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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 that the mysterious interstellar object known as "Oumuamua" may be nothing more than cosmic space dust made up of a broken up comet. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/science/could-mysterious-alien-spacecraft-be-nothing-more-than-cosmic-dust | 0.341102 |
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. The research, written by Zdenek Sekanina and put online here, theorizes that the object is made up of a massive cloud of dust grains. | bart | 2 | https://www.foxnews.com/science/could-mysterious-alien-spacecraft-be-nothing-more-than-cosmic-dust | 0.391969 |
Is Liam Neesons career in trouble after admitting he once wanted to 'kill' a black man? | Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson is under fire for revealing he wanted to "kill" a black man when he was younger after one of his friends said she was raped, and the backlash has raised questions as to whether or not his career is in jeopardy. During a now-infamous interview with The Independent, Neeson described waiting outside of pubs with a "cosh" hoping a "black bastard" would spark an altercation. So that I could kill him, Neeson said. Its awful. But I did learn a lesson from it. The comments sparked immediate outrage, with many critics calling Neeson racist. Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan called the comments Ku Klux Klan stuff on Tuesday and pondered aloud if the actor could recover from the hateful comments. 'The reaction on Twitter was very extreme last night," Morgan noted. "People were saying it's a career-ending interview." There seems to be no self-awareness in Neeson of just how offensive what he's saying is, Morgan said. If I was a black man, I would just find that unspeakable. Just the purest personification of racism, right there. The Independents Clemence Michallon, who conducted the interview, revealed to Morgan that Neeson even joked that he would kill the reporter if she wasnt careful telling his story by quoting one of his iconic movie lines. LIAM NEESON SAYS HE WALKED THE STREETS HOPING TO 'KILL' A BLACK MAN AFTER FAMILY MEMBER WAS RAPED It doesnt really seem that humorous, it feels like a threat. A veiled threat couched as a joke to put you on notice, Morgan told Michallon. Public Relations guru and 5W PR founder Ronn Torossian, who has over two decades of experience dealing with crisis management in the entertainment industry, was shocked upon hearing Neesons news-making story. For me, one of the real surprises is, this is a guy who is 60-something years old and hes been doing media for the better part of his adult life. When you talk about the legacy of Liam Neeson, I think these comments will certainly be a part of that legacy and I think he really said something very stupid, Torossian told Fox News. This is not the type of thing that you say publically. I mean, it isnt the type of thing you should do, but if you do it, you certainly dont go around and talk about it. Its just stupid, Torossian said. KIMMEL, FALLON AVOID RALPH NORTHAM CONTROVERSY IN LATE-NIGHT MONOLOGUES; BOTH HAVE HISTORIES USING BLACKFACE IN SKITS While Torossian thinks that Neeson said something terrible, he doesnt feel it will end his career because he didnt run and hide from the controversy. He explained that Neeson probably hasnt made any new fans but Tuesday morning appearances on morning shows, including "Good Morning America" and "Live with Kelly and Ryan, helped the Taken star avoid a scarlet letter on his career. In crisis 101 one of the cardinal things that exists is to own up to your mistakes, and to not wait. I thought his media blitz was done very well. The fact that he didnt wait was very smart." Ronn Torossian Neeson told GMA co-host Robin Roberts that he is not a racist, and explained that he was brought up in Northern Ireland during a tumultuous time. "I was trying to show honor and stand up for my dear friend in this horrible medieval fashion ... Thankfully no violence occurred ever, Neeson added. In crisis 101 one of the cardinal things that exists is to own up to your mistakes, and to not wait. I thought his media blitz was done very well. The fact that he didnt wait was very smart, Torossian said. Unfortunately for him, this interview came out on a Monday rather than Friday, so this story is going to keep rolling. Im looking for a black person to kill, now thats a great headline thats pretty bad. In addition to Neeson quickly hitting the apology tour, Torossian thinks that the veteran actor could skirt further controversy because hes been largely scandal-free for most of his career. I think this was Liam Neesons first offense and hes 60-something years old, I think the rules are different when youre 60-something years old and its your first offense, Torossian said. I think that Neeson walks away from this. Its not the end of his career. Not everyone agrees with Torossian and a quick search of Neeson on social media reveals that many are still furious despite the damage control tour. You are no hero for your admission. You are a representative of racial terror, New York Times columnist Charles Blow tweeted. Exactly. "The next time someone asks me why I have a chip on my shoulder, I can say, with all sincerity: Because there may well be an Oscar-nominated actor out there who wants to kill me, so I have to be alert at all times, author and journalist Gary Younge wrote. It is unclear if Neesons remarks will impact the release of Cold Pursuit, which hits theaters on Friday. Neeson has two other films scheduled to be released this year, including Men in Black: International. A rep for Neeson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Fox News Jessica Sager and Sasha Savitsky contributed to this report. | Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson is under fire for revealing he wanted to "kill" a black man when he was younger after one of his friends said she was raped. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/is-liam-neesons-career-in-trouble-after-admitting-he-once-wanted-to-kill-a-black-man | 0.18511 |
Is Liam Neesons career in trouble after admitting he once wanted to 'kill' a black man? | Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson is under fire for revealing he wanted to "kill" a black man when he was younger after one of his friends said she was raped, and the backlash has raised questions as to whether or not his career is in jeopardy. During a now-infamous interview with The Independent, Neeson described waiting outside of pubs with a "cosh" hoping a "black bastard" would spark an altercation. So that I could kill him, Neeson said. Its awful. But I did learn a lesson from it. The comments sparked immediate outrage, with many critics calling Neeson racist. Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan called the comments Ku Klux Klan stuff on Tuesday and pondered aloud if the actor could recover from the hateful comments. 'The reaction on Twitter was very extreme last night," Morgan noted. "People were saying it's a career-ending interview." There seems to be no self-awareness in Neeson of just how offensive what he's saying is, Morgan said. If I was a black man, I would just find that unspeakable. Just the purest personification of racism, right there. The Independents Clemence Michallon, who conducted the interview, revealed to Morgan that Neeson even joked that he would kill the reporter if she wasnt careful telling his story by quoting one of his iconic movie lines. LIAM NEESON SAYS HE WALKED THE STREETS HOPING TO 'KILL' A BLACK MAN AFTER FAMILY MEMBER WAS RAPED It doesnt really seem that humorous, it feels like a threat. A veiled threat couched as a joke to put you on notice, Morgan told Michallon. Public Relations guru and 5W PR founder Ronn Torossian, who has over two decades of experience dealing with crisis management in the entertainment industry, was shocked upon hearing Neesons news-making story. For me, one of the real surprises is, this is a guy who is 60-something years old and hes been doing media for the better part of his adult life. When you talk about the legacy of Liam Neeson, I think these comments will certainly be a part of that legacy and I think he really said something very stupid, Torossian told Fox News. This is not the type of thing that you say publically. I mean, it isnt the type of thing you should do, but if you do it, you certainly dont go around and talk about it. Its just stupid, Torossian said. KIMMEL, FALLON AVOID RALPH NORTHAM CONTROVERSY IN LATE-NIGHT MONOLOGUES; BOTH HAVE HISTORIES USING BLACKFACE IN SKITS While Torossian thinks that Neeson said something terrible, he doesnt feel it will end his career because he didnt run and hide from the controversy. He explained that Neeson probably hasnt made any new fans but Tuesday morning appearances on morning shows, including "Good Morning America" and "Live with Kelly and Ryan, helped the Taken star avoid a scarlet letter on his career. In crisis 101 one of the cardinal things that exists is to own up to your mistakes, and to not wait. I thought his media blitz was done very well. The fact that he didnt wait was very smart." Ronn Torossian Neeson told GMA co-host Robin Roberts that he is not a racist, and explained that he was brought up in Northern Ireland during a tumultuous time. "I was trying to show honor and stand up for my dear friend in this horrible medieval fashion ... Thankfully no violence occurred ever, Neeson added. In crisis 101 one of the cardinal things that exists is to own up to your mistakes, and to not wait. I thought his media blitz was done very well. The fact that he didnt wait was very smart, Torossian said. Unfortunately for him, this interview came out on a Monday rather than Friday, so this story is going to keep rolling. Im looking for a black person to kill, now thats a great headline thats pretty bad. In addition to Neeson quickly hitting the apology tour, Torossian thinks that the veteran actor could skirt further controversy because hes been largely scandal-free for most of his career. I think this was Liam Neesons first offense and hes 60-something years old, I think the rules are different when youre 60-something years old and its your first offense, Torossian said. I think that Neeson walks away from this. Its not the end of his career. Not everyone agrees with Torossian and a quick search of Neeson on social media reveals that many are still furious despite the damage control tour. You are no hero for your admission. You are a representative of racial terror, New York Times columnist Charles Blow tweeted. Exactly. "The next time someone asks me why I have a chip on my shoulder, I can say, with all sincerity: Because there may well be an Oscar-nominated actor out there who wants to kill me, so I have to be alert at all times, author and journalist Gary Younge wrote. It is unclear if Neesons remarks will impact the release of Cold Pursuit, which hits theaters on Friday. Neeson has two other films scheduled to be released this year, including Men in Black: International. A rep for Neeson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Fox News Jessica Sager and Sasha Savitsky contributed to this report. | Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson is under fire for revealing he wanted to "kill" a black man when he was younger. The backlash has raised questions as to whether or not his career is in jeopardy. Public Relations guru and 5W PR founder Ronn Torossian was shocked upon hearing the news-making story. | bart | 2 | https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/is-liam-neesons-career-in-trouble-after-admitting-he-once-wanted-to-kill-a-black-man | 0.224378 |
