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Will Trump's Venezuela Sanctions Hit U.S. Gasoline Supply? | When the Trump administration announced sanctions on the Venezuelan oil industry last week, it set in motion a situation that could lead to higher gas prices for Americans. So far, gas prices in the United States have not risen noticeably based on the sanctions. However, the administrations new policies will, undoubtedly, mean a disruption in a portion of the countrys gasoline supplies . The ultimate impact on Americans wallets is yet to be determined. The sanctions disincentivize Venezuela and its national oil company, PdVSA, from continuing to operate its Citgo subsidiary. In recent months, Venezuela has been exporting about 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day to the U.S. (The number had been higher before Venezuelas oil production capabilities floundered under the weight of mismanagement and poor finances). In January, those exports dropped to just 355,000 barrels per day. The new sanctions mean that the money PdVSA makes when the Citgo subsidiary buys its oil must stay in the U.S. in an account to be released to a new Venezuelan government without Maduro. Moreover, the profits earned by Citgo must stay in the U.S. so Maduros government cannot benefit from them. Therefore, there is no reason for Venezuela to continue to send oil to the U.S. and little incentive for Venezuela to continue operating Citgo. There is a considerable risk that Citgo will haltor at least drastically cut backits operations. Oil will stop coming from Venezuela and refineries may slow or even halt operations entirely. Citgo gas stations, which are franchised but have contracts to purchase Citgo gas, will be forced to buy and sell something else. The overall supply of gasoline in the U.S. will be strained. There is a more optimistic perspective to consider. Patrick DeHaan, the Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy, is not nearly as concerned. He says that GasBuddy has not seen anything extraordinary concerning prices at Citgo stations yet. DeHaan explains that, even if there was a full cut of oil imports from Venezuela, I believe Citgo could acquire oil from other sources before their gasoline supply takes a hit. The fate of Citgo and its refineries is an important question to consider as the impasse in Venezuela drags on . It is a subsidiary of PdVSA but also employs almost 3,500 people in the United States. There are Citgo stations in 30 states plus the District of Columbia. Even if the U.S. and other countries now recognize Juan Guiado as the president of Venezuela instead of Nicolas Maduro, Maduros people still control PdVSA. Citgo is owned directly by PdVSA, not the Venezuelan government. Such a move could be legally questionable and complicated. The only certainty is that with every day that Maduro clings to power, the risks to Citgo and the U.S. gasoline supply grow. | So far, gas prices in the United States have not risen noticeably based on the sanctions. The sanctions disincentivize Venezuela and its national oil company from continuing to operate its Citgo subsidiary. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenrwald/2019/02/04/will-trumps-venezuela-sanctions-hit-u-s-gasoline-supply/ | 0.259091 |
Why Do We Measure Everything By Tweet? | We live in a world in which we increasingly measure the importance of moments by how many tweets they receive. The hours after any major story from the Super Bowl to a political speech are filled with summaries of how each moment was viewed through the lens of the Twitter hordes. Every commercial, every play, every second of halftime is dissected and ranked according to the average attention and sentiment of Twitter users who decided to post about it. Even politicians now are being assessed by how many likes and retweets they receive rather than on how well they govern, with success being defined as Twitter stardom, rather than legislative impact. We dont report Facebook posts, Instagram photos, online news articles, newspaper column inches or minutes of television airtime. We examine only tweets. It is a truly extraordinary commentary on the influence of social media that in a world quite literally drowning in data, we use tweets as our barometer of what is important, as our ultimate tool to assess what the world is feeling and thinking about. In an era where almost everything is monitored and measured in realtime, where every imaginable piece of information is encoded and recorded somewhere in the digital ether, we turn time and again back to Twitter to understand our world. In its 13 short years, Twitter has become one of the most used datasets for cataloging global trends and reaction. Twitter remains frozen in time since July 2013. For more than half a decade it has not grown in terms of tweets, tweeting users or geographical coverage. Its view reminds blinded to much of the world, its statistics shrouded, its insights wrong more often than they are right. Facebook is vastly larger, reaches far more deeply geographically and culturally across the world and captures a far more representative cross-section of society. Its emphasis on private conversations over public pronouncements means it is also home to far more diverse and unvarnished reflections on how the world truly feels. Why dont we turn to Facebook then as the ultimate arbitrator of what matters? The answer is that Facebook doesnt make its data accessible to outside assessment. Its limited APIs do not support the kind of detailed assessments possible through Twitter and its vast data stores are restricted to its own data scientists focused on ever more effective monetization. In contrast, Twitter has explicitly emphasized analytics since its founding, offering a realtime firehose of the totality of its public tweets and encouraging an entire cottage industry of companies to be built around using that data to assess public trends. That was historically the way we measured importance, treating the stature of each paper as a measure of its influence in the way we rank Twitter influencers today. Certainly, we dont lack for the technology to assess media coverage. Traditional news coverage has the added benefits of offering stability, trustworthiness and longitudinal comparison trends. While Twitter accounts come and go each day and it can be difficult to tell whether a given account is an automated bot or a human, newspapers are real businesses that are registered and traceable. While they may make mistakes in running incorrect stories, they have editorial structures and accountability. Most importantly, news outlets offer the ability to perform longitudinal comparisons. Reporting that a particular play in last nights Super Bowl received one million Twitter mentions might seem like a lot at first glance. Social medias brief existence and the fact that it did not reach saturation until relatively recently, means the insights it offers are extraordinarily limited. In contrast, traditional news media offers a historical backstop against which we can contextualize last nights events against the entire history of the game and everything that preceded it. Perhaps the biggest reason is that as a society we cling to the false notion that social media can somehow divine the inner truths of society itself. That within Facebooks billions of daily interactions or Twitters trillion tweets is recorded the meaning of life and the unvarnished truth of what we care about and how we feel about the world around us. That with the right algorithms we can unlock these underlying truths about human nature and see the world through the eyes of those in every corner of the planet. Unfortunately, social medias immense representational biases and the warped presentational ways in which we have integrated it into our lives means it captures a world that is often very different from reality. Social media is much like photography: it constructs reality rather than capturing it, presenting us a world of the authors aspirations and imagination rather than the world as it really stands. Cataloging the worlds reaction to a story through Twitter is akin to understanding a place through portraits on Instagram. You see the world as it can be at its most constructed, either at its most beautiful or its most devastating, but you dont see it as it really is. Most importantly, we lack the ability to groundtruth social platforms in meaningful ways to understand their biases. We can compare how many tweets a given Super Bowl moment received compared to how many newspaper sports writers covered it the following day, but we cant truly measure how much that moment truly meant to people and how it made them feel inside. In essence, in our era of data we have myriad lenses through which to see the world and we can compare those lenses to see how the views they offer compare. However, we have few ways to understand whether any of those perspectives reflect reality in a meaningful way. If Twitter volume about an event matches Facebook post volume matches news coverage, we might say that because three major views are in alignment that the event was something very important to society. Triangulation across differing mediums offers us hope that these insights are reflective and our confidence increases with each additional matching medium. However, at the end of the day we still have no way of knowing whether any of these mediums are correct. We only see the world through the data we have rather than the data we need. Putting this all together, we have arrived at a strange moment in history where we seem to evaluate every moment through the eyes of Twitter, even as we freely acknowledge that we simply have no idea how well that trillion-tweet archive actually captures society. We rush towards the shiny new object that has focused on making itself the easiest for us to analyze, while simultaneously dismissing all of the existential questions about just what it is that we are analyzing and what our results actually mean. In the end, our obsession with Twitter reminds us that our data driven world represents not the pursuit of truth through data, but rather the age-old adage that we pursue what is easiest and most fashionable, updated to the digital era and cloaked in the falsehood of big data. | In a world drowning in data, we use tweets as our barometer of what is important. Twitter has become one of the most used datasets for cataloging global trends. Facebook is vastly larger, reaches far more deeply geographically and culturally across the world. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/02/04/why-do-we-measure-everything-by-tweet/ | 0.220682 |
Why Do We Measure Everything By Tweet? | We live in a world in which we increasingly measure the importance of moments by how many tweets they receive. The hours after any major story from the Super Bowl to a political speech are filled with summaries of how each moment was viewed through the lens of the Twitter hordes. Every commercial, every play, every second of halftime is dissected and ranked according to the average attention and sentiment of Twitter users who decided to post about it. Even politicians now are being assessed by how many likes and retweets they receive rather than on how well they govern, with success being defined as Twitter stardom, rather than legislative impact. We dont report Facebook posts, Instagram photos, online news articles, newspaper column inches or minutes of television airtime. We examine only tweets. It is a truly extraordinary commentary on the influence of social media that in a world quite literally drowning in data, we use tweets as our barometer of what is important, as our ultimate tool to assess what the world is feeling and thinking about. In an era where almost everything is monitored and measured in realtime, where every imaginable piece of information is encoded and recorded somewhere in the digital ether, we turn time and again back to Twitter to understand our world. In its 13 short years, Twitter has become one of the most used datasets for cataloging global trends and reaction. Twitter remains frozen in time since July 2013. For more than half a decade it has not grown in terms of tweets, tweeting users or geographical coverage. Its view reminds blinded to much of the world, its statistics shrouded, its insights wrong more often than they are right. Facebook is vastly larger, reaches far more deeply geographically and culturally across the world and captures a far more representative cross-section of society. Its emphasis on private conversations over public pronouncements means it is also home to far more diverse and unvarnished reflections on how the world truly feels. Why dont we turn to Facebook then as the ultimate arbitrator of what matters? The answer is that Facebook doesnt make its data accessible to outside assessment. Its limited APIs do not support the kind of detailed assessments possible through Twitter and its vast data stores are restricted to its own data scientists focused on ever more effective monetization. In contrast, Twitter has explicitly emphasized analytics since its founding, offering a realtime firehose of the totality of its public tweets and encouraging an entire cottage industry of companies to be built around using that data to assess public trends. That was historically the way we measured importance, treating the stature of each paper as a measure of its influence in the way we rank Twitter influencers today. Certainly, we dont lack for the technology to assess media coverage. Traditional news coverage has the added benefits of offering stability, trustworthiness and longitudinal comparison trends. While Twitter accounts come and go each day and it can be difficult to tell whether a given account is an automated bot or a human, newspapers are real businesses that are registered and traceable. While they may make mistakes in running incorrect stories, they have editorial structures and accountability. Most importantly, news outlets offer the ability to perform longitudinal comparisons. Reporting that a particular play in last nights Super Bowl received one million Twitter mentions might seem like a lot at first glance. Social medias brief existence and the fact that it did not reach saturation until relatively recently, means the insights it offers are extraordinarily limited. In contrast, traditional news media offers a historical backstop against which we can contextualize last nights events against the entire history of the game and everything that preceded it. Perhaps the biggest reason is that as a society we cling to the false notion that social media can somehow divine the inner truths of society itself. That within Facebooks billions of daily interactions or Twitters trillion tweets is recorded the meaning of life and the unvarnished truth of what we care about and how we feel about the world around us. That with the right algorithms we can unlock these underlying truths about human nature and see the world through the eyes of those in every corner of the planet. Unfortunately, social medias immense representational biases and the warped presentational ways in which we have integrated it into our lives means it captures a world that is often very different from reality. Social media is much like photography: it constructs reality rather than capturing it, presenting us a world of the authors aspirations and imagination rather than the world as it really stands. Cataloging the worlds reaction to a story through Twitter is akin to understanding a place through portraits on Instagram. You see the world as it can be at its most constructed, either at its most beautiful or its most devastating, but you dont see it as it really is. Most importantly, we lack the ability to groundtruth social platforms in meaningful ways to understand their biases. We can compare how many tweets a given Super Bowl moment received compared to how many newspaper sports writers covered it the following day, but we cant truly measure how much that moment truly meant to people and how it made them feel inside. In essence, in our era of data we have myriad lenses through which to see the world and we can compare those lenses to see how the views they offer compare. However, we have few ways to understand whether any of those perspectives reflect reality in a meaningful way. If Twitter volume about an event matches Facebook post volume matches news coverage, we might say that because three major views are in alignment that the event was something very important to society. Triangulation across differing mediums offers us hope that these insights are reflective and our confidence increases with each additional matching medium. However, at the end of the day we still have no way of knowing whether any of these mediums are correct. We only see the world through the data we have rather than the data we need. Putting this all together, we have arrived at a strange moment in history where we seem to evaluate every moment through the eyes of Twitter, even as we freely acknowledge that we simply have no idea how well that trillion-tweet archive actually captures society. We rush towards the shiny new object that has focused on making itself the easiest for us to analyze, while simultaneously dismissing all of the existential questions about just what it is that we are analyzing and what our results actually mean. In the end, our obsession with Twitter reminds us that our data driven world represents not the pursuit of truth through data, but rather the age-old adage that we pursue what is easiest and most fashionable, updated to the digital era and cloaked in the falsehood of big data. | In a world drowning in data, we use tweets as our barometer of what is important. Twitter has become one of the most used datasets for cataloging global trends and reaction. Facebook is vastly larger, reaches far more deeply geographically and culturally across the world. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/02/04/why-do-we-measure-everything-by-tweet/ | 0.259058 |
Where Does Art Belong? | Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and well send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and well send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. Every modern or contemporary artist has either had to answer these questions, or else accept the ready-made answer that our culture offers: Just do your work and let the invisible hand of the market sort out its fate. Ad Policy Hilma af Klint was among the few who rejected that idea. She thought her work was for people who didnt exist yet, and that it belonged in a templewhere, as we all know, money changers have no place. Its hard to think of any artist more determined to take the eventual fate of her art into her own hands than this Swedish painter, whose work is now on view at New Yorks Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum through April 23. Curated by Tracey Bashkoff with David Horowitz, the exhibition, Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future, is the first comprehensive presentation of the artists work in the United States. Af Klints response to the lack of an adequate social or institutional place for her art, and to the chimerical nature of its potential public, was a nearly complete renunciation of the public sphere. Born in 1862, she graduated with honors from Stockholms Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1887 as a highly competent realist painter, according to the conventional standards of her day, as several early works on view at the Guggenheim demonstrate. Looking at her landscape paintings and portraits of the 1880s and 90s, its easy to imagine af Klint achieving success as the practitioner of a solid and sensitive naturalism enlivened by some hints from the Impressionistscertainly not the kind of renown enjoyed by her flashier Swedish contemporary Anders Zorn, whose flattering portraits and delectable nudes were coveted around the world; but a solid career nonetheless. Thats not how it went. The late 19th century was the heyday of spiritualism; like so many others, af Klint was hungry for a word from the beyond. In 1896, she started a series of weekly sances with four friends, all women artists, where she began receiving messages in the form of writing and images. Such was af Klints talent at this occult task that the higher ones commissioned her to produce a series of Paintings for the Temple that would become her most important projectnearly 200 works whose production occupied her from 1906 to 1915. The temple that the paintings were meant to adorn was never built, needless to say, and the artist, convinced that her work would not soon be understood, left instructions that it was not to be exhibited for at least 20 years after her death. That happened after a streetcar accident in 1944. If her works had emerged on schedule, they would have been an ideal match for the work of the American painter Alfred Jensen, who in the late 1950s began producing diagrammatic paintings based on esoteric systems like the Mayan calendar, Goethes color theory, and the I Ching. But no such luck: Her paintings went almost unseen until 1986, five years after Jensens death, when they finally emerged in the important revisionist exhibition The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 18901985, curated by Maurice Tuchman for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The works that af Klint began producing under the tutelage of the spirits in 1906 bear no resemblance to anything accepted as art in Europe up to that time. Its commonly said that she anticipated the wave of abstraction that suddenly welled up across Europe and the United States around 1912much of it by artists who had also been influenced to some degree by Theosophy and spiritualism. And its easy to understand why one would think so: The flatness of her paintings, their eschewal of illusionistic three-dimensional space, recalls the works that Piet Mondrian and Kazimir Malevich would soon be making, and the simple geometrical figures she often usedcircles, spirals, stylized botanical forms, and other curvilinear shapesare also compatible with those used by the more famous abstractionists, who were mostly about a decade younger than she. But I cant quite think of af Klints art as being abstract in the same sense. Its more like an expanded form of writing or, as she believed, a language of symbols that has already existed forever and that has now been given to humanity by the creative spirits. Her works share as much with Goethes color-theory diagrams, and more generally the kinds of diagrams that often illustrate esoteric and occult texts, as they do with modernist abstraction. What exactly her diagrams illustrate is at once obvious and elusive. They are all about the union of oppositesdark and light, up and down, material and spiritual, etc.and the souls winding path toward enlightenment. But the details are obscure. Helen Molesworth puts it well in the catalog for the Guggenheim exhibition: Her pictures are like a set of instructions that then need other instructions. But Im not sure I want that second users manual. Sometimes the works specific meanings were better known to the higher powers than to the artist herself, who at first considered herself little more than their amanuensis, only eventually taking a more conscious control of their production. In any case I can better appreciate her work apart from the belief system that generated it, which is not an unusual situation: When I admire a Madonna and child by Bellini, Im not concerned with ideas about the Trinity or the virgin birth, notions as alien to me as anything in Theosophy. The beauty of af Klints paintings comes from the delicacy and concentration with which theyve been realized. One thing her belief system gave her was an ability to keep her ego out of the way of her art; theres a kind of blunt, unfussy anonymity to her touch that carries conviction. Still, as fascinating and radical as af Klints paintings are, they are also limited by her conception of them as essentially illustrational. They lack body. Color, for her, was less a corporeal entity than an idea. And yet af Klints diagrams were more than just that; they were paintings conceived for permanent display in a temple, where the wisdom they embody would presumably be given ritual form. In the three altarpieces meant as a kind of culmination, to be seen at the center of the temples highest level, its undeniable that she achieved an appropriate grandeur. Their physical expansiveness lets the color spread and vibrate. The works are inspiringand the moment you let yourself be inspired, even the Guggenheim can become a provisional temple. Current Issue View our current issue Af Klint may not have succeeded in building her temple, but she did manage to keep her art out of the clutches of the market. Her works all belong to a foundation that has said they will never be sold. Nothing sounds more unlike Andy Warhol, the guy who once mused that being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. By now, Warhols image and style are so ubiquitous that its easy to wonder whether we need another exhibition of his work; its like hearing a song youve heard a hundred times before. But still, there it is, at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 31: Andy WarholFrom A to B and Back Again, curated by Donna De Salvo, whose knowledge of Warhols oeuvre is second to none. And its a good reminder that theres always more to see: more of Warhol, and more in him too. (The exhibition will travel to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, May 18 to September 2, and the Art Institute of Chicago, October 20 to January 26, 2020.) As with af Klint, Warhols early efforts give little clue of his mature art. After graduating from what was then the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh in 1949, Warhol moved to New York and pursued a highly successful career as a commercial illustrator. With a charmingly whimsical drawing stylean unlikely cross between Jean Cocteau and Ben Shahnhe became the king of shoe advertising. He also did more personal work and occasionally showed it in galleries, under titles like Fifteen Drawings Based on the Writings of Truman Capote. None of it had anything to do with the big, blustery abstract paintings that were the going thing in the 1950s, or with the cooler, more enigmatic kind of art that began cropping up later in the decade with the work of Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. In fact, Warhol hardly painted at all in those days. Drawing was his forte, and he knew it. Who knows, but at the start of the 60s, he suddenly began painting on a big scale, using imagery taken from mass culture. Pop art was born. Warhol wasnt the only one doing it, but he was among the first. It was his use of a technique then more associated with commercial artsilk-screen printingthat gave his work its true impetus, allowing for a greater directness in the use of found imagery and lending itself to the repetition of images, both within a work (e.g., Green Coca-Cola Bottles, 1962) and from piece to piece (the innumerable Marilyns, Last Suppers, flowers, and electric chairs). Sometimes the distinction between a single work and a series becomes almost arbitrary, as in the 32 canvases of Campbells Soup Cans (1962). First downplaying his exquisite draftsmanship, Warhol then turned painting inside out by his innovative method of printing on canvas. The critics hated it, but collectors like the taxi mogul Robert Scull were hooked. Yet painting alone, however technically innovative, could not satisfy Warhol, who was soon making filmsand later televisionas well as sculptures like the famous Brillo boxes; in 1968, he also published a: A Novel, transcribed from taped conversations. It was once hed found success as a painter that he discovered I dont really believe in painting anymore. But Warhol didnt really need belief (unlike af Klint), and most of his best paintings date from the period after hed supposedly lost the faiththat is, the 1970s. And yet, after having retired from painting for several years, he articulated his return to it in 1971 precisely in terms of belief: His new subject, thanks to the announcement of Nixons trip to China, would be the chairman of the Chinese Communist Partynot, of course, as an ideological construct, but as a sort of fashion iconand even Mao would be really nutty not to believe in it. (Meanwhile, the American presidents own unlovely face appears in Warhols art only in a screen-printed campaign poster reading Vote McGovern).The gigantic Mao at the Whitney, borrowed from the Art Institute of Chicago, shows Warhol using his silk-screened photographic imagery in a different way than he had in the 60s: The familiar portrait from the Little Red Book becomes the armature for bravura brushwork (not in the mold of the Abstract Expressionists, but rather evoking society portraitists like John Singer Sargent or, for that matter, Anders Zorn) and brilliant color. The 1970s were a great period for Warhol; his Skull series (1976) and the quasi-abstract Shadow paintings (197879) are probably the pinnacle of his work as a painter, surpassing the more famous works of 1962 to 66, the ones that made history as the quintessence of Pop. But to the extent that theres a single takeaway from the Whitneys surveywhich, with more than 350 works, is massive, yet still inevitably partialits not the self-evident superiority of certain seriesand within any series, certain piecesover others. Theres plenty of work that would simply be dull if it werent recognizably Warhol. The portraits filling the museums ground floor dont look that much better than what you might do at home with your own photos and an online Andy Warhol Pop-art effect filter; among the few that stand out are precisely those that eschew the random-color Warhol-studio effect, for instance, a 1986 Peter Halley, not colorized, in which the young painters face is doubled to lend him a line of four staring eyes. A more beautiful and less tiring show could have been put together with a more stringent exercise of connoisseurship, however subjective. But such an exhibition would have left out what might be the most important thing about Warhols approach to art making: his sheer will to productivity. When Warhol named his studio the Factory, he wasnt kidding. No ordinary studio could have produced, as Warhols did, 199 Mao paintings in five different sizes in less than two years. But since theres just one such painting on view here, whats more striking is not how many variations Warhol could spin out of the same idea, but how many different ideas he was willing to try outhow many different media he used, how many different kinds of imagery he cycled through. In 1982, the artist and critic Thomas Lawson noted an awful desperation in [Warhols] search for new images, and in his reuse of old ones. In any case, this productivity could not have been based on any great economic rationale; during Warhols lifetime, the sheer profusion of his work must have depressed the potential price of any individual piece. Only later did his prices skyrocket. The Factory was less a real place than a guiding myth, the embodiment of an obsession with producing relentlessly, and to hell with where it would end up afterward. This could well be the great either/or of modern art: Warhols determined plunge into the glare of publicity and his total identification with the time, versus af Klints withdrawal of her art from the uncomprehending eyes of her contemporaries, her resolve to hold out for the future. One of the most interesting things about Bruce Nauman, whose intransigence emerges in work that at times seems to methodically frustrate the viewers interest, is that he appears to simultaneously accept and reject Warhols and af Klints positions. From his studio in the desertin 1979, after working in California for more than a decade, the Indiana native moved to Pecos, New Mexicohe keeps his distance but exhibits regularly, withdrawing and participating at the same time. Right now, a comprehensive selection of his work from circa 1964 to the present can be seen in New York City at the Museum of Modern Art (through February 18) and at MoMA PS1 (through February 25). Titled Bruce Nauman: Disappearing Acts, the show, curated by a team led by Kathy Halbreich, was previously mounted at the Schaulager in Basel, Switzerland. Naumans harsh and desolate worldview, often compared to Samuel Becketts for its bleak humor, places hope in no future and imagines no temple. Like Warhol, Nauman seems to have tried almost every medium (the show includes sculptures, drawings, photographs, films, videos, sound works, neon signs, and architectural installations), and his mythic place is the point of production, the studio. But unlike Warhols Factory, which was as much a social milieu as it was a site of positively Stakhanovite productivity, a place where everyone and everything of interest would eventually turn up to be incorporated into the artists work, Naumans idea of the studio has little room for other people. His essential relation is to the studio itself: Being alone there, he once reflected, raised the fundamental question of what an artist does when left alone in the studio. (Its important to note that the artist is not simply alone but left alone; the phrase is an ambiguous one, implying that Nauman is both unbothered and abandoned.) His conclusion: Whatever I was doing in the studio must be art, including just drinking coffee and pacing the floor wondering what to do. But perhaps his most revelatory intuition about the studio is that once it has been established, the artist becomes optional; its like a machine that keeps operating even in his absence. Mapping the Studio II (Fat Chance John Cage) is a seven-channel video installation from 2001, which Nauman made by setting up cameras to surveil the studio overnight. Not much more happens than the occasional mouse scurrying by. The grainy, blown-up footage has been colorized, giving the whole thing an eerily dreamlike, watery atmosphere; its as if the image of the studio has come to stand in for the artists unconscious, where something is always stirring even in an apparent vacancy. I think the works subtitle refers to something that Cage is supposed to have once told the painter Philip Guston: When you start working, everybody is in your studiothe past, your friends, enemies, the art world, and above all, your own ideasall are there. But as you continue painting, they start leaving, one by one, and you are left completely alone. Then, if youre lucky, even you leave.Yet still, the mice will keep scurrying around. Nauman found a way to put the critters to work. At five hours and 45 minutes in length, Mapping the Studio would be quite an endurance test for anyone willing to take it on. A lot of Naumans films and videos are like that. They seem to keep asking how much youre willing to takehow much inaction, as in this case, or how much headache-inducing agitation, as in the 1987 video installation Clown Torture. In philosophy, whats called the problem of other minds has to do with justifying the belief that other people possess consciousness. Nauman seems to have a different kind of problem: Other minds are too much on his own. Its as though hed prefer to be a solipsist but cant, because he needs to demonstrate his solipsism to others in order to believe in it. What a peculiar strain of artistic individualismone that needs a public in order to tell them to get lost. Whether arts place is in a temple, a factory, or a studio, its all in someones mind. | Hilma af Klint was a Swedish realist painter of the late 19th century. She rejected the idea that art belongs in the public sphere. She believed it should belong in a temple. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.thenation.com/article/hilma-af-klint-warhol-nauman-guggenheim-whitney-moma-new-shows-review/ | 0.14966 |
Where Does Art Belong? | Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and well send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and well send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. Every modern or contemporary artist has either had to answer these questions, or else accept the ready-made answer that our culture offers: Just do your work and let the invisible hand of the market sort out its fate. Ad Policy Hilma af Klint was among the few who rejected that idea. She thought her work was for people who didnt exist yet, and that it belonged in a templewhere, as we all know, money changers have no place. Its hard to think of any artist more determined to take the eventual fate of her art into her own hands than this Swedish painter, whose work is now on view at New Yorks Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum through April 23. Curated by Tracey Bashkoff with David Horowitz, the exhibition, Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future, is the first comprehensive presentation of the artists work in the United States. Af Klints response to the lack of an adequate social or institutional place for her art, and to the chimerical nature of its potential public, was a nearly complete renunciation of the public sphere. Born in 1862, she graduated with honors from Stockholms Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1887 as a highly competent realist painter, according to the conventional standards of her day, as several early works on view at the Guggenheim demonstrate. Looking at her landscape paintings and portraits of the 1880s and 90s, its easy to imagine af Klint achieving success as the practitioner of a solid and sensitive naturalism enlivened by some hints from the Impressionistscertainly not the kind of renown enjoyed by her flashier Swedish contemporary Anders Zorn, whose flattering portraits and delectable nudes were coveted around the world; but a solid career nonetheless. Thats not how it went. The late 19th century was the heyday of spiritualism; like so many others, af Klint was hungry for a word from the beyond. In 1896, she started a series of weekly sances with four friends, all women artists, where she began receiving messages in the form of writing and images. Such was af Klints talent at this occult task that the higher ones commissioned her to produce a series of Paintings for the Temple that would become her most important projectnearly 200 works whose production occupied her from 1906 to 1915. The temple that the paintings were meant to adorn was never built, needless to say, and the artist, convinced that her work would not soon be understood, left instructions that it was not to be exhibited for at least 20 years after her death. That happened after a streetcar accident in 1944. If her works had emerged on schedule, they would have been an ideal match for the work of the American painter Alfred Jensen, who in the late 1950s began producing diagrammatic paintings based on esoteric systems like the Mayan calendar, Goethes color theory, and the I Ching. But no such luck: Her paintings went almost unseen until 1986, five years after Jensens death, when they finally emerged in the important revisionist exhibition The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 18901985, curated by Maurice Tuchman for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The works that af Klint began producing under the tutelage of the spirits in 1906 bear no resemblance to anything accepted as art in Europe up to that time. Its commonly said that she anticipated the wave of abstraction that suddenly welled up across Europe and the United States around 1912much of it by artists who had also been influenced to some degree by Theosophy and spiritualism. And its easy to understand why one would think so: The flatness of her paintings, their eschewal of illusionistic three-dimensional space, recalls the works that Piet Mondrian and Kazimir Malevich would soon be making, and the simple geometrical figures she often usedcircles, spirals, stylized botanical forms, and other curvilinear shapesare also compatible with those used by the more famous abstractionists, who were mostly about a decade younger than she. But I cant quite think of af Klints art as being abstract in the same sense. Its more like an expanded form of writing or, as she believed, a language of symbols that has already existed forever and that has now been given to humanity by the creative spirits. Her works share as much with Goethes color-theory diagrams, and more generally the kinds of diagrams that often illustrate esoteric and occult texts, as they do with modernist abstraction. What exactly her diagrams illustrate is at once obvious and elusive. They are all about the union of oppositesdark and light, up and down, material and spiritual, etc.and the souls winding path toward enlightenment. But the details are obscure. Helen Molesworth puts it well in the catalog for the Guggenheim exhibition: Her pictures are like a set of instructions that then need other instructions. But Im not sure I want that second users manual. Sometimes the works specific meanings were better known to the higher powers than to the artist herself, who at first considered herself little more than their amanuensis, only eventually taking a more conscious control of their production. In any case I can better appreciate her work apart from the belief system that generated it, which is not an unusual situation: When I admire a Madonna and child by Bellini, Im not concerned with ideas about the Trinity or the virgin birth, notions as alien to me as anything in Theosophy. The beauty of af Klints paintings comes from the delicacy and concentration with which theyve been realized. One thing her belief system gave her was an ability to keep her ego out of the way of her art; theres a kind of blunt, unfussy anonymity to her touch that carries conviction. Still, as fascinating and radical as af Klints paintings are, they are also limited by her conception of them as essentially illustrational. They lack body. Color, for her, was less a corporeal entity than an idea. And yet af Klints diagrams were more than just that; they were paintings conceived for permanent display in a temple, where the wisdom they embody would presumably be given ritual form. In the three altarpieces meant as a kind of culmination, to be seen at the center of the temples highest level, its undeniable that she achieved an appropriate grandeur. Their physical expansiveness lets the color spread and vibrate. The works are inspiringand the moment you let yourself be inspired, even the Guggenheim can become a provisional temple. Current Issue View our current issue Af Klint may not have succeeded in building her temple, but she did manage to keep her art out of the clutches of the market. Her works all belong to a foundation that has said they will never be sold. Nothing sounds more unlike Andy Warhol, the guy who once mused that being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. By now, Warhols image and style are so ubiquitous that its easy to wonder whether we need another exhibition of his work; its like hearing a song youve heard a hundred times before. But still, there it is, at the Whitney Museum of American Art through March 31: Andy WarholFrom A to B and Back Again, curated by Donna De Salvo, whose knowledge of Warhols oeuvre is second to none. And its a good reminder that theres always more to see: more of Warhol, and more in him too. (The exhibition will travel to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, May 18 to September 2, and the Art Institute of Chicago, October 20 to January 26, 2020.) As with af Klint, Warhols early efforts give little clue of his mature art. After graduating from what was then the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh in 1949, Warhol moved to New York and pursued a highly successful career as a commercial illustrator. With a charmingly whimsical drawing stylean unlikely cross between Jean Cocteau and Ben Shahnhe became the king of shoe advertising. He also did more personal work and occasionally showed it in galleries, under titles like Fifteen Drawings Based on the Writings of Truman Capote. None of it had anything to do with the big, blustery abstract paintings that were the going thing in the 1950s, or with the cooler, more enigmatic kind of art that began cropping up later in the decade with the work of Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. In fact, Warhol hardly painted at all in those days. Drawing was his forte, and he knew it. Who knows, but at the start of the 60s, he suddenly began painting on a big scale, using imagery taken from mass culture. Pop art was born. Warhol wasnt the only one doing it, but he was among the first. It was his use of a technique then more associated with commercial artsilk-screen printingthat gave his work its true impetus, allowing for a greater directness in the use of found imagery and lending itself to the repetition of images, both within a work (e.g., Green Coca-Cola Bottles, 1962) and from piece to piece (the innumerable Marilyns, Last Suppers, flowers, and electric chairs). Sometimes the distinction between a single work and a series becomes almost arbitrary, as in the 32 canvases of Campbells Soup Cans (1962). First downplaying his exquisite draftsmanship, Warhol then turned painting inside out by his innovative method of printing on canvas. The critics hated it, but collectors like the taxi mogul Robert Scull were hooked. Yet painting alone, however technically innovative, could not satisfy Warhol, who was soon making filmsand later televisionas well as sculptures like the famous Brillo boxes; in 1968, he also published a: A Novel, transcribed from taped conversations. It was once hed found success as a painter that he discovered I dont really believe in painting anymore. But Warhol didnt really need belief (unlike af Klint), and most of his best paintings date from the period after hed supposedly lost the faiththat is, the 1970s. And yet, after having retired from painting for several years, he articulated his return to it in 1971 precisely in terms of belief: His new subject, thanks to the announcement of Nixons trip to China, would be the chairman of the Chinese Communist Partynot, of course, as an ideological construct, but as a sort of fashion iconand even Mao would be really nutty not to believe in it. (Meanwhile, the American presidents own unlovely face appears in Warhols art only in a screen-printed campaign poster reading Vote McGovern).The gigantic Mao at the Whitney, borrowed from the Art Institute of Chicago, shows Warhol using his silk-screened photographic imagery in a different way than he had in the 60s: The familiar portrait from the Little Red Book becomes the armature for bravura brushwork (not in the mold of the Abstract Expressionists, but rather evoking society portraitists like John Singer Sargent or, for that matter, Anders Zorn) and brilliant color. The 1970s were a great period for Warhol; his Skull series (1976) and the quasi-abstract Shadow paintings (197879) are probably the pinnacle of his work as a painter, surpassing the more famous works of 1962 to 66, the ones that made history as the quintessence of Pop. But to the extent that theres a single takeaway from the Whitneys surveywhich, with more than 350 works, is massive, yet still inevitably partialits not the self-evident superiority of certain seriesand within any series, certain piecesover others. Theres plenty of work that would simply be dull if it werent recognizably Warhol. The portraits filling the museums ground floor dont look that much better than what you might do at home with your own photos and an online Andy Warhol Pop-art effect filter; among the few that stand out are precisely those that eschew the random-color Warhol-studio effect, for instance, a 1986 Peter Halley, not colorized, in which the young painters face is doubled to lend him a line of four staring eyes. A more beautiful and less tiring show could have been put together with a more stringent exercise of connoisseurship, however subjective. But such an exhibition would have left out what might be the most important thing about Warhols approach to art making: his sheer will to productivity. When Warhol named his studio the Factory, he wasnt kidding. No ordinary studio could have produced, as Warhols did, 199 Mao paintings in five different sizes in less than two years. But since theres just one such painting on view here, whats more striking is not how many variations Warhol could spin out of the same idea, but how many different ideas he was willing to try outhow many different media he used, how many different kinds of imagery he cycled through. In 1982, the artist and critic Thomas Lawson noted an awful desperation in [Warhols] search for new images, and in his reuse of old ones. In any case, this productivity could not have been based on any great economic rationale; during Warhols lifetime, the sheer profusion of his work must have depressed the potential price of any individual piece. Only later did his prices skyrocket. The Factory was less a real place than a guiding myth, the embodiment of an obsession with producing relentlessly, and to hell with where it would end up afterward. This could well be the great either/or of modern art: Warhols determined plunge into the glare of publicity and his total identification with the time, versus af Klints withdrawal of her art from the uncomprehending eyes of her contemporaries, her resolve to hold out for the future. One of the most interesting things about Bruce Nauman, whose intransigence emerges in work that at times seems to methodically frustrate the viewers interest, is that he appears to simultaneously accept and reject Warhols and af Klints positions. From his studio in the desertin 1979, after working in California for more than a decade, the Indiana native moved to Pecos, New Mexicohe keeps his distance but exhibits regularly, withdrawing and participating at the same time. Right now, a comprehensive selection of his work from circa 1964 to the present can be seen in New York City at the Museum of Modern Art (through February 18) and at MoMA PS1 (through February 25). Titled Bruce Nauman: Disappearing Acts, the show, curated by a team led by Kathy Halbreich, was previously mounted at the Schaulager in Basel, Switzerland. Naumans harsh and desolate worldview, often compared to Samuel Becketts for its bleak humor, places hope in no future and imagines no temple. Like Warhol, Nauman seems to have tried almost every medium (the show includes sculptures, drawings, photographs, films, videos, sound works, neon signs, and architectural installations), and his mythic place is the point of production, the studio. But unlike Warhols Factory, which was as much a social milieu as it was a site of positively Stakhanovite productivity, a place where everyone and everything of interest would eventually turn up to be incorporated into the artists work, Naumans idea of the studio has little room for other people. His essential relation is to the studio itself: Being alone there, he once reflected, raised the fundamental question of what an artist does when left alone in the studio. (Its important to note that the artist is not simply alone but left alone; the phrase is an ambiguous one, implying that Nauman is both unbothered and abandoned.) His conclusion: Whatever I was doing in the studio must be art, including just drinking coffee and pacing the floor wondering what to do. But perhaps his most revelatory intuition about the studio is that once it has been established, the artist becomes optional; its like a machine that keeps operating even in his absence. Mapping the Studio II (Fat Chance John Cage) is a seven-channel video installation from 2001, which Nauman made by setting up cameras to surveil the studio overnight. Not much more happens than the occasional mouse scurrying by. The grainy, blown-up footage has been colorized, giving the whole thing an eerily dreamlike, watery atmosphere; its as if the image of the studio has come to stand in for the artists unconscious, where something is always stirring even in an apparent vacancy. I think the works subtitle refers to something that Cage is supposed to have once told the painter Philip Guston: When you start working, everybody is in your studiothe past, your friends, enemies, the art world, and above all, your own ideasall are there. But as you continue painting, they start leaving, one by one, and you are left completely alone. Then, if youre lucky, even you leave.Yet still, the mice will keep scurrying around. Nauman found a way to put the critters to work. At five hours and 45 minutes in length, Mapping the Studio would be quite an endurance test for anyone willing to take it on. A lot of Naumans films and videos are like that. They seem to keep asking how much youre willing to takehow much inaction, as in this case, or how much headache-inducing agitation, as in the 1987 video installation Clown Torture. In philosophy, whats called the problem of other minds has to do with justifying the belief that other people possess consciousness. Nauman seems to have a different kind of problem: Other minds are too much on his own. Its as though hed prefer to be a solipsist but cant, because he needs to demonstrate his solipsism to others in order to believe in it. What a peculiar strain of artistic individualismone that needs a public in order to tell them to get lost. Whether arts place is in a temple, a factory, or a studio, its all in someones mind. | Hilma af Klint was a Swedish realist painter of the late 19th century. She rejected the idea that art belongs in the public sphere. She believed it should belong in a temple, where it could have a voice. Ad Policy Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.thenation.com/article/hilma-af-klint-warhol-nauman-guggenheim-whitney-moma-new-shows-review/ | 0.218379 |
