they do so, lawmakers haven't yet addressed some key provisions of the tax laws that expired at the end of 2017 -- and there's no guarantee that they'll be able to get their act together in time to let taxpayers and the IRS take them into account in their tax filings. Most tax policy specialists have paid close attention to all the tax reform-related changes from new laws that took effect in 2018. That's pushed some older tax breaks out of the spotlight, and between the government shutdown and the latest incarnation of Washington gridlock, things aren't happening the way they usually do to fix them. Alarm clock, piles of coins, and letter magnets spelling "TAX" on a wood table. More Image source: Getty Images. How tax extenders got to be a problem The tax laws are full of provisions that offer breaks to certain groups of taxpayers for certain activities. Some of them are permanent provisions of the tax code that taxpayers can rely on year in and year out, but others are designed to last for a specific period of time, with firm expiration dates. Each year, lawmakers face pressure to extend the expiration dates on favored tax breaks. However, doing so comes with a budgetary cost, and that cost can be substantial when tax breaks become permanent. It's cheaper from a budgetary perspective simply to extend the expiration date for a single year, kicking the can down the road into the future. Recently, Congress has been increasingly late in dealing with tax extenders. For the 2017 tax year, these provisions didn't get extended until February 2018. That was late enough to create challenges for both taxpayers and IRS staff members. Yet it seems that no one's learned from that lesson, and now some think that lawmakers might just give up on the extenders rather than trying to deal with them after the start of tax season. At issue are a number of popular tax breaks, including the following: Deductibility of private mortgage insurance (PMI) payments in the same manner as mortgage interest. Deductions from gross income for qualified tuition and fees for college. Exclusion from income of debt forgiven on a qualifying principal residence. Various credits for renewable energy initiatives, including certain electric vehicles. There are also dozens of breaks that apply largely to businesses, especially in the energy arena. Even though the extenders have generally had a good track record of getting renewed each year, there's reason to believe that this year could be different. With so many other tax changes having taken effect, it'd be easier to end these provisions without having as many taxpayers notice as they would in a year with fewer tax changes. In addition, some of the provisions have largely run their course. For instance, the exclusion of debt forgiveness was largely tied to the housing crisis in the late 2000s, and a rising housing market in the past decade has made mortgage modifications a lot less common. It'd be tougher to kill some of the other credits. Electric vehicles have gotten a lot of notoriety from the rise of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), and even though enough Tesla vehicles have used the credit that the amount of money available has been on the decline, it's still an incentive to further innovation in the industry. Millions of homeowners pay PMI on their mortgages, and although the higher standard deduction might make this deduction less relevant than in past years, it could still be perceived as negative. Similarly, many taxpayers use education provisions other than the tuition deduction, but those who do use it will feel its loss. | Some tax extenders expired at the end of the 2017 tax year. Lawmakers face pressure to extend the expiration dates on favored tax breaks, but doing so comes with a budgetary cost, and that cost can be substantial when tax breaks become permanent. Some think Congress might just give up on the extenders rather than deal with them after the start of tax season. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/expired-tax-breaks-gone-good-224600731.html | 0.177 |
Why wasnt hearing on NOPD consent decree televised? | Six years ago, the New Orleans Police Department entered into a landmark agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to enact far-reaching reforms to prevent the excessive use of force, promote bias-free policing, combat corruption and ensure meaningful engagement with the community. Today, as the city prepares to make the case that the NOPD has met the terms of that agreement, it is vital that this process remain as open and transparent as possible. The City Councils decision not to televise Fridays (Jan. 25) public hearing on the NOPDs consent decree was completely wrongheaded and unjustifiable. It sends entirely the wrong message of preference for closed-door government at a time when the city should strive for absolute transparency. Remarkable reforms made at NOPD, but work on consent decree remains, judge says Although court hearings on the consent decree are public, they are held at times and locations that are not accessible for most workaday residents. This fact has made it difficult or almost impossible for most New Orleans residents to stay informed about the NOPDs progress in meeting its obligations. This is unacceptable. While the federal monitors charged with tracking the citys progress have acknowledged admirable steps forward, they dispute the citys internal assessment of 93 percent compliance. This is all the more reason for the public to have every opportunity to see for themselves the progress thats been made and the work that still needs to be done. Taxpayers also have paid dearly for NOPDs past abuses, as spending related to the consent decree is expected to reach $55 million by the end of this year. Thankfully, reporters at the Lens and NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune stepped in to provide live video of the hearing, and media coverage shed light on the proceedings. But the citys opposition to broadcasting the hearing on public-access television signals that Mayor LaToya Cantrells administration, the NOPD and the City Council prefer to operate in obscurity. Moving forward, city leaders should operate with the openness and transparency New Orleans residents deserve. Alanah Odoms Hebert Executive Director of the ACLU of Louisiana | City Council's decision not to televise Friday's public hearing on the NOPDs consent decree was wrongheaded and unjustifiable, says ACLU of Louisiana's Alanah Odoms Hebert. She says the city's opposition to broadcasting the hearing on public-access television signals that Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration prefers to operate in obscurity. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.nola.com/opinions/2019/01/why-wasnt-hearing-on-nopd-consent-decree-televised.html | 0.168621 |
Who is Roger Stone? | Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has been indicted by a federal grand jury on seven counts -- including false statements obstruction and witness tampering -- the special counsel's office announced Friday morning. He was arrested before dawn on Friday and appeared in court the same day. Stone has been an eccentric figure on the right for decades, as a longtime Republican operative who has referred to himself as a "political provocateur" and a "dirty trickster." He helped elect Ronald Reagan, but unlike most Republicans, he is an acolyte of President Richard Nixon. Underneath his bespoke suits, he has a tattoo of Nixon's face on his back. Stone worked on Nixon's 1972 campaign, as well as Reagan's 1976 and 1980 presidential campaigns. After helping to elect Reagan, Stone built a lobbying firm with his friend Paul Manafort, better known in the past couple of years as the former Trump campaign chairman who has also been entangled in the special counsel investigation, and was accused of violating his guilty plea by lying to federal prosecutors. Stone and President Trump have known each other since 1979, when the two were introduced by controversial lawyer Roy Cohn. Stone registered as a lobbyist for the Trump Organization in the 1990s, and lobbied on behalf of the organization during Mr. Trump's ill-fated time as a casino owner. Stone joined Mr. Trump's campaign immediately after it launched in 2015, although he left two months later over disagreements with then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. While the Trump campaign said he had been fired, Stone maintained that he quit. He remained in contact with Mr. Trump through the election. Stone admitted to CBS News' Jeff Pegues in 2017 that he had been in contact with a Twitter handle U.S. officials considered a front for Russian intelligence during the campaign. "There's no collusion here," Stone told Pegues, while he admitted to contact with Guccifer 2.0, the Twitter handle that released hacked election information believed stolen from Democratic Party servers. Stone insisted that his conversation with Guccifer 2.0 was "innocuous" because of its and timing and because he was unaware at the time of the "exchange" of allegations that Guccifer 2.0 has ties to Russia. In 2016, Stone seemed to predict the hack of Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta's emails. "Trust me, it will soon be Podesta's time in the barrel. #CrookedHillary," Stone tweeted, shortly before WikiLeaks hacked Podesta's emails and released them to the public. The special counsel's Friday indictment accuses Stone of giving information about WikiLeaks to the Trump campaign. According to the special counsel's office, Stone told "senior Trump campaign officials" about hacked emails that could hurt Clinton. The indictment listed seven counts: one count of obstruction of an official proceeding; five counts of false statements; and one count of witness tampering. Stone agreed to post a $250,000 bond Friday, after making his first appearance in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The indictment doesn't name WikiLeaks, but paints a picture of how Stone was allegedly in touch with top Trump campaign officials about leaked Democratic emails from "Organization 1" during the 2016 presidential campaign. The indictment claims Stone spoke to senior Trump campaign officials about information that could damage Hillary Clinton's campaign. The indictment also alleges Stone was contacted by senior Trump campaign officials to inquire about future releases the "Organization 1" might have. "During the summer of 2016, STONE spoke to senior Trump campaign officials about Organization 1 and information it might have had that would be damaging to the Clinton campaign. STONE was contacted by senior Trump campaign officials to inquire about future releases by Organization 1," the indictment reads. It also alleges that after the House Intelligence Committee, Senate Intelligence Committee and FBI began investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, Stone "took steps to obstruct these investigations" by making false statements to the House Intelligence Committee and attempting to persuade a witness to provide false testimony. The indictment contains multiple text and email exchanges allegedly involving Stone. In one text obtained by Mueller's office, on Oct. 1, 2016, someone identified only as "Person 2" in the indictment sent Stone text messages that said, 'big news Wednesday . . . now pretend u don't know me . . . Hillary's campaign will die this week.'" The Washington Post attributed that text message to Randy Credico, a radio host whom Stone identified as his intermediary to WikiLeaks. Six days later, hackers began releasing the personal emails of Podesta. According to the indictment, Person 2 also advised Stone to be honest with the FBI. Stone responded that he wouldn't talk to the FBI and threatened Person 2, saying, "if your [SIC] smart you won't either." Four months later, Stone emailed Person 2 again after it was apparent he had cooperated with the government. "You are a rat. A stoolie. You backstab your friends - run your mouth my lawyers are dying [to] Rip you to shreds," Stone wrote, the indictment reads. Stone also threatened his dog, saying, he'd "take that dog away from you." Credico has a small white dog named Bianca. Here's a photo of Credico and Bianca: | Roger Stone is a longtime Republican operative who has referred to himself as a "political provocateur" He helped elect Ronald Reagan, but unlike most Republicans, he is an acolyte of President Richard Nixon. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/roger-stone-indictment-arrest-special-counsel-donald-trump-2019-01-25/ | 0.445462 |
Who is Roger Stone? | Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has been indicted by a federal grand jury on seven counts -- including false statements obstruction and witness tampering -- the special counsel's office announced Friday morning. He was arrested before dawn on Friday and appeared in court the same day. Stone has been an eccentric figure on the right for decades, as a longtime Republican operative who has referred to himself as a "political provocateur" and a "dirty trickster." He helped elect Ronald Reagan, but unlike most Republicans, he is an acolyte of President Richard Nixon. Underneath his bespoke suits, he has a tattoo of Nixon's face on his back. Stone worked on Nixon's 1972 campaign, as well as Reagan's 1976 and 1980 presidential campaigns. After helping to elect Reagan, Stone built a lobbying firm with his friend Paul Manafort, better known in the past couple of years as the former Trump campaign chairman who has also been entangled in the special counsel investigation, and was accused of violating his guilty plea by lying to federal prosecutors. Stone and President Trump have known each other since 1979, when the two were introduced by controversial lawyer Roy Cohn. Stone registered as a lobbyist for the Trump Organization in the 1990s, and lobbied on behalf of the organization during Mr. Trump's ill-fated time as a casino owner. Stone joined Mr. Trump's campaign immediately after it launched in 2015, although he left two months later over disagreements with then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. While the Trump campaign said he had been fired, Stone maintained that he quit. He remained in contact with Mr. Trump through the election. Stone admitted to CBS News' Jeff Pegues in 2017 that he had been in contact with a Twitter handle U.S. officials considered a front for Russian intelligence during the campaign. "There's no collusion here," Stone told Pegues, while he admitted to contact with Guccifer 2.0, the Twitter handle that released hacked election information believed stolen from Democratic Party servers. Stone insisted that his conversation with Guccifer 2.0 was "innocuous" because of its and timing and because he was unaware at the time of the "exchange" of allegations that Guccifer 2.0 has ties to Russia. In 2016, Stone seemed to predict the hack of Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta's emails. "Trust me, it will soon be Podesta's time in the barrel. #CrookedHillary," Stone tweeted, shortly before WikiLeaks hacked Podesta's emails and released them to the public. The special counsel's Friday indictment accuses Stone of giving information about WikiLeaks to the Trump campaign. According to the special counsel's office, Stone told "senior Trump campaign officials" about hacked emails that could hurt Clinton. The indictment listed seven counts: one count of obstruction of an official proceeding; five counts of false statements; and one count of witness tampering. Stone agreed to post a $250,000 bond Friday, after making his first appearance in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The indictment doesn't name WikiLeaks, but paints a picture of how Stone was allegedly in touch with top Trump campaign officials about leaked Democratic emails from "Organization 1" during the 2016 presidential campaign. The indictment claims Stone spoke to senior Trump campaign officials about information that could damage Hillary Clinton's campaign. The indictment also alleges Stone was contacted by senior Trump campaign officials to inquire about future releases the "Organization 1" might have. "During the summer of 2016, STONE spoke to senior Trump campaign officials about Organization 1 and information it might have had that would be damaging to the Clinton campaign. STONE was contacted by senior Trump campaign officials to inquire about future releases by Organization 1," the indictment reads. It also alleges that after the House Intelligence Committee, Senate Intelligence Committee and FBI began investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, Stone "took steps to obstruct these investigations" by making false statements to the House Intelligence Committee and attempting to persuade a witness to provide false testimony. The indictment contains multiple text and email exchanges allegedly involving Stone. In one text obtained by Mueller's office, on Oct. 1, 2016, someone identified only as "Person 2" in the indictment sent Stone text messages that said, 'big news Wednesday . . . now pretend u don't know me . . . Hillary's campaign will die this week.'" The Washington Post attributed that text message to Randy Credico, a radio host whom Stone identified as his intermediary to WikiLeaks. Six days later, hackers began releasing the personal emails of Podesta. According to the indictment, Person 2 also advised Stone to be honest with the FBI. Stone responded that he wouldn't talk to the FBI and threatened Person 2, saying, "if your [SIC] smart you won't either." Four months later, Stone emailed Person 2 again after it was apparent he had cooperated with the government. "You are a rat. A stoolie. You backstab your friends - run your mouth my lawyers are dying [to] Rip you to shreds," Stone wrote, the indictment reads. Stone also threatened his dog, saying, he'd "take that dog away from you." Credico has a small white dog named Bianca. Here's a photo of Credico and Bianca: | Roger Stone is a longtime Republican operative who has referred to himself as a "political provocateur" and a "dirty trickster" He helped elect Ronald Reagan, but unlike most Republicans, he is an acolyte of President Richard Nixon. The indictment accuses Stone of giving information about WikiLeaks to the Trump campaign. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/roger-stone-indictment-arrest-special-counsel-donald-trump-2019-01-25/ | 0.477345 |
Can Nasdaq (NDAQ) Keep Its Earnings Streak Alive in Q4? | Nasdaq, Inc. NDAQ is slated to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 30, before market open. The company boasts a stellar record of positive earnings surprises. It outpaced estimates for eight straight quarters with the average beat being 3.35%. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Nasdaq is expected to benefit from growth of its index and analytics businesses, exchange data products across U.S. and Nordic equities and options and fixed income businesses. Strategic buyouts continue to enhance the companys capabilities, thereby aiding its performance. Improved trading volume should continue to drive better performance. In the fourth quarter of 2018, U.S. equity options volume increased 10.8% year over year to 482 million contracts, while European options and futures registered 22.6 million contracts, up 14.1% year over year. Though revenues per contract for U.S. equity options increased 15.4% year over year to 15 cents, the same for European options and futures deceased 12.5% to 49 cents. Rise in listings is expected to boost listing revenues in the fourth quarter. There are 3,685 listed companies on Nasdaq compared with 3,560 in the year-ago period. Total listings grew 3.7% from the year-earlier quarter to 4,059. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for listing services revenues is pegged at $73 million, up 2.8% year over year. Non-transaction revenues are expected to rise on higher listing plus Market Technology and Information Services revenues. Market Technology and Information Services businesses offer the biggest growth opportunities per the companys developmental strategies. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Marketing Information Service revenues is pegged at $182 million, up 16.7% year over year. It estimates 2018 non-GAAP operating expenses in the range of $1.310-$1.335 billion due to appointments and promotions, seasonal compensation and higher fourth-quarter marketing spend, which will affect margins. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.24, indicating 18.1% increase on a year-over-year basis. Nasdaq, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Nasdaq, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Nasdaq, Inc. Quote What Our Quantitative Model Says Our proven model conclusively shows that Nasdaq is likely to beat estimates this reporting cycle. This is because the stock has the right combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Earnings ESP: Nasdaq has an Earnings ESP of +0.99. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Nasdaq carries a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. Thus, this combination makes us confident of a positive earnings surprise. We caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks to Consider Here are stocks from the finance sector with the perfect combination of elements to surpass estimates in their upcoming releases. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. AJG is set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Jan 31. The stock has an Earnings ESP of +3.92% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Axis Capital Holdings Ltd. AXS is set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Jan 30. The stock has an Earnings ESP of +1.49% and a Zacks Rank of 3. Boston Properties, Inc. BXP has an Earnings ESP of +0.60% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company will announce fourth-quarter earnings on Jan 29. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> | Nasdaq, Inc. NDAQ is slated to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 30. The company boasts a stellar record of positive earnings surprises. | bart | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/nasdaq-ndaq-keep-earnings-streak-225310479.html | 0.11908 |
Can Nasdaq (NDAQ) Keep Its Earnings Streak Alive in Q4? | Nasdaq, Inc. NDAQ is slated to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 30, before market open. The company boasts a stellar record of positive earnings surprises. It outpaced estimates for eight straight quarters with the average beat being 3.35%. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Nasdaq is expected to benefit from growth of its index and analytics businesses, exchange data products across U.S. and Nordic equities and options and fixed income businesses. Strategic buyouts continue to enhance the companys capabilities, thereby aiding its performance. Improved trading volume should continue to drive better performance. In the fourth quarter of 2018, U.S. equity options volume increased 10.8% year over year to 482 million contracts, while European options and futures registered 22.6 million contracts, up 14.1% year over year. Though revenues per contract for U.S. equity options increased 15.4% year over year to 15 cents, the same for European options and futures deceased 12.5% to 49 cents. Rise in listings is expected to boost listing revenues in the fourth quarter. There are 3,685 listed companies on Nasdaq compared with 3,560 in the year-ago period. Total listings grew 3.7% from the year-earlier quarter to 4,059. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for listing services revenues is pegged at $73 million, up 2.8% year over year. Non-transaction revenues are expected to rise on higher listing plus Market Technology and Information Services revenues. Market Technology and Information Services businesses offer the biggest growth opportunities per the companys developmental strategies. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Marketing Information Service revenues is pegged at $182 million, up 16.7% year over year. It estimates 2018 non-GAAP operating expenses in the range of $1.310-$1.335 billion due to appointments and promotions, seasonal compensation and higher fourth-quarter marketing spend, which will affect margins. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.24, indicating 18.1% increase on a year-over-year basis. Nasdaq, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Nasdaq, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Nasdaq, Inc. Quote What Our Quantitative Model Says Our proven model conclusively shows that Nasdaq is likely to beat estimates this reporting cycle. This is because the stock has the right combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Earnings ESP: Nasdaq has an Earnings ESP of +0.99. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Zacks Rank: Nasdaq carries a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. Thus, this combination makes us confident of a positive earnings surprise. We caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Stocks to Consider Here are stocks from the finance sector with the perfect combination of elements to surpass estimates in their upcoming releases. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. AJG is set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Jan 31. The stock has an Earnings ESP of +3.92% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Axis Capital Holdings Ltd. AXS is set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Jan 30. The stock has an Earnings ESP of +1.49% and a Zacks Rank of 3. Boston Properties, Inc. BXP has an Earnings ESP of +0.60% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company will announce fourth-quarter earnings on Jan 29. The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early. See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> | Nasdaq, Inc. NDAQ is slated to report fourth-quarter 2018 results on Jan 30, before market open. The company boasts a stellar record of positive earnings surprises. It outpaced estimates for eight straight quarters with the average beat being 3.35%. Nasdaq is expected to benefit from growth of its index and analytics businesses. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/nasdaq-ndaq-keep-earnings-streak-225310479.html | 0.324723 |