What is MCT oil and why is it becoming popular with dieters? | MCT oil is made from coconut and palm plants. Most cooking oils come from plants and seeds, but we've never heard of an MCT plant before. Technically, MCT isn't a plant but it does come from them -- coconut and palm plants. If we're getting science-y, Mary Onwuka, a physician at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, N.J. says MCTs are saturated fatty acids known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). MCT oil is a commercially made oil derived from palm and coconut and is high in good saturated fat. You can cook with it or bake with it like you do most oils. It can be used in marinades, baked goods, salad dressings, smoothies, coffee and other foods. As with any oil, check the specifications of its smoking point, which will give you a better idea of how to best use the oil. Although there are MCTs in coconut oil, coconut oil isn't the same as MCT oil. MCT oil is easier to digest and more easily absorbed than coconut oil. According to a 2018 study published in the National Institutes of Health, MCT oil has beneficial effects on exercise performance and plays a role in weight loss and decreasing abdominal obesity. MCT oil has started to pop up in commercial products such as coffee and smoothies and has been touted as an energy booster and fat burner. Cara Harbstreet, a registered dietitian and blogger, said that MCTs are generally used to help critically ill patients absorb nutrition through their gut, by athletes to burn fat instead of carbs and for epilepsy management. "Its colorless and bland in flavor, and since its liquid at room temperature, its an easy ingredient to add to recipes," said Harbstreet. The possibilities are basically endless: You can put it in food or drinks or drop some directly on your tongue. Onwuka says that MCT oil is used by people on a ketogenic diet as a source of fatty acids. "MCT oil improves mood and cognitive function because it is easily absorbed and utilized by the brain, which can be helpful in Alzheimers dementia," said Onwuka. "MCT oil improves heart health by decreasing the occurrence of metabolic syndrome and diabetes through improved metabolism, weight control and decreased inflammation." Be careful though -- just because MCT oil is a wellness supplement doesn't mean there aren't any side effects. Onwuka says that taking MCT oil can have negative gastrointestinal effects and can increase headaches and worsen anxiety. The doctor warns pregnant and nursing women against taking the supplement as she says the effects are not fully clear yet. "Patients with uncontrolled diabetes should avoid taking MCT oil because of increased formation of ketones, which can worsen complications," said Onwuka. "Patients with liver disease like cirrhosis should also avoid taking it since MCTs are primarily metabolized in the liver." She suggests that anyone deciding to use MCT oil consult with their physician first. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/02/05/what-mct-oil-diet-cocounut-oil-medium-chain-triglycerides/2657374002/ | MCT oil is a commercially made oil derived from palm and coconut plants. | bart | 0 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/02/05/what-mct-oil-diet-cocounut-oil-medium-chain-triglycerides/2657374002/ | 0.385163 |
What is MCT oil and why is it becoming popular with dieters? | MCT oil is made from coconut and palm plants. Most cooking oils come from plants and seeds, but we've never heard of an MCT plant before. Technically, MCT isn't a plant but it does come from them -- coconut and palm plants. If we're getting science-y, Mary Onwuka, a physician at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, N.J. says MCTs are saturated fatty acids known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). MCT oil is a commercially made oil derived from palm and coconut and is high in good saturated fat. You can cook with it or bake with it like you do most oils. It can be used in marinades, baked goods, salad dressings, smoothies, coffee and other foods. As with any oil, check the specifications of its smoking point, which will give you a better idea of how to best use the oil. Although there are MCTs in coconut oil, coconut oil isn't the same as MCT oil. MCT oil is easier to digest and more easily absorbed than coconut oil. According to a 2018 study published in the National Institutes of Health, MCT oil has beneficial effects on exercise performance and plays a role in weight loss and decreasing abdominal obesity. MCT oil has started to pop up in commercial products such as coffee and smoothies and has been touted as an energy booster and fat burner. Cara Harbstreet, a registered dietitian and blogger, said that MCTs are generally used to help critically ill patients absorb nutrition through their gut, by athletes to burn fat instead of carbs and for epilepsy management. "Its colorless and bland in flavor, and since its liquid at room temperature, its an easy ingredient to add to recipes," said Harbstreet. The possibilities are basically endless: You can put it in food or drinks or drop some directly on your tongue. Onwuka says that MCT oil is used by people on a ketogenic diet as a source of fatty acids. "MCT oil improves mood and cognitive function because it is easily absorbed and utilized by the brain, which can be helpful in Alzheimers dementia," said Onwuka. "MCT oil improves heart health by decreasing the occurrence of metabolic syndrome and diabetes through improved metabolism, weight control and decreased inflammation." Be careful though -- just because MCT oil is a wellness supplement doesn't mean there aren't any side effects. Onwuka says that taking MCT oil can have negative gastrointestinal effects and can increase headaches and worsen anxiety. The doctor warns pregnant and nursing women against taking the supplement as she says the effects are not fully clear yet. "Patients with uncontrolled diabetes should avoid taking MCT oil because of increased formation of ketones, which can worsen complications," said Onwuka. "Patients with liver disease like cirrhosis should also avoid taking it since MCTs are primarily metabolized in the liver." She suggests that anyone deciding to use MCT oil consult with their physician first. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/02/05/what-mct-oil-diet-cocounut-oil-medium-chain-triglycerides/2657374002/ | MCT oil is a commercially made oil derived from palm and coconut plants. It can be used in marinades, baked goods, salad dressings, smoothies, coffee. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/02/05/what-mct-oil-diet-cocounut-oil-medium-chain-triglycerides/2657374002/ | 0.421574 |
What is MCT oil and why is it becoming popular with dieters? | MCT oil is made from coconut and palm plants. Most cooking oils come from plants and seeds, but we've never heard of an MCT plant before. Technically, MCT isn't a plant but it does come from them -- coconut and palm plants. If we're getting science-y, Mary Onwuka, a physician at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, N.J. says MCTs are saturated fatty acids known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). MCT oil is a commercially made oil derived from palm and coconut and is high in good saturated fat. You can cook with it or bake with it like you do most oils. It can be used in marinades, baked goods, salad dressings, smoothies, coffee and other foods. As with any oil, check the specifications of its smoking point, which will give you a better idea of how to best use the oil. Although there are MCTs in coconut oil, coconut oil isn't the same as MCT oil. MCT oil is easier to digest and more easily absorbed than coconut oil. According to a 2018 study published in the National Institutes of Health, MCT oil has beneficial effects on exercise performance and plays a role in weight loss and decreasing abdominal obesity. MCT oil has started to pop up in commercial products such as coffee and smoothies and has been touted as an energy booster and fat burner. Cara Harbstreet, a registered dietitian and blogger, said that MCTs are generally used to help critically ill patients absorb nutrition through their gut, by athletes to burn fat instead of carbs and for epilepsy management. "Its colorless and bland in flavor, and since its liquid at room temperature, its an easy ingredient to add to recipes," said Harbstreet. The possibilities are basically endless: You can put it in food or drinks or drop some directly on your tongue. Onwuka says that MCT oil is used by people on a ketogenic diet as a source of fatty acids. "MCT oil improves mood and cognitive function because it is easily absorbed and utilized by the brain, which can be helpful in Alzheimers dementia," said Onwuka. "MCT oil improves heart health by decreasing the occurrence of metabolic syndrome and diabetes through improved metabolism, weight control and decreased inflammation." Be careful though -- just because MCT oil is a wellness supplement doesn't mean there aren't any side effects. Onwuka says that taking MCT oil can have negative gastrointestinal effects and can increase headaches and worsen anxiety. The doctor warns pregnant and nursing women against taking the supplement as she says the effects are not fully clear yet. "Patients with uncontrolled diabetes should avoid taking MCT oil because of increased formation of ketones, which can worsen complications," said Onwuka. "Patients with liver disease like cirrhosis should also avoid taking it since MCTs are primarily metabolized in the liver." She suggests that anyone deciding to use MCT oil consult with their physician first. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/02/05/what-mct-oil-diet-cocounut-oil-medium-chain-triglycerides/2657374002/ | MCT oil is a commercially made oil derived from palm and coconut plants. It can be used in marinades, baked goods, salad dressings, smoothies, coffee and other foods. MCT is used by people on a ketogenic diet as a source of fatty acids. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/02/05/what-mct-oil-diet-cocounut-oil-medium-chain-triglycerides/2657374002/ | 0.580344 |