When is the hearing in 9th district election investigation? | The newly appointed state board of elections plans to vote on whether to certify the election or call for a new one in North Carolinas 9th Congressional District after a hearing on Feb. 18 and 19 in Raleigh, the boards chairman said Monday. The five-member board, appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper on Jan. 31, will begin its evidentiary hearing at 10 a.m. at the North Carolina State Bar in Raleigh. The hearing is expected to last for two days, but the site has been reserved for three. Republican Mark Harris leads Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes in the unofficial results from the 9th district. But the previous nine-member state board twice declined to certify the results, citing irregularities among mail-in absentee ballots in Bladen and Robeson counties. The previous board had scheduled an evidentiary hearing for January, but a court disbanded the nine-member board on Dec. 28 due to an unrelated issue. Digital Access for only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. Harris attempted to get his election certified in Wake County Superior Court, but was denied. The state board has three Democrats and two Republicans. It takes three votes to certify the election results and four votes to call for a new election. A vote will be held at the end of the meeting, said Bob Cordle, the boards new chair. Thats normal process of the state board, Cordle, a retired Charlotte attorney, told The Charlotte Observer on Monday. You have a vote at that time. The state board will meet on Feb. 7 for other business, including appointments to county boards of elections. That meeting will include an executive session, during which staff will brief the state board on the evidence it has uncovered during its investigation, Cordle said. Cordle lives in the 9th district. Seating for the Feb. 18 evidentiary hearing is limited, but the hearing is likely to be live streamed by the news media, according to the state board. The 9th district has not had a representative in the new Congress, which took office in early January. | North Carolina's new state board of elections will hold an evidentiary hearing on Feb. 18 and 19. It will vote on whether to certify the election or call for a new one in the 9th Congressional District. | bart | 1 | https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article225498865.html | 0.442277 |
When is the hearing in 9th district election investigation? | The newly appointed state board of elections plans to vote on whether to certify the election or call for a new one in North Carolinas 9th Congressional District after a hearing on Feb. 18 and 19 in Raleigh, the boards chairman said Monday. The five-member board, appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper on Jan. 31, will begin its evidentiary hearing at 10 a.m. at the North Carolina State Bar in Raleigh. The hearing is expected to last for two days, but the site has been reserved for three. Republican Mark Harris leads Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes in the unofficial results from the 9th district. But the previous nine-member state board twice declined to certify the results, citing irregularities among mail-in absentee ballots in Bladen and Robeson counties. The previous board had scheduled an evidentiary hearing for January, but a court disbanded the nine-member board on Dec. 28 due to an unrelated issue. Digital Access for only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. Harris attempted to get his election certified in Wake County Superior Court, but was denied. The state board has three Democrats and two Republicans. It takes three votes to certify the election results and four votes to call for a new election. A vote will be held at the end of the meeting, said Bob Cordle, the boards new chair. Thats normal process of the state board, Cordle, a retired Charlotte attorney, told The Charlotte Observer on Monday. You have a vote at that time. The state board will meet on Feb. 7 for other business, including appointments to county boards of elections. That meeting will include an executive session, during which staff will brief the state board on the evidence it has uncovered during its investigation, Cordle said. Cordle lives in the 9th district. Seating for the Feb. 18 evidentiary hearing is limited, but the hearing is likely to be live streamed by the news media, according to the state board. The 9th district has not had a representative in the new Congress, which took office in early January. | The state board of elections will hold a hearing on Feb. 18 and 19 in Raleigh. The hearing is expected to last for two days, but the site has been reserved for three. Republican Mark Harris leads Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes in the unofficial results from the 9th district. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article225498865.html | 0.514267 |
What Will Be The Next Innovation In Retail? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Mark Pilkington, Author of Retail Therapy, on Quora: The next innovation in retail markets will be for retailers to change their operating model away from relying mainly on their stores towards one where the internet becomes more central, with the store performing only those functions that add value to the brand. Holding large amounts of stock in a store does not really add any value. It is very expensive, because it takes up a lot of space and also requires a lot of processing time by store staff - unpacking it, preparing it for display, rotating it around, marking it down and counting it. Products are also inclined to go out of stock in one location, while building up in others. The space and staff time is much better used to create an impactful brand environment and to give customers a high level of personal service. The store would be closer to a showroom, with key products on display, but most of the stock being help centrally in the internet business. For example in a fashion business, the staff could have one item in each size, to establish the customers fit, but the actual order would be placed via internet terminals, and shipped direct to the persons home. Under this model, retailers do not need big box stores. They can use lean stores instead, which would be far cheaper to run. They can also push into the town and city centres, where younger people are congregating, rather being stuck out in the suburbs. This model is being used by Direct-to-Consumer brands like Bonobos, and also by established retailers like Ikea and Nordstroms. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | The next innovation in retail markets will be for retailers to change their operating model away from relying mainly on their stores. | bart | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/02/04/what-will-be-the-next-innovation-in-retail/ | 0.695679 |
What Will Be The Next Innovation In Retail? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Mark Pilkington, Author of Retail Therapy, on Quora: The next innovation in retail markets will be for retailers to change their operating model away from relying mainly on their stores towards one where the internet becomes more central, with the store performing only those functions that add value to the brand. Holding large amounts of stock in a store does not really add any value. It is very expensive, because it takes up a lot of space and also requires a lot of processing time by store staff - unpacking it, preparing it for display, rotating it around, marking it down and counting it. Products are also inclined to go out of stock in one location, while building up in others. The space and staff time is much better used to create an impactful brand environment and to give customers a high level of personal service. The store would be closer to a showroom, with key products on display, but most of the stock being help centrally in the internet business. For example in a fashion business, the staff could have one item in each size, to establish the customers fit, but the actual order would be placed via internet terminals, and shipped direct to the persons home. Under this model, retailers do not need big box stores. They can use lean stores instead, which would be far cheaper to run. They can also push into the town and city centres, where younger people are congregating, rather being stuck out in the suburbs. This model is being used by Direct-to-Consumer brands like Bonobos, and also by established retailers like Ikea and Nordstroms. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | The next innovation in retail markets will be for retailers to change their operating model away from relying mainly on their stores. Holding large amounts of stock in a store does not really add any value. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/02/04/what-will-be-the-next-innovation-in-retail/ | 0.72051 |
What Will Be The Next Innovation In Retail? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Mark Pilkington, Author of Retail Therapy, on Quora: The next innovation in retail markets will be for retailers to change their operating model away from relying mainly on their stores towards one where the internet becomes more central, with the store performing only those functions that add value to the brand. Holding large amounts of stock in a store does not really add any value. It is very expensive, because it takes up a lot of space and also requires a lot of processing time by store staff - unpacking it, preparing it for display, rotating it around, marking it down and counting it. Products are also inclined to go out of stock in one location, while building up in others. The space and staff time is much better used to create an impactful brand environment and to give customers a high level of personal service. The store would be closer to a showroom, with key products on display, but most of the stock being help centrally in the internet business. For example in a fashion business, the staff could have one item in each size, to establish the customers fit, but the actual order would be placed via internet terminals, and shipped direct to the persons home. Under this model, retailers do not need big box stores. They can use lean stores instead, which would be far cheaper to run. They can also push into the town and city centres, where younger people are congregating, rather being stuck out in the suburbs. This model is being used by Direct-to-Consumer brands like Bonobos, and also by established retailers like Ikea and Nordstroms. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | The next innovation in retail markets will be for retailers to change their operating model away from relying mainly on their stores. Holding large amounts of stock in a store does not really add any value. The store would be closer to a showroom, with key products on display, but most of the stock being help centrally in the internet business. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/02/04/what-will-be-the-next-innovation-in-retail/ | 0.749857 |
Could a former Baylor football coach Art Briles land a job at Southern Miss? | Well, Trysta Krick and Paul Myerberg tell us what to look forward to next season. USA TODAY Almost three years ago Art Briles' college football coaching career abruptly halted amidst great controversy. Now it looks as if the once-maligned head coach might the opportunity to get a fresh start at Southern Mississippi. According to a report from SunHerald, the former Baylor coach is interviewing for the Golden Eagle's vacant offensive coordinator position. The position opened in January after Shannon Dawson accepted the offensive assistant coach position at the University of Houston. Baylor fired Briles in May 2016 after a third-party law firm's investigation into misconduct in the athletic department found that football coaches failed to report complaints against players. Art Briles speaks to two of his players during his time as Baylor's coach. (Photo: Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports) Baylor football players were accused of at least 52 known acts of rape in five years by at least 31 different players during Briles' tenure as head coach, according to a lawsuit. The school has settled five Title IX lawsuits over assault allegations from former students. Briles was hired in August of 2017 in the Canadian Football League as an assistant coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats but the team let him go 12 hours later amidst criticism for the move. He also recently was the head coach of the Estra Guelfi Firenze team in the Italian Federation of American Football. During his time with Baylor, Briles led the Bears to a 65-37 record, including two Big 12 titles. | Art Briles is reportedly interviewing to be Southern Mississippi's offensive coordinator. Briles was fired from Baylor in May of 2016. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2019/02/04/art-briles-interview-southern-miss-for-offensive-coordinator-job/2770103002/ | 0.306098 |
Could a former Baylor football coach Art Briles land a job at Southern Miss? | Well, Trysta Krick and Paul Myerberg tell us what to look forward to next season. USA TODAY Almost three years ago Art Briles' college football coaching career abruptly halted amidst great controversy. Now it looks as if the once-maligned head coach might the opportunity to get a fresh start at Southern Mississippi. According to a report from SunHerald, the former Baylor coach is interviewing for the Golden Eagle's vacant offensive coordinator position. The position opened in January after Shannon Dawson accepted the offensive assistant coach position at the University of Houston. Baylor fired Briles in May 2016 after a third-party law firm's investigation into misconduct in the athletic department found that football coaches failed to report complaints against players. Art Briles speaks to two of his players during his time as Baylor's coach. (Photo: Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports) Baylor football players were accused of at least 52 known acts of rape in five years by at least 31 different players during Briles' tenure as head coach, according to a lawsuit. The school has settled five Title IX lawsuits over assault allegations from former students. Briles was hired in August of 2017 in the Canadian Football League as an assistant coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats but the team let him go 12 hours later amidst criticism for the move. He also recently was the head coach of the Estra Guelfi Firenze team in the Italian Federation of American Football. During his time with Baylor, Briles led the Bears to a 65-37 record, including two Big 12 titles. | Art Briles is reportedly interviewing to be Southern Mississippi's offensive coordinator. Briles was fired from Baylor in May of 2016 amid a sex assault scandal. He was hired by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2019/02/04/art-briles-interview-southern-miss-for-offensive-coordinator-job/2770103002/ | 0.314443 |
Could a former Baylor football coach Art Briles land a job at Southern Miss? | Well, Trysta Krick and Paul Myerberg tell us what to look forward to next season. USA TODAY Almost three years ago Art Briles' college football coaching career abruptly halted amidst great controversy. Now it looks as if the once-maligned head coach might the opportunity to get a fresh start at Southern Mississippi. According to a report from SunHerald, the former Baylor coach is interviewing for the Golden Eagle's vacant offensive coordinator position. The position opened in January after Shannon Dawson accepted the offensive assistant coach position at the University of Houston. Baylor fired Briles in May 2016 after a third-party law firm's investigation into misconduct in the athletic department found that football coaches failed to report complaints against players. Art Briles speaks to two of his players during his time as Baylor's coach. (Photo: Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports) Baylor football players were accused of at least 52 known acts of rape in five years by at least 31 different players during Briles' tenure as head coach, according to a lawsuit. The school has settled five Title IX lawsuits over assault allegations from former students. Briles was hired in August of 2017 in the Canadian Football League as an assistant coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats but the team let him go 12 hours later amidst criticism for the move. He also recently was the head coach of the Estra Guelfi Firenze team in the Italian Federation of American Football. During his time with Baylor, Briles led the Bears to a 65-37 record, including two Big 12 titles. | Art Briles is reportedly interviewing to be Southern Mississippi's offensive coordinator. Briles was fired from Baylor in May of 2016 amid a sex assault scandal. He was hired by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League in August of 2017 but was let go 12 hours later. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2019/02/04/art-briles-interview-southern-miss-for-offensive-coordinator-job/2770103002/ | 0.317887 |
What are Durham Opportunity Zones? What does Opportunity Zone mean? | Developers have a new reason to build in already-booming Durham. A new federal incentive will encourage investors in certain parts of the city, including East Durham, west of Duke University and in Southwest Durham. But the opportunity zones could also lead to private investors tearing down existing houses to build big, new houses and getting tax breaks on their returns, Durham County Commissioner James Hill said Monday. This is why this has been called the Kushner bill, he said, referring to Jared Kushner, President Donald Trumps senior adviser and son-in-law. So you drive gentrification, is that your point? asked Commissioner Heidi Carter. Seems like it would drive up the cost of rent. Digital Access for only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. Durhams growth, with about 20 people moving here every day, has led to a housing crisis. One way local leaders have responded to gentrification and housing pressure is to commit to building affordable housing on publicly owned property downtown. Being in an Opportunity Zone may help one of those projects get built. Durham has seven Opportunity Zones, which are in or next to low-income census tracts. Most are clustered in East Durham, and include the 500 block of East Main Street, where the county plans to turn a parking lot into a parking garage and affordable housing. Durhams Opportunity Zones, which gives a federal tax break to investors in low income or low income adjacent census tracts. Durham County Once you select a developer, they will go out courting OZ [Opportunity Zone] investors right away, Sarah Odio of the UNC School of Government Development Finance Initiative told the commissioners Monday. The initiative is helping the county plan for development on the 500 block. The 300 block of East Main Street, which the commissioners also voted to turn into affordable housing units and a parking garage, is not in an Opportunity Zone. The zones were created through the 2017 federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. They started in 2018 and are now in all 50 states. North Carolina has 252 zones. The N.C. Department of Commerce says the states Opportunity Zones program is designed to spur job growth, housing and other investments. The program reduces and defers federal capital gains tax liability on reinvestment of gains into Opportunity Zones, Odio explained. But projects have to be investment ready, Odio said. If Durham leaders have an idea for a project, they need to get moving on making it a reality. Projects have to make a substantial improvement on the property, she said. Odio cautioned that the Opportunity Zone program does not make a project cheaper, it just opens a door to capital. If a public-private partnership was needed before the OZ designation, it is still needed after the OZ designation, she said. This project is not a magic bullet in the way that its structured. The designation by itself is not a strategy. Theres no guarantee its not a vehicle to accelerating gentrification in an area already being gentrified, Odio said. SHARE COPY LINK Whats next County Manager Wendell Davis said the driver of the Opportunity Zones is more so the private sector than it is us. Still some commissioners want to talk with their City Council counterparts to see if they can jointly market Durham to the investors. They plan to talk with the city to go over exactly what properties are own by the government in all the zones at their Joint City-County Planning Committee meeting March 12. | Durham has seven Opportunity Zones, which are in or next to low-income census tracts. | bart | 0 | https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article225504705.html | 0.135746 |
What are Durham Opportunity Zones? What does Opportunity Zone mean? | Developers have a new reason to build in already-booming Durham. A new federal incentive will encourage investors in certain parts of the city, including East Durham, west of Duke University and in Southwest Durham. But the opportunity zones could also lead to private investors tearing down existing houses to build big, new houses and getting tax breaks on their returns, Durham County Commissioner James Hill said Monday. This is why this has been called the Kushner bill, he said, referring to Jared Kushner, President Donald Trumps senior adviser and son-in-law. So you drive gentrification, is that your point? asked Commissioner Heidi Carter. Seems like it would drive up the cost of rent. Digital Access for only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. Durhams growth, with about 20 people moving here every day, has led to a housing crisis. One way local leaders have responded to gentrification and housing pressure is to commit to building affordable housing on publicly owned property downtown. Being in an Opportunity Zone may help one of those projects get built. Durham has seven Opportunity Zones, which are in or next to low-income census tracts. Most are clustered in East Durham, and include the 500 block of East Main Street, where the county plans to turn a parking lot into a parking garage and affordable housing. Durhams Opportunity Zones, which gives a federal tax break to investors in low income or low income adjacent census tracts. Durham County Once you select a developer, they will go out courting OZ [Opportunity Zone] investors right away, Sarah Odio of the UNC School of Government Development Finance Initiative told the commissioners Monday. The initiative is helping the county plan for development on the 500 block. The 300 block of East Main Street, which the commissioners also voted to turn into affordable housing units and a parking garage, is not in an Opportunity Zone. The zones were created through the 2017 federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. They started in 2018 and are now in all 50 states. North Carolina has 252 zones. The N.C. Department of Commerce says the states Opportunity Zones program is designed to spur job growth, housing and other investments. The program reduces and defers federal capital gains tax liability on reinvestment of gains into Opportunity Zones, Odio explained. But projects have to be investment ready, Odio said. If Durham leaders have an idea for a project, they need to get moving on making it a reality. Projects have to make a substantial improvement on the property, she said. Odio cautioned that the Opportunity Zone program does not make a project cheaper, it just opens a door to capital. If a public-private partnership was needed before the OZ designation, it is still needed after the OZ designation, she said. This project is not a magic bullet in the way that its structured. The designation by itself is not a strategy. Theres no guarantee its not a vehicle to accelerating gentrification in an area already being gentrified, Odio said. SHARE COPY LINK Whats next County Manager Wendell Davis said the driver of the Opportunity Zones is more so the private sector than it is us. Still some commissioners want to talk with their City Council counterparts to see if they can jointly market Durham to the investors. They plan to talk with the city to go over exactly what properties are own by the government in all the zones at their Joint City-County Planning Committee meeting March 12. | Durham has seven Opportunity Zones, which are in or next to low-income census tracts. The zones were created through the 2017 federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article225504705.html | 0.221775 |
What are Durham Opportunity Zones? What does Opportunity Zone mean? | Developers have a new reason to build in already-booming Durham. A new federal incentive will encourage investors in certain parts of the city, including East Durham, west of Duke University and in Southwest Durham. But the opportunity zones could also lead to private investors tearing down existing houses to build big, new houses and getting tax breaks on their returns, Durham County Commissioner James Hill said Monday. This is why this has been called the Kushner bill, he said, referring to Jared Kushner, President Donald Trumps senior adviser and son-in-law. So you drive gentrification, is that your point? asked Commissioner Heidi Carter. Seems like it would drive up the cost of rent. Digital Access for only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. Durhams growth, with about 20 people moving here every day, has led to a housing crisis. One way local leaders have responded to gentrification and housing pressure is to commit to building affordable housing on publicly owned property downtown. Being in an Opportunity Zone may help one of those projects get built. Durham has seven Opportunity Zones, which are in or next to low-income census tracts. Most are clustered in East Durham, and include the 500 block of East Main Street, where the county plans to turn a parking lot into a parking garage and affordable housing. Durhams Opportunity Zones, which gives a federal tax break to investors in low income or low income adjacent census tracts. Durham County Once you select a developer, they will go out courting OZ [Opportunity Zone] investors right away, Sarah Odio of the UNC School of Government Development Finance Initiative told the commissioners Monday. The initiative is helping the county plan for development on the 500 block. The 300 block of East Main Street, which the commissioners also voted to turn into affordable housing units and a parking garage, is not in an Opportunity Zone. The zones were created through the 2017 federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. They started in 2018 and are now in all 50 states. North Carolina has 252 zones. The N.C. Department of Commerce says the states Opportunity Zones program is designed to spur job growth, housing and other investments. The program reduces and defers federal capital gains tax liability on reinvestment of gains into Opportunity Zones, Odio explained. But projects have to be investment ready, Odio said. If Durham leaders have an idea for a project, they need to get moving on making it a reality. Projects have to make a substantial improvement on the property, she said. Odio cautioned that the Opportunity Zone program does not make a project cheaper, it just opens a door to capital. If a public-private partnership was needed before the OZ designation, it is still needed after the OZ designation, she said. This project is not a magic bullet in the way that its structured. The designation by itself is not a strategy. Theres no guarantee its not a vehicle to accelerating gentrification in an area already being gentrified, Odio said. SHARE COPY LINK Whats next County Manager Wendell Davis said the driver of the Opportunity Zones is more so the private sector than it is us. Still some commissioners want to talk with their City Council counterparts to see if they can jointly market Durham to the investors. They plan to talk with the city to go over exactly what properties are own by the government in all the zones at their Joint City-County Planning Committee meeting March 12. | Durham has seven Opportunity Zones, which are in or next to low-income census tracts. Investors in low income or low income adjacent census tracts get a federal tax break. The zones were created through the 2017 federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article225504705.html | 0.306602 |
Does Trump Need A State Of The Union To State His Case? | At 9 p.m. sharp on the East Coast Tuesday night, tens of millions of Americans will take part in an annual political ritual: the presidential State of the Union Address. It didnt happen last month, as originally intended (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited, then disinvited President Trump to address a joint session of Congress and then re-invited him when a truce in the government shutdown was declared). Not just the speech, mind you, but the half-baked speculation, partisan bloviating, rank gamesmanship (the guest game) and overplayed reaction/over-reaction that has robbed this tradition of much of its stateliness. A little background on the SOTU: Article 2, Section 3 of the Constitution says the president shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union. Note: time to time and information doesnt necessitate a big speech on an annual basis. Thats how Thomas Jefferson interpreted his responsibilities as the nations third president. He delivered his messages in writing (Washington and Adams, on the other hand, gave orations). And so the tradition continued for the next century, until Woodrow Wilson decided it was best to visit Capitol Hill and add sound to his words. After Wilson, different presidents handled the task differently. Herbert Hoover delivered his annual messages in written form, as did Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower at the end of their presidencies. Blame Lyndon Johnson. In 1965, Johnson moved the speech to an evening start (since 1947, the speech was televised in daylight hours), hoping a larger audience would tune in for his vision of a Great Society. Before Speaker Pelosi offered up Feb. 5 as a new date for the big speech, Trump had options. Indeed, parting ways with five decades of presidential business as usual would have been the Trumpian thing to do the twin allure of thumbing his nose at Beltway norms and the gavel-wielding lady from San Francisco. The President could have taken the show on the road, speaking in a red-state State Capitol well beyond the beltway. He could have mailed it in literally by limiting his thoughts to paper and shipping the document up to Capitol Hill. Trump could have tweeted the address. Good luck figuring how long it would take to do so for 80 minutes of remarks (2018s SOTU being the lengthiest such oration since Bill Clinton gave his final SOTU in 2000). In honor of another Manhattan institution, Trump couldve gotten behind the wheel and tried a presidential version of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. And all would have terrible choices for one reason: audience share. Last years State of the Union, the first of the Trump presidency, drew 45.6 million viewers. The other times President Trump has spoken to that many Americans: his 2017 joint address to Congress soon after taking office (48 million viewers); last months Oval Office address on the government shutdown (40 million viewers); his inaugural address (30.6 million viewers and the second-highest Nielsen ratings in 36 years). Trumps two Supreme Court picks, both revealed in prime time, drew nearly 33 million and 26 million viewers respectively. Thus the political trap for Trump. He might rather stay in the White House residence than take the ride up to Capitol Hill, but he cant afford to pass on the massive viewership. Theres also the matter of civility. Much like the Super Bowl, the State of the Union is as much about prop bets as it is the main event. And much like yesterdays game (the worst television ratings in a decade), this speech is likely to disappoint. The President and his partisan foes likely will come across as intransigent. Barring the unexpected, were still on track for another partial shutdown of the government. Try waiting a week for the return of This Is Us. Theirs is the better show than the one live from the nations capital Tuesday night. I invite you to follow me on Twitter: @hooverwhalen | John Avlon: The State of the Union Address is an annual political ritual. He says it's a good time for President Trump to make his case for his agenda. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/billwhalen/2019/02/04/does-trump-need-a-state-of-the-union-to-state-his-case/ | 0.281367 |
Does Trump Need A State Of The Union To State His Case? | At 9 p.m. sharp on the East Coast Tuesday night, tens of millions of Americans will take part in an annual political ritual: the presidential State of the Union Address. It didnt happen last month, as originally intended (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited, then disinvited President Trump to address a joint session of Congress and then re-invited him when a truce in the government shutdown was declared). Not just the speech, mind you, but the half-baked speculation, partisan bloviating, rank gamesmanship (the guest game) and overplayed reaction/over-reaction that has robbed this tradition of much of its stateliness. A little background on the SOTU: Article 2, Section 3 of the Constitution says the president shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union. Note: time to time and information doesnt necessitate a big speech on an annual basis. Thats how Thomas Jefferson interpreted his responsibilities as the nations third president. He delivered his messages in writing (Washington and Adams, on the other hand, gave orations). And so the tradition continued for the next century, until Woodrow Wilson decided it was best to visit Capitol Hill and add sound to his words. After Wilson, different presidents handled the task differently. Herbert Hoover delivered his annual messages in written form, as did Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower at the end of their presidencies. Blame Lyndon Johnson. In 1965, Johnson moved the speech to an evening start (since 1947, the speech was televised in daylight hours), hoping a larger audience would tune in for his vision of a Great Society. Before Speaker Pelosi offered up Feb. 5 as a new date for the big speech, Trump had options. Indeed, parting ways with five decades of presidential business as usual would have been the Trumpian thing to do the twin allure of thumbing his nose at Beltway norms and the gavel-wielding lady from San Francisco. The President could have taken the show on the road, speaking in a red-state State Capitol well beyond the beltway. He could have mailed it in literally by limiting his thoughts to paper and shipping the document up to Capitol Hill. Trump could have tweeted the address. Good luck figuring how long it would take to do so for 80 minutes of remarks (2018s SOTU being the lengthiest such oration since Bill Clinton gave his final SOTU in 2000). In honor of another Manhattan institution, Trump couldve gotten behind the wheel and tried a presidential version of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. And all would have terrible choices for one reason: audience share. Last years State of the Union, the first of the Trump presidency, drew 45.6 million viewers. The other times President Trump has spoken to that many Americans: his 2017 joint address to Congress soon after taking office (48 million viewers); last months Oval Office address on the government shutdown (40 million viewers); his inaugural address (30.6 million viewers and the second-highest Nielsen ratings in 36 years). Trumps two Supreme Court picks, both revealed in prime time, drew nearly 33 million and 26 million viewers respectively. Thus the political trap for Trump. He might rather stay in the White House residence than take the ride up to Capitol Hill, but he cant afford to pass on the massive viewership. Theres also the matter of civility. Much like the Super Bowl, the State of the Union is as much about prop bets as it is the main event. And much like yesterdays game (the worst television ratings in a decade), this speech is likely to disappoint. The President and his partisan foes likely will come across as intransigent. Barring the unexpected, were still on track for another partial shutdown of the government. Try waiting a week for the return of This Is Us. Theirs is the better show than the one live from the nations capital Tuesday night. I invite you to follow me on Twitter: @hooverwhalen | John Avlon: The State of the Union Address is an annual political ritual. He says it's a good time for President Trump to make his case for his agenda. Avlon says the speech is a good chance for Trump to show he's serious about the agenda. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/billwhalen/2019/02/04/does-trump-need-a-state-of-the-union-to-state-his-case/ | 0.384596 |
Was it a 'snowbow' that formed over Mt. Tamalpais during 10-minute snow flurry Monday? | Was it a 'snowbow' that formed over Mt. A rainbow forms near Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County during a 10-minute snow flurry on Feb. 4, 2019. A rainbow forms near Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County during a 10-minute snow flurry on Feb. 4, 2019. Photo: Twitter: @codeuncommenter Photo: Twitter: @codeuncommenter Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Was it a 'snowbow' that formed over Mt. 1 / 29 Back to Gallery It snowed for about 10-minutes straight atop Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County on Monday at noon, as a cold front dove down from the Northwest and temperatures swiftly dove down into the 20s at higher elevations around the Bay Area. A Twitter user who goes by @codeuncommenter and calls herself Vee was taking in the extraordinary sight when a rainbow appeared and a photo was snapped. Vee snapped a photo and shared it on Twitter with the message, "Is a rainbow during snow called a snowbow?" There is actually such as a thing as a snowbow it is unsurprisingly the same thing as a rainbow but with ice crystals. But in this case, it's unclear whether the band of color across the sky was a bonafide "snowbow" as it was snowing above and raining below. MORE: There's a small chance of snow in San Francisco Tuesday 'if timing is right' The National Weather Service commented on Vee's photo and proclaimed in a response: "It might be a hybrid 'rainsnowbow' if the snow is melting at lower elevations." Temperatures fell swiftly Monday diving toward the 30s in valleys and 20s at higher elevations as a low-pressure system moves in from the Northwest delivering a blast of cold air. Snow levels dropped down to 2,500 feet above sea level Monday afternoon and are expected to move down to as low as 1,500 feet overnight and into Tuesday morning. Snow that doesn't stick to the ground is also possible at 400 feet to 500 feet. | A rainbow forms near Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County during a 10-minute snow flurry on Feb. 4, 2019. Temperatures fell swiftly Monday diving toward the 30s in valleys and 20s at higher elevations. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/Was-it-a-snowbow-that-formed-over-Mt-Tamalpais-13588634.php | 0.212644 |
Was it a 'snowbow' that formed over Mt. Tamalpais during 10-minute snow flurry Monday? | Was it a 'snowbow' that formed over Mt. A rainbow forms near Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County during a 10-minute snow flurry on Feb. 4, 2019. A rainbow forms near Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County during a 10-minute snow flurry on Feb. 4, 2019. Photo: Twitter: @codeuncommenter Photo: Twitter: @codeuncommenter Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Was it a 'snowbow' that formed over Mt. 1 / 29 Back to Gallery It snowed for about 10-minutes straight atop Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County on Monday at noon, as a cold front dove down from the Northwest and temperatures swiftly dove down into the 20s at higher elevations around the Bay Area. A Twitter user who goes by @codeuncommenter and calls herself Vee was taking in the extraordinary sight when a rainbow appeared and a photo was snapped. Vee snapped a photo and shared it on Twitter with the message, "Is a rainbow during snow called a snowbow?" There is actually such as a thing as a snowbow it is unsurprisingly the same thing as a rainbow but with ice crystals. But in this case, it's unclear whether the band of color across the sky was a bonafide "snowbow" as it was snowing above and raining below. MORE: There's a small chance of snow in San Francisco Tuesday 'if timing is right' The National Weather Service commented on Vee's photo and proclaimed in a response: "It might be a hybrid 'rainsnowbow' if the snow is melting at lower elevations." Temperatures fell swiftly Monday diving toward the 30s in valleys and 20s at higher elevations as a low-pressure system moves in from the Northwest delivering a blast of cold air. Snow levels dropped down to 2,500 feet above sea level Monday afternoon and are expected to move down to as low as 1,500 feet overnight and into Tuesday morning. Snow that doesn't stick to the ground is also possible at 400 feet to 500 feet. | It snowed for about 10-minutes straight atop Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County on Monday at noon. A Twitter user who goes by @codeuncommenter and calls herself Vee was taking in the extraordinary sight when a rainbow appeared and a photo was snapped. | bart | 2 | https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/Was-it-a-snowbow-that-formed-over-Mt-Tamalpais-13588634.php | 0.208955 |
How much did Texas, Georgia fans spend while in New Orleans for Sugar Bowl? | When Texas and Georgia came to play in the Sugar Bowl last month at the Superdome, so did tens of thousands of fans who hadnt seen either of those schools play in the annual college football bowl in longer than a decade. On Monday (Feb. 4), with the release of an economic impact survey conducted by longtime UNO economist Timothy Ryan, it became clear what that meant financially. According to survey figures released by the bowl organization, more than 80 percent of the 71,449 fans at the game came from outside the New Orleans area and stayed an average of 2.6 nights, and each visitor spent an average of $1,171 during the visit. All that helped contribute to an economic impact of $280.45 million that ranked as the largest for the organization in a year when it did not host a national championship or a College Football Playoff semifinal. For comparison, the per-visitor spending was $1,411 for the 2018 semifinal game between Alabama and Clemson and $1,252 for the 2017 Sugar Bowl between Auburn and Oklahoma. Next year, the Sugar Bowl will host the annual New Years Day bowl game sponsored by Allstate in addition to the College Football Playoff championship set for Jan. 13. The economic impact from the two games should rival that of the 2011-12 year when the Sugar Bowl organization last hosted two games in one year. That year, Alabama beat LSU to win the BCS championship in one of those games. The bowl organization reported a record economic impact of more than $493 million that year. The Sugar Bowl is five years into a 12-year agreement in which it will host a national semifinal once every three years. The bowl has been home to a semifinal twice, and the organization had an economic impact of more than $312 million both times. Included in annual economic impact figures are the more than 60 local sporting events the bowl organization sponsors every year. In 2018-19, more than 68,000 visitors came from outside the New Orleans area, the survey said. The economic impact of $280.45 million for 2018-19 includes $157.86 million in direct spending and $122.59 million in secondary spending. The organization also generated nearly $22 million in state and local tax revenue, including $8.39 million in tax revenue for local governments in the New Orleans area. In the last decade, the bowl organization had an economic impact of more than $2.6 billion, according to the bowl organization. Since Katrina in 2005, that figure sits at $3.3 billion. Sam Ehlinger and the Drew Brees high school jersey: The story of when, where the Texas QB got it | More than 80 percent of the 71,449 fans at the Sugar Bowl came from outside the New Orleans area. Each visitor spent an average of $1,171 during the visit. | bart | 1 | https://www.nola.com/sports/2019/02/how-much-did-texas-georgia-fans-spend-while-in-new-orleans-for-sugar-bowl.html | 0.153651 |
How much did Texas, Georgia fans spend while in New Orleans for Sugar Bowl? | When Texas and Georgia came to play in the Sugar Bowl last month at the Superdome, so did tens of thousands of fans who hadnt seen either of those schools play in the annual college football bowl in longer than a decade. On Monday (Feb. 4), with the release of an economic impact survey conducted by longtime UNO economist Timothy Ryan, it became clear what that meant financially. According to survey figures released by the bowl organization, more than 80 percent of the 71,449 fans at the game came from outside the New Orleans area and stayed an average of 2.6 nights, and each visitor spent an average of $1,171 during the visit. All that helped contribute to an economic impact of $280.45 million that ranked as the largest for the organization in a year when it did not host a national championship or a College Football Playoff semifinal. For comparison, the per-visitor spending was $1,411 for the 2018 semifinal game between Alabama and Clemson and $1,252 for the 2017 Sugar Bowl between Auburn and Oklahoma. Next year, the Sugar Bowl will host the annual New Years Day bowl game sponsored by Allstate in addition to the College Football Playoff championship set for Jan. 13. The economic impact from the two games should rival that of the 2011-12 year when the Sugar Bowl organization last hosted two games in one year. That year, Alabama beat LSU to win the BCS championship in one of those games. The bowl organization reported a record economic impact of more than $493 million that year. The Sugar Bowl is five years into a 12-year agreement in which it will host a national semifinal once every three years. The bowl has been home to a semifinal twice, and the organization had an economic impact of more than $312 million both times. Included in annual economic impact figures are the more than 60 local sporting events the bowl organization sponsors every year. In 2018-19, more than 68,000 visitors came from outside the New Orleans area, the survey said. The economic impact of $280.45 million for 2018-19 includes $157.86 million in direct spending and $122.59 million in secondary spending. The organization also generated nearly $22 million in state and local tax revenue, including $8.39 million in tax revenue for local governments in the New Orleans area. In the last decade, the bowl organization had an economic impact of more than $2.6 billion, according to the bowl organization. Since Katrina in 2005, that figure sits at $3.3 billion. Sam Ehlinger and the Drew Brees high school jersey: The story of when, where the Texas QB got it | More than 80 percent of the 71,449 fans at the Sugar Bowl came from outside the New Orleans area. Each visitor spent an average of $1,171 during the visit. The economic impact of $280.45 million was the largest for the organization in a year when it did not host a national championship or a College Football Playoff semifinal. | bart | 2 | https://www.nola.com/sports/2019/02/how-much-did-texas-georgia-fans-spend-while-in-new-orleans-for-sugar-bowl.html | 0.234195 |
Where Will Western Digital Stock Be in 5 Years? | Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) dramatically expanded over the past decade. It acquired Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) to become the world's top hard drive maker, launched new video surveillance HDDs (hard disk drives), and acquired flash memory maker SanDisk, cloud storage firm Upthere, and flash memory storage array maker Tegile Systems. But over the past five years, WD's stock lost more than 40% of its value on concerns about slowing demand for HDDs, declining prices for flash-based SSDs (solid state drives), and slowdowns in the enterprise and consumer electronics sectors. This sell-off reduced WD's forward P/E to 8 and boosted its forward dividend yield to nearly 5%. Patient investors might find that low P/E valuation and high yield tempting. A platter-based HDD. More Image source: Getty Images. Looking back at Western Digital's past five years WD's revenue growth over the past five years was significantly inflated by its acquisition of SanDisk, which closed in 2016. WDC Revenue (TTM) Chart More WDC Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts That merger also significantly boosted its free cash flow (FCF). Its net income declined after the acquisition, but gradually recovered over the following two years. | Over the past five years, Western Digital's stock lost more than 40% of its value. | pegasus | 0 | https://news.yahoo.com/where-western-digital-stock-5-233000289.html | 0.268415 |