Which Indy-area high school basketball coaching staff was the best as players? | After practice on Thursday afternoon, first-year Ben Davis coach Don Carlisle shared a story with the team about his senior season. It was around this time, in 1997, when Ben Davis defeated Carmel by 19 points in a game at Hinkle Fieldhouse. It was a turning point, Carlisle related to the team as they prepared to play Carmel on Friday night, part of a nine-game winning streak that ended in the regional at Hinkle against Cathedral. Drawing on his playing experience in high school, college and professionally, is a coaching technique Carlisle uses often. You can trust his process because you know he has been through it and knows the plan, Ben Davis senior Jeff Clayton said. Carlisle won two state championships as a sophomore and junior at Ben Davis before going on to a standout college career at IUPUI and 12-year professional career. Standing nearby after practice on Thursday was Carlisles former high school teammate, Courtney James, a 1995 Indiana All-Star who played two years in college at Minnesota and 10 years professionally. As basketball coaching staffs go, the 6-6 Carlisle and 6-8 James form an impressive frontcourt. Carlisle turned 40 earlier this month and James is 42. I have to take Ibuprofen and ice my knees, James said. But I still try to get out there and get up and down. Buy Photo Ben Davis coaches, left to right, Jordan Bragg (Marion), Don Carlisle (Ben Davis) and Courtney James (Ben Davis) as players. In this hypothetical scenario, we based the question on coaches in the prime of their playing career and not currently. But either way, the Ben Davis staff was mentioned multiple times. Right now? James asked. I think we would hold our own. Im pretty confident our staff would hold our own with any other coaching staff. But in our prime, I dont see too many in the state who could match up with us. We would have been tough. The Ben Davis team is more than Carlisle and James. Junior varsity coach Jordan Bragg was a 6-3 shooter on Marions 2007 Class 4A semistate team. Assistant coach Terry Futch was all-Marion County as a senior at Ben Davis in 1986 and played at Indiana State. K.J. Weaver, a 2013 Mooresville graduate, played junior college ball at the College of DuPage (Ill.). Assistant Corey Taylor played at Champaign Centennial (Ill.) in high school before serving two years as student manager at Eastern Illinois. Futch is old school, Carlisle said. Hes 50 but he still in shape and plays and runs hard. Hes a defensive stopper. Me and Courtney can score. Id play the four and he would play the five. Taylor still trains and plays every day. Jordan Bragg doesnt miss. Weaver can shoot it. If anybody wants to strap it on and play, I think it would be tough to get us out. Buy Photo Top row, left to right: D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Mike Bennett, Kristof Kendrick. Bottom row, left to right: Errick Peck, Courtney James and Zach Hahn. (Photo: IndyStar, Journal & Courier photos) There are some other coaching staffs worth considering as potential worthy challengers. Here are a some of the best submissions: Southport First-year coach Eric Brand played at Bloomington South before going on to a standout career at Bethel College. The 6-8 Brand scored a school-record 2,696 points and was a two-time NAIA All-American, leading Bethel to three national titles. Brand went on to play professionally in Austria, where was a two-time all-star, and in Australia, where he was league MVP in 2005. Like Ben Davis, there is depth on Southports staff. The 6-7 Kyle Taber, a 2004 Evansville Central graduate, averaged 4.1 points and 5.0 rebounds as a senior at Indiana in 2008-09. Mike Gehlert, at 6-4, averaged 12 points as a senior at Archbishop McNicholas in Cincinnati in 1972. Tony Adragna (Southport) and Isaiah Cousins (East Chicago Central) were both key contributors as varsity guards. The 6-5 Jordan Dever was a two-time conference player of the year at East Central and averaged 11 points a game at Marian University in 2005-06. Kaleb Oldham, a 2012 Owen Valley graduate, shot 45 percent from the 3-point line as a senior. Fishers Buy Photo Fishers assistant coaches Blake Snodgrass (North Harrison, left) and Dakota Slaughter (right, Fishers) in their playing days. (Photo: IndyStar, Courier Journal photos) Coach Matt Moore was a four-year starter at Columbia City and two-time all-conference selection before going on to start four seasons at Grace College, where he is fourth on the schools all-time assist list. Moore, coupled with Q (Qadr) Owens, gives the Tigers a strong backcourt. Owens, who played on Lawrence Norths 2006 Class 4A state title team, was a two-time NAIA All-American at St. Francis and won a national title in 2010. He scored 1,862 career points in college. Fishers staff also includes Blake Snodgrass, a four-year starter at North Harrison who scored 1,501 career points (25.3 points as a senior in 2003-04), Drew Fountain, a two-year starter at Gary Mann, and Dakota Slaughter, an all-conference football and basketball player at Fishers who played in 15 games as a senior at Alabama. Lawrence Central Coach Al Gooden helped lead Ball State to its first NCAA tournament berth as a senior in 1981 and was a two-time all-conference selection. The 6-5 Gooden, who played in high school at Fort Wayne Wayne, was inducted into Ball States athletic hall of fame in 1991. Goodens staff includes several other former college players, including DAndre Davis (Central Missouri State), Tra Granger (Danville Area Community College in Illinois), A.J. Gooden (Fort Wayne Bible College), Brian Maloney (Wabash) and Kurt Freytag (Purdue football). I guess I will have to carry the team, Gooden said. Cardinal Ritter Buy Photo Cardinal Ritter coaches, left to right, Errick Peck (Cathedral), Mike Bennett (Brebeuf Jesuit) and Devin Thomas (Pike) as area prep players. (Photo: IndyStar photos) Assistant coach Mike Bennett was an Indiana All-Star as a senior at Brebeuf Jesuit and led the Braves to the Class 3A state championship before going on to play at Ball State. Joining the 6-5 Bennett are head coach Ron Moore, who played at Ritter from 2001-03 and played Division III at Ohio Wesleyan for two seasons. Devin Thomas, at 6-4, was a key reserve on Pikes 2003 Class 4A state title team and went on to play at Division II St. Josephs. Justin Reed won a sectional as a senior at Ritter in 2009 before going to play at Anderson University and 6-6 Errick Peck was an Indiana All-Star at Cathedral before playing at Cornell and Purdue. Brett Hamrick played varsity basketball in North Carolina. Cardinal Ritters coaching staff looks like a clear favorite in this tournament, in my humble opinion, Moore said. Beech Grove Coach Mike Renfro believes he and former Beech Grove coach Matt English, who died in December from brain cancer, could have given Ben Davis a run for its money. English was a star player at Greenfield-Central before going on to star at Bethel University (Tenn.), where he scored a school-record 2,530 points before graduating in 1996. The 6-4 Renfro averaged 27.4 points as a senior in 1994-95 and remains the schools all-time scoring leader with 1,860 points. Renfro went on to play for Jay Wright at Hofstra, averaging 5.5 points per game in two seasons and played professionally in the United States Basketball League. Other assistants Jason Hess, Tyler Gentry, Tommy Pich and Ronnie Dietz all averaged in double figures at Beech Grove. Another assistant, Dan Nietz, was a standout at Emmanuel Christian in Toledo and Baptist Bible College in Pennsylvania. Center Grove Buy Photo Center Grove head coach Zach Hahn (right, New Castle) and Gunner Erwin (Salem) enjoyed solid playing careers. (Photo: IndyStar, Courier Journal photos) Coach Zach Hahn has excellent credentials of his own as an Indiana All-Star at New Castle in 2007 and a key player on Butlers back-to-back national championship runner-up teams in 2010 and 11. Assistant coach Gunner Erwin, a 6-5 forward, was an all-conference player at Franklin College in 2013 after playing in high school at Salem. Brian Keeton was a starter on Franklin Centrals regional team as a senior in 1996. Gary Robinson (Center Grove) and Troy Burkhart (Indian Creek) are other assistants. Howe Buy Photo Howe coaches, left to right, Dominique Ferguson (Lawrence North), Kristof Kendrick (Lafayette Central Catholic) and Brandon Smith (Cathedral). (Photo: IndyStar, Journal & Courier photos) The Hornets have a young staff led by head coach Kristof Kendrick, who scored 1,481 points at two-time state champion Lafayette Central Catholic and went on to play at Western Michigan. Kendricks staff includes Brandon Smith, a 2011 graduate of Cathedral who averaged 21 points a senior and went on to play at Division II Lynn University (Fla.). Dominique Ferguson, a one-time top-50 prospect, played at Lawrence North before going to prep school and Florida International. David Hill played at Cathedral and Marian University and Terrencio Davis played at Lawrence North. Brownsburg Buy Photo Brownsburg assistants Jeff Hanni (left, Franklin Central) and Riley Rapp (Guerin Catholic) as players. (Photo: IndyStar photos) Coach Steve Lynch played at Manchester College and assistants Jeff Hanni (University of Indianapolis), Rich Thomas (Illinois State) and Marcus Evans (Division II Mississippi College) also played college ball. Riley Rapp was a state champion at Guerin Catholic, John Grimes in addition to having the court named after him at Marian University for his 36-year coaching career played at Terre Haute Gerstmeyer and Tom Maples played at Huntington North. North Central Buy Photo North Central assistants, left to right, Bill Gillis (North Central), D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (North Central) and Brett Buscher (Chesterton, Purdue). (Photo: IndyStar, Journal & Courier photos) DVauntes Smith-Rivera is working as an assistant under first-year coach Brian Hahn, which is a good place to start. Smith-Rivera was standout as a sophomore on North Centrals 2010 Class 4A state title team and might have been IndyStar Mr. Basketball as a senior in 2012 had he not transferred to Oak Hill Academy. Smith-Rivera went on to play four years at Georgetown, scoring 1,919 career points. Brett Buscher, a 2000 Chesterton graduate, is also on Hahns staff. The 6-8 Buscher averaged 5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in four seasons at Purdue. Bill Gillis, a North Central graduate who averaged 8.9 points at Ball State in the early 1990s, is another former Division I player on Hahns staff. That is 10. Here are other entries and comments: >> First-year Eminence coach Todd Hanni said his staff is ready to play any coaching staff in the state right now. The 6-4 Hanni is a 2006 Danville graduate and played at UNLV. His staff also includes 6-6 Nate Newton, a 2014 Northview graduate, 6-5 Bryce Ator, who played basketball at Danville and football at Wittenberg College. Matt Stewart was a guard at Danville, graduating in 2005, and Mason Smith played at Eminence. >> Herrons staff has three former Ben Davis players in Larry Baker (2002 graduate, went to Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Indiana Tech), Jeroboam Wilson (2012 graduate) and Greg Person (2011 graduate). >> Hamilton Heights staff includes the all-time leading scorer at DePauw University in Brett Crist, who played at Alexandria in high school. Eric King (Anderson University) and J.R. Moffatt (Cincinnati Christian) also played in college. Buy Photo Decatur Central coach John Ashworth played at Franklin Central and IUPUI. (Photo: Rob Goebel/IndyStar) >> Decatur Central coach John Ashworth was a standout player at Franklin Central who went on to start 77 games at IUPUI, averaging 4.4 points as a senior in 2010-11. Ashworth said he would add former Franklin Central teammate JaJuan Johnson as a volunteer assistant, but would prefer this to be a current tournament. In our prime changes things, he said. If it was now I would feel a lot more confident because I think I could win individual matchups against guys like Mark James (Perry Meridian) and Jack Keefer (Lawrence North). Im only 30 so it would be the only time my age worked to my advantage in coaching. >> Washington coach Kenny Roseman, a 1991 graduate, played point guard at Cathedral before going to Marian University. Assistant Randy Fields played at Howe (1985 graduate) and Missouri Valley College and Sylvester Williams is a 1995 Arlington graduate who played overseas while in the military. Buy Photo Greenwood Christian coach Jonny Marlin was a standout for Center Grove. (Photo: Alan Petersime/for IndyStar) >> Greenwood Christian Jonny Marlin was a standout player at Center Grove, graduating in 2011, before going on to IPFW, Indiana and starring at Indiana Wesleyan. His assistant, Ben Carlson, won two national titles at Indiana Wesleyan. >> Plainfields plan would be to get the ball to Gavin Groninger, a 1999 graduate and Indiana All-Star who scored 1,768 career points (still a school record) and won a Class 3A state title. Groninger went on to play at Michigan, where he averaged 4.9 points over four seasons. Not sure if the rest of us are good passers but if so we would try to pass the ball to Gavin Groninger, Plainfield coach Andy Weaver said. Weaver was an all-conference player at Clinton Prairie, graduating in 1984. Assistant Jason Young was an all-conference player at Rushville in 1990-91 and Matt Steward, a 2008 Plainfield graduate, helped the Quakers to a Mid-State Conference title. >> Franklin Central has four former Flashes, including coach John Rockey, who was a four-year starter at Wabash College. Assistant Kyle Brewer was a three-year starter at Hanover College and Joe Talhelm played against Indiana players in practice as a manager. Tommy Rockey is also a Franklin Central grad. >> Pike assistant Shawn Teague was an Indiana All-Star at Anderson in 1980 before playing at Missouri and Boston University. Coach Bill Zych (LaPorte/Manchester), assistant Braxton Mills (Pike/UIndy) and assistant Lou Hogan (Pike/Lake Land College, Ill.) also played in college. Von Williams and Anthony Law played at Gary Roosevelt. >> Morristown has two of the schools all-time leading scorers on its staff in assistants Dylan Langkabel (2,072 points) and Kevin Crim (1,067 points from 1992-95). Langkabel scored 1,395 career points at Northwood University and Crim scored 1,497 points at Cardinal Stritch. >> Heritage Christian assistant John Sherman Williams was an Indiana All-Star in 1981-82 at Washington, where he averaged 27.6 points. He starred at Indiana State, scoring 2,374 points to rank second in school history and played several years professionally overseas and in the CBA. I am the most blessed coach in the state to have him on staff and as a close friend, Heritage Christian coach Corey Jackson said. >> Metropolitan has several former college players on its staff. Coach Lee Jackson (Northwest/Central Lakes College/UIndy) has 6-9 Devon Archie as an assistant. Archie played at Ben Davis, then Vincennes College and Iowa from 2010-12. Damani Anderson (Pike/Glenn Oaks, Mich.), Frank Henderson (Pike/Ball State) and Tyler Alexander (Northwest/Manchester) also played college ball. Buy Photo Tri-West coach Adam Bontreger (back) won a state title as a player at Westview. (Photo: Mike Fender/IndyStar) >> Tri-West coach Adam Bontreger played at Westview (2000 graduate) before going on to Bethel and Huntington. Assistants Mike Miller (Franklin Central), Josh Hodge (Brownsburg), Daniel Hoover (Tri-West) and Brad Chinn (Evansville Harrison) all played high school ball. Gordon Hayward Sr. He didnt play high school basketball but he raised an NBA All-Star, Bontreger said. >> Shortridge coach Jeff Strange even supplied nicknames for his entry, including Charles The Slasher Slash (Northwest) and Bill We Want Mike Woodson (Broad Ripple). Strange, at 6-5, was a standout player at Scecina as a senior in 1990-91. Mark Bailey, a 6-10 center and St. Louis native, played in college at Bradley. >> Brebeuf coach Todd Howard played at Louisville Ballard and was a reserve at the University of Louisville. Assistant Allen Glunt played at Sheridan and Franklin College and assistant Jon Avery, an Ohio native, was a standout at IUPUI before playing professionally overseas. Another assistant, Ken Johnson, was a standout NAIA College of Idaho. >> Traders Point coach Kraig Cox played at Eastern New Mexico and assistants Scott Nichols (Ball State), Dave Yaraschefski (Rose-Hulman) and Noah Thomas (IUPUI) all played in college. >> Lebanon coach Albert Hendrix started on two regional title teams at Frankfort in the late 1970s. His son, assistant Trey Hendrix, graduated in 2012 in Lebanon at the schools fourth all-time scorer. Another assistant Dave Ferrell, was a star at Lebanon in the late 1980s and a member of the DePauw Athletic Hall of Fame. Aaron Vaughn (Western Boone) and Cameron Bennington (Twin Lakes) were also standout high school players. >> Chatard assistants Mike Bennett (Rose-Hulman), Dan Cage (Vanderbilt) and Matt Boling (Taylor) all played in college. Of course, a playing career does not matter much unless it translates to coaching. Theres nothing saying you cant be a good coach if you havent played, Carlisle said. But I think kids understand that you understand what it feels like to be a player. Being in those situations, I think it helps to be able to relate to what they are going through. And sometimes they can still get out and prove it. Coach James definitely likes to work with us, Clayton said. His knees are a little bad, but he can still get out there. Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. | Don Carlisle, Courtney James and Jordan Bragg were all Indiana All-Stars as players. The coaching staff is made up of players who are still in shape and playing hard. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/01/25/who-got-game-indiana-high-school-basketball-coaches-players/2682200002/ | 0.145638 |
Is Meghan Markle's favourite snack fuelling drought and murder? | The Duchess of Sussex has rightly been praised for making the fusty old Royal Family more socially and ethically aware. But that was until an old friend from her Hollywood days was invited round for a bite to eat and posted online a picture of what was widely assumed to be high tea. Pride of place went to avocado on toast -on silver platters, no less. "Still being the avocado toast whisperer, YUM! ", trilled her guest, Daniel Martin. The celebrity make-up artist said it took him back to the days when he and Meghan Markle collaborated on her lifestyle blog, The Tig. "The consummate hostess," he enthused. Advertisement Well, perhaps not so much. The campaigning duchess may be passionate when it comes to racial equality and female empowerment, but for someone who wants to save the planet, she's committed something of a faux pas with avocados. For all their health benefits and tastiness, the fact is that rampant avocado production in the Third World has been linked with water shortages, human rights abuses, illegal deforestation, ecosystem destruction and general environmental devastation. It has proved so lucrative in Mexico that it has been dubbed "green gold" and is even filling the coffers of brutal drug cartels. In her defence, the duchess is hardly the only celebrity who's extolled the wonders of avocados, which are full of vitamins, proteins and healthy fats. The lifeblood of the millennial generation - who can't stop posting pictures of avocado on toast on Instagram - this so-called "super food" has been championed by everyone from nutritionists to Hollywood stars. Meghan's favourite avocado snack - beloved of all millennial's - is fuelling human rights abuses, drought and murder. Photo / AP The duchess revealed in her Grenfell cookbook that a green chilli and avocado dip was a favourite. Pop star Miley Cyrus went further with an avocado tattoo on her arm. Grown in Mexico for 9,000 years, the avocado has come a long way since the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadors disparagingly called it aguacate, after ahuacatl, Aztec for testicle. Between 2000 and 2015, avocado consumption in the U.S. tripled. In the UK, the avocado market is estimated to be worth around 200 million ($386 million) a year. But it has become a victim of its own popularity, prompting restaurants and cafes to remove it from menus over concerns about its environmental and social impact. The Wild Strawberry Cafe in Bucks substituted avocados, its most popular item, with garlic-sauteed mushrooms on toast. Its owner cited the "demand on avocado farmers, pushing up prices to the point where there are even reports of Mexican drug cartels controlling lucrative exports". Tincan Coffee in Bristol has replaced "avo" with pea guacamole after they were judged not to "fit" with it's "core beliefs". The Wildflower Restaurant in South London followed suit, citing the violence in Mexico. Its chef, Joseph Ryan, suggested the world may be entering a "post-avocado era". Haute cuisine has also jumped on board. In Ireland, the Michelin-starred chef JP McMahon has called them the "blood diamonds of Mexico" and compared avocados to battery chickens. Where trendy restaurants and chefs go, the image-conscious supermarkets may not be far behind. The problems that come from the West's trendy fascination with avocados have a lot to do with geography. Some 40 per cent come from Mexico and almost all of that is grown in the rural western state of Michoacan. Beloved of all millennial's. Photo / Getty Images The region's fertile volcanic soil and temperate climate allow avocados to be harvested all year round (in other countries they can only be harvested in summer). The rich soil means the notoriously thirsty avocado trees need only a third as much water as they do elsewhere. Mexico now makes more money exporting avocados than oil. Unfortunately, Michoacan is also home to some of Mexico's most violent cartels. They include La Familia Michoacana, whose leaders once tossed five rivals' heads on to the dance floor of a nightclub; their equally vicious rivals in the Knights Templar, a quasi-religious death cult; and Los Viagras, named for their leader's heavily moussed, erect hair. In Michoacan, the cartels now make more money from avocados than cannabis. Some drug criminals are becoming growers themselves, others simply terrorise the industry. Avocado farmers, who in Michoacan can easily earn more than 115,000 ($221,995) a year, a vast sum in Mexico, live in continual fear of kidnapping and extortion. The Knights Templar started charging a fee for every box of avocados gathered by farmers. They also extorted money from the fertiliser and pesticide retailers. Many farmers have been forced to hand over the title deeds to their farms. If they don't pay protection money, growers and packers risk being raped or killed, their bodies tied to avocado trees with warning notices attached. Some kidnapped farmers have been killed even after their families paid their ransom. A businessman whose family refused to pay up was chained to one of his trees and shot dead. Officials estimated the Knights Templar alone earn as much as 115 million ($221.9 million) a year from avocados. The cartel's 2014 kidnap, rape and murder of an avocado farmer's young daughter prompted the town of Tancitaro to drive out the Knights after a bloody battle. However, the cartels remain a menacing presence. But, the fruit, which is described as Green Gold has been caught up in violent gang warfare with rival groups trying to exploit the healthy snack. Photo / Supplied Mexico's avocado industry is also accused of damaging the health of locals with the chemicals sprayed on the orchards. Experts are concerned that the fumigation of the trees is behind growing breathing and stomach problems, and may be polluting water supplies. Unscrupulous farmers are clearing land for avocado orchards, often illegally by cutting down oak and pine forests. The latter provide a crucial winter nesting ground for the imperilled Monarch butterfly. Indeed, a Mexican government study concluded that soaring avocado production has caused a loss of biodiversity, environmental pollution and soil erosion. It has also damaged the natural water cycle and threatened the survival of animal species only found in the area. Farmers exacerbate deforestation by using trees for avocado crates. We can't be certain where Meghan's avocados came from, but fashionable eaters who think they can safely switch to sourcing them from the Dominican Republic, Chile or Peru should think again. Wherever they come from, the thousands of miles any avocado has to travel to get to Britain means they leave a heavy carbon footprint. This is because they are perishable but cannot be frozen because it alters their texture. They must therefore be transported either by air or in air-conditioned container ships so they ripen at just the right moment. Their relatively heavy weight and bulky packaging to prevent bruising further ratchets up their carbon footprint. Two avocados have a footprint of 846g of CO2, compared to 160g for two bananas. The enormous amounts of water required to grow avocados is even more of an eco-issue in countries without Mexico's volcanic soil. It can take as much as 1,000 litres (220 gallons) to grow a single kilo (about three avocados). The Chilean province of Petorca is suffering an acute water shortage thanks to "green gold". Water has been privatised in Chile (which specialises in the Hass variety so popular in the UK), meaning that those who pay - such as deep-pocketed big avocado growers - can use as much as they want. When activists complained after a 2012 aerial survey revealed 64 pipelines were diverting river water underground to irrigate the orchards, they received death threats. Local rivers have now dried up and supplies have to be trucked in for local people while the avocado farms rely on artificial reservoirs. Although the avocado is essentially a jungle plant, greedy growers are determined to cultivate it in dry, perennially sunny areas such as California, where orchards sap water from a state already prone to wildfires and drought. In Israel, avocado trees are irrigated with treated waste-water, prompting fears that harmful nano-particles are not only permanently damaging the soil but penetrating the fruit. The Chinese are being gripped by avocado mania, too, so demand is expected to keep soaring. Since Meghan's guest was invited to high tea, surely it should have been a case of let him eat cake. | Meghan Markle's favourite snack - avocado on toast - is fuelling drought and murder. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12196699 | 0.405184 |
Is Meghan Markle's favourite snack fuelling drought and murder? | The Duchess of Sussex has rightly been praised for making the fusty old Royal Family more socially and ethically aware. But that was until an old friend from her Hollywood days was invited round for a bite to eat and posted online a picture of what was widely assumed to be high tea. Pride of place went to avocado on toast -on silver platters, no less. "Still being the avocado toast whisperer, YUM! ", trilled her guest, Daniel Martin. The celebrity make-up artist said it took him back to the days when he and Meghan Markle collaborated on her lifestyle blog, The Tig. "The consummate hostess," he enthused. Advertisement Well, perhaps not so much. The campaigning duchess may be passionate when it comes to racial equality and female empowerment, but for someone who wants to save the planet, she's committed something of a faux pas with avocados. For all their health benefits and tastiness, the fact is that rampant avocado production in the Third World has been linked with water shortages, human rights abuses, illegal deforestation, ecosystem destruction and general environmental devastation. It has proved so lucrative in Mexico that it has been dubbed "green gold" and is even filling the coffers of brutal drug cartels. In her defence, the duchess is hardly the only celebrity who's extolled the wonders of avocados, which are full of vitamins, proteins and healthy fats. The lifeblood of the millennial generation - who can't stop posting pictures of avocado on toast on Instagram - this so-called "super food" has been championed by everyone from nutritionists to Hollywood stars. Meghan's favourite avocado snack - beloved of all millennial's - is fuelling human rights abuses, drought and murder. Photo / AP The duchess revealed in her Grenfell cookbook that a green chilli and avocado dip was a favourite. Pop star Miley Cyrus went further with an avocado tattoo on her arm. Grown in Mexico for 9,000 years, the avocado has come a long way since the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadors disparagingly called it aguacate, after ahuacatl, Aztec for testicle. Between 2000 and 2015, avocado consumption in the U.S. tripled. In the UK, the avocado market is estimated to be worth around 200 million ($386 million) a year. But it has become a victim of its own popularity, prompting restaurants and cafes to remove it from menus over concerns about its environmental and social impact. The Wild Strawberry Cafe in Bucks substituted avocados, its most popular item, with garlic-sauteed mushrooms on toast. Its owner cited the "demand on avocado farmers, pushing up prices to the point where there are even reports of Mexican drug cartels controlling lucrative exports". Tincan Coffee in Bristol has replaced "avo" with pea guacamole after they were judged not to "fit" with it's "core beliefs". The Wildflower Restaurant in South London followed suit, citing the violence in Mexico. Its chef, Joseph Ryan, suggested the world may be entering a "post-avocado era". Haute cuisine has also jumped on board. In Ireland, the Michelin-starred chef JP McMahon has called them the "blood diamonds of Mexico" and compared avocados to battery chickens. Where trendy restaurants and chefs go, the image-conscious supermarkets may not be far behind. The problems that come from the West's trendy fascination with avocados have a lot to do with geography. Some 40 per cent come from Mexico and almost all of that is grown in the rural western state of Michoacan. Beloved of all millennial's. Photo / Getty Images The region's fertile volcanic soil and temperate climate allow avocados to be harvested all year round (in other countries they can only be harvested in summer). The rich soil means the notoriously thirsty avocado trees need only a third as much water as they do elsewhere. Mexico now makes more money exporting avocados than oil. Unfortunately, Michoacan is also home to some of Mexico's most violent cartels. They include La Familia Michoacana, whose leaders once tossed five rivals' heads on to the dance floor of a nightclub; their equally vicious rivals in the Knights Templar, a quasi-religious death cult; and Los Viagras, named for their leader's heavily moussed, erect hair. In Michoacan, the cartels now make more money from avocados than cannabis. Some drug criminals are becoming growers themselves, others simply terrorise the industry. Avocado farmers, who in Michoacan can easily earn more than 115,000 ($221,995) a year, a vast sum in Mexico, live in continual fear of kidnapping and extortion. The Knights Templar started charging a fee for every box of avocados gathered by farmers. They also extorted money from the fertiliser and pesticide retailers. Many farmers have been forced to hand over the title deeds to their farms. If they don't pay protection money, growers and packers risk being raped or killed, their bodies tied to avocado trees with warning notices attached. Some kidnapped farmers have been killed even after their families paid their ransom. A businessman whose family refused to pay up was chained to one of his trees and shot dead. Officials estimated the Knights Templar alone earn as much as 115 million ($221.9 million) a year from avocados. The cartel's 2014 kidnap, rape and murder of an avocado farmer's young daughter prompted the town of Tancitaro to drive out the Knights after a bloody battle. However, the cartels remain a menacing presence. But, the fruit, which is described as Green Gold has been caught up in violent gang warfare with rival groups trying to exploit the healthy snack. Photo / Supplied Mexico's avocado industry is also accused of damaging the health of locals with the chemicals sprayed on the orchards. Experts are concerned that the fumigation of the trees is behind growing breathing and stomach problems, and may be polluting water supplies. Unscrupulous farmers are clearing land for avocado orchards, often illegally by cutting down oak and pine forests. The latter provide a crucial winter nesting ground for the imperilled Monarch butterfly. Indeed, a Mexican government study concluded that soaring avocado production has caused a loss of biodiversity, environmental pollution and soil erosion. It has also damaged the natural water cycle and threatened the survival of animal species only found in the area. Farmers exacerbate deforestation by using trees for avocado crates. We can't be certain where Meghan's avocados came from, but fashionable eaters who think they can safely switch to sourcing them from the Dominican Republic, Chile or Peru should think again. Wherever they come from, the thousands of miles any avocado has to travel to get to Britain means they leave a heavy carbon footprint. This is because they are perishable but cannot be frozen because it alters their texture. They must therefore be transported either by air or in air-conditioned container ships so they ripen at just the right moment. Their relatively heavy weight and bulky packaging to prevent bruising further ratchets up their carbon footprint. Two avocados have a footprint of 846g of CO2, compared to 160g for two bananas. The enormous amounts of water required to grow avocados is even more of an eco-issue in countries without Mexico's volcanic soil. It can take as much as 1,000 litres (220 gallons) to grow a single kilo (about three avocados). The Chilean province of Petorca is suffering an acute water shortage thanks to "green gold". Water has been privatised in Chile (which specialises in the Hass variety so popular in the UK), meaning that those who pay - such as deep-pocketed big avocado growers - can use as much as they want. When activists complained after a 2012 aerial survey revealed 64 pipelines were diverting river water underground to irrigate the orchards, they received death threats. Local rivers have now dried up and supplies have to be trucked in for local people while the avocado farms rely on artificial reservoirs. Although the avocado is essentially a jungle plant, greedy growers are determined to cultivate it in dry, perennially sunny areas such as California, where orchards sap water from a state already prone to wildfires and drought. In Israel, avocado trees are irrigated with treated waste-water, prompting fears that harmful nano-particles are not only permanently damaging the soil but penetrating the fruit. The Chinese are being gripped by avocado mania, too, so demand is expected to keep soaring. Since Meghan's guest was invited to high tea, surely it should have been a case of let him eat cake. | Meghan Markle's favourite snack is fuelling human rights abuses, drought and murder. Between 2000 and 2015, avocado consumption in the U.S. | bart | 1 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12196699 | 0.320926 |