Which Indiana high school boys basketball player was this week's top performer? | CLOSE The Warren Central Warriors defeat the Center Grove Trojans 68-54. Clark Wade, Clark.Wade@Indystar.com There were several standout performances last week statewide in boys basketball. Get your votes in by Thursday at noon for this weeks winner. Aaron Etherington, Hamilton Southeastern: The 6-6 senior was 7-for-10 from the 3-point line and scored 25 points as Hamilton Southeastern defeated Franklin Central 75-58 in its only game of the week. The Toledo recruit also had eight rebounds and five assists. James Franklin, Cathedral: The senior guard had 27 points in an 83-64 win over Cardinal Ritter in Cathedrals only game of the week. Franklin shot 5-for-10 from the 3-point line and also added six assists and five rebounds. Alex Hemenway, Castle: The 6-4 senior continued his torrid pace with a 42-point night in a 72-69 win over Evansville Bosse in Castles lone game of the week. The Clemson recruit hit 10 3-pointers in the win. IndyStar Sports Awards: Join us on the best night in Indiana high school sports Buy Photo Left to right: James Franklin, Alex Hemenway and Aaron Etherington. (Photo: IndyStar, Courier & Press photos) Noah Hupmann, Evansville Day: The 7-1 junior had 17 points, 16 rebounds in eight blocked shots in Evansville Days only game of the week, a 41-35 win over Tecumseh. Hupmaan is averaging 15.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 7.5 blocked shots per game. Kayden Key, Frankton: The 6-1 senior guard finished with 28 points and seven rebounds in a 77-71 win over Hamilton Heights in Franktons lone game last week. Key earned IBCA Player of the Week honors as Frankton improved to 16-3. Tyler Kramer, Southwestern (Hanover): The 5-11 senior had 24 points, seven rebounds and two steals as Southwestern defeated South Ripley 68-39 in its lone game of the week. Kramer is averaging 20.9 points per game for the Class 2A top-ranked Rebels (18-1). Brody Whitaker, Greencastle: The 6-2 sophomore had 25 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in a 59-38 win over Brown County on Saturday and added 12 points and seven assists in a 56-49 win over Monrovia on Thursday. Whitaker is averaging 19.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists on the season for the 14-3 Tiger Cubs. Stephan Wilkerson, Princeton: The 6-2 senior had 35 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists as Princeton defeated Mt. Vernon (Posey) 86-47 in its only game of the week. Wilkerson was 6-for-12 from the 3-point line as he earned IBCA Player of the Week honors. Warren Williams, Metropolitan: The junior had 19 points, eight rebounds and four steals in a 52-48 win over Shortridge in the Pumas only game of the week. Alex Yoder, Eastside: The 5-10 senior broke a school record with 41 points in a 97-52 win over Hamilton last week. Yoder was 6-for-11 from the 3-point line and added six rebounds, five assists and four steals. He broke the previous school record of 38 points set by Charlie Ross in 1970-71 to earn IBCA Player of the Week honors. Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. CAST YOUR VOTE (Hit refresh if poll does not appear) Mobile users can click here to vote. | There were several standout performances last week statewide in boys basketball. Get your votes in by Thursday at noon for this week's winner. Noah Hupmann, Alex Hemenway and Kayden Key are among the contenders. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/02/05/indiana-high-school-basketball-top-performers-jan-28-feb-2/2778283002/ | 0.150791 |
Which Indiana high school boys basketball player was this week's top performer? | CLOSE The Warren Central Warriors defeat the Center Grove Trojans 68-54. Clark Wade, Clark.Wade@Indystar.com There were several standout performances last week statewide in boys basketball. Get your votes in by Thursday at noon for this weeks winner. Aaron Etherington, Hamilton Southeastern: The 6-6 senior was 7-for-10 from the 3-point line and scored 25 points as Hamilton Southeastern defeated Franklin Central 75-58 in its only game of the week. The Toledo recruit also had eight rebounds and five assists. James Franklin, Cathedral: The senior guard had 27 points in an 83-64 win over Cardinal Ritter in Cathedrals only game of the week. Franklin shot 5-for-10 from the 3-point line and also added six assists and five rebounds. Alex Hemenway, Castle: The 6-4 senior continued his torrid pace with a 42-point night in a 72-69 win over Evansville Bosse in Castles lone game of the week. The Clemson recruit hit 10 3-pointers in the win. IndyStar Sports Awards: Join us on the best night in Indiana high school sports Buy Photo Left to right: James Franklin, Alex Hemenway and Aaron Etherington. (Photo: IndyStar, Courier & Press photos) Noah Hupmann, Evansville Day: The 7-1 junior had 17 points, 16 rebounds in eight blocked shots in Evansville Days only game of the week, a 41-35 win over Tecumseh. Hupmaan is averaging 15.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 7.5 blocked shots per game. Kayden Key, Frankton: The 6-1 senior guard finished with 28 points and seven rebounds in a 77-71 win over Hamilton Heights in Franktons lone game last week. Key earned IBCA Player of the Week honors as Frankton improved to 16-3. Tyler Kramer, Southwestern (Hanover): The 5-11 senior had 24 points, seven rebounds and two steals as Southwestern defeated South Ripley 68-39 in its lone game of the week. Kramer is averaging 20.9 points per game for the Class 2A top-ranked Rebels (18-1). Brody Whitaker, Greencastle: The 6-2 sophomore had 25 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in a 59-38 win over Brown County on Saturday and added 12 points and seven assists in a 56-49 win over Monrovia on Thursday. Whitaker is averaging 19.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists on the season for the 14-3 Tiger Cubs. Stephan Wilkerson, Princeton: The 6-2 senior had 35 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists as Princeton defeated Mt. Vernon (Posey) 86-47 in its only game of the week. Wilkerson was 6-for-12 from the 3-point line as he earned IBCA Player of the Week honors. Warren Williams, Metropolitan: The junior had 19 points, eight rebounds and four steals in a 52-48 win over Shortridge in the Pumas only game of the week. Alex Yoder, Eastside: The 5-10 senior broke a school record with 41 points in a 97-52 win over Hamilton last week. Yoder was 6-for-11 from the 3-point line and added six rebounds, five assists and four steals. He broke the previous school record of 38 points set by Charlie Ross in 1970-71 to earn IBCA Player of the Week honors. Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. CAST YOUR VOTE (Hit refresh if poll does not appear) Mobile users can click here to vote. | There were several standout performances last week statewide in boys basketball. Get your votes in by Thursday at noon for this week's winner. Noah Hupmann, Alex Hemenway and Kayden Key are among the contenders. Alex Yoder broke a school record with 41 points in a 97-52 win over Hamilton last week. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/02/05/indiana-high-school-basketball-top-performers-jan-28-feb-2/2778283002/ | 0.255196 |
Can new Oakland bar Redfield finally make cider happen in the Bay Area? | Redfield is a good-looking new bar and bottle shop in Rockridge, with lots of natural light and just the right amount of indoor plants. Its got exceedingly friendly service and a constantly rotating set of tap handles. Its even right across the street from the Ramen Shop, making it the perfect way station for those who have put their name in for an hour-long wait. Sounds perfect. Well, Redfield is a cider bar a category thats still, even for many Bay Area gourmands, terra incognita. And Redfields owners, Olivia Maki and Mike Reis, know theyve got their work cut out for them. I would argue that the Bay Areas cider scene is dramatically behind other cities when you consider the fact that this area really prides itself on food and beverage, Reis says. Thats not to say its nonexistent: We do have a cider bar in San Francisco, Upcider, and a handful of good local cider producers from Sonoma County to Santa Cruz. But, Reis says, when you compare us with Seattle or Chicago or Brooklyn, were not even batting in the same league. Perpetually in the shadow of its fermented-beverage counterparts, cider has yet to break free of the chains of wine and beer comparisons. For some beer drinkers, cider is too funky; for some wine lovers, it lacks structure; both categories of people tend to believe, mistakenly, that its always sweet. Its an afterthought on most restaurants drink lists, an obligatory entry for the would-be beer drinker who cant consume gluten. Maybe Redfield can start to change that. Maki and Reis came to cider, as they hope many of their customers will, from other corners of the food and beverage world. The couple met while collaborating on an event for the 18 Reasons cooking school, where Maki was working at the time; Reis, an advanced Cicerone (beer sommelier), was the beverage director for Monks Kettle and the now-closed Abbots Cellar. Together, their love for cider bloomed, as they visited cideries around the country and began pressing some apples themselves in their Berkeley backyard. The couple understood that opening a cider bar would be an uphill battle. Thats why they sought out a spot with good foot traffic: We cant ask people to go out of their way to experience cider, Reis says, because not a lot of people know that cider is something theyll like. College Avenue, just a few blocks away from the Rockridge BART station, fit