Where Will Western Digital Stock Be in 5 Years? | Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) dramatically expanded over the past decade. It acquired Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) to become the world's top hard drive maker, launched new video surveillance HDDs (hard disk drives), and acquired flash memory maker SanDisk, cloud storage firm Upthere, and flash memory storage array maker Tegile Systems. But over the past five years, WD's stock lost more than 40% of its value on concerns about slowing demand for HDDs, declining prices for flash-based SSDs (solid state drives), and slowdowns in the enterprise and consumer electronics sectors. This sell-off reduced WD's forward P/E to 8 and boosted its forward dividend yield to nearly 5%. Patient investors might find that low P/E valuation and high yield tempting. A platter-based HDD. More Image source: Getty Images. Looking back at Western Digital's past five years WD's revenue growth over the past five years was significantly inflated by its acquisition of SanDisk, which closed in 2016. WDC Revenue (TTM) Chart More WDC Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts That merger also significantly boosted its free cash flow (FCF). Its net income declined after the acquisition, but gradually recovered over the following two years. | Over the past five years, Western Digital's stock lost more than 40% of its value. This sell-off reduced WD's forward P/E to 8 and boosted its forward dividend yield to nearly 5%. | pegasus | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/where-western-digital-stock-5-233000289.html | 0.220447 |
Where Will Western Digital Stock Be in 5 Years? | Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) dramatically expanded over the past decade. It acquired Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) to become the world's top hard drive maker, launched new video surveillance HDDs (hard disk drives), and acquired flash memory maker SanDisk, cloud storage firm Upthere, and flash memory storage array maker Tegile Systems. But over the past five years, WD's stock lost more than 40% of its value on concerns about slowing demand for HDDs, declining prices for flash-based SSDs (solid state drives), and slowdowns in the enterprise and consumer electronics sectors. This sell-off reduced WD's forward P/E to 8 and boosted its forward dividend yield to nearly 5%. Patient investors might find that low P/E valuation and high yield tempting. A platter-based HDD. More Image source: Getty Images. Looking back at Western Digital's past five years WD's revenue growth over the past five years was significantly inflated by its acquisition of SanDisk, which closed in 2016. WDC Revenue (TTM) Chart More WDC Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts That merger also significantly boosted its free cash flow (FCF). Its net income declined after the acquisition, but gradually recovered over the following two years. | Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) dramatically expanded over the past decade. It acquired Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) to become the world's top hard drive maker. Over the past five years, WD's stock lost more than 40% of its value. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/where-western-digital-stock-5-233000289.html | 0.170071 |
Is Floyd Mayweather Jr. Retired For Good, Or Is A Manny Pacquiao Fight Still In the Cards For 2019? | Maybe the picture above says all we need to know. It certainly seems that Manny Pacquiao is doing everything he can to chase down a Floyd Mayweather rematch, but there's just one problem. Mayweather is retired. For real. He's retired. Every day, there's a new report about who Pacquiao might or might not fight if Mayweather doesn't grant him a rematch, but like the photo above, it's Pacquiao who's looking over Mayweather's shoulder. Even if he's mentioning other fighters using the old clever takeaway technique. Seriously though, the only person that's really dictating this entire narrative is the one who isn't commenting on it at all. That would be Mayweather. Let that marinate. Many took Mayweather's December 31 "exhibition" against Tenshin Nasukawa as a sign that maybe Mayweather was keeping the wheels oiled in the event Pacquiao were to defeat Adrien Broner on January 19, in Las Vegas, in which he did. Since the Broner fight, Pacquiao has been very vocal as to who he may or may not fight. But here's what's perplexing to me. The only carrot for Pacquiao worth signing for is Mayweather. That's like getting out of a bad relationship and immediately entering into a new one on the rebound without a little "me" time. Meaning, Pacquiao could have remained a promotional free agent or promoted himself and still operate on a fight by fight basis with PBC or Top Rank as needed to fight the likes of Spence, Crawford, Garcia, Porter etc. The only fighter on the planet for Pacquiao to enter into another "promotional" relationship, we know, we know, Al Haymon is not a promoter. OK. Excuse me, ahem, a management agreement would be for, you guessed it, Mayweather. Pacquiao could have made his own deal with Showtime. He could have made his own deal with anyone for that matter. So, I'm waiting. I know it hasn't even been a month yet since Pacquiao fought Broner, but Mayweather has been awfully quiet on the topic. Instead, he's living his life, promoting his events and posting pictures and video on social media. Oh, and he added some new cars to his fleet. So back to Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2. All the cards will be on the able after Errol Spence Jr. vs. Mike Garcia takes place on March 16 in Arlington, Texas. The outcome of that fight could dictate the direction and fate of what's left of Pacquiao's career. One thing is for certain. Time is not on anyone's side in this case, so we should know what the master plan is in just over a month. We might very well learn that what Mayweather has been telling us all along is true. He's retired. | Manny Pacquiao is chasing a rematch with Floyd Mayweather. But Mayweather is retired. The only carrot Pacquiao worth signing for is Mayweather. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterkahn/2019/02/04/floyd-mayweather-retired-manny-pacquiao-fight-2019/ | 0.126942 |
Is Floyd Mayweather Jr. Retired For Good, Or Is A Manny Pacquiao Fight Still In the Cards For 2019? | Maybe the picture above says all we need to know. It certainly seems that Manny Pacquiao is doing everything he can to chase down a Floyd Mayweather rematch, but there's just one problem. Mayweather is retired. For real. He's retired. Every day, there's a new report about who Pacquiao might or might not fight if Mayweather doesn't grant him a rematch, but like the photo above, it's Pacquiao who's looking over Mayweather's shoulder. Even if he's mentioning other fighters using the old clever takeaway technique. Seriously though, the only person that's really dictating this entire narrative is the one who isn't commenting on it at all. That would be Mayweather. Let that marinate. Many took Mayweather's December 31 "exhibition" against Tenshin Nasukawa as a sign that maybe Mayweather was keeping the wheels oiled in the event Pacquiao were to defeat Adrien Broner on January 19, in Las Vegas, in which he did. Since the Broner fight, Pacquiao has been very vocal as to who he may or may not fight. But here's what's perplexing to me. The only carrot for Pacquiao worth signing for is Mayweather. That's like getting out of a bad relationship and immediately entering into a new one on the rebound without a little "me" time. Meaning, Pacquiao could have remained a promotional free agent or promoted himself and still operate on a fight by fight basis with PBC or Top Rank as needed to fight the likes of Spence, Crawford, Garcia, Porter etc. The only fighter on the planet for Pacquiao to enter into another "promotional" relationship, we know, we know, Al Haymon is not a promoter. OK. Excuse me, ahem, a management agreement would be for, you guessed it, Mayweather. Pacquiao could have made his own deal with Showtime. He could have made his own deal with anyone for that matter. So, I'm waiting. I know it hasn't even been a month yet since Pacquiao fought Broner, but Mayweather has been awfully quiet on the topic. Instead, he's living his life, promoting his events and posting pictures and video on social media. Oh, and he added some new cars to his fleet. So back to Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2. All the cards will be on the able after Errol Spence Jr. vs. Mike Garcia takes place on March 16 in Arlington, Texas. The outcome of that fight could dictate the direction and fate of what's left of Pacquiao's career. One thing is for certain. Time is not on anyone's side in this case, so we should know what the master plan is in just over a month. We might very well learn that what Mayweather has been telling us all along is true. He's retired. | Manny Pacquiao is chasing a rematch with Floyd Mayweather. But Mayweather is retired. The only carrot Pacquiao worth signing for is Mayweather. All the cards will be on the able after Errol Spence Jr. vs. Mike Garcia on March 16. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterkahn/2019/02/04/floyd-mayweather-retired-manny-pacquiao-fight-2019/ | 0.227921 |
Who are Arizona members of Congress taking to the State of the Union? | Sen. Martha McSally is bringing Isaiah Acosta to the State of the Union. He is a rapper from Phoenix who advocates for Phoenix Childrens Hospital and Childrens Miracle Networks Hospitals. He was born without a lower jaw. (Photo: Sean Logan/azcentral) Members of Congress are granted guest tickets for the presidents State of the Union address, which is happening Tuesday at 7 p.m. Arizona time. Some lawmakers bring spouses or family members, while others bring guests who reflect their political agenda. There was some drama surrounding this years State of the Union speech during a partial government shutdown in which President Donald Trump and Congress could not come to terms over funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., eventually agreed to hold the event Tuesday, a week after it was originally scheduled. Here are this year's guests of Arizona's senators and representatives. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema Sinema, a Democrat, is bringing Air Force veteran Bryan Bouchard as her guest. Bouchard served in the Air Force for more than 20 years and now serves on the senators Veterans Advisory Council where he gets to see her commitment to Arizonas veterans every day, he said in a statement. Sen. Martha McSally McSally, a Republican, is bringing Isaiah Acosta, a 19-year-old rapper from Phoenix who advocates for Phoenix Childrens Hospital and Childrens Miracle Networks Hospitals. Acosta was born without a lower jaw. The rapper, who is mute, writes rap lyrics and collaborates with other artists to voice them. McSally said she is inspired by Acosta and hopes his trip to D.C. will inspire him in return. His music and his story have inspired people around the world to embrace their differences, and those of others, and to see beyond their challenges and barriers in life, McSally said in a statement. Isaiahs vision and resilience are absolutely humbling. CLOSE Isaiah Acosta teamed up with rapper Tikey Patterson to write and perform his music. Now, he's graduating and looking forward to continuing his dream. Sean Logan, The Republic | azcentral.com Rep. Tom OHalleran OHalleran, a Democrat whose district includes much of the Navajo Nation, is bringing Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer as his guest on Tuesday. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick Kirkpatrick, a Democrat, has not announced a guest. Rep. Raul Grijalva Grijalva, a Democrat, is not planning on bringing a guest. Rep. Paul Gosar Gosar, a Republican, has not announced a guest. Rep. Andy Biggs Biggs, a Republican, is bringing Art Del Cueto, a Border Patrol agent and vice president of the National Border Patrol Council. Art Del Cueto is a great American patriot, and I am honored to attend the #SOTU with him. Since he joined the Border Patrol in 2003, Art has dedicated his life to enforcing our immigration laws and protecting Americans. I am grateful for his leadership within the Border Patrol. pic.twitter.com/QasEK57FaO Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) February 4, 2019 The Border Patrol plays a vital role in protecting national security, but Congress has allowed their staffing, pay, and resources to dwindle down to alarming numbers, Biggs said in a written statement. Art and his fellow agents deserve the resources they need to secure the border, he said. Del Cuerto said in a statement that he is honored to have been invited to the event, especially by Biggs. He has always been a great friend, not just to me, but to all the Border Patrol agents, he said. He is a true warrior in assisting us secure our borders and protecting the American public. Rep. David Schweikert Schweikert, a Republican, has not announced a guest. Last year, he brought his wife and daughter. Rep. Ruben Gallego Gallego, a Democrat, is bringing Beth Lewis, a fifth-grade teacher and executive director of Save Our Schools Arizona, as his guest on Tuesday. Rep. Debbie Lesko Lesko, a Republican, is bringing her husband, Joe Lesko. Rep. Greg Stanton Stanton, a Democrat, is bringing DACA recipient Ellie Perez as his guest. Perez was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 4 years old. She graduated from Arizona State University and became the first "dreamer" employed by Phoenix, according to a statement from Stantons office. Stanton is a former Phoenix mayor. My friend and DACA recipient Ellie Perez will be my guest at Tuesday's State of the Union Address. Ellie is a reminder to all of us in Congressand to President Trumpthat our nation will be stronger when we pass immigration reform that fully embraces DREAMers as Americans. Greg Stanton (@RepGregStanton) February 1, 2019 Stanton said in a written statement Monday he hopes Trump will use this speech to appeal to the better angels of our nature and make finding a solution for DREAMers a top priority. Perez worked as Stantons political and field director during his campaign, but is unable to work for the House of Representatives because of her DACA status. Ive known Ellie for several years and am constantly inspired by her passion for serving our community, Stanton said in the statement. Click here to subscribe to azcentral.com. Go to connect.azcentral.com for a staff list, for more information about the newsroom and for details about upcoming events. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2019/02/04/who-arizona-members-congress-taking-state-union-sinema-mcsally-daca-border-patrol/2766485002/ | Sen. Martha McSally is bringing Isaiah Acosta, a 19-year-old rapper from Phoenix. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2019/02/04/who-arizona-members-congress-taking-state-union-sinema-mcsally-daca-border-patrol/2766485002/ | 0.115677 |
Who are Arizona members of Congress taking to the State of the Union? | Sen. Martha McSally is bringing Isaiah Acosta to the State of the Union. He is a rapper from Phoenix who advocates for Phoenix Childrens Hospital and Childrens Miracle Networks Hospitals. He was born without a lower jaw. (Photo: Sean Logan/azcentral) Members of Congress are granted guest tickets for the presidents State of the Union address, which is happening Tuesday at 7 p.m. Arizona time. Some lawmakers bring spouses or family members, while others bring guests who reflect their political agenda. There was some drama surrounding this years State of the Union speech during a partial government shutdown in which President Donald Trump and Congress could not come to terms over funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., eventually agreed to hold the event Tuesday, a week after it was originally scheduled. Here are this year's guests of Arizona's senators and representatives. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema Sinema, a Democrat, is bringing Air Force veteran Bryan Bouchard as her guest. Bouchard served in the Air Force for more than 20 years and now serves on the senators Veterans Advisory Council where he gets to see her commitment to Arizonas veterans every day, he said in a statement. Sen. Martha McSally McSally, a Republican, is bringing Isaiah Acosta, a 19-year-old rapper from Phoenix who advocates for Phoenix Childrens Hospital and Childrens Miracle Networks Hospitals. Acosta was born without a lower jaw. The rapper, who is mute, writes rap lyrics and collaborates with other artists to voice them. McSally said she is inspired by Acosta and hopes his trip to D.C. will inspire him in return. His music and his story have inspired people around the world to embrace their differences, and those of others, and to see beyond their challenges and barriers in life, McSally said in a statement. Isaiahs vision and resilience are absolutely humbling. CLOSE Isaiah Acosta teamed up with rapper Tikey Patterson to write and perform his music. Now, he's graduating and looking forward to continuing his dream. Sean Logan, The Republic | azcentral.com Rep. Tom OHalleran OHalleran, a Democrat whose district includes much of the Navajo Nation, is bringing Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer as his guest on Tuesday. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick Kirkpatrick, a Democrat, has not announced a guest. Rep. Raul Grijalva Grijalva, a Democrat, is not planning on bringing a guest. Rep. Paul Gosar Gosar, a Republican, has not announced a guest. Rep. Andy Biggs Biggs, a Republican, is bringing Art Del Cueto, a Border Patrol agent and vice president of the National Border Patrol Council. Art Del Cueto is a great American patriot, and I am honored to attend the #SOTU with him. Since he joined the Border Patrol in 2003, Art has dedicated his life to enforcing our immigration laws and protecting Americans. I am grateful for his leadership within the Border Patrol. pic.twitter.com/QasEK57FaO Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) February 4, 2019 The Border Patrol plays a vital role in protecting national security, but Congress has allowed their staffing, pay, and resources to dwindle down to alarming numbers, Biggs said in a written statement. Art and his fellow agents deserve the resources they need to secure the border, he said. Del Cuerto said in a statement that he is honored to have been invited to the event, especially by Biggs. He has always been a great friend, not just to me, but to all the Border Patrol agents, he said. He is a true warrior in assisting us secure our borders and protecting the American public. Rep. David Schweikert Schweikert, a Republican, has not announced a guest. Last year, he brought his wife and daughter. Rep. Ruben Gallego Gallego, a Democrat, is bringing Beth Lewis, a fifth-grade teacher and executive director of Save Our Schools Arizona, as his guest on Tuesday. Rep. Debbie Lesko Lesko, a Republican, is bringing her husband, Joe Lesko. Rep. Greg Stanton Stanton, a Democrat, is bringing DACA recipient Ellie Perez as his guest. Perez was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 4 years old. She graduated from Arizona State University and became the first "dreamer" employed by Phoenix, according to a statement from Stantons office. Stanton is a former Phoenix mayor. My friend and DACA recipient Ellie Perez will be my guest at Tuesday's State of the Union Address. Ellie is a reminder to all of us in Congressand to President Trumpthat our nation will be stronger when we pass immigration reform that fully embraces DREAMers as Americans. Greg Stanton (@RepGregStanton) February 1, 2019 Stanton said in a written statement Monday he hopes Trump will use this speech to appeal to the better angels of our nature and make finding a solution for DREAMers a top priority. Perez worked as Stantons political and field director during his campaign, but is unable to work for the House of Representatives because of her DACA status. Ive known Ellie for several years and am constantly inspired by her passion for serving our community, Stanton said in the statement. Click here to subscribe to azcentral.com. Go to connect.azcentral.com for a staff list, for more information about the newsroom and for details about upcoming events. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2019/02/04/who-arizona-members-congress-taking-state-union-sinema-mcsally-daca-border-patrol/2766485002/ | Members of Congress are granted guest tickets for the president's State of the Union address. Some lawmakers bring spouses or family members, while others bring guests who reflect their political agenda. Sen. Martha McSally is bringing Isaiah Acosta, a 19-year-old rapper from Phoenix who advocates for Phoenix Childrens Hospital. | bart | 2 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2019/02/04/who-arizona-members-congress-taking-state-union-sinema-mcsally-daca-border-patrol/2766485002/ | 0.311137 |
Will Charlotte City Council push for longer, 4-year terms? | Charlotte City Council is poised to start the process for a referendum that would let voters decide if their terms should be extended to four years. While a few members think the council should take a vote to give themselves four-year terms, voters could later nullify that move with a referendum if they collected 5,000 signatures to put it on the ballot. A majority of council members believe they should go straight to voters for a November referendum on the issue, however. On Monday, council members decided to vote on whether to start the referendum process at their meeting next week. And several said theyre ready to move on one way or another, after months of discussion at council and committee meetings. City Council has the legal ability to make a decision on four-year terms, said council member LaWana Mayfield, who thinks council should vote on four-year terms themselves instead of leaving it to a voter referendum. Theres a conversation between political will and political ability. ... We have been having this conversation since 2013. Digital Access for only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. Council member Tariq Bokhari, who opposes four-year terms, urged the council to stop discussing the issue, since a majority of members clearly support it. I dont think the taxpayers or voters are screaming for this, said Bokhari. Can we just figure out how to stop talking about this? Council member James Mitchell agreed. We need to move on, said Mitchell. This is not public service. Council voted 8-3 in favor of putting the referendum question on their agenda next week, with Bokhari, Mayfield and Ed Driggs voting no. If City Council decides to schedule a referendum for voters, they will have to hold a public hearing within 45 days. Its likely that such a move would pass if City Council voted on it themselves, as a majority of members have said they think its a good idea. With elections every two years, City Council members complain that they really only get about a year and a half each term to learn about complex issues and actually govern before the campaign season cranks back up. The terms would also be staggered, so that only a third or so of members would be up for reelection every cycle. That could prevent the large-scale turnover thats possible now, with every seat up for a vote every two years. But if council members decided to change the length of their terms unilaterally, the action would be subject to a recall referendum if opponents gathered 5,000 signatures. Council members acknowledge thats a threshold opponents of longer terms could likely clear, and that a referendum on four-year terms is likely to see voters weigh in with a no. In 2015, Mecklenburg County commissioners asked voters to extend their terms from two to four years, via a referendum. That measure lost by a 2-1 margin, with 66 percent of voters opposed to the change. Many of Charlottes peer cities have four-year terms for local elected officials, including Indianapolis, Nashville, Denver, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio, and Atlanta. Others, such as Fort Worth, Dallas, Raleigh and Durham, have two-year terms. | Charlotte City Council is poised to start the process for a referendum that would let voters decide if their terms should be extended to four years. | bart | 0 | https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article225511080.html | 0.404836 |
Will Charlotte City Council push for longer, 4-year terms? | Charlotte City Council is poised to start the process for a referendum that would let voters decide if their terms should be extended to four years. While a few members think the council should take a vote to give themselves four-year terms, voters could later nullify that move with a referendum if they collected 5,000 signatures to put it on the ballot. A majority of council members believe they should go straight to voters for a November referendum on the issue, however. On Monday, council members decided to vote on whether to start the referendum process at their meeting next week. And several said theyre ready to move on one way or another, after months of discussion at council and committee meetings. City Council has the legal ability to make a decision on four-year terms, said council member LaWana Mayfield, who thinks council should vote on four-year terms themselves instead of leaving it to a voter referendum. Theres a conversation between political will and political ability. ... We have been having this conversation since 2013. Digital Access for only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. Council member Tariq Bokhari, who opposes four-year terms, urged the council to stop discussing the issue, since a majority of members clearly support it. I dont think the taxpayers or voters are screaming for this, said Bokhari. Can we just figure out how to stop talking about this? Council member James Mitchell agreed. We need to move on, said Mitchell. This is not public service. Council voted 8-3 in favor of putting the referendum question on their agenda next week, with Bokhari, Mayfield and Ed Driggs voting no. If City Council decides to schedule a referendum for voters, they will have to hold a public hearing within 45 days. Its likely that such a move would pass if City Council voted on it themselves, as a majority of members have said they think its a good idea. With elections every two years, City Council members complain that they really only get about a year and a half each term to learn about complex issues and actually govern before the campaign season cranks back up. The terms would also be staggered, so that only a third or so of members would be up for reelection every cycle. That could prevent the large-scale turnover thats possible now, with every seat up for a vote every two years. But if council members decided to change the length of their terms unilaterally, the action would be subject to a recall referendum if opponents gathered 5,000 signatures. Council members acknowledge thats a threshold opponents of longer terms could likely clear, and that a referendum on four-year terms is likely to see voters weigh in with a no. In 2015, Mecklenburg County commissioners asked voters to extend their terms from two to four years, via a referendum. That measure lost by a 2-1 margin, with 66 percent of voters opposed to the change. Many of Charlottes peer cities have four-year terms for local elected officials, including Indianapolis, Nashville, Denver, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio, and Atlanta. Others, such as Fort Worth, Dallas, Raleigh and Durham, have two-year terms. | Charlotte City Council is poised to start the process for a referendum that would let voters decide if their terms should be extended to four years. A few members think the council should take a vote to give themselves four-year terms. | bart | 1 | https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article225511080.html | 0.458237 |
Will Charlotte City Council push for longer, 4-year terms? | Charlotte City Council is poised to start the process for a referendum that would let voters decide if their terms should be extended to four years. While a few members think the council should take a vote to give themselves four-year terms, voters could later nullify that move with a referendum if they collected 5,000 signatures to put it on the ballot. A majority of council members believe they should go straight to voters for a November referendum on the issue, however. On Monday, council members decided to vote on whether to start the referendum process at their meeting next week. And several said theyre ready to move on one way or another, after months of discussion at council and committee meetings. City Council has the legal ability to make a decision on four-year terms, said council member LaWana Mayfield, who thinks council should vote on four-year terms themselves instead of leaving it to a voter referendum. Theres a conversation between political will and political ability. ... We have been having this conversation since 2013. Digital Access for only $0.99 For the most comprehensive local coverage, subscribe today. Council member Tariq Bokhari, who opposes four-year terms, urged the council to stop discussing the issue, since a majority of members clearly support it. I dont think the taxpayers or voters are screaming for this, said Bokhari. Can we just figure out how to stop talking about this? Council member James Mitchell agreed. We need to move on, said Mitchell. This is not public service. Council voted 8-3 in favor of putting the referendum question on their agenda next week, with Bokhari, Mayfield and Ed Driggs voting no. If City Council decides to schedule a referendum for voters, they will have to hold a public hearing within 45 days. Its likely that such a move would pass if City Council voted on it themselves, as a majority of members have said they think its a good idea. With elections every two years, City Council members complain that they really only get about a year and a half each term to learn about complex issues and actually govern before the campaign season cranks back up. The terms would also be staggered, so that only a third or so of members would be up for reelection every cycle. That could prevent the large-scale turnover thats possible now, with every seat up for a vote every two years. But if council members decided to change the length of their terms unilaterally, the action would be subject to a recall referendum if opponents gathered 5,000 signatures. Council members acknowledge thats a threshold opponents of longer terms could likely clear, and that a referendum on four-year terms is likely to see voters weigh in with a no. In 2015, Mecklenburg County commissioners asked voters to extend their terms from two to four years, via a referendum. That measure lost by a 2-1 margin, with 66 percent of voters opposed to the change. Many of Charlottes peer cities have four-year terms for local elected officials, including Indianapolis, Nashville, Denver, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio, and Atlanta. Others, such as Fort Worth, Dallas, Raleigh and Durham, have two-year terms. | Charlotte City Council is poised to start the process for a referendum that would let voters decide if their terms should be extended to four years. A majority of council members believe they should go straight to voters for a November referendum on the issue. But voters could later nullify that move with a referendum if they collected 5,000 signatures. | bart | 2 | https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article225511080.html | 0.485127 |
Is former President Bill Clinton secretly a superfan of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks? | Former U.S. President Bill Clinton was courtside Monday night in New York taking in the Milwaukee Bucks' game against the Brooklyn Nets. It's not the first time that Clinton has attended Bucks games, having appeared most prominently at Game 6 of last year's first-round series in Milwaukee. Clinton is close friends with Bucks co-owners Mark Lasry and Wes Edens who have been donors to the Democratic Party in the past and he joined them and fellow co-owner Jamie Dinan to take in their team's 113-94 victory over the Nets. But despite his close personal relationship to the owners he and Hillary Clinton attended the wedding of Lasry's daughter the 42nd president's interest and knowledge regarding the NBA team comes across as very real. When interviewed by NBATV Monday night, Clinton expressed his excitement about the play of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the moves the Bucks made to add to the roster in the past year. "He's unbelievable, and he's really come into his own this year," the 72-year-old Clinton said of the Greek Freak. "I love to watch him. But he's got a lot of good help now. You know it's a different team now ... They got George Hill. George Hill is reliable, he's a great team player, he adds value to every place he ever plays. They've done things that works, and (Brook) Lopez is doing great there." . @BillClinton was in Brooklyn tonight and spoke with @JaredSGreenberg about his love for the NBA!#GameNightpic.twitter.com/tKS6xpTFDy NBA TV (@NBATV) February 5, 2019 Later in speaking with writer Chris Sheridan, Clinton once again praised Antetokounmpo calling him a "once in a generation player, one of the great players in the league." Former President Bill Clinton poses for a photo with the Brooklyn Nets hype crew after a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. (Photo: Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports) "This is becoming a team. It's a different, strong team. The veterans they picked up are adding value. They can put three 7-footers on the floor if they want to and still move up and down the court. It's a great, fascinating thing. I can't wait to see what becomes of them," Clinton added. "They've got some work to do, but they have the personnel now that can really do something exceptional." Clinton certainly sounded like someone who frequently is tuning into Bucks games with his answers. And he's justified in his excitement for watching: Milwaukee is first in the Eastern Conference with a 39-13 record and league-best plus-10 scoring differential. Contributing: Jeff Zillgitt | Former President Bill Clinton was courtside for the Milwaukee Bucks' game against the Brooklyn Nets. Clinton is close friends with Bucks co-owners Mark Lasry and Wes Edens, who have been donors to the Democratic Party in the past. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2019/02/04/bill-clinton-attends-milwaukee-bucks-brooklyn-nets-game/2774811002/ | 0.120963 |
Is former President Bill Clinton secretly a superfan of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks? | Former U.S. President Bill Clinton was courtside Monday night in New York taking in the Milwaukee Bucks' game against the Brooklyn Nets. It's not the first time that Clinton has attended Bucks games, having appeared most prominently at Game 6 of last year's first-round series in Milwaukee. Clinton is close friends with Bucks co-owners Mark Lasry and Wes Edens who have been donors to the Democratic Party in the past and he joined them and fellow co-owner Jamie Dinan to take in their team's 113-94 victory over the Nets. But despite his close personal relationship to the owners he and Hillary Clinton attended the wedding of Lasry's daughter the 42nd president's interest and knowledge regarding the NBA team comes across as very real. When interviewed by NBATV Monday night, Clinton expressed his excitement about the play of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the moves the Bucks made to add to the roster in the past year. "He's unbelievable, and he's really come into his own this year," the 72-year-old Clinton said of the Greek Freak. "I love to watch him. But he's got a lot of good help now. You know it's a different team now ... They got George Hill. George Hill is reliable, he's a great team player, he adds value to every place he ever plays. They've done things that works, and (Brook) Lopez is doing great there." . @BillClinton was in Brooklyn tonight and spoke with @JaredSGreenberg about his love for the NBA!#GameNightpic.twitter.com/tKS6xpTFDy NBA TV (@NBATV) February 5, 2019 Later in speaking with writer Chris Sheridan, Clinton once again praised Antetokounmpo calling him a "once in a generation player, one of the great players in the league." Former President Bill Clinton poses for a photo with the Brooklyn Nets hype crew after a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. (Photo: Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports) "This is becoming a team. It's a different, strong team. The veterans they picked up are adding value. They can put three 7-footers on the floor if they want to and still move up and down the court. It's a great, fascinating thing. I can't wait to see what becomes of them," Clinton added. "They've got some work to do, but they have the personnel now that can really do something exceptional." Clinton certainly sounded like someone who frequently is tuning into Bucks games with his answers. And he's justified in his excitement for watching: Milwaukee is first in the Eastern Conference with a 39-13 record and league-best plus-10 scoring differential. Contributing: Jeff Zillgitt | Former U.S. President Bill Clinton was courtside Monday night in New York taking in the Milwaukee Bucks' game against the Brooklyn Nets. Clinton is close friends with Bucks co-owners Mark Lasry and Wes Edens. He expressed his excitement about the play of Giannis Antetokounmpo. | bart | 2 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2019/02/04/bill-clinton-attends-milwaukee-bucks-brooklyn-nets-game/2774811002/ | 0.144502 |
Will President Trump Finally Address Middle-Class Woes? | President Trump will give his State of the Union address in Congress on February 5, 2019. He will undoubtedly tout the continuing economic and labor market expansion as his record. Against this backdrop, the big questions are whether he will mention the ongoing financial struggles middle class families face, including retirement insecurity, and whether he will propose real ways to ease those struggles. His record so far raises serious doubts about his future efforts to help Americas middle class. After all, his first two years in office have been marked by policies that hurt not helped families finances. Many families face current and future economic insecurity. Wage growth has been flat for much of the past decade. This has made it difficult for many families to just get by. A lot of families also have a hard time to put money aside for an emergency, for their childrens education and for retirement. Wealth the difference between what people own such as emergency savings, retirement savings and the equity in their house and what they own in mortgages, credit cards and student loans, for example was still only 63.3% in 2016 of what it was in 2007 before the Great Recession. The median non-retiree family wealth was $69,400 (in 2016 dollars) in 2016, down from $109,664 in 2007. The problem of economic insecurity is even greater among communities of color and those who dont have a college degree. Many middle class families still live paycheck to paycheck, have little money set aside for an emergency, cant get ahead and face an uncertain retirement. President Trump tapped into this economic insecurity during his campaign. His policies so far have, if anything, made these problems worse , however. Most recently, he partially shut down the government over funding for a widely opposed border wall. The longest partial government shutdown in history affected 800,000 government employees and another estimated 1.2 million contractors, who may not get paid for their lost income. Many of the impacted families did not have the savings to withstand a month without a paycheck. People then borrowed on credit cards and from payday lenders. They delayed paying their bills, for instance, for their childrens college tuition. And they filed for unemployment insurance. The result was not only less income, but also less wealth. Yet members of President Trumps administration, including the president himself, showed a complete lack of awareness for the harm they had inflicted on middle-class families with the shutdown. The shutdown was only the latest example in President Trumps policies going against the interests of middle-class families. Most prominently, he touted a tax cuts in 2017 that favored the richest Americans and corporations over middle-class Americans. The tax cuts predictably did not deliver the goods on faster investment and thus cannot bring more productivity growth and higher wages for American workers. Instead, the tax cuts exacerbated income inequality by giving disproportionate amounts of money to the highest income earners and by rewarding shareholders. Worse, conservatives, including the Presidents economic advisor, suggested to cut key middle-class benefits such as Social Security and Medicare to pay for the deficits that followed the irresponsible and ineffective tax cuts. The tax cuts then could exacerbate rather than alleviate middle-class woes. The tax cuts were not the first time President Trump pursued policies that hurt middle-class families. In fact, in one of his first acts as president in 2017, he rescinded new overtime rules proposed by President Obama. These new rules would have boosted wages for 13.5 million workers. Lower wages make it much harder for many families to build up a nest egg and save for retirement, among other things. The State of the Union address is a possibility for President Trump to reset his policy agenda. He could lend his support to a higher minimum wage as he has done before becoming president. A higher minimum wage would boost incomes at the bottom, where wage growth has been especially slow, and make it easier for people to save. As conservatives call for cuts to Social Security and Medicare amid rising deficits, he could reassure people that there will be no program cuts, as he did during his campaign. He could even encourage Social Security expansion as a wide array of Democratic lawmakers have proposed. Strengthening key programs like Social Security and Medicare would go a long way to boost middle-class economic security amid weak wage growth and low wealth. President Trump could propose a well-designed, effective and much needed infrastructure initiative that would boost middle-class jobs and wages in key industries such as construction and manufacturing. These industries would be helped more with such necessary investments than trade wars and changes to trade agreements that leave out labor standards, for example. At a minimum, it would be welcome to see President Trump abandon policies that further harm middle-class economic security such as making the tax cuts permanent and threatening another government shutdown. All of these things would help, but if recent history is any guide, they wont be in President Trumps speech. | President Trump will give his State of the Union address in Congress on February 5, 2019. Big questions are whether he will mention the ongoing financial struggles middle class families face, including retirement insecurity. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/christianweller/2019/02/05/will-president-trump-finally-address-middle-class-woes/ | 0.206651 |
Will President Trump Finally Address Middle-Class Woes? | President Trump will give his State of the Union address in Congress on February 5, 2019. He will undoubtedly tout the continuing economic and labor market expansion as his record. Against this backdrop, the big questions are whether he will mention the ongoing financial struggles middle class families face, including retirement insecurity, and whether he will propose real ways to ease those struggles. His record so far raises serious doubts about his future efforts to help Americas middle class. After all, his first two years in office have been marked by policies that hurt not helped families finances. Many families face current and future economic insecurity. Wage growth has been flat for much of the past decade. This has made it difficult for many families to just get by. A lot of families also have a hard time to put money aside for an emergency, for their childrens education and for retirement. Wealth the difference between what people own such as emergency savings, retirement savings and the equity in their house and what they own in mortgages, credit cards and student loans, for example was still only 63.3% in 2016 of what it was in 2007 before the Great Recession. The median non-retiree family wealth was $69,400 (in 2016 dollars) in 2016, down from $109,664 in 2007. The problem of economic insecurity is even greater among communities of color and those who dont have a college degree. Many middle class families still live paycheck to paycheck, have little money set aside for an emergency, cant get ahead and face an uncertain retirement. President Trump tapped into this economic insecurity during his campaign. His policies so far have, if anything, made these problems worse , however. Most recently, he partially shut down the government over funding for a widely opposed border wall. The longest partial government shutdown in history affected 800,000 government employees and another estimated 1.2 million contractors, who may not get paid for their lost income. Many of the impacted families did not have the savings to withstand a month without a paycheck. People then borrowed on credit cards and from payday lenders. They delayed paying their bills, for instance, for their childrens college tuition. And they filed for unemployment insurance. The result was not only less income, but also less wealth. Yet members of President Trumps administration, including the president himself, showed a complete lack of awareness for the harm they had inflicted on middle-class families with the shutdown. The shutdown was only the latest example in President Trumps policies going against the interests of middle-class families. Most prominently, he touted a tax cuts in 2017 that favored the richest Americans and corporations over middle-class Americans. The tax cuts predictably did not deliver the goods on faster investment and thus cannot bring more productivity growth and higher wages for American workers. Instead, the tax cuts exacerbated income inequality by giving disproportionate amounts of money to the highest income earners and by rewarding shareholders. Worse, conservatives, including the Presidents economic advisor, suggested to cut key middle-class benefits such as Social Security and Medicare to pay for the deficits that followed the irresponsible and ineffective tax cuts. The tax cuts then could exacerbate rather than alleviate middle-class woes. The tax cuts were not the first time President Trump pursued policies that hurt middle-class families. In fact, in one of his first acts as president in 2017, he rescinded new overtime rules proposed by President Obama. These new rules would have boosted wages for 13.5 million workers. Lower wages make it much harder for many families to build up a nest egg and save for retirement, among other things. The State of the Union address is a possibility for President Trump to reset his policy agenda. He could lend his support to a higher minimum wage as he has done before becoming president. A higher minimum wage would boost incomes at the bottom, where wage growth has been especially slow, and make it easier for people to save. As conservatives call for cuts to Social Security and Medicare amid rising deficits, he could reassure people that there will be no program cuts, as he did during his campaign. He could even encourage Social Security expansion as a wide array of Democratic lawmakers have proposed. Strengthening key programs like Social Security and Medicare would go a long way to boost middle-class economic security amid weak wage growth and low wealth. President Trump could propose a well-designed, effective and much needed infrastructure initiative that would boost middle-class jobs and wages in key industries such as construction and manufacturing. These industries would be helped more with such necessary investments than trade wars and changes to trade agreements that leave out labor standards, for example. At a minimum, it would be welcome to see President Trump abandon policies that further harm middle-class economic security such as making the tax cuts permanent and threatening another government shutdown. All of these things would help, but if recent history is any guide, they wont be in President Trumps speech. | President Trump will give his State of the Union address in Congress on February 5, 2019. Big questions are whether he will mention the ongoing financial struggles middle class families face, including retirement insecurity. His record so far raises serious doubts about his future efforts to help Americas middle class. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/christianweller/2019/02/05/will-president-trump-finally-address-middle-class-woes/ | 0.244823 |
Is the Samsung Galaxy Watch ditching its rotating bezel to go bezel-less? | Beside the highly-anticipated Galaxy S10 series reveal at Unpacked later this month, Samsung is also expected to be showing off a refreshed wearable line including a new smart watch allegedly called the Galaxy Sport, according to 91Mobiles. On Monday 91Mobiles received from what it describes as "a reliable source" a likely rendering of a brand new Samsung smartwatch that's expected to debut at Galaxy Unpacked on February 20. This upcoming watch, purportedly called the Galaxy Watch Sport, has apparently been designed with the outdoor enthusiast in mind. While details are sparse, it will most likely be equipped with the same sensors and feature as previous models -- sleep monitor, step counter, activity tracker, GPS, etc. -- and then some extras like improved dust and water resistance. As for the rendering 91Mobiles revealed, it appears as though the rotating bezel surrounding the watch face characteristic of Samsung wearables has been completely omitted in favor of a completely bezel-less display. This form of control has been replaced with two circular, mechanical buttons on the right side; therefore, it's likely that an update to the Tizen OS will be announced at the event, as well. [Exclusive]: Samsung Galaxy Sport smartwatch's render reveals circular dial and premium designhttps://t.co/nrGwXxJvy7 91mobiles (@91mobiles) February 4, 2019 The standard Galaxy Watch and the more outdoor-oriented Gear lineup already feature over 40 activities that could be tracked in addition to a wide range of health and location tracking features, so it's difficult to imagine what more the new Galaxy sport-iteration could be equipped with. At any rate, the Galaxy Watch Sport will likely be revealed on February 20 at Samsung Unpacked. You can watch all the new wearables be unveiled and the S10 lineup be officially announced live February 20 on the company site. | The Galaxy Watch Sport is expected to debut at Galaxy Unpacked on February 20. It appears to have a completely bezel-less display and mechanical buttons on the right side. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/samsung-galaxy-watch-ditching-rotating-bezel-bezel-less-104832401.html | 0.150058 |