Is Meghan Markle's favourite snack fuelling drought and murder? | The Duchess of Sussex has rightly been praised for making the fusty old Royal Family more socially and ethically aware. But that was until an old friend from her Hollywood days was invited round for a bite to eat and posted online a picture of what was widely assumed to be high tea. Pride of place went to avocado on toast -on silver platters, no less. "Still being the avocado toast whisperer, YUM! ", trilled her guest, Daniel Martin. The celebrity make-up artist said it took him back to the days when he and Meghan Markle collaborated on her lifestyle blog, The Tig. "The consummate hostess," he enthused. Advertisement Well, perhaps not so much. The campaigning duchess may be passionate when it comes to racial equality and female empowerment, but for someone who wants to save the planet, she's committed something of a faux pas with avocados. For all their health benefits and tastiness, the fact is that rampant avocado production in the Third World has been linked with water shortages, human rights abuses, illegal deforestation, ecosystem destruction and general environmental devastation. It has proved so lucrative in Mexico that it has been dubbed "green gold" and is even filling the coffers of brutal drug cartels. In her defence, the duchess is hardly the only celebrity who's extolled the wonders of avocados, which are full of vitamins, proteins and healthy fats. The lifeblood of the millennial generation - who can't stop posting pictures of avocado on toast on Instagram - this so-called "super food" has been championed by everyone from nutritionists to Hollywood stars. Meghan's favourite avocado snack - beloved of all millennial's - is fuelling human rights abuses, drought and murder. Photo / AP The duchess revealed in her Grenfell cookbook that a green chilli and avocado dip was a favourite. Pop star Miley Cyrus went further with an avocado tattoo on her arm. Grown in Mexico for 9,000 years, the avocado has come a long way since the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadors disparagingly called it aguacate, after ahuacatl, Aztec for testicle. Between 2000 and 2015, avocado consumption in the U.S. tripled. In the UK, the avocado market is estimated to be worth around 200 million ($386 million) a year. But it has become a victim of its own popularity, prompting restaurants and cafes to remove it from menus over concerns about its environmental and social impact. The Wild Strawberry Cafe in Bucks substituted avocados, its most popular item, with garlic-sauteed mushrooms on toast. Its owner cited the "demand on avocado farmers, pushing up prices to the point where there are even reports of Mexican drug cartels controlling lucrative exports". Tincan Coffee in Bristol has replaced "avo" with pea guacamole after they were judged not to "fit" with it's "core beliefs". The Wildflower Restaurant in South London followed suit, citing the violence in Mexico. Its chef, Joseph Ryan, suggested the world may be entering a "post-avocado era". Haute cuisine has also jumped on board. In Ireland, the Michelin-starred chef JP McMahon has called them the "blood diamonds of Mexico" and compared avocados to battery chickens. Where trendy restaurants and chefs go, the image-conscious supermarkets may not be far behind. The problems that come from the West's trendy fascination with avocados have a lot to do with geography. Some 40 per cent come from Mexico and almost all of that is grown in the rural western state of Michoacan. Beloved of all millennial's. Photo / Getty Images The region's fertile volcanic soil and temperate climate allow avocados to be harvested all year round (in other countries they can only be harvested in summer). The rich soil means the notoriously thirsty avocado trees need only a third as much water as they do elsewhere. Mexico now makes more money exporting avocados than oil. Unfortunately, Michoacan is also home to some of Mexico's most violent cartels. They include La Familia Michoacana, whose leaders once tossed five rivals' heads on to the dance floor of a nightclub; their equally vicious rivals in the Knights Templar, a quasi-religious death cult; and Los Viagras, named for their leader's heavily moussed, erect hair. In Michoacan, the cartels now make more money from avocados than cannabis. Some drug criminals are becoming growers themselves, others simply terrorise the industry. Avocado farmers, who in Michoacan can easily earn more than 115,000 ($221,995) a year, a vast sum in Mexico, live in continual fear of kidnapping and extortion. The Knights Templar started charging a fee for every box of avocados gathered by farmers. They also extorted money from the fertiliser and pesticide retailers. Many farmers have been forced to hand over the title deeds to their farms. If they don't pay protection money, growers and packers risk being raped or killed, their bodies tied to avocado trees with warning notices attached. Some kidnapped farmers have been killed even after their families paid their ransom. A businessman whose family refused to pay up was chained to one of his trees and shot dead. Officials estimated the Knights Templar alone earn as much as 115 million ($221.9 million) a year from avocados. The cartel's 2014 kidnap, rape and murder of an avocado farmer's young daughter prompted the town of Tancitaro to drive out the Knights after a bloody battle. However, the cartels remain a menacing presence. But, the fruit, which is described as Green Gold has been caught up in violent gang warfare with rival groups trying to exploit the healthy snack. Photo / Supplied Mexico's avocado industry is also accused of damaging the health of locals with the chemicals sprayed on the orchards. Experts are concerned that the fumigation of the trees is behind growing breathing and stomach problems, and may be polluting water supplies. Unscrupulous farmers are clearing land for avocado orchards, often illegally by cutting down oak and pine forests. The latter provide a crucial winter nesting ground for the imperilled Monarch butterfly. Indeed, a Mexican government study concluded that soaring avocado production has caused a loss of biodiversity, environmental pollution and soil erosion. It has also damaged the natural water cycle and threatened the survival of animal species only found in the area. Farmers exacerbate deforestation by using trees for avocado crates. We can't be certain where Meghan's avocados came from, but fashionable eaters who think they can safely switch to sourcing them from the Dominican Republic, Chile or Peru should think again. Wherever they come from, the thousands of miles any avocado has to travel to get to Britain means they leave a heavy carbon footprint. This is because they are perishable but cannot be frozen because it alters their texture. They must therefore be transported either by air or in air-conditioned container ships so they ripen at just the right moment. Their relatively heavy weight and bulky packaging to prevent bruising further ratchets up their carbon footprint. Two avocados have a footprint of 846g of CO2, compared to 160g for two bananas. The enormous amounts of water required to grow avocados is even more of an eco-issue in countries without Mexico's volcanic soil. It can take as much as 1,000 litres (220 gallons) to grow a single kilo (about three avocados). The Chilean province of Petorca is suffering an acute water shortage thanks to "green gold". Water has been privatised in Chile (which specialises in the Hass variety so popular in the UK), meaning that those who pay - such as deep-pocketed big avocado growers - can use as much as they want. When activists complained after a 2012 aerial survey revealed 64 pipelines were diverting river water underground to irrigate the orchards, they received death threats. Local rivers have now dried up and supplies have to be trucked in for local people while the avocado farms rely on artificial reservoirs. Although the avocado is essentially a jungle plant, greedy growers are determined to cultivate it in dry, perennially sunny areas such as California, where orchards sap water from a state already prone to wildfires and drought. In Israel, avocado trees are irrigated with treated waste-water, prompting fears that harmful nano-particles are not only permanently damaging the soil but penetrating the fruit. The Chinese are being gripped by avocado mania, too, so demand is expected to keep soaring. Since Meghan's guest was invited to high tea, surely it should have been a case of let him eat cake. | Meghan Markle's favourite snack - avocado on toast - is fuelling drought and murder. It has proved so lucrative in Mexico that it has been dubbed "green gold" In the UK, the avocado market is estimated to be worth around 200 million ($386 million) a year. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12196699 | 0.550799 |
How many more young people have to die before we embrace pill testing? | In Australia, tens of thousands of young people will attend one of three music festivals taking place across the country. As a result, my Instagram is sure to be flooded with group shots and glittery bums. But what I'm praying I don't see is news of a dead friend. I'm 21 years old and I've lost count of how many music festivals I've been to. I've slept in flooded tents, spewed in mosh pits, and danced with strangers until 3am. But what I haven't done is watch a friend die from a drug overdose. Though I'm terrified that it's only a matter of time until I do. Advertisement Since the tragic death of 19-year-old Alex Ross-King only weeks ago, the pill testing debate in Australia is louder and angrier than ever before. The teenager died of a suspected MDMA overdose at Parramatta's FOMO Festival earlier this month. This makes Ross-King the state's fifth young person to have died after taking illicit drugs at a music festival since September 2018. The NSW Coroners Court has launched an inquest into the deaths, and news media is filled with heated debate around the controversy surrounding the issue. Because by reaching out to my small network alone, I have spoken to the friends of those who have overdosed and died, those who were there for the pill testing trial in Canberra where two "deadly" pills were detected, even one person who took what she thought was Ketamine, only to later discover it was actually crystal meth. Had pill testing been available and she knew what she was taking, she assures me there is no way she would have taken it. We all feel that something's gotta give. Because wherever you land on the issue, you have to admit that a dead kid a month means that the status quo isn't working. Those opposed to the implementation of pill testing have argued that it has the potential to send the message that taking drugs is safe, that those young people who wouldn't otherwise take them might be tempted. In a recent opinion piece, NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro asked "How many others might be tempted to dabble in drugs if NSW Labor is telling them their pill is 'safe'?" Let me be frank, In all my years of attending music festivals, I have never taken a single pill. And I probably never will. Abbey Lenton has lost count of the amount of festivals she has been to. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied As a non drug-user, I can tell you that a pill testing tent will not tempt me and it might actually discourage people who were planning to take something. Stacey is a 22-year-old festival aficionado. She was there for the pill testing trial at Groovin The Moo in Canberra last year. She describes walking towards the tent, nervous that it was one big police trap. When she arrived though, she was greeted by a happy volunteer. "She gave us handouts of information on drugs, and there was even a board that had posts about what random/deadly substances had already been found." What politicians don't seem to understand is that at these tents, young people aren't getting a happy-go-lucky pro-drug green light. They're getting much needed education and informed intervention. It feels like the only thing a young person can do to be heard is to die. I was contacted by a friend of Callum Brosnan, the 19-year-old from Baulkham Hills who died from a suspected drug overdose after a festival in December last year. The friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that he feels with certainty that had the festival had pill testing, Callum was the kind of person who would have used it. "It sucks knowing that the technology existed and it's possible that his death could've been prevented and he'd still be here today," he told me. Video still of Callum Brosnan dancing at Knockout Games at Sydney Olympic Park shortly before he died of a drug-related overdose. Picture: FacebookSource:Facebook Last week, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told Sunrise host David Koch that "pill-testing doesn't deal with overdoses. Pill-testing doesn't say to one person, 'This is gonna kill you', whereas to someone else it might be safe." There's that word again, "safe". Politicians seem to be stuck spinning the rhetoric that the implementation of pill testing will in some way send the message to young people that taking certain drugs is "safe". If there's one thing I can assure you, it's that in the numerous conversations I've had with my peers, none of us are under any sort of impression that pills are safe. Young Australians are completely aware that all drug taking is harmful our PE teachers got us that far. If we take drugs, we're being reckless and we know it. But we would like to know how reckless. As 23-year-old James told me: "Kids do die from pure pills, but at least with pill testing the ones that are actually poisonous and deadly, they can be stopped." WE SIMPLY HAVE TO DO SOMETHING "Maybe it won't work, but we have to do something" it's a desperate and disheartened plea, and one that's been said over and over. Because while we clearly accept that all drugs are dangerous, something politicians won't believe, the no-tolerance approach has obviously failed. As young people, we feel that our hands are tied. That no one is listening to us. We're not ignorant of who is doing what like most parents are. We're in the thick of it. In our minds, 'a pill popper' does not equate to a filthy delinquent. They're our friends, our siblings, our classmates and unlike many politicians, we've rejected the idea that those who take drugs get what's coming to them. A MESSAGE TO PARENTS If you're a parent and you're riding on the notion that the child you've raised is above taking drugs, know this: Research by the 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that by age 19, one in five young people have tried an illicit drug. So even if it is sincerely not your kid, you can bet your ass it's their friend. It's a kid you've had at some stage around your dinner table. The dialogue from non-young people is all too cold and removed. That is until one of us dies. Then we're given a face and a name, a family who no longer have the privilege of playing with hypotheticals anymore. They don't turn on the television and see a face that could almost be their daughter's. Because it is their daughter's. "Premier, please: can we have this pill testing done. It's such a small thing to do, it's not hard. Let's try and get it out there," begged Ms Ross-King's grandmother Denise Doig on Network Ten. People are desperate for a resolution and we owe it to them to try something. Nope, and I will personally testify to that. According to similar measures taken in Europe, it very well might. But even if it doesn't, surely we have to try. Yes! They've told me they will. If weeing on a pile of sawdust can become a festival norm, lining up to get your pills tested sure as hell can. | Five young people have died after taking illicit drugs at a music festival since September. Alex Ross-King, 19, died of a suspected MDMA overdose at Parramatta's FOMO Festival earlier this month. The NSW Coroners Court has launched an inquest into the deaths. The pill testing debate in Australia is louder and angrier than ever before. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12196711 | 0.111488 |
Could the White Sox benefit from the Dodgers signing A.J. Pollock? | Could the White Sox benefit from the Dodgers signing A.J. originally appeared on nbcsportschicago.com The Los Angeles Dodgers have another outfielder. Things have gone quite nicely for the Dodgers in recent seasons, perhaps in part because their roster is full of - not just full of, bursting with - guys who can play multiple positions, both infield and outfield, and they can easily mitigate the inevitable injuries and fatigue of a baseball season. Scroll to continue with content Ad And now they've got another one. They've reportedly signed A.J. Pollock to a multi-year contract, and while he can't play both center field and second base like half the position players on the Dodgers' roster, his arrival in L.A. creates some interesting potential ripple effects involving the White Sox. The one that immediately comes to mind is Joc Pederson. Over the weekend, the White Sox and Dodgers were reported to be discussing a potential trade that would send Pederson to the South Side. Now that another outfielder has joined that roster and crowded the outfielder further, perhaps there's a need to get rid of one, potentially Pederson, and that could be the White Sox gain. Any trade involving Pederson would have to be for the right price, as he's not a slam-dunk fit with the White Sox long-term plans, a free agent after the 2020 season. But he'd be an upgrade in the outfield and in the lineup and would be a nice placeholder while the White Sox wait for the likes of Luis Robert and Micker Adolfo to reach the major leagues. That price might be even more attractive now that the Dodgers have made that move and further crowded their outfield. Or maybe the Dodgers could just hold on to Pederson and continue to rotate everyone. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported there's no trade imminent. We'll see. Story continues #Dodgers figured they would be elite vs. RHPs, mediocre vs. LHPs; hence, motivation for Pollock. Plan is for him to be primary CFer, with Bellinger moving between CF, corner OF, 1B. LAD will have depth to rest regulars. Per sources, team not close to trading Pederson at moment. Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 24, 2019 And then there's the previous maneuvering the Dodgers did this offseason, trading Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp in a big trade with the Cincinnati Reds. At the time, it was speculated that might've been to better position the Dodgers for a run at Bryce Harper, the biggest fish swimming in this winter's free-agent pond. Well, Pollock is who the Dodgers ended up using that flexibility to acquire, causing for a speculative decrease in the likelihood they go after Harper, a player it's at times easy to forget the White Sox are still pursuing. While the market for Harper has been reportedly small all winter long - it currently appears to be solely the White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals - the potential elimination of the Dodgers might aid the White Sox chances in their pursuit of bringing one of the best players in baseball to the South Side. The Dodgers had a glut of outfielders. They eased it a bit. And now they have a glut again. Time will tell, but the possibility exists. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the White Sox easily on your device. | Could the White Sox benefit from the Dodgers signing A.J. Pollock? The Dodgers have reportedly signed Pollock to a multi-year contract. The White Sox have been rumored to be interested in trading Joc Pederson. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-white-sox-benefit-dodgers-182546236.html?src=rss | 0.20872 |
Could the White Sox benefit from the Dodgers signing A.J. Pollock? | Could the White Sox benefit from the Dodgers signing A.J. originally appeared on nbcsportschicago.com The Los Angeles Dodgers have another outfielder. Things have gone quite nicely for the Dodgers in recent seasons, perhaps in part because their roster is full of - not just full of, bursting with - guys who can play multiple positions, both infield and outfield, and they can easily mitigate the inevitable injuries and fatigue of a baseball season. Scroll to continue with content Ad And now they've got another one. They've reportedly signed A.J. Pollock to a multi-year contract, and while he can't play both center field and second base like half the position players on the Dodgers' roster, his arrival in L.A. creates some interesting potential ripple effects involving the White Sox. The one that immediately comes to mind is Joc Pederson. Over the weekend, the White Sox and Dodgers were reported to be discussing a potential trade that would send Pederson to the South Side. Now that another outfielder has joined that roster and crowded the outfielder further, perhaps there's a need to get rid of one, potentially Pederson, and that could be the White Sox gain. Any trade involving Pederson would have to be for the right price, as he's not a slam-dunk fit with the White Sox long-term plans, a free agent after the 2020 season. But he'd be an upgrade in the outfield and in the lineup and would be a nice placeholder while the White Sox wait for the likes of Luis Robert and Micker Adolfo to reach the major leagues. That price might be even more attractive now that the Dodgers have made that move and further crowded their outfield. Or maybe the Dodgers could just hold on to Pederson and continue to rotate everyone. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported there's no trade imminent. We'll see. Story continues #Dodgers figured they would be elite vs. RHPs, mediocre vs. LHPs; hence, motivation for Pollock. Plan is for him to be primary CFer, with Bellinger moving between CF, corner OF, 1B. LAD will have depth to rest regulars. Per sources, team not close to trading Pederson at moment. Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 24, 2019 And then there's the previous maneuvering the Dodgers did this offseason, trading Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp in a big trade with the Cincinnati Reds. At the time, it was speculated that might've been to better position the Dodgers for a run at Bryce Harper, the biggest fish swimming in this winter's free-agent pond. Well, Pollock is who the Dodgers ended up using that flexibility to acquire, causing for a speculative decrease in the likelihood they go after Harper, a player it's at times easy to forget the White Sox are still pursuing. While the market for Harper has been reportedly small all winter long - it currently appears to be solely the White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals - the potential elimination of the Dodgers might aid the White Sox chances in their pursuit of bringing one of the best players in baseball to the South Side. The Dodgers had a glut of outfielders. They eased it a bit. And now they have a glut again. Time will tell, but the possibility exists. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the White Sox easily on your device. | Could the White Sox benefit from the Dodgers signing A.J. Pollock? The White Sox and Dodgers were reported to be discussing a potential trade that would send Pederson to the South Side. Now that another outfielder has joined that roster and crowded the outfielder further, perhaps there's a need to get rid of one, potentially Pederson. | bart | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-white-sox-benefit-dodgers-182546236.html?src=rss | 0.43721 |