the bill. Reis and Maki are doing everything right. They are deeply knowledgeable and infectiously passionate about their subject. They have a manner of speaking about cider that immediately puts you at ease. (Listen to their podcast, Redfield Radio, and youll know what I mean.) Recognizing that cider has gained momentum among the gluten-free set, for whom beer is off-limits, they offer a menu of mostly gluten-free snacks including Oyna Natural Foods very tasty kukus, an Iranian egg dish. The Redfield cider selection, which consists of 10 tap handles, five glass pours and 125 bottles, is remarkably diverse, encompassing everything from bacterial, bone-dry Asturian sidra (try the Fanjul Cidra Natural, $7.50/6 ounces) to jammy, slightly sweet ciders loaded with fruits (try the Cherry Seinfeld from San Leandros Hidden Star, $6.50/16 ounces) to boundary-pushing modern experiments (try Sin Eaters hopped cider, $7.50/10 ounces). In other words, theyre making it easy for you. By far, the most common misconception we encounter is that all cider is sweet, Reis says. And the cider industry isnt exactly helping to demystify that. Lots of sweet ciders are mislabeled as dry, while many actually dry ciders might be perceived as sweet, simply because theyre exuberantly fruity. Reis and Maki have to spend a lot of time reassuring customers that theyre not going to be pouring them something that tastes like Martinellis apple juice. (They do, however, offer Martinellis as a nonalcoholic option, as well as Bernies Best. This is a kid-friendly establishment.) For now, the message seems to be working. Theres no Ramen Shop-level line at Redfield, but the small bar has been drawing crowds in the late afternoons and evenings. And although a smart selection of craft beers and local wines are available, almost everyone has a glass or, more likely, a flight of cider in front of them, much to the owners delight. You dont have people going into City Beer Store or Bay Grape being like, Lemme get a Coors or theyre looking for a bottle of Barefoot, Reis laughs on the second episode of the podcast. But he and Maki recognize that many would-be cider aficionados are still in the Barefoot stage of their development, and theyre careful not to condescend. At the other end of the spectrum, some drinkers are looking for funkier ciders a profile in line with the increasingly popular cadre of sour beers and natural wines. Redfield can deliver there, too, with ciders like the Guzman Riestra Brut Nature ($11/6 ounces), a Champagne-method Spanish number thats crisp and fruity and lightly touched by barnyard a small leap for someone accustomed to drinking orange wines or saisons. And its hard to imagine anyone whether you drink off-dry Rieslings or hoppy IPAs or anything in between disliking something like the Eves Cidery Darling Creek, from New York ($11/6 ounces), a rich, honeyed, beautifully textured cider, also made in the Champagne method. Its as bracing as a great beer and as layered as a great wine. Or maybe thats the wrong way to describe a cider. Many of the considerations, like tannin, acidity and fermentation techniques, are parallel. Others are not. For example, many apple varieties arent suitable for creating a single-variety cider, the way Chardonnay or Merlot would be showcased alone in a varietal wine, or Simcoe or Mosaic hops in a single-hop beer. One apple that does lend itself to a single-variety cider, though, is the bars namesake the Redfield, a tannic, deeply flavored apple variety with dark red flesh. If its available by the glass, the Redfield from West County ($8/6 ounces) is a must-order. West County is a cidery in western Massachusetts thats been a leading U.S. producer since the 1980s; Reis calls it the Anchor Brewing of the cider world. There we go with the comparisons again. Ultimately, Maki and Reis recognize that the Bay Area probably isnt quite ready to move cider out of the wine and beer shadow. Long-term it would be great to see cider develop its own language and vocabulary, she says. Maybe well start to get there in, like, a year. For now our goal is just to make cider as approachable as possible. Hey, if talking wine and beer is what it takes to get someone in the Redfield door, so be it. Because Maki and Reis believe once people taste some really good cider, theyll be easily converted. The hardest part is getting it in their glasses. Esther Mobley is The Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob More Information To order: Eves Darling Creek ($11/6 ounces), Eric Bordelet Poire Granit 2016 ($12/6 ounces), West County Redfield ($8/6 ounces), Hidden Star Cherry Seinfeld ($6.50/16 ounces), potato kuku ($15) Where: Redfield Cider Bar and Bottle Shop, 5815 College Ave., Oakland. 510-250-9058 www.redfieldcider.com When: Noon to 11 p.m. Sun-Thurs, until midnight Fri-Sat. | Redfield is a cider bar and bottle shop in Rockridge, near the Ramen Shop. The Bay Area's cider scene is dramatically behind other cities, owner says. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/Can-new-Oakland-bar-Redfield-finally-make-cider-13591565.php | 0.115349 |
Can new Oakland bar Redfield finally make cider happen in the Bay Area? | Redfield is a good-looking new bar and bottle shop in Rockridge, with lots of natural light and just the right amount of indoor plants. Its got exceedingly friendly service and a constantly rotating set of tap handles. Its even right across the street from the Ramen Shop, making it the perfect way station for those who have put their name in for an hour-long wait. Sounds perfect. Well, Redfield is a cider bar a category thats still, even for many Bay Area gourmands, terra incognita. And Redfields owners, Olivia Maki and Mike Reis, know theyve got their work cut out for them. I would argue that the Bay Areas cider scene is dramatically behind other cities when you consider the fact that this area really prides itself on food and beverage, Reis says. Thats not to say its nonexistent: We do have a cider bar in San Francisco, Upcider, and a handful of good local cider producers from Sonoma County to Santa Cruz. But, Reis says, when you compare us with Seattle or Chicago or Brooklyn, were not even batting in the same league. Perpetually in the shadow of its fermented-beverage counterparts, cider has yet to break free of the chains of wine and beer comparisons. For some beer drinkers, cider is too funky; for some wine lovers, it lacks structure; both categories of people tend to believe, mistakenly, that its always sweet. Its an afterthought on most restaurants drink lists, an obligatory entry for the would-be beer drinker who cant consume gluten. Maybe Redfield can start to change that. Maki and Reis came to cider, as they hope many of their customers will, from other corners of the food and beverage world. The couple met while collaborating on an event for the 18 Reasons cooking school, where Maki was working at the time; Reis, an advanced Cicerone (beer sommelier), was the beverage director for Monks Kettle and the now-closed Abbots Cellar. Together, their love for cider bloomed, as they visited cideries around the country and began pressing some apples themselves in their Berkeley backyard. The couple understood that opening a cider bar would be an uphill battle. Thats why they sought out a spot with good foot traffic: We cant ask people to go out of their way to experience cider, Reis says, because not a lot of people know that cider is something theyll like. College Avenue, just a few blocks away from the Rockridge BART station, fit the bill. Reis and Maki are doing everything right. They are deeply knowledgeable and infectiously passionate about their subject. They have a manner of speaking about cider that immediately puts you at ease. (Listen to their podcast, Redfield Radio, and youll know what I mean.) Recognizing that cider has gained momentum among the gluten-free set, for whom beer is off-limits, they offer a menu of mostly gluten-free snacks including Oyna Natural Foods very tasty kukus, an Iranian egg dish. The Redfield cider selection, which consists of 10 tap handles, five glass pours and 125 bottles, is remarkably diverse, encompassing everything from bacterial, bone-dry Asturian sidra (try the Fanjul Cidra Natural, $7.50/6 ounces) to jammy, slightly sweet ciders loaded with fruits (try the Cherry Seinfeld from San Leandros Hidden Star, $6.50/16 ounces) to boundary-pushing modern experiments (try Sin Eaters hopped cider, $7.50/10 ounces). In other words, theyre making it easy for you. By far, the most common misconception we encounter is that all cider is sweet, Reis says. And the cider industry isnt exactly helping to demystify that. Lots of sweet ciders are mislabeled as dry, while many actually dry ciders might be perceived as sweet, simply because theyre exuberantly fruity. Reis and Maki have to spend a lot of time reassuring customers that theyre not going to be pouring them something that tastes like Martinellis apple juice. (They do, however, offer Martinellis as a nonalcoholic option, as well as Bernies Best. This is a kid-friendly establishment.) For now, the message seems to be working. Theres no Ramen Shop-level line at Redfield, but the small bar has been drawing crowds in the late afternoons and evenings. And although a smart selection of craft beers and local wines are available, almost everyone has a glass or, more likely, a flight of cider in front of them, much to the owners delight. You dont have people going into City Beer Store or Bay Grape being like, Lemme get a Coors or theyre looking for a bottle of Barefoot, Reis laughs on the second episode of the podcast. But he and Maki recognize that many would-be cider aficionados are still in the Barefoot stage of their development, and theyre careful not to condescend. At the other end of the spectrum, some drinkers are looking for funkier ciders a profile in line with the increasingly popular cadre of sour beers and natural wines. Redfield can deliver there, too, with ciders like the Guzman Riestra Brut Nature ($11/6 ounces), a Champagne-method Spanish number thats crisp and fruity and lightly touched by barnyard a small leap for someone accustomed to drinking orange wines or saisons. And its hard to imagine anyone whether you drink off-dry Rieslings or hoppy IPAs or anything in between disliking something like the Eves Cidery Darling Creek, from New York ($11/6 ounces), a rich, honeyed, beautifully textured cider, also made in the Champagne method. Its as bracing as a great beer and as layered as a great