Is the Samsung Galaxy Watch ditching its rotating bezel to go bezel-less? | Beside the highly-anticipated Galaxy S10 series reveal at Unpacked later this month, Samsung is also expected to be showing off a refreshed wearable line including a new smart watch allegedly called the Galaxy Sport, according to 91Mobiles. On Monday 91Mobiles received from what it describes as "a reliable source" a likely rendering of a brand new Samsung smartwatch that's expected to debut at Galaxy Unpacked on February 20. This upcoming watch, purportedly called the Galaxy Watch Sport, has apparently been designed with the outdoor enthusiast in mind. While details are sparse, it will most likely be equipped with the same sensors and feature as previous models -- sleep monitor, step counter, activity tracker, GPS, etc. -- and then some extras like improved dust and water resistance. As for the rendering 91Mobiles revealed, it appears as though the rotating bezel surrounding the watch face characteristic of Samsung wearables has been completely omitted in favor of a completely bezel-less display. This form of control has been replaced with two circular, mechanical buttons on the right side; therefore, it's likely that an update to the Tizen OS will be announced at the event, as well. [Exclusive]: Samsung Galaxy Sport smartwatch's render reveals circular dial and premium designhttps://t.co/nrGwXxJvy7 91mobiles (@91mobiles) February 4, 2019 The standard Galaxy Watch and the more outdoor-oriented Gear lineup already feature over 40 activities that could be tracked in addition to a wide range of health and location tracking features, so it's difficult to imagine what more the new Galaxy sport-iteration could be equipped with. At any rate, the Galaxy Watch Sport will likely be revealed on February 20 at Samsung Unpacked. You can watch all the new wearables be unveiled and the S10 lineup be officially announced live February 20 on the company site. | Samsung is expected to unveil a new smartwatch at its Unpacked event on February 20. Called the Galaxy Watch Sport, it's apparently designed with the outdoor enthusiast in mind. The rotating bezel surrounding the watch face has been completely omitted in favor of a bezel-less display. | pegasus | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/samsung-galaxy-watch-ditching-rotating-bezel-bezel-less-104832401.html | 0.255189 |
Could April's Vasyl Lomachenko Vs. Richard Commey Lightweight Unification Fight Be In Jeopardy? | If just under nine weeks wasn't a quick enough turnaround for Richard Commey to defend his newly won IBF lightweight world title, add a potential hand injury into the mix and a WBO, WBA and IBF unification bout against top-five pound-for-pound Vasyl Lomachenko seems in jeopardy. Commey puts Chaniev on the mat in the first! #AlvarezKovalev2 pic.twitter.com/0QqphkJoPq Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) February 3, 2019 After Commey's less than two round destruction of Isa Chaniev by knockout on Saturday night in Texas, Mike Coppinger of The Ring, immediately reported from ringside that Commey might have suffered a hand injury. Commey says he felt something pop. I asked him if he can fight on April 12. Says he wont know until X-Ray https://t.co/GemcDaayz2 Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) February 3, 2019 I reached out to Commey's promoter Lou DiBella immediately after the fight regarding the injury. DiBellas said, "Going to get it checked out. Doesn't LOOK that bad, but quick turnaround." Meaning, if Commey has to nurse any hand injury, that could sideline him for at least two weeks, maybe even more, giving him ample time for training camp, improbable. In three minutes and 39 seconds of a blistering performance, @RichardCommey dropped Isa Chaniev three times over two rounds to make history as Ghana's 9th world champion, capturing the IBF lightweight title. Well, initially, Matchroom Boxing was lobbying for the purse bid scheduled on February 6 to move forward for mandatory WBA challenger, Anthony Crolla. The WBA was inclined to provide Lomachenko with a special exception to face Commey in April, for the purposes of unifying the WBA, WBO and IBF belts. Leaving only Mikey Garcia's WBC belt left from a true lightweight unification, in which Lomachenko seems to be after. The April 12 bout between Lomachenko and Commey was ambitious to say the least. Commey would have barely had enough time to enjoy his first world title victory in his second attempt having previously lost a highly contested and controversial split decision loss to Robert Easter in 2016. According to DiBella, Commey will have his hand looked at on Tuesday by his doctor and make a decision based on that prognosis. If the injury were to prevent the Lomanchenko fight from taking place, it could put a Lomachenko vs. Commey unification bout on ice until the summer, depending on what contingency plans are made by Top Rank. Conventional wisdom would suggest that Top Rank will keep Lomachenko's April 12 date and look to make a deal with Crolla's promoter, Matchroom to get Lomachenko's mandatory out of the way. After Commey's destruction of Chaniev, many of the TV analysts during the ESPN broadcast were suggesting that Commey's style and power could pose problems for Lomachenko. The hard-working lightweight from Ghana is heavy-handed and can end a fight in the split of a second as was on full display against Chaniev, to leave no questions this time around in his quest for the IBF world title. Whether or not Commey faces Lomachenko remains to be seen. It will all play out this week. Finally, the latest from Mike Coppinger at the time I published this post. | Richard Commey suffered a hand injury during his win over Isa Chaniev on Saturday night. The IBF lightweight champion was expected to fight Vasyl Lomachenko on April 12. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterkahn/2019/02/03/vasyl-lomachenko-richard-commey-fight-hand-injury/?src=rss | 0.185531 |
Could April's Vasyl Lomachenko Vs. Richard Commey Lightweight Unification Fight Be In Jeopardy? | If just under nine weeks wasn't a quick enough turnaround for Richard Commey to defend his newly won IBF lightweight world title, add a potential hand injury into the mix and a WBO, WBA and IBF unification bout against top-five pound-for-pound Vasyl Lomachenko seems in jeopardy. Commey puts Chaniev on the mat in the first! #AlvarezKovalev2 pic.twitter.com/0QqphkJoPq Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) February 3, 2019 After Commey's less than two round destruction of Isa Chaniev by knockout on Saturday night in Texas, Mike Coppinger of The Ring, immediately reported from ringside that Commey might have suffered a hand injury. Commey says he felt something pop. I asked him if he can fight on April 12. Says he wont know until X-Ray https://t.co/GemcDaayz2 Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) February 3, 2019 I reached out to Commey's promoter Lou DiBella immediately after the fight regarding the injury. DiBellas said, "Going to get it checked out. Doesn't LOOK that bad, but quick turnaround." Meaning, if Commey has to nurse any hand injury, that could sideline him for at least two weeks, maybe even more, giving him ample time for training camp, improbable. In three minutes and 39 seconds of a blistering performance, @RichardCommey dropped Isa Chaniev three times over two rounds to make history as Ghana's 9th world champion, capturing the IBF lightweight title. Well, initially, Matchroom Boxing was lobbying for the purse bid scheduled on February 6 to move forward for mandatory WBA challenger, Anthony Crolla. The WBA was inclined to provide Lomachenko with a special exception to face Commey in April, for the purposes of unifying the WBA, WBO and IBF belts. Leaving only Mikey Garcia's WBC belt left from a true lightweight unification, in which Lomachenko seems to be after. The April 12 bout between Lomachenko and Commey was ambitious to say the least. Commey would have barely had enough time to enjoy his first world title victory in his second attempt having previously lost a highly contested and controversial split decision loss to Robert Easter in 2016. According to DiBella, Commey will have his hand looked at on Tuesday by his doctor and make a decision based on that prognosis. If the injury were to prevent the Lomanchenko fight from taking place, it could put a Lomachenko vs. Commey unification bout on ice until the summer, depending on what contingency plans are made by Top Rank. Conventional wisdom would suggest that Top Rank will keep Lomachenko's April 12 date and look to make a deal with Crolla's promoter, Matchroom to get Lomachenko's mandatory out of the way. After Commey's destruction of Chaniev, many of the TV analysts during the ESPN broadcast were suggesting that Commey's style and power could pose problems for Lomachenko. The hard-working lightweight from Ghana is heavy-handed and can end a fight in the split of a second as was on full display against Chaniev, to leave no questions this time around in his quest for the IBF world title. Whether or not Commey faces Lomachenko remains to be seen. It will all play out this week. Finally, the latest from Mike Coppinger at the time I published this post. | Richard Commey suffered a hand injury during his win over Isa Chaniev on Saturday night. The Ghanaian is expected to have his hand examined on Tuesday. If the injury were to prevent the Lomachenko fight from taking place, it could put a WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight unification bout on ice until the summer. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterkahn/2019/02/03/vasyl-lomachenko-richard-commey-fight-hand-injury/?src=rss | 0.107176 |
Will TV Catch Up With Digital Channels? | The short answer: It's sure starting to look that way. There's always been a stark contrast between what advertisers come to expect from digital channels and what they've settled with from TV. Monitoring TV metrics continues to be one of the toughest nuts to crack for technologists and data engineers who have spent the past few decades looking for ways to unlock insights beyond basic viewership and demographics. For TV, the Holy Grail is insight into how TV investments influence high-value viewer behaviors, such as understanding whether a commercial drove traffic to a website, a product placement increased online or in-store conversions, or a whether sponsorship drove action locally or nationally. Digital channels, on the other hand, offer real-time visibility into basic views and traffic, as well as more complex scenarios such as a user's multistep journey to conversion after a single encounter with a brand. Because TV remains one of the most efficient ways to create widespread audience awareness and drive desired actions among specific audiences (though brands commonly lack the data to prove it), it has remained a fixed and important line item in advertisers budgets. As someone who has spent more than 20 years working to crack the TV analytics code, I can say with confidence that, thanks to some recent critical breakthroughs, TV will soon be in a position to catch up with, and possibly even surpass, the level of sophistication digital channels offer when it comes to measurement. Heres a look at five TV breakthroughs that have emerged over just the last couple of years or will emerge soon. 1. Nearly Real-Time Delivery Of Basic And Complex TV Data While advertisers and networks have always had access to basic viewership and demographic analytics, the average amount of time theyve had to wait for them has been well over 30 days from the air date, and sometimes close to 90 days. New technologies are not only getting basic data to us in near real-time, but theyre also allowing advertisers to essentially query live TV to determine where their name or other keywords have been mentioned, and where their logos or other images have appeared, on both earned and paid media. 2. Well Soon Be Able To Map TV Viewers Journeys Digital channels were built on the intention of tracing audiences journeys from initial exposure to a given endpoint. The same cannot be said about TV, but were getting close to knowing exactly what audiences see and hear on screen and how it influences their behaviors on other channels. Rather than simply tying viewers to a specific show or timeslot, were also able to understand what else theyre watching, what messaging and branding theyre hearing and seeing, and whether theyre influenced more by paid or earned content. 3. We Now Know Where TV Is Driving High-Value, In-Person Engagement The last couple of years have seen companies racing to release new metrics that will enable brands to compare their TV investments with very specific in-person engagement in local markets. These metrics get brands closer than ever to attributing TV campaigns to audience behaviors, such as sales transactions, in-store foot traffic, visits to car dealerships (say, for a test drive promotion) and into a QSR restaurant to take advantage of a localized promotional offer. Having this level of location-specific visibility not only helps brands understand which consumer behaviors they're able to influence with their TV advertising, but also in which markets they should continue investing (and which they shouldn't). 4. TV Will Introduce Brand And Ad Viewability Standards Before Digital Channels Unified viewability standards have been regarded as somewhat of the "Holy Grail" of digital metrics, not just in TV but across channels. One major obstacle to getting there is coming to an agreement on how the advertising industry as a whole defines whether a brand's logo or other promotion is visible and legible on screen. There are many variables at play here: time on screen, distance from viewer (which affects its size), resolution and so on. The second obstacle is nailing the metrics that will measure viewability. The good news is that we already have the technology, and TV (more than any other medium) is tackling this issue head-on since sponsorship dollars are an important revenue stream. Once these standards are put into action, TV's understanding of performance will swiftly move beyond the broad, viewership-based model, making it more and more competitive with digital channels. And for the first time ever, TV will be in a position to influence how digital channels are measured. 5. We're Finally Entering The Long-Rumored World Of Data Without Barriers Marketing is nearing the end of an era characterized by lots of data but little focus and control. One of the many things marketers have learned going from having too little data to too much is that in order for data to be flexible and actionable, it must transcend silos. This means that data must flow freely between social, digital and TV, rather than being used to describe activity happening only within each of these channels. I don't think there is a marketer or technologist out there that doesn't agree with this, but we have yet to widely realize a world where marketing data has no barriers. Once we get there, advertisers will understand the performance of their entire holistic ecosystems, not just of their individual marketing channels. I predict it will not be long before TV analytics finally go digital, allowing brands and advertisers to engage in the same types of real-time strategies across target audiences that they do on digital channels. Digital channels will welcome this open door, as it will allow them to better map audience journeys and vice versa. | The Holy Grail is insight into how TV investments influence high-value viewer behaviors. Digital channels offer real-time visibility into basic views and traffic. TV will soon be in a position to catch up with, and possibly even surpass, digital channels. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/02/05/will-tv-catch-up-with-digital-channels/ | 0.453377 |
Will TV Catch Up With Digital Channels? | The short answer: It's sure starting to look that way. There's always been a stark contrast between what advertisers come to expect from digital channels and what they've settled with from TV. Monitoring TV metrics continues to be one of the toughest nuts to crack for technologists and data engineers who have spent the past few decades looking for ways to unlock insights beyond basic viewership and demographics. For TV, the Holy Grail is insight into how TV investments influence high-value viewer behaviors, such as understanding whether a commercial drove traffic to a website, a product placement increased online or in-store conversions, or a whether sponsorship drove action locally or nationally. Digital channels, on the other hand, offer real-time visibility into basic views and traffic, as well as more complex scenarios such as a user's multistep journey to conversion after a single encounter with a brand. Because TV remains one of the most efficient ways to create widespread audience awareness and drive desired actions among specific audiences (though brands commonly lack the data to prove it), it has remained a fixed and important line item in advertisers budgets. As someone who has spent more than 20 years working to crack the TV analytics code, I can say with confidence that, thanks to some recent critical breakthroughs, TV will soon be in a position to catch up with, and possibly even surpass, the level of sophistication digital channels offer when it comes to measurement. Heres a look at five TV breakthroughs that have emerged over just the last couple of years or will emerge soon. 1. Nearly Real-Time Delivery Of Basic And Complex TV Data While advertisers and networks have always had access to basic viewership and demographic analytics, the average amount of time theyve had to wait for them has been well over 30 days from the air date, and sometimes close to 90 days. New technologies are not only getting basic data to us in near real-time, but theyre also allowing advertisers to essentially query live TV to determine where their name or other keywords have been mentioned, and where their logos or other images have appeared, on both earned and paid media. 2. Well Soon Be Able To Map TV Viewers Journeys Digital channels were built on the intention of tracing audiences journeys from initial exposure to a given endpoint. The same cannot be said about TV, but were getting close to knowing exactly what audiences see and hear on screen and how it influences their behaviors on other channels. Rather than simply tying viewers to a specific show or timeslot, were also able to understand what else theyre watching, what messaging and branding theyre hearing and seeing, and whether theyre influenced more by paid or earned content. 3. We Now Know Where TV Is Driving High-Value, In-Person Engagement The last couple of years have seen companies racing to release new metrics that will enable brands to compare their TV investments with very specific in-person engagement in local markets. These metrics get brands closer than ever to attributing TV campaigns to audience behaviors, such as sales transactions, in-store foot traffic, visits to car dealerships (say, for a test drive promotion) and into a QSR restaurant to take advantage of a localized promotional offer. Having this level of location-specific visibility not only helps brands understand which consumer behaviors they're able to influence with their TV advertising, but also in which markets they should continue investing (and which they shouldn't). 4. TV Will Introduce Brand And Ad Viewability Standards Before Digital Channels Unified viewability standards have been regarded as somewhat of the "Holy Grail" of digital metrics, not just in TV but across channels. One major obstacle to getting there is coming to an agreement on how the advertising industry as a whole defines whether a brand's logo or other promotion is visible and legible on screen. There are many variables at play here: time on screen, distance from viewer (which affects its size), resolution and so on. The second obstacle is nailing the metrics that will measure viewability. The good news is that we already have the technology, and TV (more than any other medium) is tackling this issue head-on since sponsorship dollars are an important revenue stream. Once these standards are put into action, TV's understanding of performance will swiftly move beyond the broad, viewership-based model, making it more and more competitive with digital channels. And for the first time ever, TV will be in a position to influence how digital channels are measured. 5. We're Finally Entering The Long-Rumored World Of Data Without Barriers Marketing is nearing the end of an era characterized by lots of data but little focus and control. One of the many things marketers have learned going from having too little data to too much is that in order for data to be flexible and actionable, it must transcend silos. This means that data must flow freely between social, digital and TV, rather than being used to describe activity happening only within each of these channels. I don't think there is a marketer or technologist out there that doesn't agree with this, but we have yet to widely realize a world where marketing data has no barriers. Once we get there, advertisers will understand the performance of their entire holistic ecosystems, not just of their individual marketing channels. I predict it will not be long before TV analytics finally go digital, allowing brands and advertisers to engage in the same types of real-time strategies across target audiences that they do on digital channels. Digital channels will welcome this open door, as it will allow them to better map audience journeys and vice versa. | The Holy Grail is insight into how TV investments influence high-value viewer behaviors. Digital channels offer real-time visibility into basic views and traffic. TV will soon be in a position to catch up with, and possibly even surpass, the level of sophistication digital channels offer when it comes to measurement. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/02/05/will-tv-catch-up-with-digital-channels/ | 0.527322 |
Is Fidelity OTC Portfolio (FOCPX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Well, one fund that you should consider investigating is Fidelity OTC Portfolio (FOCPX). FOCPX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective FOCPX is one of many funds to choose from. Because Mid Cap Blend mutual funds typically feature a portfolio filled with stocks of various sizes and styles, it allows for a diversification strategy focusing on companies with market caps between $2 billion and $10 billion. Mid-cap blends, while offering exciting growth potential, income opportunities, and value picks, offer some stability as well. History of Fund/Manager Fidelity is based in Boston, MA, and is the manager of FOCPX. Fidelity OTC Portfolio debuted in December of 1984. Since then, FOCPX has accumulated assets of about $10.85 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Sonu Kalra who has been in charge of the fund since September of 2017. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 12.32%, and is in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 11.43%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Over the past three years, FOCPX's standard deviation comes in at 16.69%, compared to the category average of 11.06%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 15.67% compared to the category average of 10.83%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment. In FOCPX's case, the fund lost 53.58% in the most recent bear market and underperformed its peer group by 4.74%. This means that the fund could possibly be a worse choice than its peers during a down market environment. Even still, the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.18, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a positive alpha of 2.68. This means that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Examining the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is largely on equities that are traded in the United States. This fund is currently holding about 96.32% stock in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $355.89 billion. This fund's turnover is about 38%, so the fund managers are making fewer trades than its comparable peers. Expenses As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, FOCPX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.88% compared to the category average of 1.05%. From a cost perspective, FOCPX is actually cheaper than its peers. Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $0; each subsequent investment has no minimum amount. Bottom Line Overall, Fidelity OTC Portfolio ( FOCPX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Fidelity OTC Portfolio ( FOCPX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now. | Fidelity OTC Portfolio (FOCPX) holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold) The fund is currently holding about 96.32% stock in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $355.89 billion. The fund's turnover is about 38%, so the fund managers are making fewer trades than its comparable peers. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/fidelity-otc-portfolio-focpx-strong-120012737.html | 0.168777 |
Is PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth (POAGX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Well, PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth (POAGX) would not be a good potential starting point right now. POAGX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We note that POAGX is a Mid Cap Growth fund, and this area is also loaded with many different options. Companies are usually considered growth stocks when they consistently report notable sales and/or earnings growth. Thus, Mid Cap Growth funds pick stocks--usually companies with a market cap between $2 billion and $10 billion--that demonstrate extensive growth opportunities for investors compared to their peers. History of Fund/Manager POAGX is a part of the Primecap Odyssey family of funds, a company based out of Pasadena, CA. PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth debuted in November of 2004. Since then, POAGX has accumulated assets of about $9.20 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. POAGX has a 5-year annualized total return of 11.11% and it sits in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 11.58%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 13.59%, the standard deviation of POAGX over the past three years is 18.67%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 17.13% compared to the category average of 13.11%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. POAGX lost 49.33% in the most recent bear market and outperformed its peer group by 2.33%. These results could imply that the fund is a better choice than its peers during a sliding market environment. Nevertheless, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.26, which means it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. With a positive alpha of 1.19, managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States. This fund is currently holding about 76.21% stock in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $40.83 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors: Technology Health Other Industrial Cyclical Turnover is 14%, which means this fund makes fewer trades than the average comparable fund. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, POAGX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.64% compared to the category average of 1.18%. POAGX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost. Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $2,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100. Bottom Line Overall, PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth ( POAGX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now. | PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth (POAGX) may not be a good investment right now. | pegasus | 0 | https://news.yahoo.com/primecap-odyssey-aggressive-growth-poagx-120012013.html | 0.422695 |
Is PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth (POAGX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Well, PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth (POAGX) would not be a good potential starting point right now. POAGX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We note that POAGX is a Mid Cap Growth fund, and this area is also loaded with many different options. Companies are usually considered growth stocks when they consistently report notable sales and/or earnings growth. Thus, Mid Cap Growth funds pick stocks--usually companies with a market cap between $2 billion and $10 billion--that demonstrate extensive growth opportunities for investors compared to their peers. History of Fund/Manager POAGX is a part of the Primecap Odyssey family of funds, a company based out of Pasadena, CA. PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth debuted in November of 2004. Since then, POAGX has accumulated assets of about $9.20 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. POAGX has a 5-year annualized total return of 11.11% and it sits in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 11.58%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 13.59%, the standard deviation of POAGX over the past three years is 18.67%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 17.13% compared to the category average of 13.11%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. POAGX lost 49.33% in the most recent bear market and outperformed its peer group by 2.33%. These results could imply that the fund is a better choice than its peers during a sliding market environment. Nevertheless, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.26, which means it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. With a positive alpha of 1.19, managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States. This fund is currently holding about 76.21% stock in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $40.83 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors: Technology Health Other Industrial Cyclical Turnover is 14%, which means this fund makes fewer trades than the average comparable fund. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, POAGX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.64% compared to the category average of 1.18%. POAGX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost. Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $2,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100. Bottom Line Overall, PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth ( POAGX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now. | POAGX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell) The fund is currently holding about 76.21% stock in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $40.83 billion. | bart | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/primecap-odyssey-aggressive-growth-poagx-120012013.html | 0.126308 |
Is PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth (POAGX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Well, PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth (POAGX) would not be a good potential starting point right now. POAGX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We note that POAGX is a Mid Cap Growth fund, and this area is also loaded with many different options. Companies are usually considered growth stocks when they consistently report notable sales and/or earnings growth. Thus, Mid Cap Growth funds pick stocks--usually companies with a market cap between $2 billion and $10 billion--that demonstrate extensive growth opportunities for investors compared to their peers. History of Fund/Manager POAGX is a part of the Primecap Odyssey family of funds, a company based out of Pasadena, CA. PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth debuted in November of 2004. Since then, POAGX has accumulated assets of about $9.20 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals. Performance Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. POAGX has a 5-year annualized total return of 11.11% and it sits in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 11.58%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 13.59%, the standard deviation of POAGX over the past three years is 18.67%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 17.13% compared to the category average of 13.11%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. POAGX lost 49.33% in the most recent bear market and outperformed its peer group by 2.33%. These results could imply that the fund is a better choice than its peers during a sliding market environment. Nevertheless, investors should also note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.26, which means it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. With a positive alpha of 1.19, managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States. This fund is currently holding about 76.21% stock in stocks, with an average market capitalization of $40.83 billion. The fund has the heaviest exposure to the following market sectors: Technology Health Other Industrial Cyclical Turnover is 14%, which means this fund makes fewer trades than the average comparable fund. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, POAGX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.64% compared to the category average of 1.18%. POAGX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost. Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $2,000; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $100. Bottom Line Overall, PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth ( POAGX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now. | PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth (POAGX) may not be a good investment right now. POAGX has a 5-year annualized total return of 11.11% and it sits in the top third among its category peers. | pegasus | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/primecap-odyssey-aggressive-growth-poagx-120012013.html | 0.515119 |
Is ProFunds Semicond UltraSector Service Class (SMPSX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Sector - Tech fund seekers should not consider taking a look at ProFunds Semicond UltraSector Service Class (SMPSX) at this time. SMPSX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We note that SMPSX is a Sector - Tech option, and this area is loaded with many options. Found in a wide number of industries such as semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, tech companies are everywhere. Thus, Sector - Tech mutual funds that invest in technology let investors own a stake in a notoriously volatile sector, but with a much more diversifies approach. History of Fund/Manager SMPSX is a part of the ProFunds family of funds, a company based out of Columbus, OH. The ProFunds Semicond UltraSector Service Class made its debut in June of 2000 and SMPSX has managed to accumulate roughly $4.69 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Michael Neches, has been in charge of the fund since October of 2013. Performance Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 20.5%, and is in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 21.13%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Over the past three years, SMPSX's standard deviation comes in at 28.78%, compared to the category average of -0.21%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 28.07% compared to the category average of 1.31%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. SMPSX lost 74.41% in the most recent bear market and underperformed its peer group by 7441%. This might suggest that the fund is a worse choice than its peers during a bear market. Even still, the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.8, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. The fund has produced a positive alpha over the past 5 years of 7.64, which shows that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, SMPSX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 2.44% compared to the category average of -53.31%. SMPSX is actually more expensive than its peers when you consider factors like cost. Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $15,000; each subsequent investment has no minimum amount. Bottom Line Overall, ProFunds Semicond UltraSector Service Class ( SMPSX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a poor potential choice for investors right now. Then go over to Zacks.com and check out our mutual fund comparison tool, and all of the other great features that we have to help you with your mutual fund analysis for additional information. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | ProFunds Semicond UltraSector Service Class (SMPSX) bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell) SMPSX has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 20.5%. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/profunds-semicond-ultrasector-class-smpsx-120012817.html | 0.200362 |
Is ProFunds Semicond UltraSector Service Class (SMPSX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Sector - Tech fund seekers should not consider taking a look at ProFunds Semicond UltraSector Service Class (SMPSX) at this time. SMPSX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective We note that SMPSX is a Sector - Tech option, and this area is loaded with many options. Found in a wide number of industries such as semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, tech companies are everywhere. Thus, Sector - Tech mutual funds that invest in technology let investors own a stake in a notoriously volatile sector, but with a much more diversifies approach. History of Fund/Manager SMPSX is a part of the ProFunds family of funds, a company based out of Columbus, OH. The ProFunds Semicond UltraSector Service Class made its debut in June of 2000 and SMPSX has managed to accumulate roughly $4.69 million in assets, as of the most recently available information. The fund's current manager, Michael Neches, has been in charge of the fund since October of 2013. Performance Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund in particular has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 20.5%, and is in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3-year annualized total return of 21.13%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Over the past three years, SMPSX's standard deviation comes in at 28.78%, compared to the category average of -0.21%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 28.07% compared to the category average of 1.31%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors should always remember the downsides to a potential investment, and this segment carries some risks one should be aware of. SMPSX lost 74.41% in the most recent bear market and underperformed its peer group by 7441%. This might suggest that the fund is a worse choice than its peers during a bear market. Even still, the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.8, so investors should note that it is hypothetically more volatile than the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. The fund has produced a positive alpha over the past 5 years of 7.64, which shows that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Expenses Costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing, and particularly as competition heats up in this market. And all things being equal, a lower cost product will outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, so taking a closer look at these metrics is key for investors. In terms of fees, SMPSX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 2.44% compared to the category average of -53.31%. SMPSX is actually more expensive than its peers when you consider factors like cost. Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $15,000; each subsequent investment has no minimum amount. Bottom Line Overall, ProFunds Semicond UltraSector Service Class ( SMPSX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and higher fees, this fund looks like a poor potential choice for investors right now. Then go over to Zacks.com and check out our mutual fund comparison tool, and all of the other great features that we have to help you with your mutual fund analysis for additional information. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | Sector - Tech fund seekers should not consider taking a look at ProFunds Semicond UltraSector Service Class (SMPSX) at this time. SMPSX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/profunds-semicond-ultrasector-class-smpsx-120012817.html | 0.481995 |
Is Fidelity Select Technology (FSPTX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Well, Fidelity Select Technology (FSPTX) would not be a good potential starting point right now. FSPTX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective FSPTX is part of the Sector - Tech category, which boasts an array of different possible selections. With a much more diversified approach, Sector - Tech mutual funds give investors a way to own a stake in a notoriously risky sector. Tech companies are in various industries like semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, among others. History of Fund/Manager Fidelity is based in Boston, MA, and is the manager of FSPTX. Fidelity Select Technology debuted in July of 1981. Since then, FSPTX has accumulated assets of about $4.56 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Charlie Chai who has been in charge of the fund since January of 2007. Performance Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 12.7%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 15.22%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 16.24%, the standard deviation of FSPTX over the past three years is 17.2%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 15.83% compared to the category average of 15.86%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment. In FSPTX's case, the fund lost 59.27% in the most recent bear market and underperformed comparable funds by 5.96%. This means that the fund could possibly be a worse choice than its peers during a down market environment. Nevertheless, with a 5-year beta of 1.17, the fund is likely to be more volatile than the market average. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. The fund has produced a positive alpha over the past 5 years of 3.16, which shows that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States. As of the last filing date, the mutual fund has 94.86% of its assets in stocks, which have an average market capitalization of $329.14 billion. Turnover is 71%, which means this fund makes fewer trades than its comparable peers. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, FSPTX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.70% compared to the category average of 1.31%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, FSPTX is actually cheaper than its peers. Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $2,500; each subsequent investment has no minimum amount. Bottom Line Overall, Fidelity Select Technology ( FSPTX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now. For additional information on the Sector - Tech area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into FSPTX too for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | Fidelity Select Technology (FSPTX) has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell) FSPTX is part of the Sector - Tech category, which boasts an array of different possible selections. | bart | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/fidelity-select-technology-fsptx-strong-120012787.html | 0.25563 |
Is Fidelity Select Technology (FSPTX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now? | Well, Fidelity Select Technology (FSPTX) would not be a good potential starting point right now. FSPTX has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance. Objective FSPTX is part of the Sector - Tech category, which boasts an array of different possible selections. With a much more diversified approach, Sector - Tech mutual funds give investors a way to own a stake in a notoriously risky sector. Tech companies are in various industries like semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, among others. History of Fund/Manager Fidelity is based in Boston, MA, and is the manager of FSPTX. Fidelity Select Technology debuted in July of 1981. Since then, FSPTX has accumulated assets of about $4.56 billion, according to the most recently available information. The fund is currently managed by Charlie Chai who has been in charge of the fund since January of 2007. Performance Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 12.7%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 15.22%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame. When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 16.24%, the standard deviation of FSPTX over the past three years is 17.2%. The standard deviation of the fund over the past 5 years is 15.83% compared to the category average of 15.86%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade. Risk Factors Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment. In FSPTX's case, the fund lost 59.27% in the most recent bear market and underperformed comparable funds by 5.96%. This means that the fund could possibly be a worse choice than its peers during a down market environment. Nevertheless, with a 5-year beta of 1.17, the fund is likely to be more volatile than the market average. Because alpha represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which is the S&P 500 in this case, one should pay attention to this metric as well. The fund has produced a positive alpha over the past 5 years of 3.16, which shows that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns. Holdings Investigating the equity holdings of a mutual fund is also a valuable exercise. This can show us how the manager is applying their stated methodology, as well as if there are any inherent biases in their approach. For this particular fund, the focus is primarily on equities that are traded in the United States. As of the last filing date, the mutual fund has 94.86% of its assets in stocks, which have an average market capitalization of $329.14 billion. Turnover is 71%, which means this fund makes fewer trades than its comparable peers. Expenses For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, FSPTX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.70% compared to the category average of 1.31%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, FSPTX is actually cheaper than its peers. Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $2,500; each subsequent investment has no minimum amount. Bottom Line Overall, Fidelity Select Technology ( FSPTX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now. For additional information on the Sector - Tech area of the mutual fund world, make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds. There, you can see more about the ranking process, and dive even deeper into FSPTX too for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | Fidelity Select Technology (FSPTX) has a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 5 (Strong Sell) FSPTX is part of the Sector - Tech category, which boasts an array of different possible selections. Tech companies are in various industries like semiconductors, software, internet, and networking, among others. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/fidelity-select-technology-fsptx-strong-120012787.html | 0.280373 |
Will Valentine's Day be the same without conversation hearts? | We didn't know how much we loved the conversation Sweethearts until they were unjustly swiped from grocery store shelves. Lovers everywhere are at a loss, not knowing how they will express their true feelings to their beaus and belles without the help of the pastel, toothpaste-tasting candies. Others rejoice at the Sweethearts' disappearance, saying their loss makes room for many more delicious candies and chocolates to be devoured. PERSPECTIVES Sweetheart conversation hearts are produced by Necco, a candy company more than a century old. When a new parent company swooped in and purchased the ailing Necco, Sweetheart factories did not have enough time to set up production for its "yearly 8 million hearts" by the 2019 Valentine's Day season. Everywhere, customers are frantically searching for the small treats to no avail. As Vox's Kaitlyn Tiffany puts it: Yes, conversation hearts are a little bit of a joke, but they're our joke. They're a cultural shorthand for the pretty facade and ultimate disappointment of romantic conventions. They are not pleasant to eat, and yet we want them. They've been around for more than a century: The technology to slice wafer candy was invented by Oliver R. Chase in 1847, and his brother Daniel created a machine that could print words on candies in 1866. Why you can't buy Sweethearts candy conversation hearts this Valentine's Day But not to worry, there are other options available. Brach's knockoff conversation candies are still wildly available. It's true that the candies are not identical, but if you rely on these treats to give words to the love you have in your heart, Brach's has you covered. No need to worry! All of your favorite retailers' shelves are filled with Brach's Valentines Conversation Hearts for sharing with your loved ones this season. Find them here: https://t.co/ekTC6pTeb8 pic.twitter.com/klfh9hHXCy -- Brach's (@BrachsCandyUSA) January 24, 2019 Blasphemy! Necco and Brach's produce wildly different candies. If you're going to eat the hearts, you have to eat the right kind. The New York Times' Jacey Fortin points out: Brach's hearts come in many flavors and are generally a little thinner and softer than Sweethearts, and they are laser-printed rather than stamped. Try giving your sweetheart fake flowers with their Brach's conversation hearts. See how it goes. No. No. Krispy Kreme Saves Valentine's Day with Conversation Heart Donuts 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. | Sweetheart conversation hearts are no longer available this Valentine's Day. They were produced by Necco, a candy company more than a century old. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/will_valentines_day_be_the_sam.html | 0.149229 |