Why Don't We Create A Public Works Initiative To Create Unbiased Data For AI? | Biased data creates biased AI. Our AI systems today are biased not because of algorithmic limitations, but because the data used to train those algorithms encode the myriad biases of our human and natural worlds. The cost would be substantial but the resulting benefit to the future of our increasingly AI-driven world would be extraordinary. Underlying every conversation about AI bias is a discussion of data bias. As awe-inspiring as deep learning algorithms may be, they learn only what they are given, meaning the more biased their training data, the more biased their results. Absent any concept of moral values, algorithms mirror what they see, rather than rising above it. Of course, it is critical to recognize that there is no such thing as unbiased data. All data has bias. The key is to create minimally biased data that reduces bias as much as possible along the dimensions most corrosive to the functioning of society. There are no technological limitations to inclusiveness. A camera can capture an affluent Valley elite just as easily as it can capture a subsistence farmer in a remote rural village on the other side of the world. A voice recognition training dataset can just as easily contain samples of speakers from a language of 1,000 speakers as it can a language of 10 million speakers. Companies argue their smart devices can only support so many languages because those are the only languages for which training data exists in sufficient quantities. They argue that machine translation can only support the hundred or so languages for which there is sufficient parallel text. They argue that computer vision algorithms can only support a small number of cultures and geographies for which there are sufficient photographic references. Creating new datasets from scratch would have the added benefit of being able to carefully curate their composition to ensure equal diversity across as many dimensions as possible. The answer, as I noted earlier this week, comes down to economics. Creating new datasets costs a lot of money. Companies invest in ensuring sufficient diversity and inclusiveness of their data to cover their most economically viable customers. Extending beyond monied and monetizable users to the rest of the world doesnt make economic sense for most companies. That is the question that underlies why we have biased AI today. Todays AI is largely created in a capitalist environment subject to the whims of economic need. AI is built to maximize revenue, not make the world a better place. A powerful driving force behind data bias is that technology companies today view data as something they should get for free. Social media companies hoover up our data and view it as their own economic property to exclusively monetize. This ready availability of data means that companies view data like air: something critical to life but that we would never dream of paying for. In turn, this means our AI systems today are largely built upon free data, rather than good data. Faced with a choice between a heavily biased, but free dataset and the cost of creating a brand new curated dataset that minimizes bias, nearly every company will choose the free dataset and try to bolt on a few filters to do what they can to make the bias levels slightly more tolerable. Put another way, the reason we have biased AI today is because we have biased data. The reason we have biased data is because companies choose poor quality but free data over high quality data they have to pay for. Looking to history, the United States Government through its Farm Security Administration funded the creation of one of the single richest photographic archives of American life from 1935 to 1944. With a specific mandate to capture the side of America that was historically left out of the photographic record, the FSAs photographers fanned out across the nation to introduce America to Americans. Of particular interest to the conversation about data bias was FSAs mandate to focus on the underrepresented. Rather than the glamorous society life and urban scenes that dominated traditional photographic subjects, FSAs photographers were tasked with covering the America that most of the public had never seen. Supported by the US Government these photographers were able to focus on capturing the soul of the nation, rather than focusing on economically viable shots that could be sold for the highest dollar. While the FSA program did not operate entirely without constraints on the subjects and messages conveyed by their imagery, they nonetheless offer us a glimpse into the other America that never could have existed without the government recognizing the importance of telling these stories and paying to create this incredible archive. Imagine a project that paid local photographers to fan out across the world capturing daily life in every corner of the planet, mass translated works from underrepresented languages and constructed vast voice archives of their native speakers. That created autonomous driving datasets representing roadways from all corners of the world, rather than the idealized world of American highways. That created datasets encoding cultural practices, legal systems, architecture, art and every other facet of the human and natural world. The creation of these datasets would be jointly funded by the government and major companies, with the resulting datasets available free to the world. Most importantly, in an immense departure from many current AI training datasets, these datasets would be constructed ethically. Rather than mass harvesting social media posts, scraping personal photo galleries, paying random strangers on Amazon Mechanical Turk to contribute personal data, using legal terms of service to forcibly exploit private customer information or any of the other myriad ethically and legally dubious practices used to create todays data archives, these collections would place ethics first. Local laws and cultural practices would be adhered to. Contributors would be fully aware of how their data will be used and could even be granted the right to approve or deny certain applications. For example, they could deny the right to use their face to train facial recognition models sold to law enforcement but allow them for home door lock systems. Every contributor could see the complete list of applications that have made use of their data in some way, allowing them to understand their contribution to AI. Free data would remove the economic disincentive to address data bias. On the other hand, there would still be economic drivers fighting against bias minimization. Companies looking to create the smallest possible and fastest executing models might still balk at bloating their models with support for demographics, cultures and situations that are not economically important to their business model. Extending their models beyond their narrow target customer demographic could make those models less accurate for their customers depending on the technical specifics of their deep learning algorithm. On the other hand, the widespread availability of minimally biased data would increase public and lawmaker scrutiny of companies that chose to continue to build biased models. For companies that genuinely wished to address bias, they would finally have the data to do so. Putting this all together, we have AI bias because companies as a whole dont want to spend the money to create new datasets that minimize bias. They would rather use highly biased free datasets than pay to create curated datasets that explicitly minimize key bias. This reminds us again that the driver behind AI bias is economics. By replacing free biased data with free minimally biased data, we could have a huge impact on AI bias and place additional non-economic pressures on those companies that continue to emphasize bias in their systems. In the end, if biased AI comes from biased data, we have to ask ourselves why we dont spend the money to reduce that bias. Perhaps by jumpstarting the AI space with a public works project for minimally biased data we could fundamentally change the economics of AI bias. | A public works initiative to create unbiased data for AI would be a huge benefit, says Andrew Keen. Keen: "There is no such thing as unbiased data. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/01/25/why-dont-we-create-a-public-works-initiative-to-create-unbiased-data-for-ai/ | 0.152841 |
Why Don't We Create A Public Works Initiative To Create Unbiased Data For AI? | Biased data creates biased AI. Our AI systems today are biased not because of algorithmic limitations, but because the data used to train those algorithms encode the myriad biases of our human and natural worlds. The cost would be substantial but the resulting benefit to the future of our increasingly AI-driven world would be extraordinary. Underlying every conversation about AI bias is a discussion of data bias. As awe-inspiring as deep learning algorithms may be, they learn only what they are given, meaning the more biased their training data, the more biased their results. Absent any concept of moral values, algorithms mirror what they see, rather than rising above it. Of course, it is critical to recognize that there is no such thing as unbiased data. All data has bias. The key is to create minimally biased data that reduces bias as much as possible along the dimensions most corrosive to the functioning of society. There are no technological limitations to inclusiveness. A camera can capture an affluent Valley elite just as easily as it can capture a subsistence farmer in a remote rural village on the other side of the world. A voice recognition training dataset can just as easily contain samples of speakers from a language of 1,000 speakers as it can a language of 10 million speakers. Companies argue their smart devices can only support so many languages because those are the only languages for which training data exists in sufficient quantities. They argue that machine translation can only support the hundred or so languages for which there is sufficient parallel text. They argue that computer vision algorithms can only support a small number of cultures and geographies for which there are sufficient photographic references. Creating new datasets from scratch would have the added benefit of being able to carefully curate their composition to ensure equal diversity across as many dimensions as possible. The answer, as I noted earlier this week, comes down to economics. Creating new datasets costs a lot of money. Companies invest in ensuring sufficient diversity and inclusiveness of their data to cover their most economically viable customers. Extending beyond monied and monetizable users to the rest of the world doesnt make economic sense for most companies. That is the question that underlies why we have biased AI today. Todays AI is largely created in a capitalist environment subject to the whims of economic need. AI is built to maximize revenue, not make the world a better place. A powerful driving force behind data bias is that technology companies today view data as something they should get for free. Social media companies hoover up our data and view it as their own economic property to exclusively monetize. This ready availability of data means that companies view data like air: something critical to life but that we would never dream of paying for. In turn, this means our AI systems today are largely built upon free data, rather than good data. Faced with a choice between a heavily biased, but free dataset and the cost of creating a brand new curated dataset that minimizes bias, nearly every company will choose the free dataset and try to bolt on a few filters to do what they can to make the bias levels slightly more tolerable. Put another way, the reason we have biased AI today is because we have biased data. The reason we have biased data is because companies choose poor quality but free data over high quality data they have to pay for. Looking to history, the United States Government through its Farm Security Administration funded the creation of one of the single richest photographic archives of American life from 1935 to 1944. With a specific mandate to capture the side of America that was historically left out of the photographic record, the FSAs photographers fanned out across the nation to introduce America to Americans. Of particular interest to the conversation about data bias was FSAs mandate to focus on the underrepresented. Rather than the glamorous society life and urban scenes that dominated traditional photographic subjects, FSAs photographers were tasked with covering the America that most of the public had never seen. Supported by the US Government these photographers were able to focus on capturing the soul of the nation, rather than focusing on economically viable shots that could be sold for the highest dollar. While the FSA program did not operate entirely without constraints on the subjects and messages conveyed by their imagery, they nonetheless offer us a glimpse into the other America that never could have existed without the government recognizing the importance of telling these stories and paying to create this incredible archive. Imagine a project that paid local photographers to fan out across the world capturing daily life in every corner of the planet, mass translated works from underrepresented languages and constructed vast voice archives of their native speakers. That created autonomous driving datasets representing roadways from all corners of the world, rather than the idealized world of American highways. That created datasets encoding cultural practices, legal systems, architecture, art and every other facet of the human and natural world. The creation of these datasets would be jointly funded by the government and major companies, with the resulting datasets available free to the world. Most importantly, in an immense departure from many current AI training datasets, these datasets would be constructed ethically. Rather than mass harvesting social media posts, scraping personal photo galleries, paying random strangers on Amazon Mechanical Turk to contribute personal data, using legal terms of service to forcibly exploit private customer information or any of the other myriad ethically and legally dubious practices used to create todays data archives, these collections would place ethics first. Local laws and cultural practices would be adhered to. Contributors would be fully aware of how their data will be used and could even be granted the right to approve or deny certain applications. For example, they could deny the right to use their face to train facial recognition models sold to law enforcement but allow them for home door lock systems. Every contributor could see the complete list of applications that have made use of their data in some way, allowing them to understand their contribution to AI. Free data would remove the economic disincentive to address data bias. On the other hand, there would still be economic drivers fighting against bias minimization. Companies looking to create the smallest possible and fastest executing models might still balk at bloating their models with support for demographics, cultures and situations that are not economically important to their business model. Extending their models beyond their narrow target customer demographic could make those models less accurate for their customers depending on the technical specifics of their deep learning algorithm. On the other hand, the widespread availability of minimally biased data would increase public and lawmaker scrutiny of companies that chose to continue to build biased models. For companies that genuinely wished to address bias, they would finally have the data to do so. Putting this all together, we have AI bias because companies as a whole dont want to spend the money to create new datasets that minimize bias. They would rather use highly biased free datasets than pay to create curated datasets that explicitly minimize key bias. This reminds us again that the driver behind AI bias is economics. By replacing free biased data with free minimally biased data, we could have a huge impact on AI bias and place additional non-economic pressures on those companies that continue to emphasize bias in their systems. In the end, if biased AI comes from biased data, we have to ask ourselves why we dont spend the money to reduce that bias. Perhaps by jumpstarting the AI space with a public works project for minimally biased data we could fundamentally change the economics of AI bias. | A public works initiative to create unbiased data for AI would be a huge benefit, says Andrew Keen. Keen: "There is no such thing as unbiased data. The key is to create minimally biased data that reduces bias" Keen: Todays AI is built to maximize revenue, not make the world a better place. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/01/25/why-dont-we-create-a-public-works-initiative-to-create-unbiased-data-for-ai/ | 0.264139 |
Does 'Resident Evil 2' Remade Look And Play As Good As It Could On Xbox One And PS4? | The remake of Resident Evil 2 has gathered high praise as an example of how to rethink and redo a classic while maintaining a healthy respect for what made the game so great in the first place. Much of the positive commentary has focused on RE2s gameplay and atmosphere of sustained tension, but kudos have also been offered for how good the game looks. And it does look good. However, when you look a little more closely at the technical details, as Digital Foundry did, its hard not to think the RE2 remake is an opportunity missed. Resolution and graphics The new RE2 was built with Capcoms RE engine which was also used to make Resident Evil 7 and Devil May Cry 5. The RE engine brings a lot to the table such as excellent lighting effects and high quality facial and movement animation. The new Resident Evil 2 makes good use of all of it, but it doesnt appear the developers pushed the engine to maximize how the game looks on any of the consoles. The image looks a little sharper and clearer on the base PS4 than the Xbox One S even though resolution comes in at 1920 x 1080 on both consoles. In addition, when switching to a new view there are brief moments when the image pixelates and breaks up on the One S. Claire Redfields hair in the image above is a good example. The PS4 doesnt have this problem. The PS4 Pro and Xbox One X both render at 2880 x 1620. That alone tells you Capcom wasnt interested in taking full advantage of each platforms hardware. The One X is capable of much more. Theres an interesting difference between the Pro and the One X thats not usually seen when the two consoles are compared. The Pro produces a slightly sharper image than the One X but it comes at the cost of an increased amount of shimmering around edges when the camera moves. As a result, the Pro looks a little better in side-by-side comparisons of still shots, but the One X looks a little smoother when you move. The disadvantages are small in both cases and which version is preferred will be a matter of personal taste. Performance Its also apparent that Capcom didnt take advantage of the hardware when it comes to performance. RE2 targets a 60 fps frame rate on all four consoles. The One X and Pro hit the target much of the time; the One S and PS4 frequently miss by a lot. There are many points in RE2 where either the One X or the Pro drop frames when the other one doesnt. This is more evidence that the game wasnt fine tuned for either platform. The One X tends to drop a few frames while the Pro can fall to 50 fps. These brief drops occur less frequently on the One X. In high-stress scenes the Pro slows to the mid-40s while the One X can hit 50 fps. Performance on the One S and the PS4 is much worse. Both consoles rarely hit 60 fps. The PS4 hovers around 50 fps with frequent time spent in the 40s. The One S tends to run somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 to 10 frames slower. Both of the base consoles bottom out around 30 fps in high stress scenes. Conclusion The higher resolutions and faster frame rates found on the Pro and the One X make them the preferred versions whether you favor graphics or performance. In fact, frame rates are so poor and so variable on the base consoles that avoiding them if possible is a good idea. Choosing between the One X and the Pro is not as clear cut. The One X is the obvious choice for players who value performance over visuals. For those who favor image quality, the choice comes down to a preference for the Pros sharper image at the cost of increased edge shimmer or the One Xs softer image combined with decreased shimmer. These visual differences are relatively small, but they are there and may be important for some players. Disappointment sets in when you consider what Capcom could have done but didnt. It would be a vast improvement in performance for the One S and PS4, and a meaningful improvement for the Pro. The One X doesnt need a 30 fps cap but RE2 might have been playable in 4K instead of 1620p (about 56% of full 4K) with a cap in place. Fine tuning a game for different consoles and giving players a choice between performance and graphics modes is commonplace for new releases but its too much to ask for a run-of-the-mill remaster. But Resident Evil 2 is far from that. Capcom lavished a great deal of care and attention on rethinking and rebuilding RE2 for a modern audience and it did a great job. Its a shame the technical presentation didnt get the same love. If you enjoyed this article, here are some others you may find interesting. | The new Resident Evil 2 makes good use of the RE engine but it doesn't appear the developers pushed the engine to maximize how the game looks on any of the consoles. Performance on the One X and Pro hit the target much of the time; the One S and PS4 frequently miss by a lot. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinmurnane/2019/01/26/does-resident-evil-2-remade-look-and-play-as-good-as-it-could-on-xbox-one-and-ps4/ | 0.126329 |
Can water be a magical ingredient? Or are such claims a marketing ploy? | Open this photo in gallery ArtTim University of Alberta professor William Shotyk has been studying the same water for nearly 30 years and the more he studies it, the more it amazes him. The subject of his lifelong fascination is the Alliston aquifer, an underground water source in the vicinity of Springwater, Ont. The water there is confoundingly pure cleaner than ancient arctic ice. This water is a miracle of science, he says. You will not find better water on the planet. Violet Mokri and her husband, Leslie, residents of nearby Waubaushene, Ont., regularly make the 40-kilometre trek to stockpile this water from an artesian well off County Road 27 near Elmvale. They say its not only delicious, it also makes the food they cook and their coffee taste better. Its the best water weve ever had, Violet says. I bought Culligan water and I couldnt drink it, the taste was so bad. Chris Etzinger, owner of Elmvale Bakery, also uses it and says it makes noticeably better bread. Story continues below advertisement As the waters renown spreads, businesses have latched onto it as a marketing point. Torontos Georgian Bay Spirit Co., and Spirit of York Distillery Co,. use the water and have claimed it factors into the quality of their spirits. Producers of food and drink are keen to build romanticism around their water sources. Makers Mark uses water from a spring-fed lake, claiming that Kentucky bourbon gets its wonderful taste, in part, from the local water, which has been filtered naturally through limestone. The Ontario Spring Water Sake Company says the flavour of its sake is enhanced by using a special spring water chosen among the abundant water resources of Northern Ontario. Many pasta makers say their use of pure water from the Lattari Mountains in Italy, for example makes their product superior. And water is often cited as the most important ingredient in beer, which is probably why B.C.s Rossland Beer Company is proud of its fresh mountain water. Still, common sense suggests that even the best water tastes mostly like nothing. As Aristotle once wrote, the natural substance water per se tends to be tasteless. It seems dubious to believe that water, the embodiment of neutrality in flavour, could make a noteworthy difference as an ingredient. lyse Lambert, a Montreal-based master sommelier, says water carries its own flavour profile depending on where its sourced though you might need a trained palate to fully appreciate it. For most people water is water, but there is a slight difference, she says. It comes from the minerals. Some water is soft on the palate and some is harder on the palate. There is a textural component and a salinity brought on by certain compounds. Local residents hold a deep reverence for the water from the Alliston aquifer, describing it as magical, alive or containing some intangible vitality. Its source is the hilly Simcoe Uplands moraine, which is hit by rainwater that seeps downward through maple roots, humus, gravel and clay. By the time it reaches the aquifer, it has taken on a unique spectrum of desirable minerals from the landscape while having been scrubbed of impurities such as lead or zinc. The water tastes vaguely sweet, free of the bouquet of chlorine one might find in tap water. But for Louis Savard, an Ottawa-based water expert, the importance of water goes far beyond taste. A program leader with the River Institute, a nonprofit organization that studies aquatic ecosystems, he says water is an infinitely complex cocktail of minerals, elements and ions, all of which affect the chemistry of cooking. It may be odourless, it may be clear, but its certainly not empty, Savard says. Youve got chloride, magnesium, calcium, sodium and carbonates, and then there are trace elements like iron, phosphorus and nitrogen. Theres a lot to think about, and every single one of those will have an impact on different processes. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Andy Bramburger, a Canadian researcher at the University of Minnesota Duluth, says the mineral content of water is crucial in fermentation. Calcium and magnesium, he says, control enzymatic reactions and contribute to yeast health. On a more basic level, minerality also has an effect on something as simple as creating stock. When youre boiling water, its a dance party of ions, he says. Having the right ions in that water is probably going to make for a tastier stock. Water has a fingerprint, he adds, which can impart a distinct sense of place and time a phenomenon otherwise known as terroir. Sapporo beer brewed at the Sleeman brewery in Canada, he says, tastes more like Sleeman than its Japanese counterpart, primarily because of the influence of the local water. To me, Sleeman beers have a characteristic flavour, he says. Theres probably some ion in the water that is imparting a flavour so unique that its detectable even when they use a different recipe to mimic a beer from a different part of the world. It is an oft-repeated claim that New York Citys mineral-rich tap water creates superior dough, and according to Smithsonian Magazine writer Helen Thompson, there is some merit to that notion. Hard water fortifies gluten, the protein responsible for toughness in bagels," she writes. Using super soft water, on the other hand, turns dough to goo. Toronto chef Nathan Isberg is fully appreciative of waters role in cooking, even if its effect is not easily summarized in words. During a recent foray to Iqaluit, he drank from the Sylvia Grinnell river and was reminded just how mysterious water can be. Story continues below advertisement Theres an energy to it, a vital aspect thats hard to describe, he says. Its absolutely true that water creates a difference. But the benefits can be negligible relative to the cost on local aquifers and the ability for locals to access their water. Theres a real tension there. All of which goes to say that while water certainly makes for convenient marketing, its also a legitimate culinary tool. Good water, with a good selection of minerals, creates good things. Back in the Springwater region, local resident Bonnie Pigeon says shes suddenly finding silt in her well water. She suspects its due to the activity of a quarry located at the moraine nearby. The quarry is planning to expand its operations, leading her, other locals and Shotyk to believe the pristine water is under threat. This water is an intelligence test for our society, Shotyk says. If were intelligent, well be drinking this water for generations to come. | Residents of Springwater, Ont., stockpile water from an artesian well. Water from the Alliston aquifer has been described as a "miracle of science" Water is often cited as the most important ingredient in beer, which is probably why B.C.s Rossland Beer Company is proud of its fresh mountain water. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/article-can-water-be-a-magical-ingredient-or-are-such-claims-a-marketing-ploy/ | 0.173607 |
Should NBA referees live-tweet games? | NBA referees are live-tweeting regular season games, explaining why officials make certain calls or why they miss others. According to the National Basketball Referee Association, refs want to help fans better understand what the officials see on the court, which is good in theory. However, by opening themselves up to trolls or irrational fans, referees' live-tweeting could be counterproductive. PERSPECTIVES Referees always make questionable calls, but by live-tweeting, they're held more accountable. No other league has taken this step, and the NBA's transparency should be applauded. The NBA referees decided not to hide behind the league and run away from angry fans. Instead, they want to enlighten fans about their process. More leagues need to take note and implement something similar. I wish the Other leagues would do this. No good can come of this. Most fans on Twitter are not interested in actual dialogue. They either want their point of view validated or a chance to lash out at someone. The only thing that will happen here is terrible people will take aim at referees who are just trying to do something good. NBA referees should stop live-tweeting games and setting themselves up for failure. That's cool and all but how about calling the right calls -- wake (@Wak3n) January 22, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | NBA referees are live-tweeting games, explaining why they make certain calls or why they miss others. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/should_nba_referees_live-tweet.html | 0.454235 |
Should NBA referees live-tweet games? | NBA referees are live-tweeting regular season games, explaining why officials make certain calls or why they miss others. According to the National Basketball Referee Association, refs want to help fans better understand what the officials see on the court, which is good in theory. However, by opening themselves up to trolls or irrational fans, referees' live-tweeting could be counterproductive. PERSPECTIVES Referees always make questionable calls, but by live-tweeting, they're held more accountable. No other league has taken this step, and the NBA's transparency should be applauded. The NBA referees decided not to hide behind the league and run away from angry fans. Instead, they want to enlighten fans about their process. More leagues need to take note and implement something similar. I wish the Other leagues would do this. No good can come of this. Most fans on Twitter are not interested in actual dialogue. They either want their point of view validated or a chance to lash out at someone. The only thing that will happen here is terrible people will take aim at referees who are just trying to do something good. NBA referees should stop live-tweeting games and setting themselves up for failure. That's cool and all but how about calling the right calls -- wake (@Wak3n) January 22, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | NBA referees are live-tweeting regular season games. Refs want to help fans better understand what the officials see on the court. No other league has taken this step, and the NBA should be applauded. | bart | 1 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/should_nba_referees_live-tweet.html | 0.44196 |