wine. Or maybe thats the wrong way to describe a cider. Many of the considerations, like tannin, acidity and fermentation techniques, are parallel. Others are not. For example, many apple varieties arent suitable for creating a single-variety cider, the way Chardonnay or Merlot would be showcased alone in a varietal wine, or Simcoe or Mosaic hops in a single-hop beer. One apple that does lend itself to a single-variety cider, though, is the bars namesake the Redfield, a tannic, deeply flavored apple variety with dark red flesh. If its available by the glass, the Redfield from West County ($8/6 ounces) is a must-order. West County is a cidery in western Massachusetts thats been a leading U.S. producer since the 1980s; Reis calls it the Anchor Brewing of the cider world. There we go with the comparisons again. Ultimately, Maki and Reis recognize that the Bay Area probably isnt quite ready to move cider out of the wine and beer shadow. Long-term it would be great to see cider develop its own language and vocabulary, she says. Maybe well start to get there in, like, a year. For now our goal is just to make cider as approachable as possible. Hey, if talking wine and beer is what it takes to get someone in the Redfield door, so be it. Because Maki and Reis believe once people taste some really good cider, theyll be easily converted. The hardest part is getting it in their glasses. Esther Mobley is The Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob More Information To order: Eves Darling Creek ($11/6 ounces), Eric Bordelet Poire Granit 2016 ($12/6 ounces), West County Redfield ($8/6 ounces), Hidden Star Cherry Seinfeld ($6.50/16 ounces), potato kuku ($15) Where: Redfield Cider Bar and Bottle Shop, 5815 College Ave., Oakland. 510-250-9058 www.redfieldcider.com When: Noon to 11 p.m. Sun-Thurs, until midnight Fri-Sat. | Redfield is a cider bar and bottle shop in Rockridge, near the Ramen Shop. The Bay Area's cider scene is dramatically behind other cities, the bar's owners say. Redfield's selection is remarkably diverse, encompassing everything from bacterial, bone-dry Asturian sidra to $7.50 cider. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/Can-new-Oakland-bar-Redfield-finally-make-cider-13591565.php | 0.173433 |
Are Bingo Industries Limiteds Returns On Capital Worth Investigating? | Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today we are going to look at Bingo Industries Limited (ASX:BIN) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. Specifically, well consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires. First up, well look at what ROCE is and how we calculate it. Second, well look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. Finally, well look at how its current liabilities affect its ROCE. ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. In general, businesses with a higher ROCE are usually better quality. Ultimately, it is a useful but imperfect metric. The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets Current Liabilities) Or for Bingo Industries: 0.13 = AU$64m (AU$578m AU$94m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2018.) So, Bingo Industries has an ROCE of 13%. ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. We can see Bingo Industriess ROCE is around the 12% average reported by the Commercial Services industry. Separate from Bingo Industriess performance relative to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms looks satisfactory, and it may be worth researching in more depth. ASX:BIN Last Perf February 5th 19 More When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. This is because ROCE only looks at one year, instead of considering returns across a whole cycle. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company. How Bingo Industriess Current Liabilities Impact Its ROCE Current liabilities include invoices, such as supplier payments, short-term debt, or a tax bill, that need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To check the impact of this, we calculate if a company has high current liabilities relative to its total assets. Bingo Industries has total assets of AU$578m and current liabilities of AU$94m. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 16% of its total assets. Low current liabilities are not boosting the ROCE too much. The Bottom Line On Bingo Industriess ROCE Overall, Bingo Industries has a decent ROCE and could be worthy of further research. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20. | Bingo Industries Limited (ASX:BIN) has a Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) of 13%. | bart | 0 | https://news.yahoo.com/bingo-industries-limited-returns-capital-205821829.html | 0.366851 |
Are Bingo Industries Limiteds Returns On Capital Worth Investigating? | Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today we are going to look at Bingo Industries Limited (ASX:BIN) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. Specifically, well consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires. First up, well look at what ROCE is and how we calculate it. Second, well look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. Finally, well look at how its current liabilities affect its ROCE. ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. In general, businesses with a higher ROCE are usually better quality. Ultimately, it is a useful but imperfect metric. The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets Current Liabilities) Or for Bingo Industries: 0.13 = AU$64m (AU$578m AU$94m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2018.) So, Bingo Industries has an ROCE of 13%. ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. We can see Bingo Industriess ROCE is around the 12% average reported by the Commercial Services industry. Separate from Bingo Industriess performance relative to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms looks satisfactory, and it may be worth researching in more depth. ASX:BIN Last Perf February 5th 19 More When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. This is because ROCE only looks at one year, instead of considering returns across a whole cycle. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company. How Bingo Industriess Current Liabilities Impact Its ROCE Current liabilities include invoices, such as supplier payments, short-term debt, or a tax bill, that need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To check the impact of this, we calculate if a company has high current liabilities relative to its total assets. Bingo Industries has total assets of AU$578m and current liabilities of AU$94m. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 16% of its total assets. Low current liabilities are not boosting the ROCE too much. The Bottom Line On Bingo Industriess ROCE Overall, Bingo Industries has a decent ROCE and could be worthy of further research. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20. | Bingo Industries Limited (ASX:BIN) has a Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) of 13%. The ROCE is considered to show how efficiently the business can generate profits from its capital. | bart | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/bingo-industries-limited-returns-capital-205821829.html | 0.365034 |
Are Bingo Industries Limiteds Returns On Capital Worth Investigating? | Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today we are going to look at Bingo Industries Limited (ASX:BIN) to see whether it might be an attractive investment prospect. Specifically, well consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), since that will give us an insight into how efficiently the business can generate profits from the capital it requires. First up, well look at what ROCE is and how we calculate it. Second, well look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. Finally, well look at how its current liabilities affect its ROCE. ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. In general, businesses with a higher ROCE are usually better quality. Ultimately, it is a useful but imperfect metric. The formula for calculating the return on capital employed is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets Current Liabilities) Or for Bingo Industries: 0.13 = AU$64m (AU$578m AU$94m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2018.) So, Bingo Industries has an ROCE of 13%. ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. We can see Bingo Industriess ROCE is around the 12% average reported by the Commercial Services industry. Separate from Bingo Industriess performance relative to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms looks satisfactory, and it may be worth researching in more depth. ASX:BIN Last Perf February 5th 19 More When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. This is because ROCE only looks at one year, instead of considering returns across a whole cycle. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company. How Bingo Industriess Current Liabilities Impact Its ROCE Current liabilities include invoices, such as supplier payments, short-term debt, or a tax bill, that need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To check the impact of this, we calculate if a company has high current liabilities relative to its total assets. Bingo Industries has total assets of AU$578m and current liabilities of AU$94m. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 16% of its total assets. Low current liabilities are not boosting the ROCE too much. The Bottom Line On Bingo Industriess ROCE Overall, Bingo Industries has a decent ROCE and could be worthy of further research. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with modest (or no) debt, trading on a P/E below 20. | Bingo Industries Limited (ASX:BIN) has a 13% Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) ROCE is commonly used for comparing the performance of similar businesses. It is important to note that the ROCe is not necessarily predictive. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/bingo-industries-limited-returns-capital-205821829.html | 0.28186 |