Will Valentine's Day be the same without conversation hearts? | We didn't know how much we loved the conversation Sweethearts until they were unjustly swiped from grocery store shelves. Lovers everywhere are at a loss, not knowing how they will express their true feelings to their beaus and belles without the help of the pastel, toothpaste-tasting candies. Others rejoice at the Sweethearts' disappearance, saying their loss makes room for many more delicious candies and chocolates to be devoured. PERSPECTIVES Sweetheart conversation hearts are produced by Necco, a candy company more than a century old. When a new parent company swooped in and purchased the ailing Necco, Sweetheart factories did not have enough time to set up production for its "yearly 8 million hearts" by the 2019 Valentine's Day season. Everywhere, customers are frantically searching for the small treats to no avail. As Vox's Kaitlyn Tiffany puts it: Yes, conversation hearts are a little bit of a joke, but they're our joke. They're a cultural shorthand for the pretty facade and ultimate disappointment of romantic conventions. They are not pleasant to eat, and yet we want them. They've been around for more than a century: The technology to slice wafer candy was invented by Oliver R. Chase in 1847, and his brother Daniel created a machine that could print words on candies in 1866. Why you can't buy Sweethearts candy conversation hearts this Valentine's Day But not to worry, there are other options available. Brach's knockoff conversation candies are still wildly available. It's true that the candies are not identical, but if you rely on these treats to give words to the love you have in your heart, Brach's has you covered. No need to worry! All of your favorite retailers' shelves are filled with Brach's Valentines Conversation Hearts for sharing with your loved ones this season. Find them here: https://t.co/ekTC6pTeb8 pic.twitter.com/klfh9hHXCy -- Brach's (@BrachsCandyUSA) January 24, 2019 Blasphemy! Necco and Brach's produce wildly different candies. If you're going to eat the hearts, you have to eat the right kind. The New York Times' Jacey Fortin points out: Brach's hearts come in many flavors and are generally a little thinner and softer than Sweethearts, and they are laser-printed rather than stamped. Try giving your sweetheart fake flowers with their Brach's conversation hearts. See how it goes. No. No. Krispy Kreme Saves Valentine's Day with Conversation Heart Donuts 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. | Sweetheart conversation hearts are no longer available this Valentine's Day. They were produced by Necco, a candy company more than a century old. Customers are frantically searching for the small treats to no avail. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/will_valentines_day_be_the_sam.html | 0.17336 |
Will Valentine's Day be the same without conversation hearts? | We didn't know how much we loved the conversation Sweethearts until they were unjustly swiped from grocery store shelves. Lovers everywhere are at a loss, not knowing how they will express their true feelings to their beaus and belles without the help of the pastel, toothpaste-tasting candies. Others rejoice at the Sweethearts' disappearance, saying their loss makes room for many more delicious candies and chocolates to be devoured. PERSPECTIVES Sweetheart conversation hearts are produced by Necco, a candy company more than a century old. When a new parent company swooped in and purchased the ailing Necco, Sweetheart factories did not have enough time to set up production for its "yearly 8 million hearts" by the 2019 Valentine's Day season. Everywhere, customers are frantically searching for the small treats to no avail. As Vox's Kaitlyn Tiffany puts it: Yes, conversation hearts are a little bit of a joke, but they're our joke. They're a cultural shorthand for the pretty facade and ultimate disappointment of romantic conventions. They are not pleasant to eat, and yet we want them. They've been around for more than a century: The technology to slice wafer candy was invented by Oliver R. Chase in 1847, and his brother Daniel created a machine that could print words on candies in 1866. Why you can't buy Sweethearts candy conversation hearts this Valentine's Day But not to worry, there are other options available. Brach's knockoff conversation candies are still wildly available. It's true that the candies are not identical, but if you rely on these treats to give words to the love you have in your heart, Brach's has you covered. No need to worry! All of your favorite retailers' shelves are filled with Brach's Valentines Conversation Hearts for sharing with your loved ones this season. Find them here: https://t.co/ekTC6pTeb8 pic.twitter.com/klfh9hHXCy -- Brach's (@BrachsCandyUSA) January 24, 2019 Blasphemy! Necco and Brach's produce wildly different candies. If you're going to eat the hearts, you have to eat the right kind. The New York Times' Jacey Fortin points out: Brach's hearts come in many flavors and are generally a little thinner and softer than Sweethearts, and they are laser-printed rather than stamped. Try giving your sweetheart fake flowers with their Brach's conversation hearts. See how it goes. No. No. Krispy Kreme Saves Valentine's Day with Conversation Heart Donuts 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. | Sweetheart conversation hearts are no longer available this Valentine's Day. They were produced by Necco, a candy company more than a century old. Customers are frantically searching for the small treats to no avail. Brach's knockoff conversation candies are still wildly available. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/will_valentines_day_be_the_sam.html | 0.198824 |
Can Cultural Influencers Save Harley Davidson? | Legacy American motorcycle brand Harley Davidson can use all the social media influence it can get, after once again missing earnings expectations. With the rise of influencers primarily attached to trendsetters in the hip hop community, plans to revive the company rely heavily on culture. The Breakdown You Need to Know Riding into millennials lives via the influencer route may prove challenging for Harley Davidson. Even with a strong roster of people leading the charge when they announced a new line of 2018 motorcycles via Facebook owned Instagram, like rapper Ludacris and actor Jason Momoa. They still need to overcome their aging demographic which is heavily skewed to married men in their 50s. Tapping into younger consumers image conscious side may be the companys best bet with its influencer push. Pew research found that 43% of black adults use Instagram, more than any other group in the country, and CultureBanx covered how getting this trendsetting subset interested in motorcycles could be very useful. UBS analyst Robin Farley wrote one hopeful sign for the industry is that younger potential buyers cited the second most common reason to buy a motorcycle is that it goes with their self-image. The UBS survey also noted a primary reason why people 21-34 years olds would buy a new motorcycle is 'ease of transportation'. On the companys earnings call CEO Matthew Levatich acknowledged the importance of its influencer strategy. We drove relevance and interest through our activations with celebrities and social media influencers, whose content and activity generated equivalent traditional media value that was up 80%, said Levatich. However, shares of the motorcycle maker have declined more than 30% in the last 12 months. Millennial Motorcycle Mindfulness: Even if younger people for some reason started to think Harley Davidson motorcycles were cool again, you have to factor in the high price for its Hogs which appeal to middle age men making around $90,000 a year. The average millennial makes far less than that and they would need a cheaper bike, which would bring in lower margins for manufacturers. Also, millennials are interested more light weight motorcycles and thats far from the high-end heavyweight motorcycles Harley specializes in. The decline of Harley Davidson could be viewed as millennials killing another industry, but its also plausible they hold the keys to the future of the motorcycle sector. A generational shift among younger riders is desperately needed to move beyond motorcycling as just a hobby and into a means of necessary transportation. Over the next decade the company plans to bring in two-million more riders, while also getting into the electric bike market with the two concept motorcycles they previewed in January. | Harley Davidson is trying to revive its fortunes with the help of influencers. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/korihale/2019/02/05/can-cultural-influencers-save-harley-davidson/ | 0.195873 |
Can Cultural Influencers Save Harley Davidson? | Legacy American motorcycle brand Harley Davidson can use all the social media influence it can get, after once again missing earnings expectations. With the rise of influencers primarily attached to trendsetters in the hip hop community, plans to revive the company rely heavily on culture. The Breakdown You Need to Know Riding into millennials lives via the influencer route may prove challenging for Harley Davidson. Even with a strong roster of people leading the charge when they announced a new line of 2018 motorcycles via Facebook owned Instagram, like rapper Ludacris and actor Jason Momoa. They still need to overcome their aging demographic which is heavily skewed to married men in their 50s. Tapping into younger consumers image conscious side may be the companys best bet with its influencer push. Pew research found that 43% of black adults use Instagram, more than any other group in the country, and CultureBanx covered how getting this trendsetting subset interested in motorcycles could be very useful. UBS analyst Robin Farley wrote one hopeful sign for the industry is that younger potential buyers cited the second most common reason to buy a motorcycle is that it goes with their self-image. The UBS survey also noted a primary reason why people 21-34 years olds would buy a new motorcycle is 'ease of transportation'. On the companys earnings call CEO Matthew Levatich acknowledged the importance of its influencer strategy. We drove relevance and interest through our activations with celebrities and social media influencers, whose content and activity generated equivalent traditional media value that was up 80%, said Levatich. However, shares of the motorcycle maker have declined more than 30% in the last 12 months. Millennial Motorcycle Mindfulness: Even if younger people for some reason started to think Harley Davidson motorcycles were cool again, you have to factor in the high price for its Hogs which appeal to middle age men making around $90,000 a year. The average millennial makes far less than that and they would need a cheaper bike, which would bring in lower margins for manufacturers. Also, millennials are interested more light weight motorcycles and thats far from the high-end heavyweight motorcycles Harley specializes in. The decline of Harley Davidson could be viewed as millennials killing another industry, but its also plausible they hold the keys to the future of the motorcycle sector. A generational shift among younger riders is desperately needed to move beyond motorcycling as just a hobby and into a means of necessary transportation. Over the next decade the company plans to bring in two-million more riders, while also getting into the electric bike market with the two concept motorcycles they previewed in January. | Harley Davidson is trying to revive its fortunes with the help of social media influencers. The company missed earnings expectations for the third quarter of this year. Harley is hoping to appeal to millennials who are increasingly interested in motorcycling. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/korihale/2019/02/05/can-cultural-influencers-save-harley-davidson/ | 0.192204 |
Can Cultural Influencers Save Harley Davidson? | Legacy American motorcycle brand Harley Davidson can use all the social media influence it can get, after once again missing earnings expectations. With the rise of influencers primarily attached to trendsetters in the hip hop community, plans to revive the company rely heavily on culture. The Breakdown You Need to Know Riding into millennials lives via the influencer route may prove challenging for Harley Davidson. Even with a strong roster of people leading the charge when they announced a new line of 2018 motorcycles via Facebook owned Instagram, like rapper Ludacris and actor Jason Momoa. They still need to overcome their aging demographic which is heavily skewed to married men in their 50s. Tapping into younger consumers image conscious side may be the companys best bet with its influencer push. Pew research found that 43% of black adults use Instagram, more than any other group in the country, and CultureBanx covered how getting this trendsetting subset interested in motorcycles could be very useful. UBS analyst Robin Farley wrote one hopeful sign for the industry is that younger potential buyers cited the second most common reason to buy a motorcycle is that it goes with their self-image. The UBS survey also noted a primary reason why people 21-34 years olds would buy a new motorcycle is 'ease of transportation'. On the companys earnings call CEO Matthew Levatich acknowledged the importance of its influencer strategy. We drove relevance and interest through our activations with celebrities and social media influencers, whose content and activity generated equivalent traditional media value that was up 80%, said Levatich. However, shares of the motorcycle maker have declined more than 30% in the last 12 months. Millennial Motorcycle Mindfulness: Even if younger people for some reason started to think Harley Davidson motorcycles were cool again, you have to factor in the high price for its Hogs which appeal to middle age men making around $90,000 a year. The average millennial makes far less than that and they would need a cheaper bike, which would bring in lower margins for manufacturers. Also, millennials are interested more light weight motorcycles and thats far from the high-end heavyweight motorcycles Harley specializes in. The decline of Harley Davidson could be viewed as millennials killing another industry, but its also plausible they hold the keys to the future of the motorcycle sector. A generational shift among younger riders is desperately needed to move beyond motorcycling as just a hobby and into a means of necessary transportation. Over the next decade the company plans to bring in two-million more riders, while also getting into the electric bike market with the two concept motorcycles they previewed in January. | Harley Davidson missed earnings expectations once again. With the rise of influencers primarily attached to trendsetters in the hip hop community, plans to revive the company rely heavily on culture. Tapping into younger consumers image conscious side may be the companys best bet with its influencer push. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/korihale/2019/02/05/can-cultural-influencers-save-harley-davidson/ | 0.233261 |
Is The UN World Health Org Recommending To Globally Reschedule Cannabis Much Ado About Nothing? | In a public letter, dated January 24, from the Director-General of the United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO) Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, to the UN Secretary-General Antnio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, DG Ghebreyesus recommends reclassifying cannabis worldwide by removing it from Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs international treaty of 1961. This suggestion is being touted by cannabis enthusiasts and policy reformers as cause for celebration. However, the WHO's slow-moving suggestions may be obsolete by the time they are implemented, given that more progressive organizations are so far ahead. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs from 58 years ago "aims to combat drug abuse by coordinated international action. There are two forms of intervention and control that work together. First, it seeks to limit the possession, use, trade in, distribution, import, export, manufacture and production of drugs exclusively to medical and scientific purposes (research). Second, it combats drug trafficking through international cooperation to deter and discourage drug traffickers." "The UN is subject to numerous criticisms of irrelevancy by many because of its generally backward-looking perspective. The UNs evolving policies on cannabis are welcome but immaterial to progressives and deeply meaningful to conservatives and the old guard," said Chris Bunka, CEO of Lexaria BioScience, whose company develops cannabis-based therapies. Schedule IV vs Schedule I Unlike the US Controlled Substances Act, which labels the most-restricted drugs Schedule I, the UN treaty's classification system is different. In terms of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the combination of Schedule I and Schedule IV is the most restrictive level of control that is applied to psychoactive substances with no medical use such as heroin. Cannabis (plant) is currently in Schedule I and IV and is "subject to all measures of control applicable to drugs under this Convention." The WHO's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) has recommended that cannabis be deleted from Schedule IV and maintained under control in Schedule I of the 1961 Convention, along with substances such as morphine which have medicinal use, as outlined by the WHO. If cannabis is deleted from Schedule IV and remains in Schedule I only, this will allow member states to implement less stringent national control regulations on cannabis and cannabis-based preparations. Additionally, it will abolish the regulatory barriers pertaining to Schedule IV and facilitate medical and scientific research of new cannabis related preparation and medicines. Schedule I less restrictive level of control than Schedule I and IV and is applied to harmful psychoactive substances which could have a medical use such as morphine. Schedule II (e.g. Codeine) is less restrictive than Schedule I. "This [rescheduling] is because there is evidence that some cannabis-based preparations have a medical use," said a spokesperson for the WHO, in an email. If the head of the WHO's suggestions are adopted, this action will require annotations to the 58-year-old treaty currently in place. The 53 participating member states of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), a division of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) still have to ratify these recommendations. A vote by the CND may take place in March. For recommendations related to the 1971 Convention, e.g. Delta 9 THC scheduling, a two-thirds majority (35/53 votes) is required. For recommendations related to the 1961 Convention, e.g. cannabis scheduling, a single majority (27/53 votes) is required, to grant their approval in order for the recommendations to pass. In response to DG Ghebreyesus' envelope-pushing letter, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General confirmed that the Secretary-General has received and reviewed it and his comments are forthcoming. Considering he was instrumental in implementing the pioneering decriminalization of all drugs during his tenure as Prime Minister of Portugal, predictably he will support the recommendations. The Bureaucracy and the Rogue Member States While the Secretary-General is in favor of progressive drug laws, getting various factions of the UN, such as the WHO, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the CND on the same page, is no easy feat. Neither is getting all of the UN's member states (participating nations) to agree on anything. Of the 13 members of the International Narcotics Review Board, the U.S. representative David T. Johnson, is Vice President of Janus Operations. The Russian representative, Galina A. Korchagina is Deputy Director of Research at the National Centre for Research on Drug Addiction. The (INCB) claims member states Uruguay and Canada are in flagrant violation of the 1961 Convention because cannabis is already entirely legal in both countries. (However, this criticism, drew a rebuke from the Secretary-General who consistently urges drug policy reform.) Other countries added disclaimers and contingencies to the Convention upon signing. Nepal, Bangladesh and India, for example, "reserve the right to permit temporarily in its territory, the quasi-medical use of opium; The use of cannabis, cannabis resin, extracts and tinctures of cannabis for non-medical purposes." Vietnam notes in the Convention it takes issue with extradition for drug-related offenses, while Austria supports extradition but will not step on Vietnam's toes or violate its sovereignty. Finland, however, calls out Vietnam for signing a treaty they will not adhere to as all of their exceptions are a contradiction in terms. As the aforementioned countries have set themselves apart in how they dealt with cannabis, any updates or revisions to the convention might not necessarily have an impact on them. Clearly, the UNs vision of purported unity related to drugs is a fiction not shared universally among its member states, some of whom object that cannabis use is an imprisonable or even capital offense. The announcement of the recommendations made at the 41st ECDD were meeting, were previously delayed in December, because they are "subject to standard WHO internal clearance processes," said a WHO spokesperson via email from Geneva. The recommendations seemingly suggest baby steps. Big Pharma The same letter recommends removing Dronabinol (Marinol) from Schedule II of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and reclassifying it within the parameters of Schedule I of the 1961 Convention instead. Dronabinol is an isolated constituent of THC and does not even represent the entire THC molecule. In fact, it is a synthesized sub-component of THC. It is typically sold as an encapsulated oily resin, available by prescription in the US, Canada, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. Therefore, adding it to the 1961 Convention if and when that is if approved by the CND can be interpreted as merely playing catch up to accommodate Big Pharma. The news and potentially subsequent implementation might cause a temporary uptick in AbbVie stock (NYSE:ABBV), manufacturers of Marinol, and incidentally, Depakote, if and when the CND decides to approve and announce its reclassification. AbbVie reports $8.236 billion in 2018 third-quarter revenue. CBD, Much Ado About Nothing As for cannabidiol, or CBD, the letter recommends "pure cannabidiol CBD should not be scheduled within the international drug control conventions." Prior research by the WHO found CBD to be a relatively safe drug. The letter also suggests adding a footnote to the entry for cannabis and cannabis resin in Schedule I of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961 to read, "Preparations containing predominantly cannabidiol and not more than 0.2% of the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol are not under international control." Meaning, other than allowing for low-level extracts, tinctures, and CBD which wasn't included in the Convention, to begin with the recommendation to reschedule rather than omit cannabis and hashish (cannabis resin), may be interpreted as typical, slow-moving, UN doublespeak. "Nevertheless, the Commission may decide by consensus not to vote on recommendations concerning changes to the scope of control of substances," according to CND's website, pertaining to rescheduling. "For example, the CND, at its 50th session in 2007, decided by consensus not to vote on a WHO recommendation to move dronabinol and its stereoisomers from Schedule II to Schedule III of the 1971 Convention and requested WHO to undertake a review of these substances when additional information became available. After discussion, the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence of the WHO decided at its thirty-fifth meeting in June 2012 that its previous recommendation on dronabinol still stood, and that members of the Committee were unaware of any new evidence that was likely to alter the previous scheduling recommendation," the CND website reads. The UN has an opportunity of aiding the lives of millions around the world by adopting progressive drug laws that punish organized crime for drug exploitation, while simultaneously assisting tens of millions of people who live with pain and ailments ameliorated with substances such as cannabis. Actions like this could help the UN become more relevant for todays society, in a world that has significantly evolved from the days of the 1961 Convention on drugs. | WHO recommends reclassifying cannabis worldwide by removing it from Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs international treaty of 1961. | bart | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarabrittanysomerset/2019/02/05/is-the-un-world-health-orgs-recommending-to-globally-reschedule-cannabis-much-ado-about-nothing/ | 0.35117 |
Is The UN World Health Org Recommending To Globally Reschedule Cannabis Much Ado About Nothing? | In a public letter, dated January 24, from the Director-General of the United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO) Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, to the UN Secretary-General Antnio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, DG Ghebreyesus recommends reclassifying cannabis worldwide by removing it from Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs international treaty of 1961. This suggestion is being touted by cannabis enthusiasts and policy reformers as cause for celebration. However, the WHO's slow-moving suggestions may be obsolete by the time they are implemented, given that more progressive organizations are so far ahead. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs from 58 years ago "aims to combat drug abuse by coordinated international action. There are two forms of intervention and control that work together. First, it seeks to limit the possession, use, trade in, distribution, import, export, manufacture and production of drugs exclusively to medical and scientific purposes (research). Second, it combats drug trafficking through international cooperation to deter and discourage drug traffickers." "The UN is subject to numerous criticisms of irrelevancy by many because of its generally backward-looking perspective. The UNs evolving policies on cannabis are welcome but immaterial to progressives and deeply meaningful to conservatives and the old guard," said Chris Bunka, CEO of Lexaria BioScience, whose company develops cannabis-based therapies. Schedule IV vs Schedule I Unlike the US Controlled Substances Act, which labels the most-restricted drugs Schedule I, the UN treaty's classification system is different. In terms of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the combination of Schedule I and Schedule IV is the most restrictive level of control that is applied to psychoactive substances with no medical use such as heroin. Cannabis (plant) is currently in Schedule I and IV and is "subject to all measures of control applicable to drugs under this Convention." The WHO's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) has recommended that cannabis be deleted from Schedule IV and maintained under control in Schedule I of the 1961 Convention, along with substances such as morphine which have medicinal use, as outlined by the WHO. If cannabis is deleted from Schedule IV and remains in Schedule I only, this will allow member states to implement less stringent national control regulations on cannabis and cannabis-based preparations. Additionally, it will abolish the regulatory barriers pertaining to Schedule IV and facilitate medical and scientific research of new cannabis related preparation and medicines. Schedule I less restrictive level of control than Schedule I and IV and is applied to harmful psychoactive substances which could have a medical use such as morphine. Schedule II (e.g. Codeine) is less restrictive than Schedule I. "This [rescheduling] is because there is evidence that some cannabis-based preparations have a medical use," said a spokesperson for the WHO, in an email. If the head of the WHO's suggestions are adopted, this action will require annotations to the 58-year-old treaty currently in place. The 53 participating member states of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), a division of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) still have to ratify these recommendations. A vote by the CND may take place in March. For recommendations related to the 1971 Convention, e.g. Delta 9 THC scheduling, a two-thirds majority (35/53 votes) is required. For recommendations related to the 1961 Convention, e.g. cannabis scheduling, a single majority (27/53 votes) is required, to grant their approval in order for the recommendations to pass. In response to DG Ghebreyesus' envelope-pushing letter, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General confirmed that the Secretary-General has received and reviewed it and his comments are forthcoming. Considering he was instrumental in implementing the pioneering decriminalization of all drugs during his tenure as Prime Minister of Portugal, predictably he will support the recommendations. The Bureaucracy and the Rogue Member States While the Secretary-General is in favor of progressive drug laws, getting various factions of the UN, such as the WHO, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the CND on the same page, is no easy feat. Neither is getting all of the UN's member states (participating nations) to agree on anything. Of the 13 members of the International Narcotics Review Board, the U.S. representative David T. Johnson, is Vice President of Janus Operations. The Russian representative, Galina A. Korchagina is Deputy Director of Research at the National Centre for Research on Drug Addiction. The (INCB) claims member states Uruguay and Canada are in flagrant violation of the 1961 Convention because cannabis is already entirely legal in both countries. (However, this criticism, drew a rebuke from the Secretary-General who consistently urges drug policy reform.) Other countries added disclaimers and contingencies to the Convention upon signing. Nepal, Bangladesh and India, for example, "reserve the right to permit temporarily in its territory, the quasi-medical use of opium; The use of cannabis, cannabis resin, extracts and tinctures of cannabis for non-medical purposes." Vietnam notes in the Convention it takes issue with extradition for drug-related offenses, while Austria supports extradition but will not step on Vietnam's toes or violate its sovereignty. Finland, however, calls out Vietnam for signing a treaty they will not adhere to as all of their exceptions are a contradiction in terms. As the aforementioned countries have set themselves apart in how they dealt with cannabis, any updates or revisions to the convention might not necessarily have an impact on them. Clearly, the UNs vision of purported unity related to drugs is a fiction not shared universally among its member states, some of whom object that cannabis use is an imprisonable or even capital offense. The announcement of the recommendations made at the 41st ECDD were meeting, were previously delayed in December, because they are "subject to standard WHO internal clearance processes," said a WHO spokesperson via email from Geneva. The recommendations seemingly suggest baby steps. Big Pharma The same letter recommends removing Dronabinol (Marinol) from Schedule II of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and reclassifying it within the parameters of Schedule I of the 1961 Convention instead. Dronabinol is an isolated constituent of THC and does not even represent the entire THC molecule. In fact, it is a synthesized sub-component of THC. It is typically sold as an encapsulated oily resin, available by prescription in the US, Canada, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. Therefore, adding it to the 1961 Convention if and when that is if approved by the CND can be interpreted as merely playing catch up to accommodate Big Pharma. The news and potentially subsequent implementation might cause a temporary uptick in AbbVie stock (NYSE:ABBV), manufacturers of Marinol, and incidentally, Depakote, if and when the CND decides to approve and announce its reclassification. AbbVie reports $8.236 billion in 2018 third-quarter revenue. CBD, Much Ado About Nothing As for cannabidiol, or CBD, the letter recommends "pure cannabidiol CBD should not be scheduled within the international drug control conventions." Prior research by the WHO found CBD to be a relatively safe drug. The letter also suggests adding a footnote to the entry for cannabis and cannabis resin in Schedule I of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961 to read, "Preparations containing predominantly cannabidiol and not more than 0.2% of the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol are not under international control." Meaning, other than allowing for low-level extracts, tinctures, and CBD which wasn't included in the Convention, to begin with the recommendation to reschedule rather than omit cannabis and hashish (cannabis resin), may be interpreted as typical, slow-moving, UN doublespeak. "Nevertheless, the Commission may decide by consensus not to vote on recommendations concerning changes to the scope of control of substances," according to CND's website, pertaining to rescheduling. "For example, the CND, at its 50th session in 2007, decided by consensus not to vote on a WHO recommendation to move dronabinol and its stereoisomers from Schedule II to Schedule III of the 1971 Convention and requested WHO to undertake a review of these substances when additional information became available. After discussion, the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence of the WHO decided at its thirty-fifth meeting in June 2012 that its previous recommendation on dronabinol still stood, and that members of the Committee were unaware of any new evidence that was likely to alter the previous scheduling recommendation," the CND website reads. The UN has an opportunity of aiding the lives of millions around the world by adopting progressive drug laws that punish organized crime for drug exploitation, while simultaneously assisting tens of millions of people who live with pain and ailments ameliorated with substances such as cannabis. Actions like this could help the UN become more relevant for todays society, in a world that has significantly evolved from the days of the 1961 Convention on drugs. | WHO recommends reclassifying cannabis worldwide by removing it from Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs international treaty of 1961. This suggestion is being touted by cannabis enthusiasts and policy reformers as cause for celebration. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarabrittanysomerset/2019/02/05/is-the-un-world-health-orgs-recommending-to-globally-reschedule-cannabis-much-ado-about-nothing/ | 0.378404 |
Is The UN World Health Org Recommending To Globally Reschedule Cannabis Much Ado About Nothing? | In a public letter, dated January 24, from the Director-General of the United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO) Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, to the UN Secretary-General Antnio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, DG Ghebreyesus recommends reclassifying cannabis worldwide by removing it from Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs international treaty of 1961. This suggestion is being touted by cannabis enthusiasts and policy reformers as cause for celebration. However, the WHO's slow-moving suggestions may be obsolete by the time they are implemented, given that more progressive organizations are so far ahead. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs from 58 years ago "aims to combat drug abuse by coordinated international action. There are two forms of intervention and control that work together. First, it seeks to limit the possession, use, trade in, distribution, import, export, manufacture and production of drugs exclusively to medical and scientific purposes (research). Second, it combats drug trafficking through international cooperation to deter and discourage drug traffickers." "The UN is subject to numerous criticisms of irrelevancy by many because of its generally backward-looking perspective. The UNs evolving policies on cannabis are welcome but immaterial to progressives and deeply meaningful to conservatives and the old guard," said Chris Bunka, CEO of Lexaria BioScience, whose company develops cannabis-based therapies. Schedule IV vs Schedule I Unlike the US Controlled Substances Act, which labels the most-restricted drugs Schedule I, the UN treaty's classification system is different. In terms of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the combination of Schedule I and Schedule IV is the most restrictive level of control that is applied to psychoactive substances with no medical use such as heroin. Cannabis (plant) is currently in Schedule I and IV and is "subject to all measures of control applicable to drugs under this Convention." The WHO's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) has recommended that cannabis be deleted from Schedule IV and maintained under control in Schedule I of the 1961 Convention, along with substances such as morphine which have medicinal use, as outlined by the WHO. If cannabis is deleted from Schedule IV and remains in Schedule I only, this will allow member states to implement less stringent national control regulations on cannabis and cannabis-based preparations. Additionally, it will abolish the regulatory barriers pertaining to Schedule IV and facilitate medical and scientific research of new cannabis related preparation and medicines. Schedule I less restrictive level of control than Schedule I and IV and is applied to harmful psychoactive substances which could have a medical use such as morphine. Schedule II (e.g. Codeine) is less restrictive than Schedule I. "This [rescheduling] is because there is evidence that some cannabis-based preparations have a medical use," said a spokesperson for the WHO, in an email. If the head of the WHO's suggestions are adopted, this action will require annotations to the 58-year-old treaty currently in place. The 53 participating member states of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), a division of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) still have to ratify these recommendations. A vote by the CND may take place in March. For recommendations related to the 1971 Convention, e.g. Delta 9 THC scheduling, a two-thirds majority (35/53 votes) is required. For recommendations related to the 1961 Convention, e.g. cannabis scheduling, a single majority (27/53 votes) is required, to grant their approval in order for the recommendations to pass. In response to DG Ghebreyesus' envelope-pushing letter, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General confirmed that the Secretary-General has received and reviewed it and his comments are forthcoming. Considering he was instrumental in implementing the pioneering decriminalization of all drugs during his tenure as Prime Minister of Portugal, predictably he will support the recommendations. The Bureaucracy and the Rogue Member States While the Secretary-General is in favor of progressive drug laws, getting various factions of the UN, such as the WHO, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the CND on the same page, is no easy feat. Neither is getting all of the UN's member states (participating nations) to agree on anything. Of the 13 members of the International Narcotics Review Board, the U.S. representative David T. Johnson, is Vice President of Janus Operations. The Russian representative, Galina A. Korchagina is Deputy Director of Research at the National Centre for Research on Drug Addiction. The (INCB) claims member states Uruguay and Canada are in flagrant violation of the 1961 Convention because cannabis is already entirely legal in both countries. (However, this criticism, drew a rebuke from the Secretary-General who consistently urges drug policy reform.) Other countries added disclaimers and contingencies to the Convention upon signing. Nepal, Bangladesh and India, for example, "reserve the right to permit temporarily in its territory, the quasi-medical use of opium; The use of cannabis, cannabis resin, extracts and tinctures of cannabis for non-medical purposes." Vietnam notes in the Convention it takes issue with extradition for drug-related offenses, while Austria supports extradition but will not step on Vietnam's toes or violate its sovereignty. Finland, however, calls out Vietnam for signing a treaty they will not adhere to as all of their exceptions are a contradiction in terms. As the aforementioned countries have set themselves apart in how they dealt with cannabis, any updates or revisions to the convention might not necessarily have an impact on them. Clearly, the UNs vision of purported unity related to drugs is a fiction not shared universally among its member states, some of whom object that cannabis use is an imprisonable or even capital offense. The announcement of the recommendations made at the 41st ECDD were meeting, were previously delayed in December, because they are "subject to standard WHO internal clearance processes," said a WHO spokesperson via email from Geneva. The recommendations seemingly suggest baby steps. Big Pharma The same letter recommends removing Dronabinol (Marinol) from Schedule II of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and reclassifying it within the parameters of Schedule I of the 1961 Convention instead. Dronabinol is an isolated constituent of THC and does not even represent the entire THC molecule. In fact, it is a synthesized sub-component of THC. It is typically sold as an encapsulated oily resin, available by prescription in the US, Canada, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. Therefore, adding it to the 1961 Convention if and when that is if approved by the CND can be interpreted as merely playing catch up to accommodate Big Pharma. The news and potentially subsequent implementation might cause a temporary uptick in AbbVie stock (NYSE:ABBV), manufacturers of Marinol, and incidentally, Depakote, if and when the CND decides to approve and announce its reclassification. AbbVie reports $8.236 billion in 2018 third-quarter revenue. CBD, Much Ado About Nothing As for cannabidiol, or CBD, the letter recommends "pure cannabidiol CBD should not be scheduled within the international drug control conventions." Prior research by the WHO found CBD to be a relatively safe drug. The letter also suggests adding a footnote to the entry for cannabis and cannabis resin in Schedule I of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961 to read, "Preparations containing predominantly cannabidiol and not more than 0.2% of the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol are not under international control." Meaning, other than allowing for low-level extracts, tinctures, and CBD which wasn't included in the Convention, to begin with the recommendation to reschedule rather than omit cannabis and hashish (cannabis resin), may be interpreted as typical, slow-moving, UN doublespeak. "Nevertheless, the Commission may decide by consensus not to vote on recommendations concerning changes to the scope of control of substances," according to CND's website, pertaining to rescheduling. "For example, the CND, at its 50th session in 2007, decided by consensus not to vote on a WHO recommendation to move dronabinol and its stereoisomers from Schedule II to Schedule III of the 1971 Convention and requested WHO to undertake a review of these substances when additional information became available. After discussion, the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence of the WHO decided at its thirty-fifth meeting in June 2012 that its previous recommendation on dronabinol still stood, and that members of the Committee were unaware of any new evidence that was likely to alter the previous scheduling recommendation," the CND website reads. The UN has an opportunity of aiding the lives of millions around the world by adopting progressive drug laws that punish organized crime for drug exploitation, while simultaneously assisting tens of millions of people who live with pain and ailments ameliorated with substances such as cannabis. Actions like this could help the UN become more relevant for todays society, in a world that has significantly evolved from the days of the 1961 Convention on drugs. | WHO recommends reclassifying cannabis worldwide by removing it from Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs international treaty of 1961. This suggestion is being touted by cannabis enthusiasts and policy reformers as cause for celebration. If the head of the WHO's suggestions are adopted, this action will require annotations to the 58-year-old treaty currently in place. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarabrittanysomerset/2019/02/05/is-the-un-world-health-orgs-recommending-to-globally-reschedule-cannabis-much-ado-about-nothing/ | 0.490005 |
Can SkyWest Sustain Its Earnings Momentum? | Over the past five years, top regional airline SkyWest (NASDAQ: SKYW) has achieved a remarkable comeback. In 2014, the company was barely profitable, due to a combination of unfavorable weather, rising pilot costs, and the poor profitability of its ExpressJet subsidiary. SkyWest posted a full-year adjusted profit of less than $7 million -- on more than $3 billion of revenue -- for 2014. However, SkyWest has rapidly expanded its profit margin since then. And while it will be harder to wring out efficiency gains going forward, SkyWest has other options for keeping earnings per share moving higher in the next few years. A margin-fueled recovery Last week, SkyWest reported that EPS reached $5.30 in 2018, up from just $0.14 in the trough year of 2014. Yet the company's revenue has barely budged in recent years. SkyWest generated $3.22 billion of revenue in 2018, down fractionally from $3.24 billion in 2014. This remarkable margin recovery was driven by SkyWest shifting its fleet away from turboprops and cramped 50-seat jets in favor of spacious 70- to 76-seat regional jets, primarily the Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) E175. Embraer's E175 has become the regional jet of choice for the U.S. legacy carriers -- i.e., SkyWest's partners -- because unlike most regional aircraft, it provides a passenger experience comparable to mainline jets. SkyWest had 146 E175s in its fleet by the end of 2018, up from zero five years earlier. An Embraer E175 in the United Express livery. More An Embraer E175. Image source: United Airlines. As a result, SkyWest has been able to hold revenue flat even though it has shrunk its fleet from 755 aircraft at the beginning of 2014 to fewer than 600 planes in 2018. SkyWest's surging EPS can be traced directly to its dramatic increase in revenue per aircraft over the past several years. SkyWest will need new sources of earnings growth Last month, SkyWest sold its perennially unprofitable ExpressJet subsidiary, reaping a small cash windfall and removing a big source of risk. This will provide a small earnings lift in 2019. The deal also gives SkyWest priority for adding another 25 regional jets at United Continental -- which would most likely be E175s -- but only if United decides to increase its fleet of large regional jets. In the meantime, SkyWest has firm plans to add just 12 more Embraer E175s to its fleet over the next three years. Furthermore, most of those planes will replace CRJ900s, which are also relatively profitable to fly. Thus, SkyWest has pretty much reached the end of the fleet transition that has driven most of its earnings growth since 2014. The benefit of stability While the introduction of the Embraer E175s has been a huge profit driver for SkyWest in recent years, the fleet transition has been expensive. Capital expenditures have averaged nearly $1 billion annually since 2015. This has driven SkyWest's net debt up from less than $1 billion five years ago to around $2.5 billion today. | SkyWest's EPS reached $5.30 in 2018, up from just $0.14 in the trough year of 2014. SkyWest's surging EPS can be traced directly to its dramatic increase in revenue per aircraft. | pegasus | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/skywest-sustain-earnings-momentum-135500439.html | 0.163773 |
Can SkyWest Sustain Its Earnings Momentum? | Over the past five years, top regional airline SkyWest (NASDAQ: SKYW) has achieved a remarkable comeback. In 2014, the company was barely profitable, due to a combination of unfavorable weather, rising pilot costs, and the poor profitability of its ExpressJet subsidiary. SkyWest posted a full-year adjusted profit of less than $7 million -- on more than $3 billion of revenue -- for 2014. However, SkyWest has rapidly expanded its profit margin since then. And while it will be harder to wring out efficiency gains going forward, SkyWest has other options for keeping earnings per share moving higher in the next few years. A margin-fueled recovery Last week, SkyWest reported that EPS reached $5.30 in 2018, up from just $0.14 in the trough year of 2014. Yet the company's revenue has barely budged in recent years. SkyWest generated $3.22 billion of revenue in 2018, down fractionally from $3.24 billion in 2014. This remarkable margin recovery was driven by SkyWest shifting its fleet away from turboprops and cramped 50-seat jets in favor of spacious 70- to 76-seat regional jets, primarily the Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) E175. Embraer's E175 has become the regional jet of choice for the U.S. legacy carriers -- i.e., SkyWest's partners -- because unlike most regional aircraft, it provides a passenger experience comparable to mainline jets. SkyWest had 146 E175s in its fleet by the end of 2018, up from zero five years earlier. An Embraer E175 in the United Express livery. More An Embraer E175. Image source: United Airlines. As a result, SkyWest has been able to hold revenue flat even though it has shrunk its fleet from 755 aircraft at the beginning of 2014 to fewer than 600 planes in 2018. SkyWest's surging EPS can be traced directly to its dramatic increase in revenue per aircraft over the past several years. SkyWest will need new sources of earnings growth Last month, SkyWest sold its perennially unprofitable ExpressJet subsidiary, reaping a small cash windfall and removing a big source of risk. This will provide a small earnings lift in 2019. The deal also gives SkyWest priority for adding another 25 regional jets at United Continental -- which would most likely be E175s -- but only if United decides to increase its fleet of large regional jets. In the meantime, SkyWest has firm plans to add just 12 more Embraer E175s to its fleet over the next three years. Furthermore, most of those planes will replace CRJ900s, which are also relatively profitable to fly. Thus, SkyWest has pretty much reached the end of the fleet transition that has driven most of its earnings growth since 2014. The benefit of stability While the introduction of the Embraer E175s has been a huge profit driver for SkyWest in recent years, the fleet transition has been expensive. Capital expenditures have averaged nearly $1 billion annually since 2015. This has driven SkyWest's net debt up from less than $1 billion five years ago to around $2.5 billion today. | SkyWest's EPS reached $5.30 in 2018, up from just $0.14 in the trough year of 2014. SkyWest's surging EPS can be traced directly to its dramatic increase in revenue per aircraft. SkyWest will need new sources of earnings growth going forward. | pegasus | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/skywest-sustain-earnings-momentum-135500439.html | 0.210716 |