Should NBA referees live-tweet games? | NBA referees are live-tweeting regular season games, explaining why officials make certain calls or why they miss others. According to the National Basketball Referee Association, refs want to help fans better understand what the officials see on the court, which is good in theory. However, by opening themselves up to trolls or irrational fans, referees' live-tweeting could be counterproductive. PERSPECTIVES Referees always make questionable calls, but by live-tweeting, they're held more accountable. No other league has taken this step, and the NBA's transparency should be applauded. The NBA referees decided not to hide behind the league and run away from angry fans. Instead, they want to enlighten fans about their process. More leagues need to take note and implement something similar. I wish the Other leagues would do this. No good can come of this. Most fans on Twitter are not interested in actual dialogue. They either want their point of view validated or a chance to lash out at someone. The only thing that will happen here is terrible people will take aim at referees who are just trying to do something good. NBA referees should stop live-tweeting games and setting themselves up for failure. That's cool and all but how about calling the right calls -- wake (@Wak3n) January 22, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | NBA referees are live-tweeting games, explaining why they make certain calls or why they miss others. According to the National Basketball Referee Association, refs want to help fans better understand what the officials see on the court. However, by opening themselves up to trolls or irrational fans, referees' live-tweeting could be counterproductive. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/01/should_nba_referees_live-tweet.html | 0.571952 |
Will A Weekly, Bimonthly Or Biweekly Payment Mortgage Really Save Me Money? | Lenders who offer mortgages with shorter payment periods than the standard monthly payment mortgage usually do claim that they will save the borrower money. But they seldom explain how. The Sources of Borrower Savings There are only three possible sources of savings to the borrower from increasing the frequency of mortgage payments. One possibility is that the lender offers a rate or fee reduction on the high payment frequency mortgage. I have yet to see an example of this, and will discuss it no further. The second possibility is that the lender amortizes the loan using the shorter payment period on the loan. If the mortgage calls for two payments a month, for example, the lender will reduce the loan balance on the 15th day of the month as well as the 1st. This will reduce the amount of interest due for the month, leaving more of the payment for further balance reduction. Amortizing the loan using a shorter period generates a real saving for the borrower, but it doesnt amount to much. The third possibility is that the higher payment frequency is accompanied by larger total payments. This will also pay down the balance faster and reduce the interest cost, but the benefit is due entirely to the extra payment made by the borrower. The lender makes no contribution beyond providing the mortgage that credits the extra payment. Weekly Payments With weekly payments, the lender multiplies the monthly payment by 12 and divides by 52 in order to calculate the payment. Total payments are unchanged. Further, every weekly payment program I have seen amortizes monthly, which means that the lender gets to hold the payments as they come in until the first of the month when they are applied. There is no benefit to the borrower, just the convenience or inconvenience of writing 4 or 5 checks every month instead of one. Bimonthly Payments With bimonthly payments, the borrower pays half the monthly payment twice a month, so total payments remain unchanged. Note to readers: please dont write me that this mortgage should be called a semi-monthly payment mortgage, I know that but decided it would be less confusing to follow industry practice. The bimonthly payment mortgages that I have seen amortize on a half-monthly basis. This means that payments made on the 15th of the month save 15 days of interest on the payment amount, which is a real saving. However, it does not amount to much. On 30-year mortgages with rates of 6% or less, payoff occurs after 719 half payments, shaving just one-half of a month off the term. Borrowers who find bimonthly payments attractive can accelerate the pay-down process by making extra payments, and I have a spreadsheet on my web site that may help them. See Extra Payments on Bimonthly Payment Fixed-Rate Mortgages. For example, the borrower with a $200,000 mortgage at 4% who pays $477.42 twice a month gets to a zero balance just half a month early without extra payments. But if the borrower rounds off the payment to $500, payoff occurs after 659 payments, or 30.5 months early. Biweekly Payments A biweekly mortgage is one on which the borrower makes a payment equal to half the fully amortizing monthly payment every two weeks. Since there are 26 biweekly periods in a year, the biweekly produces the equivalent of one extra monthly payment every year. This results in a significant shortening of the period to payoff. For example, a 4% 30-year loan converted to a biweekly pays off in 310 months or 25 years, 10 months. Biweeklies amortize on a monthly basis, so there is no added benefit of biweekly amortization. The only contribution the lender makes to the accelerated payoff is to hold the borrowers biweekly payments until the first of the month when they are applied. The borrower could do this for herself by placing biweekly payments in a special bank account. The biweekly is only one of many ways that borrowers can budget extra payments. For example, increasing every monthly payment by 1/12 will pay down the balance at a rate almost identical to that with a biweekly. For hundreds of other ways to do it, see my Extra Payment Calculator. | There are only three possible sources of savings to the borrower from increasing the frequency of mortgage payments. Amortizing the loan using a shorter period generates a real saving for the borrower, but it doesnt amount to much. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackguttentag/2019/01/26/will-a-weekly-bimonthly-or-biweekly-payment-mortgage-really-save-me-money/ | 0.153445 |
Will A Weekly, Bimonthly Or Biweekly Payment Mortgage Really Save Me Money? | Lenders who offer mortgages with shorter payment periods than the standard monthly payment mortgage usually do claim that they will save the borrower money. But they seldom explain how. The Sources of Borrower Savings There are only three possible sources of savings to the borrower from increasing the frequency of mortgage payments. One possibility is that the lender offers a rate or fee reduction on the high payment frequency mortgage. I have yet to see an example of this, and will discuss it no further. The second possibility is that the lender amortizes the loan using the shorter payment period on the loan. If the mortgage calls for two payments a month, for example, the lender will reduce the loan balance on the 15th day of the month as well as the 1st. This will reduce the amount of interest due for the month, leaving more of the payment for further balance reduction. Amortizing the loan using a shorter period generates a real saving for the borrower, but it doesnt amount to much. The third possibility is that the higher payment frequency is accompanied by larger total payments. This will also pay down the balance faster and reduce the interest cost, but the benefit is due entirely to the extra payment made by the borrower. The lender makes no contribution beyond providing the mortgage that credits the extra payment. Weekly Payments With weekly payments, the lender multiplies the monthly payment by 12 and divides by 52 in order to calculate the payment. Total payments are unchanged. Further, every weekly payment program I have seen amortizes monthly, which means that the lender gets to hold the payments as they come in until the first of the month when they are applied. There is no benefit to the borrower, just the convenience or inconvenience of writing 4 or 5 checks every month instead of one. Bimonthly Payments With bimonthly payments, the borrower pays half the monthly payment twice a month, so total payments remain unchanged. Note to readers: please dont write me that this mortgage should be called a semi-monthly payment mortgage, I know that but decided it would be less confusing to follow industry practice. The bimonthly payment mortgages that I have seen amortize on a half-monthly basis. This means that payments made on the 15th of the month save 15 days of interest on the payment amount, which is a real saving. However, it does not amount to much. On 30-year mortgages with rates of 6% or less, payoff occurs after 719 half payments, shaving just one-half of a month off the term. Borrowers who find bimonthly payments attractive can accelerate the pay-down process by making extra payments, and I have a spreadsheet on my web site that may help them. See Extra Payments on Bimonthly Payment Fixed-Rate Mortgages. For example, the borrower with a $200,000 mortgage at 4% who pays $477.42 twice a month gets to a zero balance just half a month early without extra payments. But if the borrower rounds off the payment to $500, payoff occurs after 659 payments, or 30.5 months early. Biweekly Payments A biweekly mortgage is one on which the borrower makes a payment equal to half the fully amortizing monthly payment every two weeks. Since there are 26 biweekly periods in a year, the biweekly produces the equivalent of one extra monthly payment every year. This results in a significant shortening of the period to payoff. For example, a 4% 30-year loan converted to a biweekly pays off in 310 months or 25 years, 10 months. Biweeklies amortize on a monthly basis, so there is no added benefit of biweekly amortization. The only contribution the lender makes to the accelerated payoff is to hold the borrowers biweekly payments until the first of the month when they are applied. The borrower could do this for herself by placing biweekly payments in a special bank account. The biweekly is only one of many ways that borrowers can budget extra payments. For example, increasing every monthly payment by 1/12 will pay down the balance at a rate almost identical to that with a biweekly. For hundreds of other ways to do it, see my Extra Payment Calculator. | There are only three possible sources of savings to the borrower from increasing the frequency of mortgage payments. Amortizing the loan using a shorter period generates a real saving for the borrower, but it doesnt amount to much. Bimonthly payment mortgages that I have seen amortize on a half-monthly basis. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackguttentag/2019/01/26/will-a-weekly-bimonthly-or-biweekly-payment-mortgage-really-save-me-money/ | 0.1929 |
Why Is The IRS Punishing Triple Net Landlords? | There are horrible people who, instead of solving a problem, tangle it up and make it harder to solve for anyone who wants to deal with it. Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all. - Friedrich Nietzche While the IRS as a whole is by no means horrible, the new Final Regulations regarding Section 199A of the Internal Revenue Code must seem that way to landlords who lease property under triple net leases. The vast majority of these will not be considered to be active trades or businesses for purposes of qualifying for the 20% deduction that will be available to most active landlords. Code Section 199A was introduced to the Internal Revenue Code as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act with the intent of giving taxpayers some degree of parity with the 21% income tax bracket bestowed upon large and small companies that are taxed as separate entities (known to tax professionals as C corporations. C corporations are different than S corporations, as S corporations report their income under the K-1 system that causes the shareholders to pay the income tax on their personal returns). Since the term trade or business was not defined under Section 199A, the real estate community has been waiting for the Final Regulations which were released on Friday, January 18, and basically follow what the Proposed Regulations (released last August) said, which is that which is that passive investors are not considered to be an active trade or business, even though they take significant economic risks and may work hard to verify that the tenants pay the taxes, insurances and maintenance of the leased property, comply with applicable law and otherwise do what tenants are supposed to do. The practical result will be that landlords will need to become active and possibly renegotiate lease terms to have at least a chance of being eligible to have the deductions that other landlords will have, or to perhaps qualify under the new safe harbor rules that allow the deduction to non triple net leases if they satisfy the 250 hour per year requirement, which requires tabulation of the work hours of landlords and agents of landlords, and certain time log and verification procedures.' This seems very unfair since REIT (Real Estate Investment Trusts) income will often include triple net lease profits that will qualify for the Section 199A deduction, and C corporations only have to pay the 21% rate on net income from triple net leases. Tax professionals, and masochists may enjoy or derive a better understanding by reading on. The new Final Regulations refer to several Supreme Court cases to aide in defining what types of enterprises will qualify as a trade or business, and these cases do not bode well for landlords of triple net leases. For example, the Final Regulations cite to the Supreme Courts 1987 landmark trade or business case, Commissioner v. Groetzinger, which held that to be engaged in a trade or business the following two requirements must be met: 1. The taxpayers involvement must be continuous and regular; and 2. The primary purpose of the activity must be for income or profit. The very definition of a triple net lease seemingly disqualifies the majority of triple net landlords from qualifying under this definition under the assumption that they do not have continuous and regular involvement. With triple net leases, the tenant is usually responsible for the three nets: real estate taxes, building insurance, and maintenance. By having the tenant be responsible for most of the on-site responsibilities, the landlord is able to spend more time and effort buying and selling other properties and therefore investing more into the economy. In turn, triple net lease agreements usually benefit the tenant because the pricing of the agreement will reflect the fact that the tenant will be responsible for a lot of the on-site responsibilities. Now tenants have the upper hand when landlords ask to be allowed to provide at least 250 hours of services per year (cumulatively, as to all leases that the landlord will aggregate under the complicated aggregation rules, which are discussed in our blog post entitled Real Estate: Investing with Section 199A: Dont Let Your Deductions Fly Out the Window). The new Final Regulations do, however, contain one saving grace for taxpayers with triple net leases by quoting the 1941 Supreme Court case of Higgins v. Commissioner. In Higgins the Supreme Court stated that the determination of whether the activities of a taxpayer are carrying on a business requires an examination of the facts in each case. Since it is a factual determination, a taxpayer with the right fact can successfully argue that his or her triple net or almost triple net rental enterprise should constitute a qualified trade or business. However, doing so will be a tough and expensive hurdle for many landlords to jump over. Perhaps Congress will act in a compromise to assist the continued growth in the economy in recognizing that taxpayers with triple net leases put themselves at significant financial risk, in that tenants like Toys R Us and Sears may go bankrupt and leave a landlord high and dry after many months of eviction and then bankruptcy litigation. Many landlords are not aware that the bankruptcy law allows tenants to have the court terminate long term leases and limit damages to one year of rent. Non-triple net lease landlords who spend considerable time in their leasing activities can take considerable comfort from Notice 2019-7, which was published alongside the new Final Regulations. The Notice provides the above-mentioned safe harbor for non-triple net leases to be treated as a trade or business solely for the purposes of Section 199A. Under the new safe harbor, non triple net rental real estate may be treated as a trade or business, if the following three requirements are met: 1. separate books and records are maintained to reflect income and expenses for each rental real estate enterprise; 2. 250 or more hours of rental services are performed per year with respect to the rental enterprise; and 3. the taxpayer maintains contemporaneous records, including time reports or similar documents, regarding the following: 1) hours of all services performed, 2) description of all services performed, 3) dates on which such services are performed, and 4) who performed the service. Interestingly, while triple net lease arrangements outside of REITs will likely not qualify under Section 199A, banks that are taxed as S corporations, or partnerships, are eligible for the deduction, although in many respects a loan is like a triple net lease where the landlord has put money out for a long term series of payments, where in many cases the vast majority of the value is in the years of payments to be received, just like a long term promissory note. It is even more disturbing that other types of businesses involving much less risk on the part of the owner qualify for the deduction. These include brothels, franchisors and vending machine owners. For more information on the different types of businesses that qualify for Section 199A, please see our post entitled Beautiful Losers: The Discriminatory Nature of the 199A Proposed Regulations, especially if you like Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. As the infamous Marquis de Sade once stated, Social order at the expense of liberty is hardly a bargain. To view our on-demand webinar on how Section 199A impacts real estate investors or to receive our white papers on this topic, email agassman@gassmanpa.com and mention the secret decoder ring. If you are a landlord or tax advisor, thanks sincerely for what you do for others. If you are a triple net tenant it is time to ask the landlord if you can give up some of the responsibilities so that the landlord pays less tax on the rent income. | The new Final Regulations regarding Section 199A of the Internal Revenue Code do not bode well for landlords of triple net leases. This seems very unfair since REIT (Real Estate Investment Trusts) income will often include triple net lease profits that will qualify for the Section 199a deduction. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/alangassman/2019/01/26/why-is-the-irs-punishing-triple-net-landlords/ | 0.140275 |
What's a 403(b) Retirement Plan? | It's important to save for retirement, but it's hard to do it all on your own. There are many tools you can use to boost your independent retirement savings, such as a regular investment account or tax-favored IRAs. But many workers are fortunate enough to get some help from the companies they work for, and employer-sponsored retirement plans often have attractive features that demonstrate your employer's commitment to helping you retire in comfort. Employer-sponsored retirement plans can be complicated because of the highly technical tax laws that govern them, so experts refer to them by the section of the Internal Revenue Code that authorizes their use. 403(b) retirement plans are just one example. Despite their somewhat cryptic name, 403(b)s can be extremely useful in helping eligible workers save for their retirement needs. Below, you'll learn everything you need to know about 403(b) plans and how you can use them to retire confidently and securely. Image source: Getty Images. 403(b) retirement plans are governed by Section 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code, which lays out all of the guidelines, requirements, features, and limitations of the plans. Also known as tax-sheltered annuity plans, 403(b) plans allow participants to set money aside in a special account and invest it for their retirement. Participants are offered a fixed menu of investment options. In addition to letting employees save part of their wages in a 403(b) account, many employers also make extra contributions to their workers' retirement savings. These employer contributions can take the form of either discretionary deposits into all workers' accounts or matches on the contributions that employees make on their own behalf. Like the employee's own contributions, these employer contributions are invested and grow over time, eventually becoming available to withdraw in retirement. 403(b) plans are similar to the 401(k) retirement plans that most people are familiar with. They have many things in common, including their limits on annual contributions. For 2019, savers can put aside $19,000 in either a 401(k) or a 403(b) plan account if they're younger than 50, or $25,000 if they're 50 or older. Both allow employers to match employees' contributions or make discretionary contributions, and both share the favorable tax features you'll read more about below. However, 403(b) plans differ from 401(k) plans in several key ways. First, only certain employers are allowed to offer a 403(b) plan. In order to sponsor a 403(b) plan, an employer must be a public school system, a qualified nonprofit organization, or a religious institution such as a church. That means that if your employer offers a 401(k) plan, it's likely not allowed to offer a 403(b) plan and vice versa. In addition, the investments that 403(b) plans typically offer are different from what you'll find in many 401(k) plans. Historically, 403(b) plans were required to invest in annuity contracts from insurance companies. Over time, the laws governing these plans allowed a wider range of investments, including stock mutual funds. However, because of the historical bias -- as well as the original name, which emphasized the tax-sheltered annuity origins of the accounts -- you'll find annuity products much more frequently in 403(b) plans than in 401(k) plans. Finally, 403(b) plans have a special rule that allows additional contributions by some employees who have had at least 15 years of service with their employers. Such employees can put an additional $3,000 into their 403(b) plan accounts for up to five years, subject to reduction if their average annual contribution to that point exceeds $5,000. In general, those who work for an eligible employer will qualify to participate in its 403(b) plan, including the following workers: Employees of public school systems who are involved in the day-to-day operations of a school. Employees of tax-exempt organizations established under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which encompasses most charitable organizations. Employees of cooperative hospital service organizations. Employees of public school systems organized by Native American tribal governments. Civilian faculty and staff members of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Ministers who are employed by charitable organizations, who are self-employed, or who function as ministers in their day-to-day professional responsibilities with their employers. Employers are generally required to make their 403(b) plans universally available. In other words, any employee should be allowed to make contributions to a 403(b) plan if it's in place, so if your employer offers a 403(b) plan, you should get information about it soon after you start your job there. In order to contribute to a 403(b) plan that your employer offers, you'll need to fill out some paperwork from your company's payroll person or human resources department. To fill it out correctly, you'll need to consider the following things. First, you'll need to decide how much money to contribute. Most employers allow you to defer either a percentage of your pay or a fixed dollar amount toward your retirement savings each pay period. Your employer will then withhold the specified amount and make sure the money goes to the financial institution that manages and invests the 403(b) accounts owned by you and your coworkers. In addition, if your employer matches 403(b) plan contributions or adds additional employer contributions of its own, then that money will also be deposited into your account. When determining your contribution amount, keep in mind that the limits mentioned above -- $19,000 for those younger than 50 and $25,000 for those 50 or older in 2019 -- apply to total annual contributions. Even if you set a percentage that would cause you to exceed those amounts, your employer should stop withholding money from your paycheck once you hit the maximum. Next, you'll need to specify which investments you want your 403(b) money to go into. It's up to your employer to offer a menu of investments, and the exact type of 403(b) plan your employer chooses will determine in part what those investments are likely to be. Some employers offer individual annuity contracts through insurance companies, which typically let you choose among fixed annuities that pay out income at set interest rates and variable annuities that are tied to various investment asset classes, such as stocks and bonds. If your employer offers what's known as a custodial 403(b) account, then you'll have access to mutual funds as well. Retirement income 403(b) accounts, which are available to church employees, can invest in either annuities or mutual funds. To be smart about your 403(b) plan account's investments, you'll need to balance a couple of needs that sometimes conflict. First, it's generally smart to have a diversified portfolio to invest for retirement, with a range of asset classes that include both growth-oriented investments such as stocks and income-generating investments such as bonds, which typically pay you interest once or twice per year. However, the fees and costs of investing in 403(b) plan account investments can vary widely even within the same plan, so focusing on the lowest-cost options ensures that you'll hang on to more of the returns that those particular investments generate. Ideally, you can put together a 403(b) retirement account portfolio that fulfills both of those needs, but not all employers are able to offer a large number of investment options that are attractive from a cost standpoint. Like most employer-sponsored retirement plans, 403(b) plans are primarily designed to let participants withdraw money after they retire. Most 403(b) accounts offer multiple options when it comes time to start accessing their retirement funds, including one-time withdrawals on demand, as well as a host of different periodic withdrawal schedules that you can tailor to your cash flow needs. In many cases, you can arrange to have fixed amounts withdrawn every month, three months, six months, or year. If you hold annuities within your 403(b) plan account, then those products may offer some payout options of their own that can give you additional flexibility. The other choice you have after you retire is to roll over your 403(b) account balance to an IRA. In cases in which the 403(b) plan's investments aren't ideal, rolling money over to an IRA lets you reinvest the money in a wider array of more desirable investments without any immediate tax consequences. However, in some cases, rolling over a 403(b) can cause you to miss out on attractive investment options that employers have access to but aren't available to ordinary investors. Meanwhile, if you need to withdraw money before you retire, you may face early-withdrawal penalties. Those who take money out before turning 59 1/2 will have to pay a 10% penalty on the amount withdrawn. That's on top of the other tax consequences of all 403(b) plan withdrawals, which we'll discuss below. Avoiding early distributions is usually smart, though there are a few limited situations in which you can take money before 59 1/2 without paying a penalty. For instance, withdrawals that go toward higher-education expenses, medical bills, or the purchase of your first primary residence may be exempt from the early-withdrawal penalty. At the same time, there's an age at which you have to start taking withdrawals from your 403(b), lest you face an even steeper penalty. Once you reach age 70 1/2, IRS rules force you to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from your 403(b) each year. These amounts are based on the value of your account each year and your life expectancy, the idea being that you'll take proportionally similar withdrawals for the rest of your life. If you don't take your RMD in full and on time, you'll be assessed a penalty of 50% of the amount you failed to withdraw. Lastly, different rules apply when it comes to money that your employer has contributed to your account, either through a match or as part of a one-time contribution. Most employers' 403(b) contributions are subject to vesting requirements, which means you have to work for a certain amount of time before you're entitled to keep that free money. Some common provisions for vesting schedules include a three-year waiting period before all of your employer contributions become available to you, or a graded schedule whereby a portion of the contributions become vested each year until you eventually reach 100%. If you don't work long enough to meet the vesting requirements, then you'll have to leave that money with your employer, which can then use it to defray the expenses of the 403(b) plan. One alternative to withdrawals that some 403(b) plans offer is the ability to take out a 403(b) loan. Specific requirements for such loans vary from employer to employer, but the plan document will give details on exactly how much you're allowed to take, what the repayment terms are, and what documentation is required. Keep in mind that with 403(b) plan loans, there can be substantial penalties if you fail to repay the loan, and if you leave your job, any outstanding 403(b) loan gets accelerated, and you'll have to repay it in full within a short period of time -- typically 60 days. The reason why 403(b) plans are so popular is that they offer substantial tax benefits. The biggest benefit that 403(b) plans offer is that you're allowed to make contributions on a pre-tax basis. Therefore, any money you contribute isn't counted in your taxable income for the year, so your tax bill will be lower by the amount of tax that you would have paid on the contributed amount. In addition, some 403(b) plans offer what's known as Roth options. Roth 403(b)s do not give you the tax benefit above: Instead, you'll contribute after-tax money to the plan. However, in exchange for giving up the immediate tax benefit, you can make withdrawals from the Roth 403(b) account in retirement tax-free. However, not every employer offers a Roth option, so you'll want to check with your HR department to find out whether you're eligible. Once you've put money into your 403(b) plan account, the other big benefit is that it grows on a tax-deferred basis. Over the years, your investments inside your 403(b) will typically make payments in the form of interest, dividends, or other types of investment income. In an ordinary account, you'd often have to pay taxes on that income in the year in which you received it. However, because the investments are inside a 403(b) account, you don't have to pay those taxes along the way. In addition, the tax deferral qualities of 403(b) accounts also apply when you sell a winning investment. In a typical investment account, you'd owe capital gains taxes at the time you sold. With a 403(b) plan account, you once again don't have to pay taxes on those capital gains immediately. It's true that for regular 403(b) plans, you eventually have to pay the tax man. Taxes come due when you start making withdrawals from your 403(b) plan account, with the amount withdrawn getting added to your taxable income for the year. Often, that's still a net benefit, because most people end up in lower tax brackets after they retire than they were in during their working years. 