Will Stringer scandal hurt efforts to reform Arizona's criminal-justice system? | Rep. David Stringer listens on the house floor on Jan. 28, 2019. The Arizona House of Representatives refused to vote on a motion to expel Stringer over revelations that he was charged with sex offenses in 1983. (Photo: Nick Oza/The Republic) The cloud of controversy hanging over Arizona state Rep. David Stringer could threaten more than his political career. Advocates for leniency in Arizona's strict criminal-justice system say they worry recent scandals surrounding the state representative could hinder this year's efforts to overhaul sentencing laws at the Legislature. Stringer, R-Prescott, has long been one of the most vocal Republicans pushing for changes, arguing the state's vast prison population shows the need to rehabilitate offenders, not penalize them. His support could be crucial because few GOP lawmakers have traditionally supported the effort, and their votes are needed to pass new laws. But Stringer's backing could now be a political liability. Stringer faces a House Ethics Committee investigation over two complaints triggered by revelations he was charged with sex crimes in 1983 and accepted a plea deal. Racist comments about immigrants and black people already had spurred two waves of calls for his resignation last year. Joe Watson, spokesman for American Friends Service Committee-Arizona, told The Arizona Republic reformers are "concerned that opponents of criminal-justice reform may attempt to sink common-sense legislation by simply invoking Rep. Stringer." He said the criminal- and social-justice group "hopes elected representatives won't fall for it" and will instead remember that revamping the justice system is about helping the thousands of families negatively affected by current laws. Reform is bigger than any one person," Watson said. Republican votes critical for passage Though Stringer is just one of 90 votes in the state Legislature, his support is significant. (Reformers are) concerned that opponents of criminal-justice reform may attempt to sink common-sense legislation by simply invoking Rep. Stringer. Joe Watson, spokesman for American Friends Service Committee-Arizona This session, Stringer has sponsored at least 11 criminal-justice bills, including measures he either introduced or has co-sponsored. The GOP establishment in Arizona traditionally has resisted efforts to repeal mandatory-minimum sentencing laws and other changes that would lessen how harsh the legal system is on offenders. Republican opposition has softened somewhat in recent months, with lawmakers such as House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, indicating their interest in changes. But much of the party still opposes adjustments to mandatory-minimum sentencing laws, for instance, as Republican prosecutors including Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery and Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk reject them. That makes every Republican vote crucial to getting something done. And it isn't hard to find examples of how Stringer's situation already has affected the debate. Concerns about racist comments have twice led speakers of the House, Bowers and his predecessor, former Speaker J.D. Mesnard, to dissolve criminal-justice committees Stringer was slated to chair. In December, Bowers announced he had disbanded the Sentencing and Recidivism Reform Committee and assigned its work to another committee. CLOSE azcentral reporters break down this week's big political news. Arizona Republic Stringer: Reform efforts motivated by own experience Scrutiny of Stringer intensified after the Phoenix New Times published an explosive report last month that revealed he was charged with several offenses, at least one of which related to child pornography, in 1983. He has defended himself by asserting the allegations were false, saying his own experiences with an unfair justice system explain "why I am a crusader for criminal- justice reform." "It is because I was a victim of false accusations, but escaped the worst of consequences, that I have chosen to spend the rest of my career helping others," Stringer told Prescott eNews, an outlet in which he is an investor, according to its website. He has said that he was never convicted of a crime, though court records obtained by the New Times show the court entered a judgment of guilt on some combination of charges. MORE: This bill could reduce prison sentences; advocates say that's important Stringer also said "any kind of porn allegations were completely dismissed," but the disposition of that charge or charges is unclear from records obtained by the New Times. He said he took a plea of "probation before judgment," a Maryland sentence that allows someone to have a charge cleared after completing probation. He was sentenced to 5 years of probation. "There is no guilty plea, no conviction," Stringer told Prescott eNews. "I have no record. I have done nothing wrong." Many details of his 1983 case are unknown given the matter was reportedly expunged, meaning records of the case were erased. It's also unclear whether Stringer disclosed his plea deal when he applied for admission to the State Bar of Arizona. He has been a licensed attorney in Arizona since 2004, according to online records. Applicants must disclose whether they have been arrested, taken into custody, indicted, charged or pleaded guilty to a crime, regardless of whether the matter was expunged. Rick DeBruhl, a spokesman for the State Bar, said the organization is investigating what Stringer disclosed when he applied to practice law. But that effort could be moot because the Arizona Supreme Court no longer has a copy of Stringer's 2003 application. Stringer told the Arizona Daily Independent, a conservative blog, that he's always complied with disclosure requirements with his applications to practice law. Reformers 'scared that good ideas will be lost' Stringer's influence isn't limited to his vote. He has sponsored key bills that advocates worry could now get shelved. The news of Stringer's sex-crime charges immediately cast a shadow over House Bill 2300, for instance. That proposal would allow registered sex offenders to return to the courts after five to 10 years, depending on how old they were when they were convicted, andask for removal fromthe registry. Mikel Steinfeld, a lawyer with Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice, said advocates had pushed for the bill long before the scandal and are now "scared that good ideas will be lost just because of the controversy surrounding one person." READ: After a year of scandals, lawmakers still haven't created rules for conduct "As long as I can remember, there have been people in the criminal-defense community who have wanted to change this," he said. "People are being saddled with a lifetime burden for what sometimes is essentially a one-time mistake, and sometimes, its a one-time mistake thats not even rising to the level of a felony." Steinfeld said low-level offenders, such as those caught urinating or engaging in consensual sexual activity in public, served as the primary motivation for reformers. But he believes "even those who are convicted of an offense that rises to a higher level could turn their lives around and become the type of exception we want to recognize." The legislation would require an offender prove that he or she "has not committed a sex offense since being required to register, is not likely to re-offend and is not a danger to the safety of others" when petitioning for removal from the registry. It has other safeguards, such as allowing any victims to speak in response to the petition. Lawmakers: This isn't about Stringer But fellow lawmakers said the issue of making Arizona's justice system fairer was never about Stringer himself. House Minority Co-Whip Reginald Bolding, D-Phoenix, said major legislative efforts will move ahead without Stringer, because there are more Republicans working on them than before. I truly believe in this legislation, and I hope that we can get it done this year. I think that, generally speaking, criminal justice has broad support all the way around. Rep. Ben Toma, R-Peoria, on justice-reform bills in the state Legislature "I don't think Rep. Stringer convinced any of his colleagues ... to do that because how great of an orator he was," Bolding said. "They're doing it because they believe in the issue." Bolding called for a vote to expel Stringer on the House floor last week but was blocked by Republicans, who said the controversies should be vetted by the House Ethics Committee first. Bolding subsequently filed an ethics complaint against Stringer, citing his past sex charges and the series of racist comments he made last year. Among GOP lawmakers who've sponsored major justice-reform bills this year is Rep. Ben Toma, R-Peoria. He said he hopes committee chairs will decide which bills get heard based on their merits, not their affiliation with Stringer. Toma is sponsoring House Bill 2362, which would allow a court to expunge or erase a person's records of criminal conviction. Arizona currently has no expungement law, and reform advocates say the option can be a critical tool to help rehabilitated offenders move on from their mistakes. Stringer is one of a handful of GOP co-sponsors. I truly believe in this legislation, and I hope that we can get it done this year," Toma said. "I think that, generally speaking, criminal justice has broad support all the way around." Toma said he's disappointed with how Democrats have approached the Stringer controversy, as they've pushed for expulsion before an ethics investigation. To jump on something that has been expunged and to push to expel a member, and to, at the same time, push that we create an expungement statute in Arizona seems to be a bit hypocritical," he said. We shouldnt be rushing to judgment, no matter how bad something is." The House Ethics Committee has hired an outside law firm to investigate the allegations against Stringer. Chairman T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, said Thursday that the investigation will be "timely, impartial and thorough." I would urge anyone who has information relevant to this investigation to contact the committee," he said. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/legislature/2019/02/05/arizona-rep-david-stringers-scandal-may-harm-criminal-justice-reform/2716578002/ | Advocates for leniency in Arizona's strict criminal-justice system say they worry recent scandals could hinder this year's efforts to overhaul sentencing laws. Republican Rep. David Stringer has long been one of the most vocal Republicans pushing for changes. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/legislature/2019/02/05/arizona-rep-david-stringers-scandal-may-harm-criminal-justice-reform/2716578002/ | 0.296863 |