Will Hain Celestial (HAIN) Earnings Continue to Fall in Q2? | Hain Celestial Group, Inc. HAIN is slated to release second-quarter fiscal 2019 results on Feb 7, before the opening bell. In the last quarter, the company delivered a negative earnings surprise of 30.8%. In three of the trailing four quarters, this food conglomerate has underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, recording average negative earnings surprise of 12.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in the fiscal second quarter stands at 26 cents, reflecting year-over-year decline of 36.6%. We also note that the Zacks Consensus Estimate has gone down by 2 cents in the past 60 days. The company posted first-quarter adjusted earnings of 9 cents a share that declined sharply from 20 cents recorded in the year-ago period. Lower net sales, higher interest and other expenses negatively impacted the bottom line in the previous quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is $612 million, down approximately 21.1% from $775.2 million in the year-ago quarter. We note that total revenues of this New York-based company decreased 5% in the last reported quarter. The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. Quote Factors Influencing Performance Hain Celestial is concerned about dismal sales surprise history, stemming from softness in its U.S. segment along with weakness in U.K. and Rest of World sales. Also, higher trade and promotional investments in the United States along with escalated freight and commodity costs have been hurdles to profitability. Adding to the woes, rising SG&A expenses have been weighing on the companys profitability. In fact, SG&A costs increased 10 basis points (bps) to 14.7% as a percentage of sales in the first quarter. As a result, adjusted EBITDA plunged 36%, while adjusted EBITDA margin shrunk 300 bps to 6.1%. All said, we expect the company to get some respite from Project Terra, which generated cost savings of $60 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2019. Going ahead, the company expects savings of roughly $90-$115 million in fiscal 2019. Additionally, the company is divesting its Hain Pure Protein business to boost efficiency and simplify brand portfolio. Apart from these, the company is focusing on global expansion, with plans to expand distribution network in China and capture the India market. Additionally, Hain Celestial is focusing on making marketing investments in key brands to boost growth. Our proven model does not conclusively show that Hain Celestial is likely to beat estimates this quarter. A stock needs to have both a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) and a positive Earnings ESP for this to happen. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Hain Celestial has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) and an Earnings ESP of -7.69%. 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. Stocks With Favourable Combination Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Nomad Foods NOMD has an Earnings ESP of +1.45% and a Zacks Rank of 2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Monster Beverage Corporation MNST has an Earnings ESP of +0.31% and a Zacks Rank of 2. Post Holdings POST has an Earnings ESP of +0.56% and a Zacks Rank of 3. Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | Hain Celestial Group, Inc. HAIN is slated to release second-quarter fiscal 2019 results on Feb 7. In the last quarter, the company delivered a negative earnings surprise of 30.8%. | bart | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/hain-celestial-hain-earnings-continue-133801144.html | 0.198865 |
Will Hain Celestial (HAIN) Earnings Continue to Fall in Q2? | Hain Celestial Group, Inc. HAIN is slated to release second-quarter fiscal 2019 results on Feb 7, before the opening bell. In the last quarter, the company delivered a negative earnings surprise of 30.8%. In three of the trailing four quarters, this food conglomerate has underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, recording average negative earnings surprise of 12.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in the fiscal second quarter stands at 26 cents, reflecting year-over-year decline of 36.6%. We also note that the Zacks Consensus Estimate has gone down by 2 cents in the past 60 days. The company posted first-quarter adjusted earnings of 9 cents a share that declined sharply from 20 cents recorded in the year-ago period. Lower net sales, higher interest and other expenses negatively impacted the bottom line in the previous quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is $612 million, down approximately 21.1% from $775.2 million in the year-ago quarter. We note that total revenues of this New York-based company decreased 5% in the last reported quarter. The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. Quote Factors Influencing Performance Hain Celestial is concerned about dismal sales surprise history, stemming from softness in its U.S. segment along with weakness in U.K. and Rest of World sales. Also, higher trade and promotional investments in the United States along with escalated freight and commodity costs have been hurdles to profitability. Adding to the woes, rising SG&A expenses have been weighing on the companys profitability. In fact, SG&A costs increased 10 basis points (bps) to 14.7% as a percentage of sales in the first quarter. As a result, adjusted EBITDA plunged 36%, while adjusted EBITDA margin shrunk 300 bps to 6.1%. All said, we expect the company to get some respite from Project Terra, which generated cost savings of $60 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2019. Going ahead, the company expects savings of roughly $90-$115 million in fiscal 2019. Additionally, the company is divesting its Hain Pure Protein business to boost efficiency and simplify brand portfolio. Apart from these, the company is focusing on global expansion, with plans to expand distribution network in China and capture the India market. Additionally, Hain Celestial is focusing on making marketing investments in key brands to boost growth. Our proven model does not conclusively show that Hain Celestial is likely to beat estimates this quarter. A stock needs to have both a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) and a positive Earnings ESP for this to happen. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Hain Celestial has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) and an Earnings ESP of -7.69%. 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. Stocks With Favourable Combination Here are some companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat: Nomad Foods NOMD has an Earnings ESP of +1.45% and a Zacks Rank of 2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Monster Beverage Corporation MNST has an Earnings ESP of +0.31% and a Zacks Rank of 2. Post Holdings POST has an Earnings ESP of +0.56% and a Zacks Rank of 3. Our annual Top 10s have beaten the market with amazing regularity. In 2018, while the market dropped -5.2%, the portfolio scored well into double-digits overall with individual stocks rising as high as +61.5%. And from 2012-2017, while the market boomed +126.3, Zacks' Top 10s reached an even more sensational +181.9%. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | Hain Celestial is slated to release second-quarter fiscal 2019 results on Feb 7. In the last quarter, the company delivered a negative earnings surprise of 30.8%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in the fiscal second quarter stands at 26 cents, reflecting year-over-year decline of 36.6%. | pegasus | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/hain-celestial-hain-earnings-continue-133801144.html | 0.278864 |
Is Gilead Sciences a Bad News Buy? | Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) can't seem to catch a break. With investors piling into the stock in the first few weeks of this year on renewed optimism about the company's near-term fortunes, Gilead appeared poised for a sharp rebound in 2019. Then the company released its disappointing fourth-quarter earnings and 2019 full-year guidance yesterday, causing its shares to drop by nearly 4% in after-hours trading on fairly heavy volume. What appears to be drawing the ire of most investors is the fact that Gilead's declining hepatitis C drug sales continue to weigh heavily on its top line. Despite a monstrous 60% drop in HCV drug sales over the course of 2018, for example, the biotech expects another billion-dollar decline in this former star franchise this year, according to Gilead's newly released 2019 financial guidance. A man staring at a document with a shocked expression while sitting on a sofa. More Image source: Getty Images. Worse still, Gilead's $11.9 billion acquisition of Kite Pharma simply isn't bridging the gap from a revenue-generation standpoint. Kite's Yescarta cell therapy, after all, only saw its sales rise by a meager 8% in the fourth quarter compared with the prior three-month period. That's not the kind of anemic growth trajectory you'd want to see from a novel cancer therapy early on its commercial launch as an investor -- especially for a product projected to reach nearly $2 billion in peak sales and that helped to drive one of the richest buyouts in the history of biotech. With these underwhelming financial results and the market's overtly negative reaction in mind, it's arguably a perfect time to consider if Gilead's stock is actually a worthwhile contrarian buy. So, let's dig in to find out. Green shoots Gilead is offering investors three clear reasons to stay the course right now. First up, the company noted that its pipeline is making strides toward several high-value milestones this year. The biotech's anti-inflammatory medicine filgotinib, for example, remains on track for two late-stage readouts in rheumatoid arthritis studies this quarter. While filgotinib would enter a crowded market if approved, the rheumatoid arthritis market is potentially large enough to support multiple drugs at comfortable levels. This key pipeline asset could thus turn out to be a major growth driver for the biotech. Keeping with this theme, Gilead also expects to report additional top-line data for its non-alcoholic steatohepatitis candidate selonsertib, as well as its HIV medicine Descovy, later on this year. Both of these readouts could positively impact Gilead's top line in a significant way in the years ahead. The second reason is Gilead's managerial turnover. Starting March 1, Gilead's new CEO will be Daniel O'Day -- a former top Roche executive with an extensive track record in the field of oncology. With O'Day at the helm, Gilead may be able to get Yescarta's less-than-stellar commercial launch on track, and the biotech will have an experienced hand at the helm during its ongoing pivot to oncology. Thirdly, Gilead exited the fourth quarter of 2018 with an eye-popping $31.5 billion in cash and cash equivalents. That amount should be more than sufficient to support Gilead's staged transition into oncology without triggering a reduction to either its dividend or share buyback program. | Gilead Sciences reported disappointing fourth-quarter and full-year results yesterday. The company's hepatitis C drug sales continue to weigh heavily on its top line. With these underwhelming financial results and the market's overtly negative reaction in mind, it's arguably a perfect time to consider if Gilead's stock is actually a worthwhile contrarian buy. | pegasus | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/gilead-sciences-bad-news-buy-132400349.html | 0.17689 |
Should we judge people for their past moral failings? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Andrew Khoury, Arizona State University (THE CONVERSATION) Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is facing a controversy after a photograph surfaced from his medical school yearbook showing one person in blackface and another wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood. The media alleged the governor was the one in blackface. Northam, initially apologized, but later said that he did not believe that the photo was of him and called it disgusting, offensive, racist. The controversy came just months after Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh, faced allegations of sexual assault going back to his high school years. As a philosopher, I believe these cases raise two ethical questions. One is the question of moral responsibility for an action at the time it occurred. The second is moral responsibility in the present time for actions of the past. Most philosophers seem to think that the two cannot be separated. In other words, moral responsibility for an action, once committed, is set in stone. I argue that there are reasons to think that moral responsibility can actually change over time but only under certain conditions. Locke on personal identity Philosophers implicitly agree that moral responsibility cant change over time because they think it is a matter of ones personal identity. The 17th-century British philosopher John Locke was the first to explicitly raise this question. Not only is this, as philosopher Carsten Korfmacher notes, literally a question of life and death, but Locke also thought that personal identity was the key to moral responsibility over time. Personal identity is the basis for all the right and justice of reward and punishment, he wrote. Locke believed that individuals deserve blame for a crime committed in the past simply because they are the same person that committed the past crime. From this perspective, a person would still be responsible for any of the alleged actions of a younger self. Problems with Lockes view Locke argued that being the same person over time was not a matter of having the same soul or having the same body. It was instead a matter of having the same consciousness over time, which he analyzed in terms of memory. Thus, in Lockes view, individuals are responsible for a past wrong act so long as they can remember committing it. While there is clearly something appealing about the idea that memory ties us to the past, it is hard to believe that a person should get off the hook just by forgetting a criminal act. Indeed, some research suggests that violent crime actually induces memory loss. But, I believe, the problems with Lockes view run deeper than this. The chief one is that it doesnt take into consideration other changes in ones psychological makeup. For example, many of us are inclined to think that the remorseful dont deserve as much blame for their past wrongs as those who express no regret. But in Lockes view, the remorseful would still deserve just as much blame for their past crimes because they remain identical with their former selves. Responsibility and change Some philosophers are beginning to question the assumption that responsibility for actions in the past is just a question of personal identity. Philosopher David Shoemaker, for example, argues that responsibility doesnt require identity. In a recent paper in the Journal of the American Philosophical Association, my co-author Benjamin Matheson and I argue that the fact that one has committed a wrong action in the past isnt enough to guarantee responsibility in the present. Instead, that responsibility depends on whether the person has changed in morally important ways. Philosophers generally agree that people deserve blame for an action only if the action was performed with a certain state of mind: say, an intention to knowingly commit a crime. My co-author and I argue that deserving blame in the present for an action in the past depends on whether those same states of mind persist in that person. If so, then the person hasnt changed in relevant ways and will continue to deserve blame for the past action. But a person who has changed may not be deserving of blame over time. The reformed murderer Red, played by Morgan Freeman, in the 1994 film, The Shawshank Redemption, is one of my favorite examples. After decades in the Shawshank Penitentiary, Red the old man hardly resembles the teenager that committed murder. If this is right, then figuring out whether a person deserves blame for a past action is more complex than simply determining if that individual did, in fact, commit the past action. In the case of Northam, some see his denial, as well as his admission of donning blackface during a dance competition as more evidence of his persisting responsibility. Others, however, would like the public to look at Northams overall track record in fighting against racism and prejudice. In particular, one commentator noted that Northam was forceful in his denunciation of the 2017 Charlottesville white supremacist rally. What I would argue is that when confronted with the issue of moral responsibility for actions long since passed, we need to not only consider the nature of the past transgression but also how far and how deeply the individual has changed. This is an updated version of an article first published on Oct. 3, 2018. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/should-we-judge-people-for-their-past-moral-failings-111146. | Andrew Khoury: There are reasons to think that moral responsibility can actually change over time. He says John Locke believed that individuals deserve blame for a crime committed in the past simply because they are the same person that committed the past crime. But, he says, Locke's view doesn't take into consideration other changes in ones psychological makeup. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Should-we-judge-people-for-their-past-moral-13589894.php | 0.125262 |
Why do so many Americans now support legalizing marijuana? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Amy Adamczyk, City University of New York; Christopher Thomas, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and Jacob Felson, William Paterson University (THE CONVERSATION) American views on marijuana have shifted incredibly rapidly. Thirty years ago, marijuana legalization seemed like a lost cause. In 1988, only 24 percent of Americans supported legalization. But steadily, the nation began to liberalize. By 2018, 66 percent of U.S. residents offered their approval, transforming marijuana legalization from a libertarian fantasy into a mainstream cause. Many state laws have changed as well. Over the last quarter-century, 10 states have legalized recreational marijuana, while 22 states have legalized medical marijuana. In a study published this February, we examined a range of possible reasons, finding that the media likely had the greatest influence. Its not about use, geography or demographics Our study ruled out a few obvious possibilities. For one, its not about marijuana use. Yes, marijuana use has increased. Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health show that, in 2002, about 10 percent of adults reported using marijuana the previous year. By 2015, 13.5 percent reported using. But that increase is too small to have had much of an impact on attitudes. And its not about older, more conservative Americans being replaced by younger generations who are more familiar with marijuana. Both younger and older people developed more liberal views about the legalization of marijuana at a similar pace over the last 30 years. In this way, changes in attitudes about marijuana legalization mirror recent increases in support for LGBTQ individuals. We looked to see if people who lived in states where it was illegal, but resided next to ones where it became legal, were more likely to have changed their views. But the rate of change has been no different in states that legalized marijuana than in others. Likewise, the pace of change has been similar across political parties, religions, educational levels, racial and ethnic groups and gender. As politically polarized as the country may seem, when it comes to marijuana, Americans have been changing their attitudes together, as a nation. We did find that a small part of the increase in support was related to more people disaffiliating with religion. The proportion of people who do not identify with a religion has increased some, by about 7 percent between 2007 and 2014. People who do not have a religion tend to be more liberal than others. However, this factor accounts for only a small proportion of the change. What has likely made the biggest difference is how the media has portrayed marijuana. Support for legalization began to increase shortly after the news media began to frame marijuana as a medical issue. We took The New York Times as a case study, looking at the number of published articles from 1983 to 2015 about marijuana. Just before the number of Americans supporting legalization began to increase, we found a sharp increase in the proportion of articles about marijuana that discussed its medical uses. In the 1980s, the vast majority of New York Times stories about marijuana were about drug trafficking and abuse or other Schedule I drugs. At that time, The New York Times was more likely to lump marijuana together in a kind of unholy trinity with cocaine and heroin in discussions about drug smuggling, drug dealers and the like. During the 1990s, stories discussing marijuana in criminal terms became less prevalent. Meanwhile, the number of articles discussing the medical uses of marijuana slowly increased. By the late 1990s, marijuana was rarely discussed in the context of drug trafficking and drug abuse. And marijuana had lost its association with other Schedule I drugs like cocaine and heroin in the New York Times. Gradually, the stereotypical persona of the marijuana user shifted from the stoned slacker wanting to get high to the aging boomer seeking pain relief. Of course, many Americans do not read The New York Times. But analysis of newspapers of record, like this one, provide insight into how the news media has changed its framing of marijuana, especially during an era when newspapers were still a primary news source. Harsh criminal justice system As Americans became more supportive of marijuana legalization, they also increasingly told survey researchers that the criminal justice system was too harsh. In the late 1980s, the war on drugs and sentencing reform laws put a large number of young men, often black and Latino, behind bars for lengthy periods of time. As Americans started to feel the full social and economic effects of tough-on-crime initiatives, they reconsidered the problems with criminalizing marijuana. Because support for the legalization of marijuana and concerns about the harshness of the criminal justice system changed at about the same time, its difficult to know what came first. By contrast, the cause and effect is clearer with respect to the media framing of marijuana. The news medias portrayal of marijuana began to change shortly before the public did, suggesting that the media influenced support for the legalization of marijuana. Once attitudes begin to change, it is difficult to know what keeps the momentum moving. Whatever the initial impetus, attitudes today are drastically more supportive, and legalization is increasing fast. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/why-do-so-many-americans-now-support-legalizing-marijuana-110593. | In 1988, only 24 percent of Americans supported legalization. By 2018, 66 percent of U.S. residents offered their approval. The rate of change has been no different in states that legalized marijuana than in others. Support for legalization began to increase shortly after the news media began to frame marijuana as a medical issue. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Why-do-so-many-Americans-now-support-legalizing-13589898.php | 0.369825 |
Will Skechers (SKX) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report? | It is worth considering Skechers (SKX), which belongs to the Zacks Shoes and Retail Apparel industry. This shoe company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was -6.89%. For the last reported quarter, Skechers came out with earnings of $0.58 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.51 per share, representing a surprise of 13.73%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.40 per share and it actually produced earnings of $0.29 per share, delivering a surprise of 27.50%. Price and EPS Surprise With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for Skechers. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Skechers currently has an Earnings ESP of +9.09%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on February 7, 2019. With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Skechers U.S.A., Inc. (SKX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | Skechers (SKX) has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. | bart | 0 | https://news.yahoo.com/skechers-skx-beat-estimates-again-151003572.html | 0.112035 |
Will Skechers (SKX) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report? | It is worth considering Skechers (SKX), which belongs to the Zacks Shoes and Retail Apparel industry. This shoe company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was -6.89%. For the last reported quarter, Skechers came out with earnings of $0.58 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.51 per share, representing a surprise of 13.73%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.40 per share and it actually produced earnings of $0.29 per share, delivering a surprise of 27.50%. Price and EPS Surprise With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for Skechers. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Skechers currently has an Earnings ESP of +9.09%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on February 7, 2019. With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Skechers U.S.A., Inc. (SKX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | Skechers (SKX) has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the last two quarters. The company's Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the last reported quarter was positive. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/skechers-skx-beat-estimates-again-151003572.html | 0.165861 |
Will Skechers (SKX) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report? | It is worth considering Skechers (SKX), which belongs to the Zacks Shoes and Retail Apparel industry. This shoe company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was -6.89%. For the last reported quarter, Skechers came out with earnings of $0.58 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.51 per share, representing a surprise of 13.73%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.40 per share and it actually produced earnings of $0.29 per share, delivering a surprise of 27.50%. Price and EPS Surprise With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for Skechers. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Skechers currently has an Earnings ESP of +9.09%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on February 7, 2019. With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Skechers U.S.A., Inc. (SKX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | Skechers (SKX) has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was -6.89%. For the last reported quarter, Skechers came out with earnings of $0.58 per share, representing a surprise of 13.73%. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/skechers-skx-beat-estimates-again-151003572.html | 0.261562 |
Can Sanofi (SNY) Keep the Earnings Surprise Streak Alive? | Sanofi (SNY), which belongs to the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry, could be a great candidate to consider. This drugmaker has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 5.98%. For the most recent quarter, Sanofi was expected to post earnings of $0.98 per share, but it reported $1.07 per share instead, representing a surprise of 9.18%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $0.72 per share, while it actually produced $0.74 per share, a surprise of 2.78%. Price and EPS Surprise For Sanofi, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Sanofi currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.64%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on February 7, 2019. Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss, but a negative value does reduce the predictive power of this metric. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Sanofi (SNY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | Sanofi has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates. The average EPS surprise for the last two quarters is 5.98%. | pegasus | 0 | https://news.yahoo.com/sanofi-sny-keep-earnings-surprise-151003125.html | 0.284023 |
Can Sanofi (SNY) Keep the Earnings Surprise Streak Alive? | Sanofi (SNY), which belongs to the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry, could be a great candidate to consider. This drugmaker has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 5.98%. For the most recent quarter, Sanofi was expected to post earnings of $0.98 per share, but it reported $1.07 per share instead, representing a surprise of 9.18%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $0.72 per share, while it actually produced $0.74 per share, a surprise of 2.78%. Price and EPS Surprise For Sanofi, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Sanofi currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.64%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on February 7, 2019. Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss, but a negative value does reduce the predictive power of this metric. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Sanofi (SNY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | Sanofi (SNY) has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 5.98%. | bart | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/sanofi-sny-keep-earnings-surprise-151003125.html | 0.27343 |
Can Sanofi (SNY) Keep the Earnings Surprise Streak Alive? | Sanofi (SNY), which belongs to the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry, could be a great candidate to consider. This drugmaker has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 5.98%. For the most recent quarter, Sanofi was expected to post earnings of $0.98 per share, but it reported $1.07 per share instead, representing a surprise of 9.18%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $0.72 per share, while it actually produced $0.74 per share, a surprise of 2.78%. Price and EPS Surprise For Sanofi, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Sanofi currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.64%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on February 7, 2019. Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss, but a negative value does reduce the predictive power of this metric. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Sanofi (SNY) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research | Sanofi (SNY) has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 5.98%. For the most recent quarter, Sanofi was expected to post earnings of $0.98 per share, but it reported $1.07 per share. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/sanofi-sny-keep-earnings-surprise-151003125.html | 0.441538 |
Will Lumber Liquidators (LL) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report? | Lumber Liquidators Holdings (LL), which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, could be a great candidate to consider. This hardwood floors retailer has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 1.09%. For the most recent quarter, Lumber Liquidators was expected to post earnings of $0.18 per share, but it reported $0.27 per share instead, representing a surprise of 50%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $0.23 per share, while it actually produced $0.12 per share, a surprise of 47.83%. Price and EPS Surprise For Lumber Liquidators, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Lumber Liquidators has an Earnings ESP of +14.55% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on February 26, 2019. With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | Lumber Liquidators has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates. The average EPS surprise for the last two quarters was 1.09%. | pegasus | 0 | https://news.yahoo.com/lumber-liquidators-ll-beat-estimates-151003842.html | 0.111966 |
Will Lumber Liquidators (LL) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report? | Lumber Liquidators Holdings (LL), which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, could be a great candidate to consider. This hardwood floors retailer has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 1.09%. For the most recent quarter, Lumber Liquidators was expected to post earnings of $0.18 per share, but it reported $0.27 per share instead, representing a surprise of 50%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $0.23 per share, while it actually produced $0.12 per share, a surprise of 47.83%. Price and EPS Surprise For Lumber Liquidators, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Lumber Liquidators has an Earnings ESP of +14.55% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on February 26, 2019. With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | Lumber Liquidators Holdings (LL) has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the last two quarters. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on February 26, 2019. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/lumber-liquidators-ll-beat-estimates-151003842.html | 0.335441 |
Will Lumber Liquidators (LL) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report? | Lumber Liquidators Holdings (LL), which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry, could be a great candidate to consider. This hardwood floors retailer has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 1.09%. For the most recent quarter, Lumber Liquidators was expected to post earnings of $0.18 per share, but it reported $0.27 per share instead, representing a surprise of 50%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $0.23 per share, while it actually produced $0.12 per share, a surprise of 47.83%. Price and EPS Surprise For Lumber Liquidators, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank. Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven. The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Lumber Liquidators has an Earnings ESP of +14.55% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on February 26, 2019. With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss. Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate. Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc (LL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. | Lumber Liquidators Holdings (LL) has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the last two quarters. The company's next earnings report is expected to be released on February 26, 2019. It has an Earnings ESP of +14.55%. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/lumber-liquidators-ll-beat-estimates-151003842.html | 0.374703 |
Will Willis Towers (WLTW) Deliver a Beat in Q4 Earnings? | We expect Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company WLTW to surpass expectations in fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 7, before the market opens. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive surprise of 18.92%. Our proven model clearly shows that Willis Towers has the right combination of the following two key ingredients to beat estimates this earnings season. Earnings ESP: Willis Towers has an Earnings ESP of +0.63%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate is pegged at $4.09 per share, higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.06. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Price and EPS Surprise Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Price and EPS Surprise | Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Quote Zacks Rank: Willis Towers has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which increases the predictive power of ESP as stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 along with a positive Earnings ESP have significantly higher chances of an earnings beat. Conversely, the Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Factors Driving the Better-Than-Expected Earnings Willis Towers is likely to report top-line growth in the to-be-reported quarter, primarily driven by a probable increase in new business as well as solid customer retention levels. Also, better-than-anticipated segmental revenues might have aided this upside. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the metric in fourth-quarter 2018 is pegged at $2.4 billion, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 14.4%. Notably, Willis Towers projects constant currency revenue growth to be around 4% in 2018. Further, the insurance broker is likely to have witnessed a rise in commissions and fees in the soon-to-be-reported quarter on the back of anticipated organic growth across its business lines, expanded footprint and contributions from strategic acquisitions. Consistent share buybacks and a lower tax incidence might have cushioned the companys bottom line in the soon-to-be-reported quarter. In fact, the consensus mark for earnings in the fourth quarter stands at $4.06, representing a significant improvement of 83.7% from the prior-year quarter. With respect to Exchange business, the company is expected to display a sturdy performance while maintaining a strong sales pipeline in both the middle and large markets. In 2018, the company successfully enrolled 0.2 million lives with 35,000 retirees in the individual marketplace, thus remaining confident about long-term growth of this particular business line. However, the insurance broker is anticipated to incur higher operating expenses, which can limit the operating margin expansion. Notably, the company projects transaction integration costs of about $180 million in 2018, up from the earlier guided range of $140-$150 million. Additionally, the company might have experienced a rise in long-term debt that can induce higher interest expenses. Other Stocks to Consider Some other stocks worth considering from the finance sector with the perfect mix of elements to also outshine estimates this time around are as follows: Radian Group Inc. RDN is set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Feb 8. The company has an Earnings ESP of +3.03% and a Zacks Rank of 1. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Ares Capital Corporation ARCC has an Earnings ESP of +1.10% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is slated to announce fourth-quarter earnings on Feb 12. AerCap Holdings N.V. AER has an Earnings ESP of +6.84% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is scheduled to release fourth-quarter earnings on Feb 14. | We expect Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company WLTW to surpass expectations in fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 7. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive surprise of 18.92%. | bart | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/willis-towers-wltw-deliver-beat-150703828.html | 0.159133 |
Will Willis Towers (WLTW) Deliver a Beat in Q4 Earnings? | We expect Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company WLTW to surpass expectations in fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 7, before the market opens. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive surprise of 18.92%. Our proven model clearly shows that Willis Towers has the right combination of the following two key ingredients to beat estimates this earnings season. Earnings ESP: Willis Towers has an Earnings ESP of +0.63%. This is because the Most Accurate Estimate is pegged at $4.09 per share, higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.06. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Price and EPS Surprise Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Price and EPS Surprise | Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company Quote Zacks Rank: Willis Towers has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which increases the predictive power of ESP as stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 along with a positive Earnings ESP have significantly higher chances of an earnings beat. Conversely, the Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions. Factors Driving the Better-Than-Expected Earnings Willis Towers is likely to report top-line growth in the to-be-reported quarter, primarily driven by a probable increase in new business as well as solid customer retention levels. Also, better-than-anticipated segmental revenues might have aided this upside. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the metric in fourth-quarter 2018 is pegged at $2.4 billion, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 14.4%. Notably, Willis Towers projects constant currency revenue growth to be around 4% in 2018. Further, the insurance broker is likely to have witnessed a rise in commissions and fees in the soon-to-be-reported quarter on the back of anticipated organic growth across its business lines, expanded footprint and contributions from strategic acquisitions. Consistent share buybacks and a lower tax incidence might have cushioned the companys bottom line in the soon-to-be-reported quarter. In fact, the consensus mark for earnings in the fourth quarter stands at $4.06, representing a significant improvement of 83.7% from the prior-year quarter. With respect to Exchange business, the company is expected to display a sturdy performance while maintaining a strong sales pipeline in both the middle and large markets. In 2018, the company successfully enrolled 0.2 million lives with 35,000 retirees in the individual marketplace, thus remaining confident about long-term growth of this particular business line. However, the insurance broker is anticipated to incur higher operating expenses, which can limit the operating margin expansion. Notably, the company projects transaction integration costs of about $180 million in 2018, up from the earlier guided range of $140-$150 million. Additionally, the company might have experienced a rise in long-term debt that can induce higher interest expenses. Other Stocks to Consider Some other stocks worth considering from the finance sector with the perfect mix of elements to also outshine estimates this time around are as follows: Radian Group Inc. RDN is set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Feb 8. The company has an Earnings ESP of +3.03% and a Zacks Rank of 1. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Ares Capital Corporation ARCC has an Earnings ESP of +1.10% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is slated to announce fourth-quarter earnings on Feb 12. AerCap Holdings N.V. AER has an Earnings ESP of +6.84% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is scheduled to release fourth-quarter earnings on Feb 14. | We expect Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company WLTW to surpass expectations in fourth-quarter 2018 results on Feb 7. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered a positive surprise of 18.92%. Our proven model clearly shows that Willis Towers has the right combination of the following two key ingredients to beat estimates this earnings season. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/willis-towers-wltw-deliver-beat-150703828.html | 0.321234 |
Could rising tax values force out some of Charlotte homes? | As a single mother, Leslie Williams thought shed never have a shot at owning a home. But in 2000, when Habitat for Humanity built her a house just west of uptown in Seversville, all of the hours she had worked at multiple jobs had finally paid off. Everything was perfect from the three, identical-sized bedrooms to the spacious kitchen. The American Dream is to own your own home, and I thought I needed a husband to do that, she said. But I did it myself. Almost 20 years later, Williams, a school bus driver for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, is close to paying off that house. Habitat for Humanity is covering her property taxes until she finishes making mortgage payments. But once she starts footing the bill, she has reason to worry the house is now valued at $237,500, a 188 percent increase from its 2011 value. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Charlotte Observer I was so happy to pay my house off, I thought I was gonna have a breather, she said. I see thats not gonna happen. Like Williams, property owners across Mecklenburg County saw sharply higher values when the county sent out revaluation notices last month. But while most property values went up, the increases werent spread equally. An Observer analysis of new property values shows that the most dramatic jumps in residential property values were concentrated in close-in neighborhoods near uptown. That includes historically black neighborhoods such as Biddleville, Seversville, Druid Hills, Optimist Park, Villa Heights, Belmont, Cherry and Grier Heights, which have seen influxes of new residents and investors buying up properties to rent, demolish and rebuild or remodel and flip. Many of these neighborhoods saw residential property values shoot up by an average of more than 120 percent, with increases of 200 or even 300 percent in value not uncommon. That doesnt automatically mean tax bills will increase that much, since tax rates are set separately from property values, and local officials are likely to lower the rates to offset some of the increased home values. But the new values are still stirring fears about displacement in fast-changing neighborhoods. Tax breaks and deferrals for low-income, elderly and disabled residents are also available for people who meet certain thresholds, but not all homeowners are eligible. Leslie Williams, a school bus driver for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, lives in a Habitat house in Seversville in the Johnson C. Smith University area. Her tax value jumped a 188 percent increase from its 2011 value. Over time, this neighborhood has gotten better, and Im glad for that, she said. I just hate the fact that its gotten better but now I cant afford to live in it. Diedra Laird dlaird@charlotteobserver.com We knew what was coming James Atkinsons light blue Habitat for Humanity-built house sits at the end of a cul-de-sac of single-family homes in Optimist Park, a neighborhood that stretches north along the Blue Line extension from uptown to NoDa. One day, he looked out his window at the newly opened Parkwood light rail stop, and was confronted with a new reality. A hair on my arm came up, he said, And I knew that things would change. And things rapidly did change. Now, hundreds of apartments are being built next to the station, just across the street from Atkinsons home. The sense of identity that Atkinson, the president of the Optimist Park Community Association, had been pushing for for years was finally being recognized, but it had an unintended consequence: gentrification. Atkinsons house, which his mother moved into in the 1980s, is now valued at over $200,000, a 158 percent increase from 2011. This is the countys first revaluation since 2011, and the big increases in assessed values reflect the red-hot real estate market. The median increase in value for residential properties was 43 percent, Mecklenburg officials said. And when commissioners and City Council set new tax rates in the summer, properties with increases above the median rate of 43 percent are more likely to see their tax bills jump. I am concerned about the areas that have seen the highest levels of gentrification and the potential impact to residents in those areas, said commissioner Mark Jerrell. SHARE COPY LINK James Atkinson talks about gentrification as new construction towers right behind his Optimist Park home. New construction is causing higher property values, displacing or burdening many longtime neighborhood residents. Community activist Colette Forrest paid $100,000 for her two-bedroom, two-bath home in Wesley Heights, just west of uptown, nearly 20 years ago. It appreciated gradually, and was valued at $133,000 in 2011. Now, the county says that same house is worth over $320,000, an increase of almost 250 percent. The single mother is worried about how high her new property tax bill will be in July. But shes not surprised. In what seemed like an overnight transformation, a vacant patch of grass down the block turned into condos selling for $425,000. My elderly neighbors began to worry when they saw whites moving in at such a quick pace, she said. When we saw all of that, we knew what was coming. A sample revaluation notice Mecklenburg County Close to uptown, these neighborhoods have drawn waves of new residents over the past five years. In many cases the influx has been marked by new businesses like breweries, large new apartment buildings where studios start at $1,000 or more, and small mill houses torn down to make way for large, Craftsman-style homes that fill a lot almost to the property lines. They make the little bungalows next to them look like toy houses, said Darryl Gaston, pastor of Smallwood Baptist Church and president of the Druid Hills Neighborhood Association. He said rising values can be a double-edged sword in his neighborhood north of uptown, between Statesville Avenue and Graham Street. I want my property value to increase because its my biggest investment, said Gaston. He has reason to celebrate, in that regard: His house value jumped about 260 percent from 2011, from $70,900 to $184,500. But hes quick to add: I know, too, my family struggled with property tax and keeping it current. Ive struggled in doing so too. A lifelong resident in Druid Hills, Gaston worries about the impact of higher tax values on longtime residents. Even if the ultimate tax bills wont come out for months, he said people are talking. I think theres a measure of distress among, especially, my seniors, he said. Theyre proud of the homes they own, but theyre not so interested in paying more in their property taxes. It can be a little frightening. In neighborhoods near uptown, properties on each block tell the same story in more granular detail: Three houses on Belmont Avenue near Seigle Avenue that were valued at $79,000, $86,200 and $82,100 in 2011 are now assessed at $256,900, $247,700 and $248,000. Thats an average increase of more than 300 percent. A row of houses in Biddleville facing Five Points Park went from $73,400, $74,100 and $76,900 in 2011 to $170,700, $271,200 and $190,000 this year, meaning they more than doubled or tripled. In the Cherry neighborhood, $800,000 new homes have replaced smaller, older bungalows and duplexes. But homes that havent been substantially renovated have also seen their values soar. For example, three Cherry houses that date to the 1900s and 1920s and havent been renovated or expanded all more than tripled in value, going from $98,700 to $307,300; $88,200 to $312,500; and from $107,400 to $367,500. Williams welcomes many of the changes that have come to her west Charlotte neighborhood. She remembers when she called the police every weekend to report prostitution. Over time, this neighborhood has gotten better, and Im glad for that, she said. I just hate the fact that its gotten better but now I cant afford to live in it. SHARE COPY LINK Brandon Miller, executive director of the Youth Education Society, speaks to Charlotte City Council on Monday, Sept. 26, about how Charlotte's changing neighborhoods feed into the root causes of unrest that's rocked the city since Keith Lamont Sco One reason it could be harder to find a new place for people who move: The average rent in Charlotte has risen by more than a third over the past five years, to $1,175 a month. Landlords who see higher tax bills could pass along the cost to renters. We already have a crisis, said Jerrell, the commissioner. If landlords have to push the additional costs onto renters, how does that help? Commissioner Pat Cotham said during the 2011 revaluation, when the county had to refund $100 million to residents who argued their properties had been overvalued, she spoke with people who lost their homes as a result of their tax bills. Shes pushing the county to lower the property tax rate to a level that brings in the same amount of money as before revaluation. The so-called revenue neutral rate would avoid hiking taxes on everyone, but the bills for individual properties could still go up or down. I remember hearing those tears on the phone, she said. These are the hard decisions commissioners have to make. Jerrell said the county needs to find ways to limit the impact of higher values on longtime residents, such as expanding the property tax deferral and reduction programs for low-income elderly or disabled residents. We will not fund our priorities on the backs of the poor and our most vulnerable, said Jerrell. Picture of a house at the sink window in Leslie Williams kitchen. Her house is now valued at $237,500, a 188 percent increase from its 2011 value. Diedra Laird dlaird@charlotteobserver.com Investors eying properties Another factor in displacement: Investors are circling, offering to snap up properties for cash. Several people interviewed different neighborhoods Druid Hills, Graham Heights, Seversville, Wesley Heights described the constant drumbeat of offers they receive in the form of letters, fliers left on doors and phone calls. The cards come every week. I got a letter last week, said Barbara Queen, who has lived in the Graham Heights neighborhood since 1968. A retiree and a widow, she said she makes too much in Social Security and her pension from Allstate to qualify for the countys homestead tax breaks. Its really getting scary to have people pursuing your property like this, said Queen. Her home value went up about 40 percent. Queen appealed her tax value during the last property revaluation and succeeded in getting her property value reduced. This time, shes keeping a wary eye out for an increase. If you dont sell your property and the tax value keeps going up, you wont be able to pay your taxes, she said. Its like youre being squeezed out no matter what. Forrest has seen her neighbors take offers to purchase their properties for cash at below market value, a practice she believes is predatory. She even received a contract in the mail, with an offer to buy her home for $200,000. Courtesy of Colette Forrest Two hundred thousand seems like a lot of money to some people, she said. But, theres nowhere in Charlotte I can move to, especially with me being a parent. On Edison Street in Druid Hills, where Gaston lives, he estimates there are about 20 rental properties, including a second house that he owns that has tripled in value. Hes received offers to sell his property, which he isnt considering. But Gaston thinks investors who own other properties will be tempted to sell when they see the appreciation. I think it will certainly be a catalyst for some people to sell, Gaston said. This tax revaluation will play a role in gentrification, especially for renters. Williams, 52, doesnt know where she would go if she couldnt afford the taxes on her house. She makes $25,000 a year as a school bus driver, and took home only $7,000 from her second job at a transition house. I cant imagine starting over, she said. I dont feel like starting over. I feel like Im too old. Staff writer Gavin Off contributed. | Revaluation notices sent to Charlotte property owners last month showed sharp increases. Many of the most dramatic jumps in residential property values were concentrated in close-in neighborhoods near uptown. The new values are stirring fears about displacement in fast-changing neighborhoods. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article225295175.html | 0.116077 |