403(b) plans are extremely useful, but they aren't perfect. One downside to using 403(b) plans is that you have to pay taxes at your ordinary income tax rate on withdrawals in retirement. That's not entirely unfair, given that you avoided paying ordinary income taxes on the money you initially contributed. However, even if much of your account's value comes from long-term capital gains -- which are subject to preferential tax rates when investments are sold outside a retirement account -- you'll still have to pay ordinary income taxes on your withdrawal. The greatest hazard of 403(b) plans is the investment fees that certain financial institutions charge. Some institutions try to make it easy for employers -- especially small ones -- to create a 403(b) plan for their employees, offering services at inexpensive rates. For school systems and nonprofit organizations, that's an appealing proposition. However, these financial institutions often have the ulterior motive of offering a limited menu of investment options, all of which have relatively high fees. In other words, in a bad plan, you might end up paying for the cut-rate offer that your employer got to open the plan in the first place. Use 403(b) plans to your advantage Even with these downsides, however, 403(b) plans are an extremely useful and versatile tool that eligible employees can use to save for retirement. With generous maximum contribution limits, favorable tax treatment, and a structure that's relatively easy for both employers and employees to understand, 403(b) plans are definitely worth a closer look as part of your overall retirement plan. More From The Motley Fool The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | 403(b) retirement plans are governed by 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. 403(b) plans allow participants to set money aside in a special account and invest it for their retirement. | pegasus | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/apos-403-b-retirement-plan-210400097.html | 0.139915 |
What's a 403(b) Retirement Plan? | It's important to save for retirement, but it's hard to do it all on your own. There are many tools you can use to boost your independent retirement savings, such as a regular investment account or tax-favored IRAs. But many workers are fortunate enough to get some help from the companies they work for, and employer-sponsored retirement plans often have attractive features that demonstrate your employer's commitment to helping you retire in comfort. Employer-sponsored retirement plans can be complicated because of the highly technical tax laws that govern them, so experts refer to them by the section of the Internal Revenue Code that authorizes their use. 403(b) retirement plans are just one example. Despite their somewhat cryptic name, 403(b)s can be extremely useful in helping eligible workers save for their retirement needs. Below, you'll learn everything you need to know about 403(b) plans and how you can use them to retire confidently and securely. Image source: Getty Images. 403(b) retirement plans are governed by Section 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code, which lays out all of the guidelines, requirements, features, and limitations of the plans. Also known as tax-sheltered annuity plans, 403(b) plans allow participants to set money aside in a special account and invest it for their retirement. Participants are offered a fixed menu of investment options. In addition to letting employees save part of their wages in a 403(b) account, many employers also make extra contributions to their workers' retirement savings. These employer contributions can take the form of either discretionary deposits into all workers' accounts or matches on the contributions that employees make on their own behalf. Like the employee's own contributions, these employer contributions are invested and grow over time, eventually becoming available to withdraw in retirement. 403(b) plans are similar to the 401(k) retirement plans that most people are familiar with. They have many things in common, including their limits on annual contributions. For 2019, savers can put aside $19,000 in either a 401(k) or a 403(b) plan account if they're younger than 50, or $25,000 if they're 50 or older. Both allow employers to match employees' contributions or make discretionary contributions, and both share the favorable tax features you'll read more about below. However, 403(b) plans differ from 401(k) plans in several key ways. First, only certain employers are allowed to offer a 403(b) plan. In order to sponsor a 403(b) plan, an employer must be a public school system, a qualified nonprofit organization, or a religious institution such as a church. That means that if your employer offers a 401(k) plan, it's likely not allowed to offer a 403(b) plan and vice versa. In addition, the investments that 403(b) plans typically offer are different from what you'll find in many 401(k) plans. Historically, 403(b) plans were required to invest in annuity contracts from insurance companies. Over time, the laws governing these plans allowed a wider range of investments, including stock mutual funds. However, because of the historical bias -- as well as the original name, which emphasized the tax-sheltered annuity origins of the accounts -- you'll find annuity products much more frequently in 403(b) plans than in 401(k) plans. Finally, 403(b) plans have a special rule that allows additional contributions by some employees who have had at least 15 years of service with their employers. Such employees can put an additional $3,000 into their 403(b) plan accounts for up to five years, subject to reduction if their average annual contribution to that point exceeds $5,000. In general, those who work for an eligible employer will qualify to participate in its 403(b) plan, including the following workers: Employees of public school systems who are involved in the day-to-day operations of a school. Employees of tax-exempt organizations established under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which encompasses most charitable organizations. Employees of cooperative hospital service organizations. Employees of public school systems organized by Native American tribal governments. Civilian faculty and staff members of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Ministers who are employed by charitable organizations, who are self-employed, or who function as ministers in their day-to-day professional responsibilities with their employers. Employers are generally required to make their 403(b) plans universally available. In other words, any employee should be allowed to make contributions to a 403(b) plan if it's in place, so if your employer offers a 403(b) plan, you should get information about it soon after you start your job there. In order to contribute to a 403(b) plan that your employer offers, you'll need to fill out some paperwork from your company's payroll person or human resources department. To fill it out correctly, you'll need to consider the following things. First, you'll need to decide how much money to contribute. Most employers allow you to defer either a percentage of your pay or a fixed dollar amount toward your retirement savings each pay period. Your employer will then withhold the specified amount and make sure the money goes to the financial institution that manages and invests the 403(b) accounts owned by you and your coworkers. In addition, if your employer matches 403(b) plan contributions or adds additional employer contributions of its own, then that money will also be deposited into your account. When determining your contribution amount, keep in mind that the limits mentioned above -- $19,000 for those younger than 50 and $25,000 for those 50 or older in 2019 -- apply to total annual contributions. Even if you set a percentage that would cause you to exceed those amounts, your employer should stop withholding money from your paycheck once you hit the maximum. Next, you'll need to specify which investments you want your 403(b) money to go into. It's up to your employer to offer a menu of investments, and the exact type of 403(b) plan your employer chooses will determine in part what those investments are likely to be. Some employers offer individual annuity contracts through insurance companies, which typically let you choose among fixed annuities that pay out income at set interest rates and variable annuities that are tied to various investment asset classes, such as stocks and bonds. If your employer offers what's known as a custodial 403(b) account, then you'll have access to mutual funds as well. Retirement income 403(b) accounts, which are available to church employees, can invest in either annuities or mutual funds. To be smart about your 403(b) plan account's investments, you'll need to balance a couple of needs that sometimes conflict. First, it's generally smart to have a diversified portfolio to invest for retirement, with a range of asset classes that include both growth-oriented investments such as stocks and income-generating investments such as bonds, which typically pay you interest once or twice per year. However, the fees and costs of investing in 403(b) plan account investments can vary widely even within the same plan, so focusing on the lowest-cost options ensures that you'll hang on to more of the returns that those particular investments generate. Ideally, you can put together a 403(b) retirement account portfolio that fulfills both of those needs, but not all employers are able to offer a large number of investment options that are attractive from a cost standpoint. Like most employer-sponsored retirement plans, 403(b) plans are primarily designed to let participants withdraw money after they retire. Most 403(b) accounts offer multiple options when it comes time to start accessing their retirement funds, including one-time withdrawals on demand, as well as a host of different periodic withdrawal schedules that you can tailor to your cash flow needs. In many cases, you can arrange to have fixed amounts withdrawn every month, three months, six months, or year. If you hold annuities within your 403(b) plan account, then those products may offer some payout options of their own that can give you additional flexibility. The other choice you have after you retire is to roll over your 403(b) account balance to an IRA. In cases in which the 403(b) plan's investments aren't ideal, rolling money over to an IRA lets you reinvest the money in a wider array of more desirable investments without any immediate tax consequences. However, in some cases, rolling over a 403(b) can cause you to miss out on attractive investment options that employers have access to but aren't available to ordinary investors. Meanwhile, if you need to withdraw money before you retire, you may face early-withdrawal penalties. Those who take money out before turning 59 1/2 will have to pay a 10% penalty on the amount withdrawn. That's on top of the other tax consequences of all 403(b) plan withdrawals, which we'll discuss below. Avoiding early distributions is usually smart, though there are a few limited situations in which you can take money before 59 1/2 without paying a penalty. For instance, withdrawals that go toward higher-education expenses, medical bills, or the purchase of your first primary residence may be exempt from the early-withdrawal penalty. At the same time, there's an age at which you have to start taking withdrawals from your 403(b), lest you face an even steeper penalty. Once you reach age 70 1/2, IRS rules force you to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from your 403(b) each year. These amounts are based on the value of your account each year and your life expectancy, the idea being that you'll take proportionally similar withdrawals for the rest of your life. If you don't take your RMD in full and on time, you'll be assessed a penalty of 50% of the amount you failed to withdraw. Lastly, different rules apply when it comes to money that your employer has contributed to your account, either through a match or as part of a one-time contribution. Most employers' 403(b) contributions are subject to vesting requirements, which means you have to work for a certain amount of time before you're entitled to keep that free money. Some common provisions for vesting schedules include a three-year waiting period before all of your employer contributions become available to you, or a graded schedule whereby a portion of the contributions become vested each year until you eventually reach 100%. If you don't work long enough to meet the vesting requirements, then you'll have to leave that money with your employer, which can then use it to defray the expenses of the 403(b) plan. One alternative to withdrawals that some 403(b) plans offer is the ability to take out a 403(b) loan. Specific requirements for such loans vary from employer to employer, but the plan document will give details on exactly how much you're allowed to take, what the repayment terms are, and what documentation is required. Keep in mind that with 403(b) plan loans, there can be substantial penalties if you fail to repay the loan, and if you leave your job, any outstanding 403(b) loan gets accelerated, and you'll have to repay it in full within a short period of time -- typically 60 days. The reason why 403(b) plans are so popular is that they offer substantial tax benefits. The biggest benefit that 403(b) plans offer is that you're allowed to make contributions on a pre-tax basis. Therefore, any money you contribute isn't counted in your taxable income for the year, so your tax bill will be lower by the amount of tax that you would have paid on the contributed amount. In addition, some 403(b) plans offer what's known as Roth options. Roth 403(b)s do not give you the tax benefit above: Instead, you'll contribute after-tax money to the plan. However, in exchange for giving up the immediate tax benefit, you can make withdrawals from the Roth 403(b) account in retirement tax-free. However, not every employer offers a Roth option, so you'll want to check with your HR department to find out whether you're eligible. Once you've put money into your 403(b) plan account, the other big benefit is that it grows on a tax-deferred basis. Over the years, your investments inside your 403(b) will typically make payments in the form of interest, dividends, or other types of investment income. In an ordinary account, you'd often have to pay taxes on that income in the year in which you received it. However, because the investments are inside a 403(b) account, you don't have to pay those taxes along the way. In addition, the tax deferral qualities of 403(b) accounts also apply when you sell a winning investment. In a typical investment account, you'd owe capital gains taxes at the time you sold. With a 403(b) plan account, you once again don't have to pay taxes on those capital gains immediately. It's true that for regular 403(b) plans, you eventually have to pay the tax man. Taxes come due when you start making withdrawals from your 403(b) plan account, with the amount withdrawn getting added to your taxable income for the year. Often, that's still a net benefit, because most people end up in lower tax brackets after they retire than they were in during their working years. 403(b) plans are extremely useful, but they aren't perfect. One downside to using 403(b) plans is that you have to pay taxes at your ordinary income tax rate on withdrawals in retirement. That's not entirely unfair, given that you avoided paying ordinary income taxes on the money you initially contributed. However, even if much of your account's value comes from long-term capital gains -- which are subject to preferential tax rates when investments are sold outside a retirement account -- you'll still have to pay ordinary income taxes on your withdrawal. The greatest hazard of 403(b) plans is the investment fees that certain financial institutions charge. Some institutions try to make it easy for employers -- especially small ones -- to create a 403(b) plan for their employees, offering services at inexpensive rates. For school systems and nonprofit organizations, that's an appealing proposition. However, these financial institutions often have the ulterior motive of offering a limited menu of investment options, all of which have relatively high fees. In other words, in a bad plan, you might end up paying for the cut-rate offer that your employer got to open the plan in the first place. Use 403(b) plans to your advantage Even with these downsides, however, 403(b) plans are an extremely useful and versatile tool that eligible employees can use to save for retirement. With generous maximum contribution limits, favorable tax treatment, and a structure that's relatively easy for both employers and employees to understand, 403(b) plans are definitely worth a closer look as part of your overall retirement plan. More From The Motley Fool The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | 403(b) retirement plans are governed by 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. 403(b) plans allow participants to set money aside in a special account and invest it for their retirement. They have many things in common with 401(k) plans, including their limits on annual contributions. | pegasus | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/apos-403-b-retirement-plan-210400097.html | 0.176598 |
What if DeMarcus Cousins had signed with the Celtics? | BOSTON In an alternate universe, DeMarcus Cousins anchors the interior for the Celtics. He teams with Marcus Morris and five-time NBA All-Star Al Horford to form one of the leagues most daunting frontcourts, hears chatter that Boston signing him was unfair and, on Saturday night, will host a Warriors team that nearly landed his services. In July, little more than six months removed from sustaining a season-ending Achilles injury with the Pelicans, Cousins was at his offseason home in Las Vegas when he received only tepid interest, at best, in free agency. After a sleepless night, he turned to what he called his last resort, phoned Warriors general manager Bob Myers and agreed to sign a one-year, $5.3 million deal with Golden State. Hours later, NBA reporter Chris Haynes then with ESPN reported that Cousins decision had come down to the Warriors and Celtics. The four-time All-Star, it appears, was intent on rehabbing his reputation and his torn left Achilles tendon on a contender. Few can blame him. At age 28, Cousins is the best player in the league to have never played in a playoff game. The one time his team reached the postseason, last spring with New Orleans, Cousins was sidelined. After eight years being a No. 1 or, at worst, No. 2 option, he was ready to shed the burden of being a franchise player. Its tricky to predict what would have happened had Cousins joined Boston instead of Golden State, but this much seems obvious: The Celtics, who are built to chase championships for years, would have cemented their status as the most talented team in the Eastern Conference. In Cousins, Boston would have a supremely skilled, floor-spacing big man to pair with Horford, who, at 32, is beginning to see his production decline. An eight-man rotation of Cousins, Horford, Morris, Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart would be as difficult to defend as any lineup outside of the Warriors. Even without Cousins, Boston might be Golden States biggest championship threat. The Celtics are one of just four NBA teams ranked in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating. After an uneven first half of the season, they have finally settled into a rhythm, entering Saturdays clash with the Warriors at TD Garden on a five-game winning streak. A lot of talent, obviously, Cousins said of Boston. Young team. Good mixture of young and veteran guys. Super talented. They play hard, and itll be a battle. Like Golden State, the Celtics could have offered Cousins the luxury of taking his time to recover from his Achilles injury without fear of dooming his teams playoffs chances. Boston, despite its early struggles, is just 5 games behind Milwaukee for the Easts top seed. However, Cousins isnt one to ponder what-ifs. Those closest to him say he is the happiest he has been in years. With the Warriors, Cousins has found a team-oriented environment where he can play to his strengths and not be blamed for every loss. He really loves it there, DeMarcus mother, Monique Cousins-Evans, said of her eldest son, who is averaging 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in just 20.3 minutes through three games with Golden State. In the past, I think he got a little stressed being the one everyone expects to carry the team to a win. With the Warriors, he can just be one of the guys. Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Con_Chron | DeMarcus Cousins signed a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the Warriors in July. Cousins' mother says her son is the happiest he has been in years. The Celtics would have cemented their status as the most talented team in the Eastern Conference. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/warriors/article/What-if-DeMarcus-Cousins-had-signed-with-the-13564254.php | 0.140486 |
Could Realty Income Corporation Be a Millionaire-Maker Stock? | One of the tried and true ways to build wealth is by owning investment properties, but it requires a lot of time and effort, and a fair amount of leverage. Being a landlord is not for everyone, which is why real estate investment trusts, or REITs, are such an enticing investment option. They allow you to be a landlord without all the work. What it is and isn't The first thing to understand about a company like Realty Income is the purpose of the REIT structure. Real estate investment trusts are companies that own investment properties with the goal of passing the income generated from the properties on to shareholders. The REIT structure is specifically designed for this, requiring that a company pass at least 90% of its earnings on to shareholders via dividends. Doing so allows REITs to avoid corporate level taxation, with the shareholder reporting the income as ordinary income when preparing their individual tax returns. Three golden eggs in a net made of dollar bills More Image source: Getty Images. The second thing to understand about Realty Income is its triple net lease niche. Realty Income owns single-tenant properties. Its tenants pay for most of the costs of the asset they occupy, including things like maintenance and taxes. Often Realty Income and its triple net lease peers will buy properties from a company and then instantly lease them back to the same company, allowing the tenant to free up cash for other uses. Realty Income makes the difference between the rates it gets for rent and rates it has to pay for capital (via debt and stock sales). It's a fairly stable business model since leases can last for 10 to 20 years. The thing is, Realty Income's business model isn't meant to grow capital quickly. It's more of a slow and steady approach with a heavy focus on generating income. In fact, the company has trademarked the term "The Monthly Dividend Company." (It pays dividends monthly, in case you didn't figure that out.) Realty Income isn't really the kind of stock you look to for wealth-building. It's a company you own to generate income once you've got a fairly substantial nest egg. A darn good REIT While it's hard to suggest that Realty Income will be a millionaire maker, it's still a very desirable investment to keep in mind. The company's portfolio is heavily focused on retail assets, with about 80% of the REIT's rent roll coming from single-tenant retail stores. The rest comes from industrial (around 12%), office (around 4%), and agriculture (around 2%, mostly vineyards) investments. While that's more diversification than some of its peers, it's not all that diversified by broad sector. Although retail has a huge impact on Realty Income's business, it is highly diversified within the sector. It owns over 5,500 retail properties with an average size of 12,000 square feet. No one single property has a material impact on the company's rent roll. The properties, meanwhile, are fairly easy to release if Realty Income is left with a vacant asset because they are basically just big, and usually well-located, boxes. Moreover, management's focus on low price point, non-discretionary, and service tenants has protected Realty Income from the overhyped retail apocalypse: Since 2017, roughly 43 retailers have gone bankrupt, but just 1% of Realty Income's rent has been affected. | Realty Income Corporation is a real estate investment trusts (REIT) The company owns investment properties with the goal of passing the income generated from the properties on to shareholders. While it's hard to suggest that Realty income will be a millionaire maker, it's still a very desirable investment to keep in mind. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/could-realty-income-corporation-millionaire-213100145.html | 0.261508 |