Can Zac Taylor take long-suffering Bengals the next step? | CINCINNATI The Cincinnati Bengals liked Zac Taylor the first time they talked to him, but there was one overriding concern when they discussed offering him their head coaching job. He's 35 with only a few games as a coordinator on his NFL resume. "Our big question was: Is he ready for this opportunity?" player personnel director Duke Tobin said. Taylor convinced them during their two meetings, and the Bengals introduced him as their 10th head coach on Tuesday. In Cincinnati, it's always bigger than the head coach. In a league set up to help struggling teams rise quickly, the Bengals have managed only seven winning seasons in the last 28 years, a reflection on ownership. Quarterback Carson Palmer sensed the built-in walls and asked to be traded after the 2010 season. During his 16 seasons in Cincinnati, coach Marvin Lewis raised the organization to a competitive level but couldn't get it any further. Quarterbacks and coaches have come and gone, but the futility has endured. Cincinnati's failure to win a playoff game in 28 years matches Washington for the fifth-longest in league history. Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet, Dick LeBeau and Lewis all came up short during the streak of futility. Lewis finished 0-7, the worst postseason coaching record in NFL history. Now, it's Taylor's turn. He's not only charged with trying to break through those barriers, but also winning back fans who abandoned the team because of its reluctance to make necessary changes. "I know this will not be easy," Taylor said. He has to hire a coaching staff, a job made more difficult by the timing. Under NFL rules, the Bengals couldn't hire him until his team was eliminated from the playoffs. They got to interview him during the Rams' bye weeks. Taylor hasn't committed to a particular style of defense. He's looking to overhaul an offense that will be on its third coordinator in the last three seasons. Taylor endorsed quarterback Andy Dalton, saying he fits what he's trying to do with the offense. Taylor intends to call the plays. He'll import features from the Rams' offense to Cincinnati: "I think it would be silly to scrap it, so that will be a big part of what we do." He spoke repeatedly about establishing a culture. "It's getting the right people and having high standards and holding people accountable," Taylor said. The Bengals have been through a lot of dysfunction lately. They fired their offensive coordinator only two games into the 2017 season. Last year, they fired their defensive coordinator midway through his first season. They fielded the youngest team in Lewis' 16 seasons last year, and the results weren't good. Brown finally decided to replace Lewis when attendance fell to the second-lowest level in the NFL. Fans' anger and indifference tipped his hand. "We had lost some of the faith in our fan base," Brown said Tuesday, his first public comment about the coaching change. "That was clear. That sent a loud message." So, they decided to go in a very different direction with a young coach who will bring new ideas to a button-down organization. Taylor wore a three-piece suit to the news conference Tuesday, the first time he's been so buttoned down. The session ended with Taylor posing for photos with Brown, who joked with photographers as they snapped away. "I keep looking for the flashbulbs," Brown said. | Zac Taylor is the 10th head coach for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals haven't won a playoff game in 28 years. Fans have lost faith in the team because of its reluctance to make necessary changes. | ctrlsum | 1 | http://www.startribune.com/can-zac-taylor-take-long-suffering-bengals-the-next-step/505380432/ | 0.106233 |
Can Zac Taylor take long-suffering Bengals the next step? | CINCINNATI The Cincinnati Bengals liked Zac Taylor the first time they talked to him, but there was one overriding concern when they discussed offering him their head coaching job. He's 35 with only a few games as a coordinator on his NFL resume. "Our big question was: Is he ready for this opportunity?" player personnel director Duke Tobin said. Taylor convinced them during their two meetings, and the Bengals introduced him as their 10th head coach on Tuesday. In Cincinnati, it's always bigger than the head coach. In a league set up to help struggling teams rise quickly, the Bengals have managed only seven winning seasons in the last 28 years, a reflection on ownership. Quarterback Carson Palmer sensed the built-in walls and asked to be traded after the 2010 season. During his 16 seasons in Cincinnati, coach Marvin Lewis raised the organization to a competitive level but couldn't get it any further. Quarterbacks and coaches have come and gone, but the futility has endured. Cincinnati's failure to win a playoff game in 28 years matches Washington for the fifth-longest in league history. Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet, Dick LeBeau and Lewis all came up short during the streak of futility. Lewis finished 0-7, the worst postseason coaching record in NFL history. Now, it's Taylor's turn. He's not only charged with trying to break through those barriers, but also winning back fans who abandoned the team because of its reluctance to make necessary changes. "I know this will not be easy," Taylor said. He has to hire a coaching staff, a job made more difficult by the timing. Under NFL rules, the Bengals couldn't hire him until his team was eliminated from the playoffs. They got to interview him during the Rams' bye weeks. Taylor hasn't committed to a particular style of defense. He's looking to overhaul an offense that will be on its third coordinator in the last three seasons. Taylor endorsed quarterback Andy Dalton, saying he fits what he's trying to do with the offense. Taylor intends to call the plays. He'll import features from the Rams' offense to Cincinnati: "I think it would be silly to scrap it, so that will be a big part of what we do." He spoke repeatedly about establishing a culture. "It's getting the right people and having high standards and holding people accountable," Taylor said. The Bengals have been through a lot of dysfunction lately. They fired their offensive coordinator only two games into the 2017 season. Last year, they fired their defensive coordinator midway through his first season. They fielded the youngest team in Lewis' 16 seasons last year, and the results weren't good. Brown finally decided to replace Lewis when attendance fell to the second-lowest level in the NFL. Fans' anger and indifference tipped his hand. "We had lost some of the faith in our fan base," Brown said Tuesday, his first public comment about the coaching change. "That was clear. That sent a loud message." So, they decided to go in a very different direction with a young coach who will bring new ideas to a button-down organization. Taylor wore a three-piece suit to the news conference Tuesday, the first time he's been so buttoned down. The session ended with Taylor posing for photos with Brown, who joked with photographers as they snapped away. "I keep looking for the flashbulbs," Brown said. | Zac Taylor is the 10th head coach for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals haven't won a playoff game in 28 years. Fans have lost faith in the team because of its reluctance to make necessary changes. Taylor says he plans to import features from the Rams' offense to Cincinnati. | ctrlsum | 2 | http://www.startribune.com/can-zac-taylor-take-long-suffering-bengals-the-next-step/505380432/ | 0.13011 |
Should Ralph Northam resign? | Ralph Northam, the Democratic governor of Virginia, has refused to step down after The Virginian-Pilot obtained a copy of his medical school yearbook page picturing one man in blackface and the other in KKK garb. The governor initially admitted to being in the photo and apologized, only to recant the next day. He then said there had been another time he had donned blackface, but for a dance competition in which he dressed as Michael Jackson. PERSPECTIVES After initially admitting to being in the photo and apologizing, Northam recanted the next day, saying he had no memory of being in the picture and therefore it could not have been him. He claimed it must have been an error by the yearbook editors. "It has take time" for him to realize he is not in the photo of men dressed in blackface and a KKK outfit. But, he says upon some reflection, he is not in it. "I am convinced." -- Matt Viser (@mviser) February 2, 2019 After this denial, however, Northam volunteered he had, at another point in time, worn blackface--when he entered a dance contest dressed as Michael Jackson. Many, including the Washington Post's Matt Viser, noted Northam seemed to be arguing that he had done nothing wrong by admitting to doing the wrong thing... but at a different time. Reporters also asked Northam about the fact that his nickname was listed as "Coonman" on another page in the yearbook. Northam said the nickname had been given to him by other classmates and he was unaware of its racist connotations. I did not steal my neighbor's car. I stole his neighbor's car. And I'm ready to be forgiven. -- Matt Viser (@mviser) February 2, 2019 There are questions about whether Northam is really treating the situation with the appropriate amount of professionalism. During his long, strange press conference, Northam was asked by a reporter whether he still knew how to moonwalk. Rather than pivoting from the question to something more pertinent, Slate reports he looked around, possibly to see if there was enough space for him to showcase the dance. [H]e appeared to look around, as if he were weighing whether there was enough space to show off these supposed skills. His wife, Pamela Northam, seemed to have quick reflexes and appeared to realize what was going on and spoke up. "In appropriate circumstances," she said. Regardless, Northam listened to his wife and parroted her words back to the journalist. Northam Looked Ready to Show Off Moonwalking Skills Before His Wife Stopped Him Some have voiced concern over whether our society is too quick to condemn people for past mistakes. Rich Lowry, editor of the conservative National Review, said during a panel on "Meet the Press" that while he thought what Northam had done was wrong, he didn't want the governor's career to end over a past mistake. I do think, outside of Northam, and the specifics of this case, because now, there are all sorts of other things in play, maladroit he's been handling it. I'm hesitant about creating a