Could rising tax values force out some of Charlotte homes? | As a single mother, Leslie Williams thought shed never have a shot at owning a home. But in 2000, when Habitat for Humanity built her a house just west of uptown in Seversville, all of the hours she had worked at multiple jobs had finally paid off. Everything was perfect from the three, identical-sized bedrooms to the spacious kitchen. The American Dream is to own your own home, and I thought I needed a husband to do that, she said. But I did it myself. Almost 20 years later, Williams, a school bus driver for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, is close to paying off that house. Habitat for Humanity is covering her property taxes until she finishes making mortgage payments. But once she starts footing the bill, she has reason to worry the house is now valued at $237,500, a 188 percent increase from its 2011 value. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Charlotte Observer I was so happy to pay my house off, I thought I was gonna have a breather, she said. I see thats not gonna happen. Like Williams, property owners across Mecklenburg County saw sharply higher values when the county sent out revaluation notices last month. But while most property values went up, the increases werent spread equally. An Observer analysis of new property values shows that the most dramatic jumps in residential property values were concentrated in close-in neighborhoods near uptown. That includes historically black neighborhoods such as Biddleville, Seversville, Druid Hills, Optimist Park, Villa Heights, Belmont, Cherry and Grier Heights, which have seen influxes of new residents and investors buying up properties to rent, demolish and rebuild or remodel and flip. Many of these neighborhoods saw residential property values shoot up by an average of more than 120 percent, with increases of 200 or even 300 percent in value not uncommon. That doesnt automatically mean tax bills will increase that much, since tax rates are set separately from property values, and local officials are likely to lower the rates to offset some of the increased home values. But the new values are still stirring fears about displacement in fast-changing neighborhoods. Tax breaks and deferrals for low-income, elderly and disabled residents are also available for people who meet certain thresholds, but not all homeowners are eligible. Leslie Williams, a school bus driver for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, lives in a Habitat house in Seversville in the Johnson C. Smith University area. Her tax value jumped a 188 percent increase from its 2011 value. Over time, this neighborhood has gotten better, and Im glad for that, she said. I just hate the fact that its gotten better but now I cant afford to live in it. Diedra Laird dlaird@charlotteobserver.com We knew what was coming James Atkinsons light blue Habitat for Humanity-built house sits at the end of a cul-de-sac of single-family homes in Optimist Park, a neighborhood that stretches north along the Blue Line extension from uptown to NoDa. One day, he looked out his window at the newly opened Parkwood light rail stop, and was confronted with a new reality. A hair on my arm came up, he said, And I knew that things would change. And things rapidly did change. Now, hundreds of apartments are being built next to the station, just across the street from Atkinsons home. The sense of identity that Atkinson, the president of the Optimist Park Community Association, had been pushing for for years was finally being recognized, but it had an unintended consequence: gentrification. Atkinsons house, which his mother moved into in the 1980s, is now valued at over $200,000, a 158 percent increase from 2011. This is the countys first revaluation since 2011, and the big increases in assessed values reflect the red-hot real estate market. The median increase in value for residential properties was 43 percent, Mecklenburg officials said. And when commissioners and City Council set new tax rates in the summer, properties with increases above the median rate of 43 percent are more likely to see their tax bills jump. I am concerned about the areas that have seen the highest levels of gentrification and the potential impact to residents in those areas, said commissioner Mark Jerrell. SHARE COPY LINK James Atkinson talks about gentrification as new construction towers right behind his Optimist Park home. New construction is causing higher property values, displacing or burdening many longtime neighborhood residents. Community activist Colette Forrest paid $100,000 for her two-bedroom, two-bath home in Wesley Heights, just west of uptown, nearly 20 years ago. It appreciated gradually, and was valued at $133,000 in 2011. Now, the county says that same house is worth over $320,000, an increase of almost 250 percent. The single mother is worried about how high her new property tax bill will be in July. But shes not surprised. In what seemed like an overnight transformation, a vacant patch of grass down the block turned into condos selling for $425,000. My elderly neighbors began to worry when they saw whites moving in at such a quick pace, she said. When we saw all of that, we knew what was coming. A sample revaluation notice Mecklenburg County Close to uptown, these neighborhoods have drawn waves of new residents over the past five years. In many cases the influx has been marked by new businesses like breweries, large new apartment buildings where studios start at $1,000 or more, and small mill houses torn down to make way for large, Craftsman-style homes that fill a lot almost to the property lines. They make the little bungalows next to them look like toy houses, said Darryl Gaston, pastor of Smallwood Baptist Church and president of the Druid Hills Neighborhood Association. He said rising values can be a double-edged sword in his neighborhood north of uptown, between Statesville Avenue and Graham Street. I want my property value to increase because its my biggest investment, said Gaston. He has reason to celebrate, in that regard: His house value jumped about 260 percent from 2011, from $70,900 to $184,500. But hes quick to add: I know, too, my family struggled with property tax and keeping it current. Ive struggled in doing so too. A lifelong resident in Druid Hills, Gaston worries about the impact of higher tax values on longtime residents. Even if the ultimate tax bills wont come out for months, he said people are talking. I think theres a measure of distress among, especially, my seniors, he said. Theyre proud of the homes they own, but theyre not so interested in paying more in their property taxes. It can be a little frightening. In neighborhoods near uptown, properties on each block tell the same story in more granular detail: Three houses on Belmont Avenue near Seigle Avenue that were valued at $79,000, $86,200 and $82,100 in 2011 are now assessed at $256,900, $247,700 and $248,000. Thats an average increase of more than 300 percent. A row of houses in Biddleville facing Five Points Park went from $73,400, $74,100 and $76,900 in 2011 to $170,700, $271,200 and $190,000 this year, meaning they more than doubled or tripled. In the Cherry neighborhood, $800,000 new homes have replaced smaller, older bungalows and duplexes. But homes that havent been substantially renovated have also seen their values soar. For example, three Cherry houses that date to the 1900s and 1920s and havent been renovated or expanded all more than tripled in value, going from $98,700 to $307,300; $88,200 to $312,500; and from $107,400 to $367,500. Williams welcomes many of the changes that have come to her west Charlotte neighborhood. She remembers when she called the police every weekend to report prostitution. Over time, this neighborhood has gotten better, and Im glad for that, she said. I just hate the fact that its gotten better but now I cant afford to live in it. SHARE COPY LINK Brandon Miller, executive director of the Youth Education Society, speaks to Charlotte City Council on Monday, Sept. 26, about how Charlotte's changing neighborhoods feed into the root causes of unrest that's rocked the city since Keith Lamont Sco One reason it could be harder to find a new place for people who move: The average rent in Charlotte has risen by more than a third over the past five years, to $1,175 a month. Landlords who see higher tax bills could pass along the cost to renters. We already have a crisis, said Jerrell, the commissioner. If landlords have to push the additional costs onto renters, how does that help? Commissioner Pat Cotham said during the 2011 revaluation, when the county had to refund $100 million to residents who argued their properties had been overvalued, she spoke with people who lost their homes as a result of their tax bills. Shes pushing the county to lower the property tax rate to a level that brings in the same amount of money as before revaluation. The so-called revenue neutral rate would avoid hiking taxes on everyone, but the bills for individual properties could still go up or down. I remember hearing those tears on the phone, she said. These are the hard decisions commissioners have to make. Jerrell said the county needs to find ways to limit the impact of higher values on longtime residents, such as expanding the property tax deferral and reduction programs for low-income elderly or disabled residents. We will not fund our priorities on the backs of the poor and our most vulnerable, said Jerrell. Picture of a house at the sink window in Leslie Williams kitchen. Her house is now valued at $237,500, a 188 percent increase from its 2011 value. Diedra Laird dlaird@charlotteobserver.com Investors eying properties Another factor in displacement: Investors are circling, offering to snap up properties for cash. Several people interviewed different neighborhoods Druid Hills, Graham Heights, Seversville, Wesley Heights described the constant drumbeat of offers they receive in the form of letters, fliers left on doors and phone calls. The cards come every week. I got a letter last week, said Barbara Queen, who has lived in the Graham Heights neighborhood since 1968. A retiree and a widow, she said she makes too much in Social Security and her pension from Allstate to qualify for the countys homestead tax breaks. Its really getting scary to have people pursuing your property like this, said Queen. Her home value went up about 40 percent. Queen appealed her tax value during the last property revaluation and succeeded in getting her property value reduced. This time, shes keeping a wary eye out for an increase. If you dont sell your property and the tax value keeps going up, you wont be able to pay your taxes, she said. Its like youre being squeezed out no matter what. Forrest has seen her neighbors take offers to purchase their properties for cash at below market value, a practice she believes is predatory. She even received a contract in the mail, with an offer to buy her home for $200,000. Courtesy of Colette Forrest Two hundred thousand seems like a lot of money to some people, she said. But, theres nowhere in Charlotte I can move to, especially with me being a parent. On Edison Street in Druid Hills, where Gaston lives, he estimates there are about 20 rental properties, including a second house that he owns that has tripled in value. Hes received offers to sell his property, which he isnt considering. But Gaston thinks investors who own other properties will be tempted to sell when they see the appreciation. I think it will certainly be a catalyst for some people to sell, Gaston said. This tax revaluation will play a role in gentrification, especially for renters. Williams, 52, doesnt know where she would go if she couldnt afford the taxes on her house. She makes $25,000 a year as a school bus driver, and took home only $7,000 from her second job at a transition house. I cant imagine starting over, she said. I dont feel like starting over. I feel like Im too old. Staff writer Gavin Off contributed. | Revaluation notices sent to Charlotte property owners last month showed sharp increases. Many of the most dramatic jumps in residential property values were concentrated in close-in neighborhoods near uptown. The new values are still stirring fears about displacement in fast-changing neighborhoods, including Biddleville and Seversville. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article225295175.html | 0.109897 |
Why are Bryce Harper and Manny Machado still free agents? | Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. In this edition we'll be looking at Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, and why they aren't playing for any baseball teams yet. Extremely weird. Well, we're here to help you understand all that. Or understand as much as can be understood. The end of the Super Bowl marks the unofficial start of the major league baseball season, and pitchers and catchers report to spring training early next week. Something similar happened last year, when relatively big-name free agents like Eric Hosmer and J.D. Martinez didn't find new homes until late February. But when it happened last year, many believed teams were reluctant to spend because they were preparing to chase guys like Harper and Machado this year. Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper, right, greets Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) before an interleague baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, in Washington. It's complicated. But a big part of the hold-up involves the sport's most recent collective-bargaining agreement, which went into effect in 2017. It established more punitive penalties for teams exceeding MLB's luxury-tax threshold, currently set at $206 million. As recently as the early part of this decade, teams like the Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox would somewhat frequently field payrolls more than twice the league median, but no team has done that since 2015. The surcharge is properly called the Competitive Balance Tax, and in that it exists to mitigate the payroll disparity between big- and middle-market clubs, it has succeeded. But because the financial penalties compound with consecutive years above the threshold, and because teams that blow past the mark now see their draft picks pushed back, front offices have incentive to keep their payrolls near or below the luxury-tax limit. The existence of the threshold gives teams justification for limiting their investment in players, which allows teams to take in a larger portion of the sport's increasing revenues. The free-agent market just isn't what it was a few years ago, and so guys like Harper and Machado are left to dangle. No! In fact, both Harper and Machado are 26, or extremely young by the standards of MLB free agents. Baseball players don't typically start seeing big declines in performance until their early 30s, and just about everyone expected Harper and Machado would be choosing between decade-long megadeals. The Angels gave Albert Pujols a 10-year, $240 million contract a month before his 32nd birthday. And there's more money in the game now than there was six years ago: Baseball's revenue keeps growing. It's sort of a game of chicken. It must be extremely annoying to have no idea if you'll be going to Florida or Arizona next week, and maybe one or both of Harper and Machado will get sick of waiting, swallow pride and sign a deal for less than they hoped, or maybe a team that really wants them gets nervous that a competitor is moving in and finally ponies up the cash. My guess - and it's a total guess - is that Machado signs sometime in the middle of next week and reports to spring training more or less on time. Harper holds out a little longer, we hear a whole lot about Bryce Harper remaining unsigned as camps open, then he signs an opt-out loaded deal that's worth more but not much more than Giancarlo Stanton's record $315-million extension. I have no idea. More guessing: Machado winds up with the Phillies, the Yankees come out of the woodwork and sign Harper. They are not. Starter Dallas Keuchel and closer Craig Kimbrel are still out there, as is super-utility guy Marwin Gonzalez. | Free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are yet to sign with any baseball teams. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2019/02/05/why-are-bryce-harper-and-manny-machado-still-free-agents/39008367/ | 0.206811 |
Why are Bryce Harper and Manny Machado still free agents? | Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. In this edition we'll be looking at Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, and why they aren't playing for any baseball teams yet. Extremely weird. Well, we're here to help you understand all that. Or understand as much as can be understood. The end of the Super Bowl marks the unofficial start of the major league baseball season, and pitchers and catchers report to spring training early next week. Something similar happened last year, when relatively big-name free agents like Eric Hosmer and J.D. Martinez didn't find new homes until late February. But when it happened last year, many believed teams were reluctant to spend because they were preparing to chase guys like Harper and Machado this year. Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper, right, greets Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) before an interleague baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, in Washington. It's complicated. But a big part of the hold-up involves the sport's most recent collective-bargaining agreement, which went into effect in 2017. It established more punitive penalties for teams exceeding MLB's luxury-tax threshold, currently set at $206 million. As recently as the early part of this decade, teams like the Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox would somewhat frequently field payrolls more than twice the league median, but no team has done that since 2015. The surcharge is properly called the Competitive Balance Tax, and in that it exists to mitigate the payroll disparity between big- and middle-market clubs, it has succeeded. But because the financial penalties compound with consecutive years above the threshold, and because teams that blow past the mark now see their draft picks pushed back, front offices have incentive to keep their payrolls near or below the luxury-tax limit. The existence of the threshold gives teams justification for limiting their investment in players, which allows teams to take in a larger portion of the sport's increasing revenues. The free-agent market just isn't what it was a few years ago, and so guys like Harper and Machado are left to dangle. No! In fact, both Harper and Machado are 26, or extremely young by the standards of MLB free agents. Baseball players don't typically start seeing big declines in performance until their early 30s, and just about everyone expected Harper and Machado would be choosing between decade-long megadeals. The Angels gave Albert Pujols a 10-year, $240 million contract a month before his 32nd birthday. And there's more money in the game now than there was six years ago: Baseball's revenue keeps growing. It's sort of a game of chicken. It must be extremely annoying to have no idea if you'll be going to Florida or Arizona next week, and maybe one or both of Harper and Machado will get sick of waiting, swallow pride and sign a deal for less than they hoped, or maybe a team that really wants them gets nervous that a competitor is moving in and finally ponies up the cash. My guess - and it's a total guess - is that Machado signs sometime in the middle of next week and reports to spring training more or less on time. Harper holds out a little longer, we hear a whole lot about Bryce Harper remaining unsigned as camps open, then he signs an opt-out loaded deal that's worth more but not much more than Giancarlo Stanton's record $315-million extension. I have no idea. More guessing: Machado winds up with the Phillies, the Yankees come out of the woodwork and sign Harper. They are not. Starter Dallas Keuchel and closer Craig Kimbrel are still out there, as is super-utility guy Marwin Gonzalez. | Free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are yet to sign with any baseball teams. A big part of the hold-up involves the sport's most recent collective-bargaining agreement, which went into effect in 2017. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2019/02/05/why-are-bryce-harper-and-manny-machado-still-free-agents/39008367/ | 0.31452 |
Why are Bryce Harper and Manny Machado still free agents? | Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. In this edition we'll be looking at Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, and why they aren't playing for any baseball teams yet. Extremely weird. Well, we're here to help you understand all that. Or understand as much as can be understood. The end of the Super Bowl marks the unofficial start of the major league baseball season, and pitchers and catchers report to spring training early next week. Something similar happened last year, when relatively big-name free agents like Eric Hosmer and J.D. Martinez didn't find new homes until late February. But when it happened last year, many believed teams were reluctant to spend because they were preparing to chase guys like Harper and Machado this year. Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper, right, greets Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) before an interleague baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, in Washington. It's complicated. But a big part of the hold-up involves the sport's most recent collective-bargaining agreement, which went into effect in 2017. It established more punitive penalties for teams exceeding MLB's luxury-tax threshold, currently set at $206 million. As recently as the early part of this decade, teams like the Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox would somewhat frequently field payrolls more than twice the league median, but no team has done that since 2015. The surcharge is properly called the Competitive Balance Tax, and in that it exists to mitigate the payroll disparity between big- and middle-market clubs, it has succeeded. But because the financial penalties compound with consecutive years above the threshold, and because teams that blow past the mark now see their draft picks pushed back, front offices have incentive to keep their payrolls near or below the luxury-tax limit. The existence of the threshold gives teams justification for limiting their investment in players, which allows teams to take in a larger portion of the sport's increasing revenues. The free-agent market just isn't what it was a few years ago, and so guys like Harper and Machado are left to dangle. No! In fact, both Harper and Machado are 26, or extremely young by the standards of MLB free agents. Baseball players don't typically start seeing big declines in performance until their early 30s, and just about everyone expected Harper and Machado would be choosing between decade-long megadeals. The Angels gave Albert Pujols a 10-year, $240 million contract a month before his 32nd birthday. And there's more money in the game now than there was six years ago: Baseball's revenue keeps growing. It's sort of a game of chicken. It must be extremely annoying to have no idea if you'll be going to Florida or Arizona next week, and maybe one or both of Harper and Machado will get sick of waiting, swallow pride and sign a deal for less than they hoped, or maybe a team that really wants them gets nervous that a competitor is moving in and finally ponies up the cash. My guess - and it's a total guess - is that Machado signs sometime in the middle of next week and reports to spring training more or less on time. Harper holds out a little longer, we hear a whole lot about Bryce Harper remaining unsigned as camps open, then he signs an opt-out loaded deal that's worth more but not much more than Giancarlo Stanton's record $315-million extension. I have no idea. More guessing: Machado winds up with the Phillies, the Yankees come out of the woodwork and sign Harper. They are not. Starter Dallas Keuchel and closer Craig Kimbrel are still out there, as is super-utility guy Marwin Gonzalez. | Free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are yet to sign with any baseball teams. A big part of the hold-up involves the sport's most recent collective-bargaining agreement, which went into effect in 2017. It established more punitive penalties for teams exceeding MLB's luxury-tax threshold, currently set at $206 million. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2019/02/05/why-are-bryce-harper-and-manny-machado-still-free-agents/39008367/ | 0.512319 |
What did Tulane graduate transfer lineman Ben Knutson like about visit, new coaches? | Tulanes two new offensive coaches hired in the last two months have had limited access to the players theyll start coaching in the spring, but theres one expected newcomer who likes what hes seen from them. Ben Knutson, a 6-foot-7 offensive lineman from Virginia, visited the campus last weekend before giving his pledge to the school as a graduate transfer. While there, he spent considerable time with new offensive coordinator Will Hall and offensive line coach Cody Kennedy. You can tell from talking ball with them, theyre both on the same page, said Knutson, who will stay at Virginia to complete his undergraduate requirements. Not only are they smart coaches, theyre good men. Theyre friends with each other and its important on the coaching staff to have that cohesion. Knutson, who redshirted his first season at Virginia and then played primarily on special teams over the next two seasons, said Tulane will have a pro style offense he hoped could prepare him during his two remaining seasons of college eligibility. They have lots of good people coming back, Knutson said. Among returning players on offense are quarterback Justin McMillan and running backs Dontrell Hilliard and Corey Dauphine. Also back is wideout Darnell Mooney, who will be joined by incoming graduate transfer wideout Jalen McCleskey from Oklahoma State. Tulane last season reached a bowl game and won for the first time since 2002. Something to believe in: Tulane's bow win completes special season turnaround Knutson arrives with some familiarity to the school and region. He was born in Slidell and moved with his family at a young age to South Bend, Indiana, near where he attended high school. His older sister, Allyson, is a 2013 Tulane graduate with a biology degree. His decision to leave Virginia came with the support of the coaches there, as Knutson said they understood his desire to find a graduate business degree program that fit what he was looking for. The Virginia website listed Knutson at 6-foot-9 and 310 pounds. He said Monday (Feb. 3) that height listing was exaggerated, and that hes actually closer to 6-7. At Tulane, Knutson will play either guard or tackle, he said. Tulane center Christian Montano is another graduate transfer lineman due to make his Tulane debut in 2019. Montano is a former multi-year starter at Ivy League school Brown. After a foot injury in the opener last season, the NCAA granted him a sixth year of eligibility for 2019. Knutson did not visit other schools before deciding on Tulane. Being familiar with Tulane through his sister helped him know the quality of education. That definitely helped, Knutson said. (The coaches) didnt have to sell me on academics. I knew what Tulane was about. Having that knowledge, me and the coaches could talk ball. They didnt have to sell me on the quality of the school. I knew that was a coaching staff I would love to play for. New Tulane coordinator Will Hall says of offense: 'We'll build it with tempo' | Ben Knutson, a 6-foot-7 offensive lineman from Virginia, visited Tulane last weekend. He says he likes what he's seen from the new offensive coaches at Tulane. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.nola.com/tulane/2019/02/what-did-tulane-graduate-transfer-lineman-ben-knutson-like-about-visit-new-coaches.html | 0.541287 |
What did Tulane graduate transfer lineman Ben Knutson like about visit, new coaches? | Tulanes two new offensive coaches hired in the last two months have had limited access to the players theyll start coaching in the spring, but theres one expected newcomer who likes what hes seen from them. Ben Knutson, a 6-foot-7 offensive lineman from Virginia, visited the campus last weekend before giving his pledge to the school as a graduate transfer. While there, he spent considerable time with new offensive coordinator Will Hall and offensive line coach Cody Kennedy. You can tell from talking ball with them, theyre both on the same page, said Knutson, who will stay at Virginia to complete his undergraduate requirements. Not only are they smart coaches, theyre good men. Theyre friends with each other and its important on the coaching staff to have that cohesion. Knutson, who redshirted his first season at Virginia and then played primarily on special teams over the next two seasons, said Tulane will have a pro style offense he hoped could prepare him during his two remaining seasons of college eligibility. They have lots of good people coming back, Knutson said. Among returning players on offense are quarterback Justin McMillan and running backs Dontrell Hilliard and Corey Dauphine. Also back is wideout Darnell Mooney, who will be joined by incoming graduate transfer wideout Jalen McCleskey from Oklahoma State. Tulane last season reached a bowl game and won for the first time since 2002. Something to believe in: Tulane's bow win completes special season turnaround Knutson arrives with some familiarity to the school and region. He was born in Slidell and moved with his family at a young age to South Bend, Indiana, near where he attended high school. His older sister, Allyson, is a 2013 Tulane graduate with a biology degree. His decision to leave Virginia came with the support of the coaches there, as Knutson said they understood his desire to find a graduate business degree program that fit what he was looking for. The Virginia website listed Knutson at 6-foot-9 and 310 pounds. He said Monday (Feb. 3) that height listing was exaggerated, and that hes actually closer to 6-7. At Tulane, Knutson will play either guard or tackle, he said. Tulane center Christian Montano is another graduate transfer lineman due to make his Tulane debut in 2019. Montano is a former multi-year starter at Ivy League school Brown. After a foot injury in the opener last season, the NCAA granted him a sixth year of eligibility for 2019. Knutson did not visit other schools before deciding on Tulane. Being familiar with Tulane through his sister helped him know the quality of education. That definitely helped, Knutson said. (The coaches) didnt have to sell me on academics. I knew what Tulane was about. Having that knowledge, me and the coaches could talk ball. They didnt have to sell me on the quality of the school. I knew that was a coaching staff I would love to play for. New Tulane coordinator Will Hall says of offense: 'We'll build it with tempo' | Ben Knutson, a 6-foot-7 offensive lineman from Virginia, visited Tulane last weekend. He says he likes what he's seen from new offensive coordinator Will Hall and offensive line coach Cody Kennedy. He also likes the support of the coaches, as they understood his desire to find a graduate business degree program. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.nola.com/tulane/2019/02/what-did-tulane-graduate-transfer-lineman-ben-knutson-like-about-visit-new-coaches.html | 0.762298 |
Can government fix Metro Vancouver's housing affordability crisis? | Housing Matters host Stuart McNish speaks with B.C. Minister of Housing Selina Robinson, opposition critic Sam Sullivan, and Vancouver Sun columnist Dan Fumano about how different levels of government can find solutions to Metro Vancouvers housing affordability crisis. Here are six things you need to know from the latest episode of the Housing Matters podcast hosted by Stuart McNish. 1. B.C. Housing Minister Selina Robinson is not a fan of condos in the sky, those 600-square-foot units in high rises that she says are no place to raise a family. 2. Robinson says her government brought in the housing needs assessment to require local government to examine every five years whether the type of development in their municipalities match local needs. 3. Robinson defends the paperwork involved so homeowners dont have to pay the speculation tax as not a really big deal. 4. Liberal housing critic Sam Sullivan says the NDP governments 30-point plan to address affordability is focused more on increasing taxes than increasing the housing supply. 5. Sullivan says anti-density forces took root in Vancouver in about 1973 and since then about 70 per cent of the citys residential land base has remained in single-house form. We basically sprinkled frozen pixie dust on the city and whatever was, is now. The only densification that happened was in the industrial areas. 6. Sullivan says a perverse consequence of devaluing high-priced homes is that their property taxes go down and the owners of more affordable homes end up paying more. | Housing Matters is the weekly podcast hosted by Stuart McNish. It looks at how different levels of government can find solutions to Metro Vancouver's housing affordability crisis. | pegasus | 1 | https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/can-government-fix-metro-vancouvers-housing-affordability-crisis | 0.140273 |
Can government fix Metro Vancouver's housing affordability crisis? | Housing Matters host Stuart McNish speaks with B.C. Minister of Housing Selina Robinson, opposition critic Sam Sullivan, and Vancouver Sun columnist Dan Fumano about how different levels of government can find solutions to Metro Vancouvers housing affordability crisis. Here are six things you need to know from the latest episode of the Housing Matters podcast hosted by Stuart McNish. 1. B.C. Housing Minister Selina Robinson is not a fan of condos in the sky, those 600-square-foot units in high rises that she says are no place to raise a family. 2. Robinson says her government brought in the housing needs assessment to require local government to examine every five years whether the type of development in their municipalities match local needs. 3. Robinson defends the paperwork involved so homeowners dont have to pay the speculation tax as not a really big deal. 4. Liberal housing critic Sam Sullivan says the NDP governments 30-point plan to address affordability is focused more on increasing taxes than increasing the housing supply. 5. Sullivan says anti-density forces took root in Vancouver in about 1973 and since then about 70 per cent of the citys residential land base has remained in single-house form. We basically sprinkled frozen pixie dust on the city and whatever was, is now. The only densification that happened was in the industrial areas. 6. Sullivan says a perverse consequence of devaluing high-priced homes is that their property taxes go down and the owners of more affordable homes end up paying more. | Housing Matters is the weekly podcast hosted by Stuart McNish. It looks at how different levels of government can find solutions to Metro Vancouver's housing affordability crisis. Selina Robinson, opposition critic Sam Sullivan, and Vancouver Sun columnist Dan Fumano join McNish. | pegasus | 2 | https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/can-government-fix-metro-vancouvers-housing-affordability-crisis | 0.155583 |
Why Is Our AI Revolution Built On Free Data Rather Than Good Data? | One of the greatest challenges confronting the modern AI revolution is the lack of sufficiently diverse training data. From driverless cars that struggle with the most basic scenarios to image recognition software that fails spectacularly on entire demographics, our AI systems today have been hamstrung by a critical lack of data representing the full extent of their operating domains. The reason is that for all of the investment being made in the people, computing hardware and algorithms powering AI, we refuse to make even the most rudimentary investments in the lifeblood of AI: data. In short, our AI revolution is being built on free data, rather than good data. AI and machine learning in all its forms has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past half-decade to become perhaps the single most influential (though not always useful) technology of the moment. Across nearly every industry and field of study, practitioners are exploring how AI can solve the grand challenges confronting them and either accelerate production or simply reduce costs by replacing armies of human workers much as their mechanical counterparts did in the Industrial Revolution a century and a half ago. AI is an expensive field. Experienced developers with strong AI backgrounds are an incredibly rare commodity, with top developers commanding multi-million-dollar salaries. The massive specialized computing power required for training and executing AIs data-hungry models require tremendously expensive investments in on premises or cloud hardware rental. Vast farms of the latest generation GPUs and purpose-built AI accelerators dont come cheap, nor do the armies of traditional processors, storage arrays and high-performance networks to manage and orchestrate the process. Building or renting a late generation AI data center at the largest scales is not for the faint of heart. Yet, for all this free-flowing investment in the people and hardware that make AI possible, when it comes to the data that is the lifeblood of those AI algorithms, companies refuse to spend a dime. Companies that will freely spend millions of dollars to build or rent an AI data center and millions more hiring top technical talent will balk at the idea of spending tens or hundreds of thousands to acquire high quality data to train those models. In turn, as the models they create necessarily reflect all of the biases, holes and other problems of the poor-quality data used to train them, companies protest there is simply nothing they can do: the data they can get for free is poor quality, so AI models will always be poor quality it is simply impossible to have good AI. Thus we have one of the great ironies of the AI revolution: the companies spending millions to build AI systems refuse to spend anything on quality data to train them, undermining all of that investment by yielding poor quality models that suffer from considerable bias and holes. In short, our AI revolution is being built on free data, rather than good data. In many ways the state of AI today is akin to building a state-of-the-art fighter jet and then pouring cheap gasoline in it instead of jet fuel and wondering why the engines dont seem to run right and it cant get off the ground. Many of the most pressing challenges facing AI today revolve around its poor-quality training data. Bias, brittleness, ease of fooling, lack of representational edge case examples to fall back upon: all of these key problems trace their roots at least in part to poor quality training data. While algorithmic improvements could help, so too could having proper training data. Instead, the AI community as a whole seems to have embraced the idea that training data should be free and that whatever results from poor quality free data is simply what we will have to accept as the cost of AI. In turn, as these highly biased and brittle AI systems are deployed into increasingly risky real world scenarios with the potential to cause physical harm and even death to humans, we say thats just the cost of using free data. When an AI algorithm malfunctions and kills someone, in part because its training data didnt cover sufficiently similar scenarios, we dont argue that we need to start paying for quality training data. We just once again argue thats the best we can do with free data and accept that paying for data is a non-starter. Much as Facebooks greatest success has been in changing global societal norms to teach us all that privacy is no longer important, the AI revolution has normalized the idea that the technology industry should use only free data, no matter how poor quality it is, rather than pay to create high quality data. In many ways the AI industry has simply continued the webs redefinition of the value of information from something worth paying for into something that should be given for free in return for the right to surveil us consuming and acting upon it. Strangely, this now-standard economic surveillance model does not actually apply to the AI revolution. AI models arent receiving free data in return for being surveilled to sell ads to. This means that our devaluation of information has now become so permanent that we see all forms of information across all contexts as being both economically valueless and economically priceless in terms of the monetization potential of its consumption. In short, information itself no longer holds value, it is the behavior of humans consuming and acting upon that information that is now valued. Since raw information is no longer valued, AI creators view this raw fuel of the AI revolution as something they should receive for free. Putting this all together, our AI revolution represents a fascinating reflection of how we value information today and a comical irony that for the millions we spend on the people and hardware to create AI algorithms, we refuse to spend a penny to create the high quality data needed to maximize their abilities. Instead, we create biased and brittle algorithms and argue we can do no better with the free data we have. While the steady drumbeat of algorithmic improvements will help slowly address our data issues, we could in reality fix so many of our current AI issues by simply paying for good data. | One of the greatest challenges confronting the modern AI revolution is the lack of sufficiently diverse training data. | bart | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/02/05/why-is-our-ai-revolution-built-on-free-data-rather-than-good-data/ | 0.139886 |
Why Is Our AI Revolution Built On Free Data Rather Than Good Data? | One of the greatest challenges confronting the modern AI revolution is the lack of sufficiently diverse training data. From driverless cars that struggle with the most basic scenarios to image recognition software that fails spectacularly on entire demographics, our AI systems today have been hamstrung by a critical lack of data representing the full extent of their operating domains. The reason is that for all of the investment being made in the people, computing hardware and algorithms powering AI, we refuse to make even the most rudimentary investments in the lifeblood of AI: data. In short, our AI revolution is being built on free data, rather than good data. AI and machine learning in all its forms has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past half-decade to become perhaps the single most influential (though not always useful) technology of the moment. Across nearly every industry and field of study, practitioners are exploring how AI can solve the grand challenges confronting them and either accelerate production or simply reduce costs by replacing armies of human workers much as their mechanical counterparts did in the Industrial Revolution a century and a half ago. AI is an expensive field. Experienced developers with strong AI backgrounds are an incredibly rare commodity, with top developers commanding multi-million-dollar salaries. The massive specialized computing power required for training and executing AIs data-hungry models require tremendously expensive investments in on premises or cloud hardware rental. Vast farms of the latest generation GPUs and purpose-built AI accelerators dont come cheap, nor do the armies of traditional processors, storage arrays and high-performance networks to manage and orchestrate the process. Building or renting a late generation AI data center at the largest scales is not for the faint of heart. Yet, for all this free-flowing investment in the people and hardware that make AI possible, when it comes to the data that is the lifeblood of those AI algorithms, companies refuse to spend a dime. Companies that will freely spend millions of dollars to build or rent an AI data center and millions more hiring top technical talent will balk at the idea of spending tens or hundreds of thousands to acquire high quality data to train those models. In turn, as the models they create necessarily reflect all of the biases, holes and other problems of the poor-quality data used to train them, companies protest there is simply nothing they can do: the data they can get for free is poor quality, so AI models will always be poor quality it is simply impossible to have good AI. Thus we have one of the great ironies of the AI revolution: the companies spending millions to build AI systems refuse to spend anything on quality data to train them, undermining all of that investment by yielding poor quality models that suffer from considerable bias and holes. In short, our AI revolution is being built on free data, rather than good data. In many ways the state of AI today is akin to building a state-of-the-art fighter jet and then pouring cheap gasoline in it instead of jet fuel and wondering why the engines dont seem to run right and it cant get off the ground. Many of the most pressing challenges facing AI today revolve around its poor-quality training data. Bias, brittleness, ease of fooling, lack of representational edge case examples to fall back upon: all of these key problems trace their roots at least in part to poor quality training data. While algorithmic improvements could help, so too could having proper training data. Instead, the AI community as a whole seems to have embraced the idea that training data should be free and that whatever results from poor quality free data is simply what we will have to accept as the cost of AI. In turn, as these highly biased and brittle AI systems are deployed into increasingly risky real world scenarios with the potential to cause physical harm and even death to humans, we say thats just the cost of using free data. When an AI algorithm malfunctions and kills someone, in part because its training data didnt cover sufficiently similar scenarios, we dont argue that we need to start paying for quality training data. We just once again argue thats the best we can do with free data and accept that paying for data is a non-starter. Much as Facebooks greatest success has been in changing global societal norms to teach us all that privacy is no longer important, the AI revolution has normalized the idea that the technology industry should use only free data, no matter how poor quality it is, rather than pay to create high quality data. In many ways the AI industry has simply continued the webs redefinition of the value of information from something worth paying for into something that should be given for free in return for the right to surveil us consuming and acting upon it. Strangely, this now-standard economic surveillance model does not actually apply to the AI revolution. AI models arent receiving free data in return for being surveilled to sell ads to. This means that our devaluation of information has now become so permanent that we see all forms of information across all contexts as being both economically valueless and economically priceless in terms of the monetization potential of its consumption. In short, information itself no longer holds value, it is the behavior of humans consuming and acting upon that information that is now valued. Since raw information is no longer valued, AI creators view this raw fuel of the AI revolution as something they should receive for free. Putting this all together, our AI revolution represents a fascinating reflection of how we value information today and a comical irony that for the millions we spend on the people and hardware to create AI algorithms, we refuse to spend a penny to create the high quality data needed to maximize their abilities. Instead, we create biased and brittle algorithms and argue we can do no better with the free data we have. While the steady drumbeat of algorithmic improvements will help slowly address our data issues, we could in reality fix so many of our current AI issues by simply paying for good data. | Our AI revolution is being built on free data, rather than good data, says Andrew Keen. Keen: We refuse to make even the most rudimentary investments in the lifeblood of AI: data. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/02/05/why-is-our-ai-revolution-built-on-free-data-rather-than-good-data/ | 0.109145 |