Is Vertex Pharmaceuticals a Buy? | Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX) has proven that it's a winner for investors. The biotech stock more than doubled in 2017. Despite challenging conditions last year with the major market indexes falling, Vertex gained nearly 11%. And Vertex is up by a solid double-digit percentage so far in 2019. But past winners don't always become future winners. Connected jigsaw puzzle pieces with the words cystic fibrosis and genetics printed on them More Image source: Getty Images. Scary numbers One problem that can arise from a stock that performs really well is that its valuation can reach unjustifiable levels. Some might say that's what has happened with Vertex. The biotech stock currently trades at a whopping 77.5 times trailing-12-month earnings. Of course, Vertex is growing rapidly, so looking at future earnings is more appropriate. However, shares trade at 47 times expected one-year earnings. That's still super-expensive in the eyes of most investors. Vertex's sky-high valuation is probably why Wall Street analysts aren't overly optimistic about the near-term prospects for the stock. The consensus one-year price target for Vertex reflects only a low single-digit percentage increase from the biotech's current share price. If you're the kind of investor who wants to buy clear-cut bargains, Vertex won't be appealing to you. Its earnings multiples simply look too scary. Exciting numbers On the other hand, growth-seeking investors should find a lot to like about Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Its earnings multiples might be scary, but its potential growth numbers are downright exciting. Consider that Vertex's three approved cystic fibrosis (CF) products -- Kalydeco, Orkambi, and Symdeko -- can currently treat less than half of the estimated 75,000 CF patients across the world. But Vertex has a solid strategy to secure product label expansions and win approvals for treating younger patients. These efforts should enable the biotech to boost its addressable market by 19% even without launching any new drugs. But Vertex almost certainly will launch new CF drugs. The biotech expects to file for Food and Drug Administration approval of its first triple-drug combination CF regimen by mid-2019. Vertex thinks that its triple-drug combos will expand the number of CF patients that it can treat to 68,000 -- increasing its growth prospects by another 55%. Assuming Vertex succeeds with its strategy of expanding the use of its current three drugs and winning approval for new triple-drug combos, that would leave around 10% of CF patients with no effective treatment. Vertex has a plan for helping those patients, too. It's working with CRISPR Therapeutics to develop CRISPR gene-editing therapies to treat patients for which its other drugs aren't applicable. An even better picture Vertex's growth prospects go beyond only CF, though. The biotech announced positive results in December 2018 from a third phase 2 proof-of-concept study evaluating VX-150 in reducing pain. Vertex is conducting a phase 2b study to establish dose ranges for VX-150 to support potential advancement to a pivotal study. The company has also teamed up with CRISPR Therapeutics to develop a gene-editing therapy targeting the treatment of rare blood diseases beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease. The partners are currently enrolling patients in two early stage clinical studies for these indications. | Is Vertex Pharmaceuticals a Buy? The biotech stock more than doubled in 2017. However, shares trade at a whopping 77.5 times trailing-12-month earnings. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/vertex-pharmaceuticals-buy-231000721.html | 0.100242 |
Is Vertex Pharmaceuticals a Buy? | Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX) has proven that it's a winner for investors. The biotech stock more than doubled in 2017. Despite challenging conditions last year with the major market indexes falling, Vertex gained nearly 11%. And Vertex is up by a solid double-digit percentage so far in 2019. But past winners don't always become future winners. Connected jigsaw puzzle pieces with the words cystic fibrosis and genetics printed on them More Image source: Getty Images. Scary numbers One problem that can arise from a stock that performs really well is that its valuation can reach unjustifiable levels. Some might say that's what has happened with Vertex. The biotech stock currently trades at a whopping 77.5 times trailing-12-month earnings. Of course, Vertex is growing rapidly, so looking at future earnings is more appropriate. However, shares trade at 47 times expected one-year earnings. That's still super-expensive in the eyes of most investors. Vertex's sky-high valuation is probably why Wall Street analysts aren't overly optimistic about the near-term prospects for the stock. The consensus one-year price target for Vertex reflects only a low single-digit percentage increase from the biotech's current share price. If you're the kind of investor who wants to buy clear-cut bargains, Vertex won't be appealing to you. Its earnings multiples simply look too scary. Exciting numbers On the other hand, growth-seeking investors should find a lot to like about Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Its earnings multiples might be scary, but its potential growth numbers are downright exciting. Consider that Vertex's three approved cystic fibrosis (CF) products -- Kalydeco, Orkambi, and Symdeko -- can currently treat less than half of the estimated 75,000 CF patients across the world. But Vertex has a solid strategy to secure product label expansions and win approvals for treating younger patients. These efforts should enable the biotech to boost its addressable market by 19% even without launching any new drugs. But Vertex almost certainly will launch new CF drugs. The biotech expects to file for Food and Drug Administration approval of its first triple-drug combination CF regimen by mid-2019. Vertex thinks that its triple-drug combos will expand the number of CF patients that it can treat to 68,000 -- increasing its growth prospects by another 55%. Assuming Vertex succeeds with its strategy of expanding the use of its current three drugs and winning approval for new triple-drug combos, that would leave around 10% of CF patients with no effective treatment. Vertex has a plan for helping those patients, too. It's working with CRISPR Therapeutics to develop CRISPR gene-editing therapies to treat patients for which its other drugs aren't applicable. An even better picture Vertex's growth prospects go beyond only CF, though. The biotech announced positive results in December 2018 from a third phase 2 proof-of-concept study evaluating VX-150 in reducing pain. Vertex is conducting a phase 2b study to establish dose ranges for VX-150 to support potential advancement to a pivotal study. The company has also teamed up with CRISPR Therapeutics to develop a gene-editing therapy targeting the treatment of rare blood diseases beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease. The partners are currently enrolling patients in two early stage clinical studies for these indications. | Is Vertex Pharmaceuticals a Buy? The biotech stock more than doubled in 2017 and is up by a solid double-digit percentage so far in 2019. However, shares trade at a whopping 77.5 times trailing-12-month earnings. On the other hand, Vertex's potential growth numbers are downright exciting. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/vertex-pharmaceuticals-buy-231000721.html | 0.176702 |
Does Ontarios Regulation 274 help or harm students? | Concerns have been raised by school boards, principals, parents and teachers themselves over a hiring rule that gives preference to supply teachers with the most seniority, and Ontarios education minister says thats why the province is now reviewing it. From my days in opposition to my first day as minister, right through to today, Im hearing a lot that (Regulation 274) is impeding teacher mobility, its causing frustration with principals with regards to interviewing some of the qualified candidates, and I also want to check in to make sure that hiring is transparent and equitable, Lisa Thompson told the Star in a telephone interview. Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, said any changes to the hiring process should be made in upcoming contract talks this summer. ( Jim Rankin / Toronto Star ) Last month, the province wrapped up public consultations on a number of education issues including sex-ed that saw 72,000 people take part, and now wants to hear from teacher and support staff unions, as well as trustee associations, on changes to class size, full-day kindergarten and hiring practices. Under Regulation 274, implemented in 2012, teachers hired into long-term and permanent positions are to be chosen from among the five applicants from the supply teacher pool who have the most seniority within the specific board. The rule was created at the urging of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, to curb nepotism, mostly in smaller boards. While initially opposing the regulation, other unions came to support the seniority-based change. Article Continued Below But principals have said the rule complicated the hiring process and administrative work, and it doesnt always allow them to hire the best fit for the job. A consultation document distributed last week says the Ministry of Education recognizes teachers as the single most important out-of-the-home factor in student success. This is supported by research that suggests that what teachers know and are able to do is crucial to student learning. As such, teacher quality is paramount in ensuring students are able to succeed in the classroom. It goes on to say that Regulation 274 was created to bring greater transparency, fairness, consistency and accountability to school board hiring practices of teachers. However, since its implementation, stakeholders have raised concerns about the regulations. As boards make hiring decisions under the regulation, we have been told that student success may be negatively impacted and there have been some unintended consequences. The ministry says issues include how teachers lose all their seniority when they switch boards, meaning permanent teachers could see this as a barrier to relocation because they have to start over as supply teachers if they move. A statement from Thompson about the consultations says the government also wants to start reviewing the elements school boards should take into consideration when inviting candidates to interview for teaching positions to ensure they are interviewing the most-qualified candidates, as well as start discussing which factors should be taken into account to ensure more transparent hiring practices. The regulation has led to situations where principals have interviewed the top five candidates, meanwhile applicants who might exceed qualifications would not qualify for an interview. This ministry has heard concerns about hiring that is heavily based on seniority (that it) only values time spent on a list. It does not value quality of teacher, commitment to students, experience/time spent in a particular school or suitability for the particular assignment, the document says. Article Continued Below Unions have heard complaints from their members about the mobility issue and said that is one area of the regulation theyd be willing to discuss. Even former premier Kathleen Wynne whose government introduced the regulation said in 2013 that it went too far in trying to correct hiring problems by making seniority the main criterion. Harvey Bischof, head of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, said, We are absolutely prepared to engage in consultation with this government and can offer, as we have in the past, solutions to some outstanding problems with the hiring regulation. But Sam Hammond of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario said any such changes should be made in upcoming contract talks this summer. Quite frankly, we were a little surprised that the fair hiring piece was there, agreed Liz Stuart, head of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association. Because thats not a funding issue we see that strictly as a bargaining issue. Hammond said a 2014 provincial report disputed criticisms that school boards were hiring unqualified candidates or that the rules were preventing young, diverse teachers from landing jobs. That report says that 274 is a more consistent, transparent and fair hiring process for Ontario teachers, Hammond told the Star. Toronto grandfather Charles Wakefield who has long fought for the end of Regulation 274 said imposing a seniority-based teacher hiring policy has not been in the best interest of Ontario students and parents. He is a part of a groups called Parents for Merit-Based Teacher Hiring, which urges the government to cancel the regulation after years of harm. University of Toronto Professor Charles Pascal, of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, said great teaching and highly skilled teachers that can relate to the students they are working with are the most important factors in hiring. While he said hes a union guy at heart, I just think this is a balance of fairness for those who have been waiting around there are a lot of teachers on that list who are highly qualified and who have proven their worth and those who are just coming out of teacher education programs like the one at OISE. Im a little soft on anything other than quality pedagogy trumps everything, he said. A private members bill introduced in 2013 by then PC education critic Lisa MacLeod now minister of children, community and social services sought an end to the regulation. At that time, several boards had complained about a domino effect of the rule that led to multiple teacher changes in some classrooms within a school year. Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy | Ontario is reviewing Regulation 274, which gives preference to supply teachers. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/01/25/does-ontarios-regulation-274-help-or-harm-students.html | 0.103593 |
Does Ontarios Regulation 274 help or harm students? | Concerns have been raised by school boards, principals, parents and teachers themselves over a hiring rule that gives preference to supply teachers with the most seniority, and Ontarios education minister says thats why the province is now reviewing it. From my days in opposition to my first day as minister, right through to today, Im hearing a lot that (Regulation 274) is impeding teacher mobility, its causing frustration with principals with regards to interviewing some of the qualified candidates, and I also want to check in to make sure that hiring is transparent and equitable, Lisa Thompson told the Star in a telephone interview. Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, said any changes to the hiring process should be made in upcoming contract talks this summer. ( Jim Rankin / Toronto Star ) Last month, the province wrapped up public consultations on a number of education issues including sex-ed that saw 72,000 people take part, and now wants to hear from teacher and support staff unions, as well as trustee associations, on changes to class size, full-day kindergarten and hiring practices. Under Regulation 274, implemented in 2012, teachers hired into long-term and permanent positions are to be chosen from among the five applicants from the supply teacher pool who have the most seniority within the specific board. The rule was created at the urging of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, to curb nepotism, mostly in smaller boards. While initially opposing the regulation, other unions came to support the seniority-based change. Article Continued Below But principals have said the rule complicated the hiring process and administrative work, and it doesnt always allow them to hire the best fit for the job. A consultation document distributed last week says the Ministry of Education recognizes teachers as the single most important out-of-the-home factor in student success. This is supported by research that suggests that what teachers know and are able to do is crucial to student learning. As such, teacher quality is paramount in ensuring students are able to succeed in the classroom. It goes on to say that Regulation 274 was created to bring greater transparency, fairness, consistency and accountability to school board hiring practices of teachers. However, since its implementation, stakeholders have raised concerns about the regulations. As boards make hiring decisions under the regulation, we have been told that student success may be negatively impacted and there have been some unintended consequences. The ministry says issues include how teachers lose all their seniority when they switch boards, meaning permanent teachers could see this as a barrier to relocation because they have to start over as supply teachers if they move. A statement from Thompson about the consultations says the government also wants to start reviewing the elements school boards should take into consideration when inviting candidates to interview for teaching positions to ensure they are interviewing the most-qualified candidates, as well as start discussing which factors should be taken into account to ensure more transparent hiring practices. The regulation has led to situations where principals have interviewed the top five candidates, meanwhile applicants who might exceed qualifications would not qualify for an interview. This ministry has heard concerns about hiring that is heavily based on seniority (that it) only values time spent on a list. It does not value quality of teacher, commitment to students, experience/time spent in a particular school or suitability for the particular assignment, the document says. Article Continued Below Unions have heard complaints from their members about the mobility issue and said that is one area of the regulation theyd be willing to discuss. Even former premier Kathleen Wynne whose government introduced the regulation said in 2013 that it went too far in trying to correct hiring problems by making seniority the main criterion. Harvey Bischof, head of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, said, We are absolutely prepared to engage in consultation with this government and can offer, as we have in the past, solutions to some outstanding problems with the hiring regulation. But Sam Hammond of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario said any such changes should be made in upcoming contract talks this summer. Quite frankly, we were a little surprised that the fair hiring piece was there, agreed Liz Stuart, head of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association. Because thats not a funding issue we see that strictly as a bargaining issue. Hammond said a 2014 provincial report disputed criticisms that school boards were hiring unqualified candidates or that the rules were preventing young, diverse teachers from landing jobs. That report says that 274 is a more consistent, transparent and fair hiring process for Ontario teachers, Hammond told the Star. Toronto grandfather Charles Wakefield who has long fought for the end of Regulation 274 said imposing a seniority-based teacher hiring policy has not been in the best interest of Ontario students and parents. He is a part of a groups called Parents for Merit-Based Teacher Hiring, which urges the government to cancel the regulation after years of harm. University of Toronto Professor Charles Pascal, of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, said great teaching and highly skilled teachers that can relate to the students they are working with are the most important factors in hiring. While he said hes a union guy at heart, I just think this is a balance of fairness for those who have been waiting around there are a lot of teachers on that list who are highly qualified and who have proven their worth and those who are just coming out of teacher education programs like the one at OISE. Im a little soft on anything other than quality pedagogy trumps everything, he said. A private members bill introduced in 2013 by then PC education critic Lisa MacLeod now minister of children, community and social services sought an end to the regulation. At that time, several boards had complained about a domino effect of the rule that led to multiple teacher changes in some classrooms within a school year. Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy | Regulation 274 gives preference to supply teachers with the most seniority. Education minister Lisa Thompson says the rule is impeding teacher mobility. The rule was created at the urging of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, to curb nepotism. | bart | 1 | https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/01/25/does-ontarios-regulation-274-help-or-harm-students.html | 0.116998 |
Does Ontarios Regulation 274 help or harm students? | Concerns have been raised by school boards, principals, parents and teachers themselves over a hiring rule that gives preference to supply teachers with the most seniority, and Ontarios education minister says thats why the province is now reviewing it. From my days in opposition to my first day as minister, right through to today, Im hearing a lot that (Regulation 274) is impeding teacher mobility, its causing frustration with principals with regards to interviewing some of the qualified candidates, and I also want to check in to make sure that hiring is transparent and equitable, Lisa Thompson told the Star in a telephone interview. Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, said any changes to the hiring process should be made in upcoming contract talks this summer. ( Jim Rankin / Toronto Star ) Last month, the province wrapped up public consultations on a number of education issues including sex-ed that saw 72,000 people take part, and now wants to hear from teacher and support staff unions, as well as trustee associations, on changes to class size, full-day kindergarten and hiring practices. Under Regulation 274, implemented in 2012, teachers hired into long-term and permanent positions are to be chosen from among the five applicants from the supply teacher pool who have the most seniority within the specific board. The rule was created at the urging of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, to curb nepotism, mostly in smaller boards. While initially opposing the regulation, other unions came to support the seniority-based change. Article Continued Below But principals have said the rule complicated the hiring process and administrative work, and it doesnt always allow them to hire the best fit for the job. A consultation document distributed last week says the Ministry of Education recognizes teachers as the single most important out-of-the-home factor in student success. This is supported by research that suggests that what teachers know and are able to do is crucial to student learning. As such, teacher quality is paramount in ensuring students are able to succeed in the classroom. It goes on to say that Regulation 274 was created to bring greater transparency, fairness, consistency and accountability to school board hiring practices of teachers. However, since its implementation, stakeholders have raised concerns about the regulations. As boards make hiring decisions under the regulation, we have been told that student success may be negatively impacted and there have been some unintended consequences. The ministry says issues include how teachers lose all their seniority when they switch boards, meaning permanent teachers could see this as a barrier to relocation because they have to start over as supply teachers if they move. A statement from Thompson about the consultations says the government also wants to start reviewing the elements school boards should take into consideration when inviting candidates to interview for teaching positions to ensure they are interviewing the most-qualified candidates, as well as start discussing which factors should be taken into account to ensure more transparent hiring practices. The regulation has led to situations where principals have interviewed the top five candidates, meanwhile applicants who might exceed qualifications would not qualify for an interview. This ministry has heard concerns about hiring that is heavily based on seniority (that it) only values time spent on a list. It does not value quality of teacher, commitment to students, experience/time spent in a particular school or suitability for the particular assignment, the document says. Article Continued Below Unions have heard complaints from their members about the mobility issue and said that is one area of the regulation theyd be willing to discuss. Even former premier Kathleen Wynne whose government introduced the regulation said in 2013 that it went too far in trying to correct hiring problems by making seniority the main criterion. Harvey Bischof, head of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, said, We are absolutely prepared to engage in consultation with this government and can offer, as we have in the past, solutions to some outstanding problems with the hiring regulation. But Sam Hammond of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario said any such changes should be made in upcoming contract talks this summer. Quite frankly, we were a little surprised that the fair hiring piece was there, agreed Liz Stuart, head of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association. Because thats not a funding issue we see that strictly as a bargaining issue. Hammond said a 2014 provincial report disputed criticisms that school boards were hiring unqualified candidates or that the rules were preventing young, diverse teachers from landing jobs. That report says that 274 is a more consistent, transparent and fair hiring process for Ontario teachers, Hammond told the Star. Toronto grandfather Charles Wakefield who has long fought for the end of Regulation 274 said imposing a seniority-based teacher hiring policy has not been in the best interest of Ontario students and parents. He is a part of a groups called Parents for Merit-Based Teacher Hiring, which urges the government to cancel the regulation after years of harm. University of Toronto Professor Charles Pascal, of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, said great teaching and highly skilled teachers that can relate to the students they are working with are the most important factors in hiring. While he said hes a union guy at heart, I just think this is a balance of fairness for those who have been waiting around there are a lot of teachers on that list who are highly qualified and who have proven their worth and those who are just coming out of teacher education programs like the one at OISE. Im a little soft on anything other than quality pedagogy trumps everything, he said. A private members bill introduced in 2013 by then PC education critic Lisa MacLeod now minister of children, community and social services sought an end to the regulation. At that time, several boards had complained about a domino effect of the rule that led to multiple teacher changes in some classrooms within a school year. Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy | Ontario's Education Minister Lisa Thompson says the province is reviewing Regulation 274. The regulation gives preference to supply teachers with the most seniority within a school board. Thompson says principals are frustrated with the rule because it doesn't always allow them to hire the best fit for the job. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/01/25/does-ontarios-regulation-274-help-or-harm-students.html | 0.109295 |
Does 'Name And Shame' Really Work For Fighting AI Bias Or Is It All Economics? | As concerns over the societal impact of AI and algorithmic bias have grown, the topic has moved out of the research lab and into boardrooms, the halls of government and last week to the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. An emerging tactic gaining favorability in the fight against AI bias is the use of the age-old tactic of naming and shaming that has become so popular in cybersecurity. Researchers conduct systematic testing of popular AI products and algorithms to examine their accuracy across key demographics and report any identified biases publicly in the hopes that popular backlash and the threat of governmental intervention might encourage companies to more aggressively address those biases. Of course, a quarter century of naming and shaming has done nothing to improve digital accessibility, which is actually rapidly backsliding nor has it led to companies addressing digital bias they dont see as profitable to fix. The unfortunate truth is that if we look a bit closer, we find that name and shame campaigns work where companies see tremendous economic value to improving their products for new customer demographics or where those fixes are well aligned with the economic interests of their biggest customers like governmental law enforcement and intelligence agencies. In the end it all comes down once again to simple economics. Intuitively, name and shame campaigns sound like an ideal and simplistic fix to the biases that plague todays AI systems and consumer products: run high profile commercial systems across input data representing a wide range of demographics and publicly report their failure rates. Companies hate negative press, so the theory goes, so just issue a press release documenting their algorithmic shortcomings and they will pull out all the stops in scrambling to fix them as fast as possible. The problem with this idea is that it glosses over a critical distinction. Bias that companies view as having an economic impact will be addressed with or without public scrutiny, while bias that companies view as having no economic impact or a negative impact to fixing will rarely be addressed no matter how much public scrutiny there is. For all the public outcry around the surveillance web and our ad-supported digital economy, companies arent rushing to abandon advertising and delete all of their customer data. Instead, they are merely stepping up their lobbying and PR offensive to shift the narrative without having to actually make any changes to their businesses. Take voice assistants like smart speakers. Almost since their introduction, they have spawned controversy and myriad name and shame campaigns demanding they improve their handling of accented speech and add support for languages beyond English. Look at the supported language and accent list for any major speaker today and notice how closely the language list matches the major economies that are the biggest customer base for those devices. If you are a member of a sizeable and economically valuable demographic and launch a name and shame campaign for your favorite smart speaker to support the native language of your demographic, chances are that company and its peers will jump at the opportunity to engage with your community in order to add a large new monied and monetizable customer base. On the other hand, it is unlikely that any amount of public agitation or name and shame campaigns will lead a major manufacturer to invest in adding support for a language spoken by just 100 people on earth, none of whom have internet access, let alone are likely purchasers of a luxury home electronic device. Name and shame campaigns work only to the degree they are aligned with economic realities. Highlighting the limitations of a product for a large and economically valuable demographic will garner the attention of most companies eager to maximize their customer base. Pointing out that a product doesnt support a demographic that the company does not perceive as economically valuable, on the other hand, is unlikely to yield much in the way of return. Other than as a research project aimed at garnering an academic journal article regarding a novel anti-bias approach, no amount of publicity will lead a company to invest substantial resources in building support for a demographic that it does not believe will ever use its product. After all, a quarter century of name and shame campaigns designed to improve the accessibility of the digital world have yielded few results. In fact, even the US Government no longer appears concerned about ensuring accessibility of official government communications, while the social platforms themselves do not appear to be overly concerned with their platforms being biased against a minority of the population they do not appear to see as sufficiently important to their economic bottom line. The fact that web companies are talking about AI bias, while saying and doing little about accessibility, tells us a lot about who they perceive to be their most valuable customer bases. This raises a far more intriguing question when it comes to the success some groups have had with name and shame campaigns in getting companies to improve the accuracy of their facial recognition algorithms for diverse demographics. While facial recognition and facial attribute algorithms have a number of consumer applications, one of their most important and valuable customer bases has been commercial applications and governmental law enforcement and intelligence agencies. In fact, from a pure revenue standpoint, commercial and governmental use represent the single most important economic drivers in what many companies focus on. Commercial applications like resume review services and security monitoring have a vested interest in ensuring the facial software they license works well for all demographics to minimize their exposure to bias lawsuits. Their concern over demographic bias is not one of fairness or utopian ideals, but rather the cold hard calculus of the legal risk of not properly supporting protected demographics. Intriguingly, some of the biggest improvements in demographic accuracy have coincided with an explosion of interest in the governmental applications of facial recognition as countries like China have pioneered its mass-scale surveillance application. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies are extremely concerned with ensuring that these facial algorithms are equally accurate across demographics, not because of concerns over fairness, but because of an operational need to maximize their reach. In this way, public outcry over demographic bias in facial algorithms is well aligned with the major commercial economic drivers of the field. It is notable that many of the biggest demographic improvements have coincided with the rapid uptake of facial software by security services concerned with its performance across global demographics. This is similar to the way in which gendered, cultural and demographic differences in language use and their impact on algorithmic bias became of immense interest to AI companies just as security services requested increased accuracy in those same areas and provided substantial funding to do so. Indeed, there are a lot of similarities in this parallel course to the past development of specialized analytics for non-English social media content. While there was considerable public agitation for key commercial translation and analytics platforms to better support local social vernacular of languages across the world, if one looks more closely at the timing of US Government defense funding for such support and the actual development of such tools, one will find that credit for many of these bias corrections comes not from public concern but from the vast amounts of governmental defense funding allocated to improving the accuracy of these tools along the dimensions of greatest importance for defense needs. One needs only see that the resulting supported languages of many products were all US defense priority languages like Arabic dialects spoken in areas with US interest, Farsi, Chinese and Russian to remind us once again of the importance of economics to investments in addressing bias. It is also important to note that most of the AI systems that silently underlie our society are not accessible to external inspection or auditing by researchers. Putting this all together, we speak of AI bias as if it is something that companies will fix out of the goodness of their hearts to make the world a better place for all. We realize this isnt the case, yet somehow, we cling to that imaginary ideal. In reality, the efficacy of name and shame campaigns with respect to compelling companies to address biases in their AI systems is tied closely to their economic benefit. Campaigns that are strongly aligned with economic drivers like providing companies large new customer bases or addressing the needs of their largest and most influential government customers seem to yield positive results to date. On the other hand, as a quarter century of digital accessibility efforts reminds us, campaigns that dont present companies with an obvious immediate economic return on investment are unlikely to yield results. In the end, the unfortunate reality is that to genuinely improve AI bias we have to appeal to companies' wallets rather than their hearts. In short, we have to convince the worlds AI companies that fixing AI bias is simply good economics. | Name and shame campaigns work where companies see tremendous economic value to improving their products. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/01/26/does-name-and-shame-really-work-for-fighting-ai-bias-or-is-it-all-economics/ | 0.394003 |
Does 'Name And Shame' Really Work For Fighting AI Bias Or Is It All Economics? | As concerns over the societal impact of AI and algorithmic bias have grown, the topic has moved out of the research lab and into boardrooms, the halls of government and last week to the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. An emerging tactic gaining favorability in the fight against AI bias is the use of the age-old tactic of naming and shaming that has become so popular in cybersecurity. Researchers conduct systematic testing of popular AI products and algorithms to examine their accuracy across key demographics and report any identified biases publicly in the hopes that popular backlash and the threat of governmental intervention might encourage companies to more aggressively address those biases. Of course, a quarter century of naming and shaming has done nothing to improve digital accessibility, which is actually rapidly backsliding nor has it led to companies addressing digital bias they dont see as profitable to fix. The unfortunate truth is that if we look a bit closer, we find that name and shame campaigns work where companies see tremendous economic value to improving their products for new customer demographics or where those fixes are well aligned with the economic interests of their biggest customers like governmental law enforcement and intelligence agencies. In the end it all comes down once again to simple economics. Intuitively, name and shame campaigns sound like an ideal and simplistic fix to the biases that plague todays AI systems and consumer products: run high profile commercial systems across input data representing a wide range of demographics and publicly report their failure rates. Companies hate negative press, so the theory goes, so just issue a press release documenting their algorithmic shortcomings and they will pull out all the stops in scrambling to fix them as fast as possible. The problem with this idea is that it glosses over a critical distinction. Bias that companies view as having an economic impact will be addressed with or without public scrutiny, while bias that companies view as having no economic impact or a negative impact to fixing will rarely be addressed no matter how much public scrutiny there is. For all the public outcry around the surveillance web and our ad-supported digital economy, companies arent rushing to abandon advertising and delete all of their customer data. Instead, they are merely stepping up their lobbying and PR offensive to shift the narrative without having to actually make any changes to their businesses. Take voice assistants like smart speakers. Almost since their introduction, they have spawned controversy and myriad name and shame campaigns demanding they improve their handling of accented speech and add support for languages beyond English. Look at the supported language and accent list for any major speaker today and notice how closely the language list matches the major economies that are the biggest customer base for those devices. If you are a member of a sizeable and economically valuable demographic and launch a name and shame campaign for your favorite smart speaker to support the native language of your demographic, chances are that company and its peers will jump at the opportunity to engage with your community in order to add a large new monied and monetizable customer base. On the other hand, it is unlikely that any amount of public agitation or name and shame campaigns will lead a major manufacturer to invest in adding support for a language spoken by just 100 people on earth, none of whom have internet access, let alone are likely purchasers of a luxury home electronic device. Name and shame campaigns work only to the degree they are aligned with economic realities. Highlighting the limitations of a product for a large and economically valuable demographic will garner the attention of most companies eager to maximize their customer base. Pointing out that a product doesnt support a demographic that the company does not perceive as economically valuable, on the other hand, is unlikely to yield much in the way of return. Other than as a research project aimed at garnering an academic journal article regarding a novel anti-bias approach, no amount of publicity will lead a company to invest substantial resources in building support for a demographic that it does not believe will ever use its product. After all, a quarter century of name and shame campaigns designed to improve the accessibility of the digital world have yielded few results. In fact, even the US Government no longer appears concerned about ensuring accessibility of official government communications, while the social platforms themselves do not appear to be overly concerned with their platforms being biased against a minority of the population they do not appear to see as sufficiently important to their economic bottom line. The fact that web companies are talking about AI bias, while saying and doing little about accessibility, tells us a lot about who they perceive to be their most valuable customer bases. This raises a far more intriguing question when it comes to the success some groups have had with name and shame campaigns in getting companies to improve the accuracy of their facial recognition algorithms for diverse demographics. While facial recognition and facial attribute algorithms have a number of consumer applications, one of their most important and valuable customer bases has been commercial applications and governmental law enforcement and intelligence agencies. In fact, from a pure revenue standpoint, commercial and governmental use represent the single most important economic drivers in what many companies focus on. Commercial applications like resume review services and security monitoring have a vested interest in ensuring the facial software they license works well for all demographics to minimize their exposure to bias lawsuits. Their concern over demographic bias is not one of fairness or utopian ideals, but rather the cold hard calculus of the legal risk of not properly supporting protected demographics. Intriguingly, some of the biggest improvements in demographic accuracy have coincided with an explosion of interest in the governmental applications of facial recognition as countries like China have pioneered its mass-scale surveillance application. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies are extremely concerned with ensuring that these facial algorithms are equally accurate across demographics, not because of concerns over fairness, but because of an operational need to maximize their reach. In this way, public outcry over demographic bias in facial algorithms is well aligned with the major commercial economic drivers of the field. It is notable that many of the biggest demographic improvements have coincided with the rapid uptake of facial software by security services concerned with its performance across global demographics. This is similar to the way in which gendered, cultural and demographic differences in language use and their impact on algorithmic bias became of immense interest to AI companies just as security services requested increased accuracy in those same areas and provided substantial funding to do so. Indeed, there are a lot of similarities in this parallel course to the past development of specialized analytics for non-English social media content. While there was considerable public agitation for key commercial translation and analytics platforms to better support local social vernacular of languages across the world, if one looks more closely at the timing of US Government defense funding for such support and the actual development of such tools, one will find that credit for many of these bias corrections comes not from public concern but from the vast amounts of governmental defense funding allocated to improving the accuracy of these tools along the dimensions of greatest importance for defense needs. One needs only see that the resulting supported languages of many products were all US defense priority languages like Arabic dialects spoken in areas with US interest, Farsi, Chinese and Russian to remind us once again of the importance of economics to investments in addressing bias. It is also important to note that most of the AI systems that silently underlie our society are not accessible to external inspection or auditing by researchers. Putting this all together, we speak of AI bias as if it is something that companies will fix out of the goodness of their hearts to make the world a better place for all. We realize this isnt the case, yet somehow, we cling to that imaginary ideal. In reality, the efficacy of name and shame campaigns with respect to compelling companies to address biases in their AI systems is tied closely to their economic benefit. Campaigns that are strongly aligned with economic drivers like providing companies large new customer bases or addressing the needs of their largest and most influential government customers seem to yield positive results to date. On the other hand, as a quarter century of digital accessibility efforts reminds us, campaigns that dont present companies with an obvious immediate economic return on investment are unlikely to yield results. In the end, the unfortunate reality is that to genuinely improve AI bias we have to appeal to companies' wallets rather than their hearts. In short, we have to convince the worlds AI companies that fixing AI bias is simply good economics. | Name and shame campaigns work where companies see tremendous economic value to improving their products for new customer demographics or where those fixes are well aligned with the economic interests of their biggest customers. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/01/26/does-name-and-shame-really-work-for-fighting-ai-bias-or-is-it-all-economics/ | 0.422308 |
Does 'Name And Shame' Really Work For Fighting AI Bias Or Is It All Economics? | As concerns over the societal impact of AI and algorithmic bias have grown, the topic has moved out of the research lab and into boardrooms, the halls of government and last week to the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. An emerging tactic gaining favorability in the fight against AI bias is the use of the age-old tactic of naming and shaming that has become so popular in cybersecurity. Researchers conduct systematic testing of popular AI products and algorithms to examine their accuracy across key demographics and report any identified biases publicly in the hopes that popular backlash and the threat of governmental intervention might encourage companies to more aggressively address those biases. Of course, a quarter century of naming and shaming has done nothing to improve digital accessibility, which is actually rapidly backsliding nor has it led to companies addressing digital bias they dont see as profitable to fix. The unfortunate truth is that if we look a bit closer, we find that name and shame campaigns work where companies see tremendous economic value to improving their products for new customer demographics or where those fixes are well aligned with the economic interests of their biggest customers like governmental law enforcement and intelligence agencies. In the end it all comes down once again to simple economics. Intuitively, name and shame campaigns sound like an ideal and simplistic fix to the biases that plague todays AI systems and consumer products: run high profile commercial systems across input data representing a wide range of demographics and publicly report their failure rates. Companies hate negative press, so the theory goes, so just issue a press release documenting their algorithmic shortcomings and they will pull out all the stops in scrambling to fix them as fast as possible. The problem with this idea is that it glosses over a critical distinction. Bias that companies view as having an economic impact will be addressed with or without public scrutiny, while bias that companies view as having no economic impact or a negative impact to fixing will rarely be addressed no matter how much public scrutiny there is. For all the public outcry around the surveillance web and our ad-supported digital economy, companies arent rushing to abandon advertising and delete all of their customer data. Instead, they are merely stepping up their lobbying and PR offensive to shift the narrative without having to actually make any changes to their businesses. Take voice assistants like smart speakers. Almost since their introduction, they have spawned controversy and myriad name and shame campaigns demanding they improve their handling of accented speech and add support for languages beyond English. Look at the supported language and accent list for any major speaker today and notice how closely the language list matches the major economies that are the biggest customer base for those devices. If you are a member of a sizeable and economically valuable demographic and launch a name and shame campaign for your favorite smart speaker to support the native language of your demographic, chances are that company and its peers will jump at the opportunity to engage with your community in order to add a large new monied and monetizable customer base. On the other hand, it is unlikely that any amount of public agitation or name and shame campaigns will lead a major manufacturer to invest in adding support for a language spoken by just 100 people on earth, none of whom have internet access, let alone are likely purchasers of a luxury home electronic device. Name and shame campaigns work only to the degree they are aligned with economic realities. Highlighting the limitations of a product for a large and economically valuable demographic will garner the attention of most companies eager to maximize their customer base. Pointing out that a product doesnt support a demographic that the company does not perceive as economically valuable, on the other hand, is unlikely to yield much in the way of return. Other than as a research project aimed at garnering an academic journal article regarding a novel anti-bias approach, no amount of publicity will lead a company to invest substantial resources in building support for a demographic that it does not believe will ever use its product. After all, a quarter century of name and shame campaigns designed to improve the accessibility of the digital world have yielded few results. In fact, even the US Government no longer appears concerned about ensuring accessibility of official government communications, while the social platforms themselves do not appear to be overly concerned with their platforms being biased against a minority of the population they do not appear to see as sufficiently important to their economic bottom line. The fact that web companies are talking about AI bias, while saying and doing little about accessibility, tells us a lot about who they perceive to be their most valuable customer bases. This raises a far more intriguing question when it comes to the success some groups have had with name and shame campaigns in getting companies to improve the accuracy of their facial recognition algorithms for diverse demographics. While facial recognition and facial attribute algorithms have a number of consumer applications, one of their most important and valuable customer bases has been commercial applications and governmental law enforcement and intelligence agencies. In fact, from a pure revenue standpoint, commercial and governmental use represent the single most important economic drivers in what many companies focus on. Commercial applications like resume review services and security monitoring have a vested interest in ensuring the facial software they license works well for all demographics to minimize their exposure to bias lawsuits. Their concern over demographic bias is not one of fairness or utopian ideals, but rather the cold hard calculus of the legal risk of not properly supporting protected demographics. Intriguingly, some of the biggest improvements in demographic accuracy have coincided with an explosion of interest in the governmental applications of facial recognition as countries like China have pioneered its mass-scale surveillance application. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies are extremely concerned with ensuring that these facial algorithms are equally accurate across demographics, not because of concerns over fairness, but because of an operational need to maximize their reach. In this way, public outcry over demographic bias in facial algorithms is well aligned with the major commercial economic drivers of the field. It is notable that many of the biggest demographic improvements have coincided with the rapid uptake of facial software by security services concerned with its performance across global demographics. This is similar to the way in which gendered, cultural and demographic differences in language use and their impact on algorithmic bias became of immense interest to AI companies just as security services requested increased accuracy in those same areas and provided substantial funding to do so. Indeed, there are a lot of similarities in this parallel course to the past development of specialized analytics for non-English social media content. While there was considerable public agitation for key commercial translation and analytics platforms to better support local social vernacular of languages across the world, if one looks more closely at the timing of US Government defense funding for such support and the actual development of such tools, one will find that credit for many of these bias corrections comes not from public concern but from the vast amounts of governmental defense funding allocated to improving the accuracy of these tools along the dimensions of greatest importance for defense needs. One needs only see that the resulting supported languages of many products were all US defense priority languages like Arabic dialects spoken in areas with US interest, Farsi, Chinese and Russian to remind us once again of the importance of economics to investments in addressing bias. It is also important to note that most of the AI systems that silently underlie our society are not accessible to external inspection or auditing by researchers. Putting this all together, we speak of AI bias as if it is something that companies will fix out of the goodness of their hearts to make the world a better place for all. We realize this isnt the case, yet somehow, we cling to that imaginary ideal. In reality, the efficacy of name and shame campaigns with respect to compelling companies to address biases in their AI systems is tied closely to their economic benefit. Campaigns that are strongly aligned with economic drivers like providing companies large new customer bases or addressing the needs of their largest and most influential government customers seem to yield positive results to date. On the other hand, as a quarter century of digital accessibility efforts reminds us, campaigns that dont present companies with an obvious immediate economic return on investment are unlikely to yield results. In the end, the unfortunate reality is that to genuinely improve AI bias we have to appeal to companies' wallets rather than their hearts. In short, we have to convince the worlds AI companies that fixing AI bias is simply good economics. | An emerging tactic gaining favorability in the fight against AI bias is the use of the age-old tactic of 'naming and shaming' Researchers conduct systematic testing of popular AI products and algorithms to examine their accuracy across key demographics. Name and shame campaigns sound like an ideal and simplistic fix to the biases that plague todays AI systems and consumer products. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/01/26/does-name-and-shame-really-work-for-fighting-ai-bias-or-is-it-all-economics/ | 0.455006 |
Whos to blame for failed hydro deal? | Hydro Ones failed merger with Avista will cost $103 million U.S., online, Jan. 23 Interesting that you fail to mention any reference to the Wynne Liberal government when opining about the failed Hydro One/Avista deal. Without Wynne foolishly selling off a large portion of Hydro One, there would never have been a deal to fail. If you believe the $137-million cost is the Ford interference levy, then you must also believe the $1 billion-plus cost of remediation to the Avista pollution problems in the U.S., should the deal have gone through, would be the Wynne stupidity levy. Following your own logic, the Ford Conservatives have done a great service to the electricity customers on Ontario. John F. Reid, Toronto | The Ford Conservatives. Q: Without Wynne foolishly selling off a large portion of Hydro One, there would never have been a deal to fail. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2019/01/24/whos-to-blame-for-failed-hydro-deal.html | 0.107256 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.