Why Is Our AI Revolution Built On Free Data Rather Than Good Data? | One of the greatest challenges confronting the modern AI revolution is the lack of sufficiently diverse training data. From driverless cars that struggle with the most basic scenarios to image recognition software that fails spectacularly on entire demographics, our AI systems today have been hamstrung by a critical lack of data representing the full extent of their operating domains. The reason is that for all of the investment being made in the people, computing hardware and algorithms powering AI, we refuse to make even the most rudimentary investments in the lifeblood of AI: data. In short, our AI revolution is being built on free data, rather than good data. AI and machine learning in all its forms has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past half-decade to become perhaps the single most influential (though not always useful) technology of the moment. Across nearly every industry and field of study, practitioners are exploring how AI can solve the grand challenges confronting them and either accelerate production or simply reduce costs by replacing armies of human workers much as their mechanical counterparts did in the Industrial Revolution a century and a half ago. AI is an expensive field. Experienced developers with strong AI backgrounds are an incredibly rare commodity, with top developers commanding multi-million-dollar salaries. The massive specialized computing power required for training and executing AIs data-hungry models require tremendously expensive investments in on premises or cloud hardware rental. Vast farms of the latest generation GPUs and purpose-built AI accelerators dont come cheap, nor do the armies of traditional processors, storage arrays and high-performance networks to manage and orchestrate the process. Building or renting a late generation AI data center at the largest scales is not for the faint of heart. Yet, for all this free-flowing investment in the people and hardware that make AI possible, when it comes to the data that is the lifeblood of those AI algorithms, companies refuse to spend a dime. Companies that will freely spend millions of dollars to build or rent an AI data center and millions more hiring top technical talent will balk at the idea of spending tens or hundreds of thousands to acquire high quality data to train those models. In turn, as the models they create necessarily reflect all of the biases, holes and other problems of the poor-quality data used to train them, companies protest there is simply nothing they can do: the data they can get for free is poor quality, so AI models will always be poor quality it is simply impossible to have good AI. Thus we have one of the great ironies of the AI revolution: the companies spending millions to build AI systems refuse to spend anything on quality data to train them, undermining all of that investment by yielding poor quality models that suffer from considerable bias and holes. In short, our AI revolution is being built on free data, rather than good data. In many ways the state of AI today is akin to building a state-of-the-art fighter jet and then pouring cheap gasoline in it instead of jet fuel and wondering why the engines dont seem to run right and it cant get off the ground. Many of the most pressing challenges facing AI today revolve around its poor-quality training data. Bias, brittleness, ease of fooling, lack of representational edge case examples to fall back upon: all of these key problems trace their roots at least in part to poor quality training data. While algorithmic improvements could help, so too could having proper training data. Instead, the AI community as a whole seems to have embraced the idea that training data should be free and that whatever results from poor quality free data is simply what we will have to accept as the cost of AI. In turn, as these highly biased and brittle AI systems are deployed into increasingly risky real world scenarios with the potential to cause physical harm and even death to humans, we say thats just the cost of using free data. When an AI algorithm malfunctions and kills someone, in part because its training data didnt cover sufficiently similar scenarios, we dont argue that we need to start paying for quality training data. We just once again argue thats the best we can do with free data and accept that paying for data is a non-starter. Much as Facebooks greatest success has been in changing global societal norms to teach us all that privacy is no longer important, the AI revolution has normalized the idea that the technology industry should use only free data, no matter how poor quality it is, rather than pay to create high quality data. In many ways the AI industry has simply continued the webs redefinition of the value of information from something worth paying for into something that should be given for free in return for the right to surveil us consuming and acting upon it. Strangely, this now-standard economic surveillance model does not actually apply to the AI revolution. AI models arent receiving free data in return for being surveilled to sell ads to. This means that our devaluation of information has now become so permanent that we see all forms of information across all contexts as being both economically valueless and economically priceless in terms of the monetization potential of its consumption. In short, information itself no longer holds value, it is the behavior of humans consuming and acting upon that information that is now valued. Since raw information is no longer valued, AI creators view this raw fuel of the AI revolution as something they should receive for free. Putting this all together, our AI revolution represents a fascinating reflection of how we value information today and a comical irony that for the millions we spend on the people and hardware to create AI algorithms, we refuse to spend a penny to create the high quality data needed to maximize their abilities. Instead, we create biased and brittle algorithms and argue we can do no better with the free data we have. While the steady drumbeat of algorithmic improvements will help slowly address our data issues, we could in reality fix so many of our current AI issues by simply paying for good data. | One of the greatest challenges confronting the modern AI revolution is the lack of sufficiently diverse training data. From driverless cars that struggle with the most basic scenarios to image recognition software that fails spectacularly on entire demographics, our AI systems today have been hamstrung by a critical lack of data. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/02/05/why-is-our-ai-revolution-built-on-free-data-rather-than-good-data/ | 0.143776 |
Can Stoicism Make the Modern Man Happy? | Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and well send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and well send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. A lot of people seem to think so. They identify as modern Stoics, a movement that has gained traction over the past two decades, with thousands of members now congregating online and off to practice a self-help version of the philosophical life. They include athletes, military officers, CEOs, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, and writers like The New Yorkers Elif Batuman, who described in a 2016 feature for the magazine how the Stoic philosopher Epictetus helped her cope with a long-distance relationship and sneaky taxi drivers in Turkey. Ad Policy Though modern Stoicism has its roots in the culture of self-improvement, it also has more serious philosophical champions. One of these is Massimo Pigliucci, whose recent How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life proposes to bring Stoicism from second-century Rome to twenty-first-century New York. A professor of philosophy at the City College of New York, Pigliucci is best known for his work in the philosophy of science. In his latest book, he discusses his Catholic upbringing in Rome and his rejection of religion as a teenager. To find meaning in his life and, as he grew older, to prepare for death, Pigliucci tried out different systems of belief. Buddhism was too mystical, secular humanism too dependent on science, but Stoicism hit the spot. It was a rational, science-friendly philosophy that offered him an answer to the most fundamental question: How ought we to live? In How to Be a Stoic, Pigliucci aims to demonstrate how we can use this philosophy to develop a moral character and attain peace of mind in three ways: by taking charge of our desires, by acting virtuously in the world, and by responding appropriately to events we cant fully control. To update Stoicism for our 21st-century needs, he replaces its theology and cosmology with contemporary scientific views and applies it to the challenges we are likely to encounter in the modern world. Yet I question whether the core tenets of Stoicism can survive this reinventionand even if they did, I remain doubtful that they provide the right ethical and moral framework for our time. Like all philosophical schools in antiquity, the Stoics sought to determine what happiness is and how we can best achieve it. The Greek term for happiness is eudaimonia, which refers to something broader than just being in a happy state; it refers, roughly, to living a good, flourishing life. For most ancient philosophers, living virtuously was a key ingredient of eudaimonia. But the Stoics went further: Virtue, they claimed, is all we need. On this point they disagreed with Aristotle, who argued that people talk nonsense if they say that a virtuous person is happy even when hes being tortured or experiencing great misfortune. The Stoics, however, stood their ground: A virtuous person, they held, is as happy on the rack as he is enjoying a fine dinner in his Roman villa surrounded by loved ones. So long as he (or she) is virtuous, the Stoic is happy under all circumstances. The reason the Stoics made this claim is that, for them, everything that happens is part of a providential order, designed by a divine mind they identified with Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. Virtue, for the Stoics, consisted in living in agreement with that order. Once we understand that Zeus has arranged all things for the best, we can embrace lifes blows and its blessings as necessary to bring about the greatest good. In a virtuous life, moreover, the conventional blessings dont matterthings like health, wealth, beauty, honor, or a wide circle of friends. These are things that we cant be certain to attain, since they depend on chance or on other peoples opinions and actions. In Ciceros words, they are all eclipsed, overwhelmed, and destroyed by the splendour and grandeur of virtue; thats why misfortunes cant upset the virtuous person. Of course, this doesnt mean the Stoic wont pursue such things like everyone else. But if Zeuss plan requires that he fails to attain them, the Stoic remains unfazed. Pigliuccis challenge, then, is not merely to explain ancient Stoicism, but to make it convincing for the modern reader who doesnt believe in Zeus and Providence. This is where he runs into trouble. To update Stoicism, he proposes replacing Zeus with what he calls Einsteins God, which is simply the system of natural causes and effects, understandable by reason, that determines all things. But while the Stoics, like Einstein, equate God with the universes rational order, they mean something completely different by that: The universe is rational, they contend, because it is purposefully arranged by its maker. Einsteins God, by contrast, isnt a divine craftsman, but instead represents deterministic natural laws, as opposed to the randomness posited by quantum mechanics. Einsteins God will no doubt appeal more to Pigliuccis readers than the divine craftsman of the Stoics. Pigliucci contends, moreover, that living well in the Stoic sense doesnt depend on whether there is a God or what Gods specific attributes are. I strongly disagree. The practical part of Stoicismthe part where it teaches us how to livedoesnt work without the outdated metaphysical underpinning. For the Stoics, Zeus made everything, including human beings, to maximize the universes perfection. What sets human beings apart is that they alone share in Zeuss rational nature and can help carry out his plan by embracing the fate he has allotted to them. We are the only part of the universe that doesnt just blindly function, but can grasp its task and perform it willingly. The key to happiness, therefore, is human reason, which enables us to understand Zeuss plan and then direct our lives in accordance with it. Current Issue View our current issue Pigliucci insists that from an evolutionary standpoint too, reason is a distinctive human trait. But even if we agree, it hardly follows that we should use our reason to live virtuously rather than, say, to outsmart our competitors in the pursuit of pleasure, power, or wealth. How Einsteins God might offer us guidance herehow living in agreement with the deterministic system of causes and effects can make us virtuous and happy, or how it can reconcile us with our misfortunes as necessary for the universal goodPigliucci doesnt explain. In the end, I fear, Einsteins God simply cant do the job that Zeus did for the Stoics. Theres another wrinkle: For the Stoics, living in agreement with Zeuss providential order came with specific requirements such as caring for the well-being of othersnot only our own near and dear, but all of humankind. Just as Zeuss concern for human beings extended to everyone, ours should, too. Einsteins God, by contrast, doesnt care about anyone or anything. Thus, Pigliuccis argument for embracing a similar humanitarian outlook appeals to an evolutionary understanding of social behavior: Care for others is produced by the prosocial instincts in human nature. As Adam Smith noted, perhaps with a hint of melancholy, we seem to help each other best when we act selfishly. The Stoics also call on us to become cosmopolitans. Dont say youre an Athenian or a Corinthian, but a citizen of the world, Epictetus advises. Its a fine quote for a cocktail party, but the reason the Stoics offer will not satisfy a devotee of Einsteins god: They are cosmopolitans because theres just one valid law throughout the universe, Zeuss rational law. Related Article Waiting for Steven Pinkers Enlightenment David A. Bell The concrete examples of virtuous behavior that Pigliucci offerssuch as eating at environmentally and socially conscious restaurants and investing via ethically responsible banksare appealing enough. Its just not clear what they have to do with Stoicism. Pigliuccis values may be widely shared among his intended readers, but unlike Stoic virtue, which consists in living in agreement with Zeuss plan, they have no firm philosophical foundation. The general problem with Pigliuccis approach should be clear by now. Many moderns may find a philosophy attractive that admonishes us to be rational, social, and cosmopolitan. But on closer inspection, the original Stoic arguments for these values have lost their bite, dependent as they are on a providential world order. Meanwhile, the updated Stoic arguments that Pigliucci proposes dont have enough bite to begin with. For Pigliucci, Stoicisms main benefit is that it teaches us how to face adversity with equanimity. The examples he offers include food poisoning, an obnoxious cell-phone user at the movies, a stolen wallet, a genetic disposition to obesity, and not getting a job promotion. These things wont upset us, he suggests, if we keep in mind the Stoic dichotomy of control. According to the Stoics, our happiness depends only on what is up to us, not on external circumstances that we cant fully control. We can strive to get a good job, stay healthy, raise a thriving family, or find interesting friends, but whether we succeed is only partly in our power. If you were born in a Mumbai slum, for example, the deck is stacked against you from the very start. By contrast, how we judge things is up to us, and judging them correctly is all we need to be happy. And judging things correctly, in turn, means affirming everything that Zeuss providential order has in store for us, because we recognize that whatever it is, is necessary in order to bring about the best possible world under his divine plan. Pigliucci turns this idea into something very different. We can endure misfortune with equanimity, he argues, if we realize that the outcome isnt under our control and that the universe doesnt care about our purposes. He also recommends various exercises to cope with misfortune: for example, what he calls praemeditatio malorummeditating on the worst things that can happen to us, so were prepared if they do and thankful if they dont. He also offers solid commonsense advice: Instead of letting anger consume you when misfortune strikes, Pigliucci counsels, remain cool and troubleshootfor example, quickly cancel your credit cards if your wallet gets stolen. But the connection to Stoicism is again unclear. For the ancient Stoics, the universe does care: It is arranged in the best possible way, especially for humankind, its most valuable part. For the Stoic sage, there are no malabad thingsto meditate upon, since all things are part of Zeuss flawless plan. To see that Pigliuccis proposal doesnt work, just scale up the degree of adversity: Instead of stomach pains and pickpockets, think of a Holocaust survivor who learns that the rest of his family has perished in the death camps, or a Syrian refugee who watches his sons dead body wash up on the shore. The Stoics thought their tools worked even in these extreme cases: Epictetus tells us in the same breath not to get upset about shattered china or the death of loved ones. But recognizing ones lack of control and the universes indifference, as Pigliucci proposes, wont yield equanimity in the face of such loss. And thats a good thing. The larger question here is whether the politics and ethics that modern Stoicism proposes are the right ones for our age. Many Stoics, Pigliucci claims, were bent on changing the world for the better. But they werent: They would have dismissed as incoherent the idea that one can improve what is already in the best possible state. They could, however, justify activism as an effort to help implement the divine plan. In a universe that doesnt care about our purposesa universe ruled by Einsteins God, not the divine craftsman of the Stoicscreating the conditions for human flourishing becomes our job. We cannot just come to terms with the way the world was ordered by some higher power; we have to order the world ourselves. Pigliucci says, for example, that it is not in our power to make thievery disappear. But were much more likely to get mugged in Rio de Janeiro than in Stockholmand thats the outcome not of Providence but of human-made social orders. Realizing that the Stoics tools to cope with adversity no longer work is a powerful incentive to minimize the need for them, whether by advancing medicine and technology or by championing social justice and human rights. On the whole, the Stoics were much more focused on coping with the world as it exists and as we suffer in it than on changing it. Thats not surprising, given their core beliefs: that we live in the best possible world and that happiness is available under all circumstances. But if you dont share these beliefs, then developing vaccines and fighting economic inequality is time better spent than searching for philosophical consolation. | David Frum: Can Stoicism Make the Modern Man Happy? He says a lot of people seem to think so. Frum questions whether the core tenets of Stoicism can survive this reinvention. He also questions whether Stoicism provides the right ethical and moral framework for our time. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.thenation.com/article/massimo-pigliucci-modern-stoicism-book-review/ | 0.144634 |
What weird object has been discovered in seal poo? | Getty Images It's everyone's worst nightmare - having your prized USB stick eaten by a cheeky seal! Scientists in New Zealand have found someone's USB stick literally 'sticking' out of some frozen seal poo. And, if that isn't enough, the memory stick still works and there's loads of photos and video footage on it. There's now a social media campaign to try and track the owner down! The 'sealiest' thing I've ever heard! To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. A USB stick has been found in a sample of seal poo and it still works! New Zealand scientist, Krista Hupman, discovered the memory stick when she was looking through a sample of frozen Leopard Seal poo. The poo is really useful to marine biologists who are monitoring the health of seals. It's often frozen and then de-frosted at a later date to be studied. The sample of poo was from back in 2017 so it was really surprising when the USB was loaded onto a computer and was found to be still working. The stick contained images of sea lions and a video of a mother playing with her baby. The owner hasn't been found yet but the scientists hope they might be able to track them down via social media. Getty Images | New Zealand scientists find USB stick in seal poo. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47130890 | 0.271458 |
What weird object has been discovered in seal poo? | Getty Images It's everyone's worst nightmare - having your prized USB stick eaten by a cheeky seal! Scientists in New Zealand have found someone's USB stick literally 'sticking' out of some frozen seal poo. And, if that isn't enough, the memory stick still works and there's loads of photos and video footage on it. There's now a social media campaign to try and track the owner down! The 'sealiest' thing I've ever heard! To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. A USB stick has been found in a sample of seal poo and it still works! New Zealand scientist, Krista Hupman, discovered the memory stick when she was looking through a sample of frozen Leopard Seal poo. The poo is really useful to marine biologists who are monitoring the health of seals. It's often frozen and then de-frosted at a later date to be studied. The sample of poo was from back in 2017 so it was really surprising when the USB was loaded onto a computer and was found to be still working. The stick contained images of sea lions and a video of a mother playing with her baby. The owner hasn't been found yet but the scientists hope they might be able to track them down via social media. Getty Images | New Zealand scientists found the USB stick in a sample of seal poo. It still works and there's loads of photos and video footage on it. There's now a social media campaign to try and track the owner down. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47130890 | 0.27093 |
What weird object has been discovered in seal poo? | Getty Images It's everyone's worst nightmare - having your prized USB stick eaten by a cheeky seal! Scientists in New Zealand have found someone's USB stick literally 'sticking' out of some frozen seal poo. And, if that isn't enough, the memory stick still works and there's loads of photos and video footage on it. There's now a social media campaign to try and track the owner down! The 'sealiest' thing I've ever heard! To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. A USB stick has been found in a sample of seal poo and it still works! New Zealand scientist, Krista Hupman, discovered the memory stick when she was looking through a sample of frozen Leopard Seal poo. The poo is really useful to marine biologists who are monitoring the health of seals. It's often frozen and then de-frosted at a later date to be studied. The sample of poo was from back in 2017 so it was really surprising when the USB was loaded onto a computer and was found to be still working. The stick contained images of sea lions and a video of a mother playing with her baby. The owner hasn't been found yet but the scientists hope they might be able to track them down via social media. Getty Images | Scientists in New Zealand have found someone's USB stick'sticking' out of frozen seal poo. The stick contained images of sea lions and a video of a mother playing with her baby. The owner hasn't been found yet but the scientists hope they might be able to track them down via social media. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47130890 | 0.25761 |
Who is Stacey Abrams? | Stacey Abrams, the Democratic candidate who narrowly lost the race for Georgia governor in 2018, will deliver the Democrats' rebuttal to President Trump's State of the Union address on Feb. 5. The response is traditionally delivered by member of Congress or a sitting governor, making Abrams an intriguing choice given that she doesn't currently hold a political office. However, as a progressive black woman who was defeated by one of Mr. Trump's endorsed candidates, party leaders may be hoping that she can deliver a speech which demonstrates the stark differences between Republicans and Democrats. Biography Abrams, who is one of six siblings, was born in 1973 in Wisconsin, although her family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, during her childhood. Both of her parents later became Methodist ministers. Abrams graduated from Spelman College, a historically black liberal arts college for women in Atlanta, and studied public policy at the University of Texas at Austin as a Harry S. Truman Scholar. Abrams received her law degree from Yale Law School in 1999. While serving as a private tax attorney, Abrams was appointed the Deputy City Attorney for Atlanta at age 29. She was elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 2006, and became the first black woman to serve as minority leader in 2011. She became known for her ability to work across the aisle, and worked with GOP Gov. Nathan Deal on criminal justice reforms, public transportation packages and a scholarship for low-income Georgia students. Gubernatorial race In 2018, Abrams ran for governor of Georgia. She prevailed in a primary against Stacey Evans in part because she opted to focus on drawing out like-minded liberal voters instead of attempting to broaden her appeal to swing voters. The strategy was an outgrowth of her work with the New Georgia Project, an officially nonpartisan organization she helped establish that registered tens of thousands of mostly minority voters across the state beginning during the 2014 election cycle. Abrams was defeated by Republican Brian Kemp in November. She initially did not concede the race to Kemp, due to concerns over voting irregularities, but acknowledged that Kemp had won later in the month. If she had won, Abrams would have been the first black female governor in the country. She remains a popular politician among Democrats, and a leader on the grassroots left. In late November, the Abrams-backed group Fair Fight Action filed a federal lawsuit challenging the way Georgia's elections are run. Since losing her gubernatorial bid, Abrams has said she is open to running for political office again. In recent days, she was spotted in Washington lunching with California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris, and met with other party leaders about a potential 2020 U.S. Senate bid against GOP Sen. David Perdue, of Georgia, one of Mr. Trump's closest allies on Capitol Hill. Romance novelist Abrams has also published several romance novels under the pen name Serena Montgomery. Controversy during gubernatorial campaign There were several voting irregularities during the campaign, and Abrams accused Kemp, who oversaw Georgia's election system as secretary of state, of dropping more than a million voters from the rolls since 2012 and closing polling places in African-American communities. "He is someone who is tilting the playing field in his direction and in the direction of his party," Abrams told CBS News' Nancy Cordes in October. "It is absolutely voter suppression." The biggest controversy surrounded the new "exact match" law that put the registrations of 53,000 voters, most of them African Americans, on hold because of discrepancies in the way their names are spelled in state databases. Kemp's office suspended processing the registrations under the auspices of a 2017 state law passed under his urging, which requires an "exact match" between a voter registration form and government documents. If a person's voter registration form differs from government documents -- even by a hyphen or a misspelling -- their registration form is considered suspect. However, the voters with pending applications could still vote on election day, if they presented photo identification at the polls. Kemp promoted several measures during his tenure as secretary of state which Democrats claim are intended to suppress minority votes. Abrams called on him to step down several times, given that Kemp oversees the state's electoral system. Kemp's office has canceled over 1.4 million voter registrations since 2012, including over 600,000 since 2017 alone, according to the Associated Press. Kemp was the only secretary of state in the country to refuse the Department of Homeland Security's aid against electoral hacking before the 2016 election, and he is being sued for failing to secure the state's voting system and allowing a massive breach into the records of 6 million voters. He and Gwinnett County are also being sued due to the Georgia county's rejection of 595 absentee ballots this year, over half of which belonged to African Americans and Asian Americans. | Stacey Abrams will deliver the Democrats' rebuttal to President Trump's State of the Union address. Abrams was defeated by Republican Brian Kemp in Georgia's gubernatorial race in November. She is a well-known and popular politician among Democrats, and a leader on the grassroots left. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-is-stacey-abrams-state-of-the-union-2019-rebuttal-democratic-party-biography/ | 0.131992 |
Will To Taxi find a saviour in Pierre Karl Pladeau? | Businessman and To Taxi founder Alexandre Taillefer says hes keeping his fingers crossed that an interest in the troubled firm reportedly exhibited by Qubecors Pierre Karl Pladeau will turn into something more tangible. In a brief statement sent to Presse Canadienne on Tuesday, Taillefer said he had nothing more to say other than I wish with all my heart that an experienced team can relaunch this important project, adding that Im keeping my fingers crossed that the rumour becomes a reality. According to reports in Pladeaus Qubecor outlets, the media mogul, acting on his own behalf, recently met with shareholders of the failed electric transport company. More than 400 drivers lost their jobs when To Taxi pulled the plug last month, saying it was unable to maintain financing for its operations. To Taxi was part of Taxelco, which also owns To Techno which developed the companys smartphone app as well as Diamond Taxi and Hochelaga Taxi, both of them conventional and profitable taxi companies. The majority shareholder in Taxelco is Fonds XPND Croissance, part of XPND Capital, where Taillefer is the principal partner. According to a document filed in Superior Court Friday by National Bank, one of the firms creditors, the debts held by Taxelco and To Taxi totalled close to $25 million. The bank holds $10.2 million of that debt, while Fondaction CSN held $3.6 million, Fin Taxi $1.8 million and Finalta Capital $1.5 million. About a year ago, the Caisse de dpt et placement du Qubec, the FTQ Solidarity Fund, Fondaction CSN as well as XPND Capital agreed to inject $17 million into Taxelco as part of a new round of financing to purchase new equipment and hire personnel. But when it became clear the firms financial outlook would not improve, the three institutional investors refused to provide any more capital, which left To Taxi on its last legs. According to the document filed by National Bank, anyone interested in Taxelco or its assets has until March 4 to make that interest known. Should any transaction be reached, it must be concluded by March 29. | To Taxi founder Alexandre Taillefer says he's keeping his fingers crossed that an interest in the troubled firm reportedly exhibited by Pierre Karl Pladeau will turn into something more tangible. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/will-teo-taxi-find-a-saviour-in-pierre-karl-peladeau | 0.191084 |
Will To Taxi find a saviour in Pierre Karl Pladeau? | Businessman and To Taxi founder Alexandre Taillefer says hes keeping his fingers crossed that an interest in the troubled firm reportedly exhibited by Qubecors Pierre Karl Pladeau will turn into something more tangible. In a brief statement sent to Presse Canadienne on Tuesday, Taillefer said he had nothing more to say other than I wish with all my heart that an experienced team can relaunch this important project, adding that Im keeping my fingers crossed that the rumour becomes a reality. According to reports in Pladeaus Qubecor outlets, the media mogul, acting on his own behalf, recently met with shareholders of the failed electric transport company. More than 400 drivers lost their jobs when To Taxi pulled the plug last month, saying it was unable to maintain financing for its operations. To Taxi was part of Taxelco, which also owns To Techno which developed the companys smartphone app as well as Diamond Taxi and Hochelaga Taxi, both of them conventional and profitable taxi companies. The majority shareholder in Taxelco is Fonds XPND Croissance, part of XPND Capital, where Taillefer is the principal partner. According to a document filed in Superior Court Friday by National Bank, one of the firms creditors, the debts held by Taxelco and To Taxi totalled close to $25 million. The bank holds $10.2 million of that debt, while Fondaction CSN held $3.6 million, Fin Taxi $1.8 million and Finalta Capital $1.5 million. About a year ago, the Caisse de dpt et placement du Qubec, the FTQ Solidarity Fund, Fondaction CSN as well as XPND Capital agreed to inject $17 million into Taxelco as part of a new round of financing to purchase new equipment and hire personnel. But when it became clear the firms financial outlook would not improve, the three institutional investors refused to provide any more capital, which left To Taxi on its last legs. According to the document filed by National Bank, anyone interested in Taxelco or its assets has until March 4 to make that interest known. Should any transaction be reached, it must be concluded by March 29. | To Taxi founder Alexandre Taillefer says hes keeping his fingers crossed that an interest in the troubled firm reportedly exhibited by Pierre Karl Pladeau will turn into something more tangible. The media mogul reportedly met with shareholders of the failed electric transport company. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/will-teo-taxi-find-a-saviour-in-pierre-karl-peladeau | 0.227029 |
What Could The Knicks Offer New Orleans For Anthony Davis Before The Deadline? | On Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Anthony Davis representatives have informed the Pelicans that, should he be traded, AD would sign long-term with only four teams, the Lakers, Knicks, Bucks and Clippers. According to ESPNs Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks did offer a package that included Kristaps Porzingis before they dealt KP to Dallas, along with Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews and two future first-round selections. Even though they no longer have Porzingis to incorporate into a deal, New York does have a number of attractive assets in the form of young players and picks that might be tempting to New Orleans. While its commonly assumed the Knicks pursuit of Davis died with the Porzimgis trade, it would certainly be understandable if they seriously considered going all in on AD after he made it know New York is on his shortlist. At just 25 years of age, Davis has yet to enter his prime but is already one of the five best players in the league. His upside is almost unparalleled. For instance, there only three players in NBA history with a Player Efficiency Rating north of 27.0: Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. With New York being one of only four destinations Davis is interested in, the Knicks have no choice but to weigh their options. This may be their last chance to get their hands on Davis. If the Pelicans hold onto AD past the trade deadline, it allows more teams (namely the Celtics) to get involved in the AD sweepstakes this summer. If the Knicks wanted to increase their odds of landing a top-tier free agent this offseason, having a superstar already on the roster would almost undoubtedly make them a more desirable destination to the Kevin Durants and Kyrie Irvings of the world. New Yorks offer would be centered around Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and multiple first-round selections, including their 2019 pick, which is a lottery ticket with a 14 percent chance of landing Zion Williamson. This hypothetical offer works under the salary cap: Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, Frank Ntilikina, Damyean Dotson, along with the expiring contracts of Enes Kanter and Lance Thomas, and three future first-round selections, in exchange for Davis and Solomon Hill. New Orleans is reportedly telling teams that swallowing Solomon Hills awful contract ($12.8 million in 2019-20), is the part of the cost of acquiring AD. The Pels would almost certainly require that the 2019 Knicks pick is unprotected, as the ideal scenario would be landing Zion. The two sides could discuss the protections on the future selections. Its also important to note that because the Knicks now own two of the Mavericks future first-rounders, they dont have the same limitations under the Stepien Rule, and thus have more flexibility in trading away their own first-round picks. If the Knicks were actually willing to push their best remaining chips into the middle of the table, the Pelicans would have to decide if New Yorks proposal trumped the Lakers best offer. According to Wojnarowski, the Lakers are currently offering Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball and two first-round picks for Davis and Hill. However, the Pelicans are reportedly demanding four first-rounders and second-round picks. The Pelicans are posturing as though they are content to sit tight, hold onto AD, and wait until the summer, believing that the same package from the Lakers will be available in July. As Wojnarowski notes: The Pelicans want to be compensated -- perhaps even overcompensated -- for bypassing the chance to open up the process in the offseason. Not only would the Celtics be able to enter the fray after July 1st, but it will also be known whether or not the Knicks won the Zion lottery. With the clock ticking towards Thursday's 3:00 pm deadline, it should be an interesting 48 hours | New York has a number of attractive assets in the form of young players and picks that might be tempting to New Orleans. The Lakers are currently offering Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball and two first-round picks for Anthony Davis. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2019/02/05/what-could-the-knicks-offer-new-orleans-for-anthony-davis-before-the-deadline/ | 0.10756 |
What Could The Knicks Offer New Orleans For Anthony Davis Before The Deadline? | On Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Anthony Davis representatives have informed the Pelicans that, should he be traded, AD would sign long-term with only four teams, the Lakers, Knicks, Bucks and Clippers. According to ESPNs Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks did offer a package that included Kristaps Porzingis before they dealt KP to Dallas, along with Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews and two future first-round selections. Even though they no longer have Porzingis to incorporate into a deal, New York does have a number of attractive assets in the form of young players and picks that might be tempting to New Orleans. While its commonly assumed the Knicks pursuit of Davis died with the Porzimgis trade, it would certainly be understandable if they seriously considered going all in on AD after he made it know New York is on his shortlist. At just 25 years of age, Davis has yet to enter his prime but is already one of the five best players in the league. His upside is almost unparalleled. For instance, there only three players in NBA history with a Player Efficiency Rating north of 27.0: Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. With New York being one of only four destinations Davis is interested in, the Knicks have no choice but to weigh their options. This may be their last chance to get their hands on Davis. If the Pelicans hold onto AD past the trade deadline, it allows more teams (namely the Celtics) to get involved in the AD sweepstakes this summer. If the Knicks wanted to increase their odds of landing a top-tier free agent this offseason, having a superstar already on the roster would almost undoubtedly make them a more desirable destination to the Kevin Durants and Kyrie Irvings of the world. New Yorks offer would be centered around Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and multiple first-round selections, including their 2019 pick, which is a lottery ticket with a 14 percent chance of landing Zion Williamson. This hypothetical offer works under the salary cap: Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, Frank Ntilikina, Damyean Dotson, along with the expiring contracts of Enes Kanter and Lance Thomas, and three future first-round selections, in exchange for Davis and Solomon Hill. New Orleans is reportedly telling teams that swallowing Solomon Hills awful contract ($12.8 million in 2019-20), is the part of the cost of acquiring AD. The Pels would almost certainly require that the 2019 Knicks pick is unprotected, as the ideal scenario would be landing Zion. The two sides could discuss the protections on the future selections. Its also important to note that because the Knicks now own two of the Mavericks future first-rounders, they dont have the same limitations under the Stepien Rule, and thus have more flexibility in trading away their own first-round picks. If the Knicks were actually willing to push their best remaining chips into the middle of the table, the Pelicans would have to decide if New Yorks proposal trumped the Lakers best offer. According to Wojnarowski, the Lakers are currently offering Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball and two first-round picks for Davis and Hill. However, the Pelicans are reportedly demanding four first-rounders and second-round picks. The Pelicans are posturing as though they are content to sit tight, hold onto AD, and wait until the summer, believing that the same package from the Lakers will be available in July. As Wojnarowski notes: The Pelicans want to be compensated -- perhaps even overcompensated -- for bypassing the chance to open up the process in the offseason. Not only would the Celtics be able to enter the fray after July 1st, but it will also be known whether or not the Knicks won the Zion lottery. With the clock ticking towards Thursday's 3:00 pm deadline, it should be an interesting 48 hours | New York has a number of attractive assets in the form of young players and picks that might be tempting to New Orleans. The Lakers are currently offering Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball and two first-round picks for Anthony Davis and Solomon Hill, according to ESPNs Adrian Wojnarowski. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2019/02/05/what-could-the-knicks-offer-new-orleans-for-anthony-davis-before-the-deadline/ | 0.137826 |
Will the Year of Pig Shower Fortunes on China ETFs? | Over the years, Chinas economy has turned out extremely crucial in gauging global economic and investing health. Chinas $13 trillion economy, second in size just after the United States, makes up about a third of global growth each year. So, if Chinas debt-ridden economys growth slows down, which actually has been the case of late, the global economy will have reasons to worry. Against this backdrop, China is stepping into its Lunar New Year 2019 the Year of the Pig today. Lets find out whats in store for China ETFs this New Year. Recap of the Dog Year The year went all wrong for China investing due to year-long trade tensions with the United States. It started in March after Trump ordered duties on steel and aluminum imports followed by an announcement to levy up to $60 billion of import duties on Chinese goods. The whole year was spent on negotiations with no concrete solution in sight.To date, the United States has slapped tariffs of 10% on $250 billion worth of Chinese products, and has warned tariffs on US$267 billion more. Meanwhile, China has set tariffs on $110 billion worth of U.S. goods (read: China's Likely Retaliation to US Tariffs & Its Impact on ETFs). Chinas fourth-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) grew at the weakest clip since the financial crisis of 2009, slipping to 6.4% from 6.5% in Q3. Overall, the economys 2018 growth rate of 6.6% was a 28-year low. Weak investment and wavering consumer confidence weighed on the economy. Chinas factory activity contracted last December, for the first time in more than two years(read: China's 2018 GDP Growth 28-Year Low: ETFs That Lost the Most). iShares China Large-Cap ETF FXI is down 14.3% past year (as of Feb 1, 2019) while Xtrackers Harvest CSI 500 China A-Shares Small Cap ETF ASHS is off more than 30%. Looks like the year of the pig, which symbolizes wealth and prosperity, will bring luck for China investing thanks to optimism surrounding trade with the United States. Per the sources, both sides are considering a meeting in Vietnam on Feb 27 and 28, and striving to reach a resolution on trade ties. Both parties may seek to protract trade war truce before the final deal. Chinas central bank cut its reserve requirement ratio (RRR) several times in the past year, to release about $116 billion for new lending and boost the economy. The latest cut in RRR has been in 2019 that has taken RRR to 14.5% for large institutions and 12.5% for smaller banks. The cuts will be put into effect on Jan 15 and Jan 25, respectively. To boost the economy, China recently launched tax breaks for small businesses run by recent graduates and low-income workers. The cuts take effect from Jan 1 and will continue till 2021-end. The Finance Ministry said this month that it will roll out larger tax and fee cuts, to boost small firms and manufacturers, per Reuters. Still, with the trade war and other internal issues in the economy, one analyst predicts Chinas economic growth at a tepid 5.3% in the pig year. However, IMF reiterated its 2019 forecast for Chinese GDP at 6.2% and sees robust consumption. In short, the year of the pig will continue to see China moving forward to more self-reliant policies, which will shift its dependence from exports to consumption. And the investing world has higher chances of outperformance in the New Year. After being beaten down in the dog year, Chinese stocks are now trading at cheaper valuation. ETFs in Focus Against this backdrop, we would like to highlight a few China ETFs that have been the steadiest at the start of the New Year. These ETFs are outperformers so far in 2019 (as of Feb 1, 2019). Zacks free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI): ETF Research Reports Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF (PGJ): ETF Research Reports GLB-XM CHN HC (CHIH): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report | The year went all wrong for China investing due to year-long trade tensions with the United States. Looks like the year of the pig, which symbolizes wealth and prosperity, will bring luck for China investing thanks to optimism surrounding trade with the United States. | pegasus | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/pig-shower-fortunes-china-etfs-180006813.html | 0.207073 |
Could mysterious 'alien spacecraft' be nothing more than cosmic dust? | The debate about what exactly the mysterious interstellar object known as "Oumuamua" is, continues to rage on, as some researchers believe it could be a 'lightsail' sent from another civilization, while others believe it is a remnant from another solar system. NASA, which admitted it did not originally see the object, believes it is a "metallic or rocky object" approximately 400 meters (1,312 feet) in length. Now, a new paper suggests the space object may be nothing more than cosmic space dust. The research, written by Zdenek Sekanina and put online here, theorizes that Oumuamua could be nothing more than "a monstrous fluffy dust aggregate" made up of a broken up comet. Put simply, a massive cloud of dust grains. HARVARD PROF DOESN'T BACK DOWN FROM CLAIMS THAT ALIEN SPACECRAFT MAY BE ZIPPING PAST JUPITER ORBIT Sekanina, a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, notes that comets typically disintegrate starting with "an outburst and that the debris is typically a massive cloud of dust grains that survives over a limited period of time" as they get closer to the Sun. Going off this observation and given the exceptional brightness of Oumuamua, Sekanina adds in the paper "there are reasons to believe that it suffered the same fate as do the frail comets." On Tuesday, Harvard University professor Avi Loeb refused to back down from his claims that a piece of extraterrestrial spacecraft technology may be flying past the orbit of Jupiter at this moment. He told the Washington Post that the object is long yet no more than one millimeter thick, and that its so light that sunlight is moving the object out of the solar system. Many people expected once there would be this publicity, I would back down, Loeb said. If someone shows me evidence to the contrary, I will immediately back down. Along with researcher Shmuel Bialy, Loeb made wrote a research paper theorizing that Oumuamua is a lightsail, floating in interstellar space as a debris from an advanced technological equipment." MYSTERIOUS INTERSTELLAR OBJECT MIGHT NOT BE SO SPECIAL AFTER ALL Canadian physicist and astronomer Robert Weryk, who discovered Oumuamua (which is Hawaiian name for "pathfinder" or "scout"), said the idea was preposterous and "wild speculation." In November, NASA published a study in the Astronomical Journal, revealing that when it was looking at the interstellar object in November with its Spitzer Space Telescope, it came up with nothing. Oumuamua is traveling away from the Sun at a rate of approximately 70,000 mph, towards the outer part of the solar system. In approximately four years, it will whiz past Neptune's orbit, on its way to interstellar space. Fox News' Lukas Mikelionis contributed to this report. | A new paper suggests the mysterious interstellar object known as "Oumuamua" may be nothing more than cosmic space dust. | bart | 0 | https://www.foxnews.com/science/could-mysterious-alien-spacecraft-be-nothing-more-than-cosmic-dust | 0.324689 |
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