political culture where lapses, 30 or 40 years ago, are used to entirely define someone's life and career, especially if there's no evidence that they're part of a pattern. Some are reluctant to have Northam leave office. The Washington Post reported earlier in January that he had been an effective and efficient leader in his first year in office. Northam, 59, oversaw the expansion of Medicaid after four years of failed attempts by Democrats. He reached bipartisan deals on lowering the felony threshold, overhauling state regulations and establishing dedicated funding for Metro. Amazon chose Virginia as one of its new headquarters, the unemployment rate is at a historic low and more than a billion dollars in new revenue is streaming into state coffers this year. Nice guy, sharp elbows: Virginia Gov. Northam scores big in first year Members of Northam's own party were almost unanimous in their calls for his resignation. The Washington Post reports Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring has called for Northam's resignation, not just because of the moral lapse shown by his actions, but because he will no longer be able to effectively lead the state. "It is no longer possible for Governor Northam to lead our Commonwealth and it is time for him to step down," Herring said. "I have spoken with Lieutenant Governor Fairfax and assured him that, should he ascend to the governorship, he will have my complete support and commitment to ensuring his success and the success of our Commonwealth." Gov. Northam refuses to step down, despite flood of calls for his resignation over racist photo 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. | Ralph Northam, the Democratic governor of Virginia, has refused to step down. | bart | 0 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/should_ralph_northam_resign.html | 0.233924 |
Should Ralph Northam resign? | Ralph Northam, the Democratic governor of Virginia, has refused to step down after The Virginian-Pilot obtained a copy of his medical school yearbook page picturing one man in blackface and the other in KKK garb. The governor initially admitted to being in the photo and apologized, only to recant the next day. He then said there had been another time he had donned blackface, but for a dance competition in which he dressed as Michael Jackson. PERSPECTIVES After initially admitting to being in the photo and apologizing, Northam recanted the next day, saying he had no memory of being in the picture and therefore it could not have been him. He claimed it must have been an error by the yearbook editors. "It has take time" for him to realize he is not in the photo of men dressed in blackface and a KKK outfit. But, he says upon some reflection, he is not in it. "I am convinced." -- Matt Viser (@mviser) February 2, 2019 After this denial, however, Northam volunteered he had, at another point in time, worn blackface--when he entered a dance contest dressed as Michael Jackson. Many, including the Washington Post's Matt Viser, noted Northam seemed to be arguing that he had done nothing wrong by admitting to doing the wrong thing... but at a different time. Reporters also asked Northam about the fact that his nickname was listed as "Coonman" on another page in the yearbook. Northam said the nickname had been given to him by other classmates and he was unaware of its racist connotations. I did not steal my neighbor's car. I stole his neighbor's car. And I'm ready to be forgiven. -- Matt Viser (@mviser) February 2, 2019 There are questions about whether Northam is really treating the situation with the appropriate amount of professionalism. During his long, strange press conference, Northam was asked by a reporter whether he still knew how to moonwalk. Rather than pivoting from the question to something more pertinent, Slate reports he looked around, possibly to see if there was enough space for him to showcase the dance. [H]e appeared to look around, as if he were weighing whether there was enough space to show off these supposed skills. His wife, Pamela Northam, seemed to have quick reflexes and appeared to realize what was going on and spoke up. "In appropriate circumstances," she said. Regardless, Northam listened to his wife and parroted her words back to the journalist. Northam Looked Ready to Show Off Moonwalking Skills Before His Wife Stopped Him Some have voiced concern over whether our society is too quick to condemn people for past mistakes. Rich Lowry, editor of the conservative National Review, said during a panel on "Meet the Press" that while he thought what Northam had done was wrong, he didn't want the governor's career to end over a past mistake. I do think, outside of Northam, and the specifics of this case, because now, there are all sorts of other things in play, maladroit he's been handling it. I'm hesitant about creating a political culture where lapses, 30 or 40 years ago, are used to entirely define someone's life and career, especially if there's no evidence that they're part of a pattern. Some are reluctant to have Northam leave office. The Washington Post reported earlier in January that he had been an effective and efficient leader in his first year in office. Northam, 59, oversaw the expansion of Medicaid after four years of failed attempts by Democrats. He reached bipartisan deals on lowering the felony threshold, overhauling state regulations and establishing dedicated funding for Metro. Amazon chose Virginia as one of its new headquarters, the unemployment rate is at a historic low and more than a billion dollars in new revenue is streaming into state coffers this year. Nice guy, sharp elbows: Virginia Gov. Northam scores big in first year Members of Northam's own party were almost unanimous in their calls for his resignation. The Washington Post reports Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring has called for Northam's resignation, not just because of the moral lapse shown by his actions, but because he will no longer be able to effectively lead the state. "It is no longer possible for Governor Northam to lead our Commonwealth and it is time for him to step down," Herring said. "I have spoken with Lieutenant Governor Fairfax and assured him that, should he ascend to the governorship, he will have my complete support and commitment to ensuring his success and the success of our Commonwealth." Gov. Northam refuses to step down, despite flood of calls for his resignation over racist photo 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. | Ralph Northam, the Democratic governor of Virginia, has refused to step down. The Virginian-Pilot obtained a copy of his medical school yearbook page picturing one man in blackface and the other in KKK garb. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/should_ralph_northam_resign.html | 0.208932 |
Should Ralph Northam resign? | Ralph Northam, the Democratic governor of Virginia, has refused to step down after The Virginian-Pilot obtained a copy of his medical school yearbook page picturing one man in blackface and the other in KKK garb. The governor initially admitted to being in the photo and apologized, only to recant the next day. He then said there had been another time he had donned blackface, but for a dance competition in which he dressed as Michael Jackson. PERSPECTIVES After initially admitting to being in the photo and apologizing, Northam recanted the next day, saying he had no memory of being in the picture and therefore it could not have been him. He claimed it must have been an error by the yearbook editors. "It has take time" for him to realize he is not in the photo of men dressed in blackface and a KKK outfit. But, he says upon some reflection, he is not in it. "I am convinced." -- Matt Viser (@mviser) February 2, 2019 After this denial, however, Northam volunteered he had, at another point in time, worn blackface--when he entered a dance contest dressed as Michael Jackson. Many, including the Washington Post's Matt Viser, noted Northam seemed to be arguing that he had done nothing wrong by admitting to doing the wrong thing... but at a different time. Reporters also asked Northam about the fact that his nickname was listed as "Coonman" on another page in the yearbook. Northam said the nickname had been given to him by other classmates and he was unaware of its racist connotations. I did not steal my neighbor's car. I stole his neighbor's car. And I'm ready to be forgiven. -- Matt Viser (@mviser) February 2, 2019 There are questions about whether Northam is really treating the situation with the appropriate amount of professionalism. During his long, strange press conference, Northam was asked by a reporter whether he still knew how to moonwalk. Rather than pivoting from the question to something more pertinent, Slate reports he looked around, possibly to see if there was enough space for him to showcase the dance. [H]e appeared to look around, as if he were weighing whether there was enough space to show off these supposed skills. His wife, Pamela Northam, seemed to have quick reflexes and appeared to realize what was going on and spoke up. "In appropriate circumstances," she said. Regardless, Northam listened to his wife and parroted her words back to the journalist. Northam Looked Ready to Show Off Moonwalking Skills Before His Wife Stopped Him Some have voiced concern over whether our society is too quick to condemn people for past mistakes. Rich Lowry, editor of the conservative National Review, said during a panel on "Meet the Press" that while he thought what Northam had done was wrong, he didn't want the governor's career to end over a past mistake. I do think, outside of Northam, and the specifics of this case, because now, there are all sorts of other things in play, maladroit he's been handling it. I'm hesitant about creating a political culture where lapses, 30 or 40 years ago, are used to entirely define someone's life and career, especially if there's no evidence that they're part of a pattern. Some are reluctant to have Northam leave office. The Washington Post reported earlier in January that he had been an effective and efficient leader in his first year in office. Northam, 59, oversaw the expansion of Medicaid after four years of failed attempts by Democrats. He reached bipartisan deals on lowering the felony threshold, overhauling state regulations and establishing dedicated funding for Metro. Amazon chose Virginia as one of its new headquarters, the unemployment rate is at a historic low and more than a billion dollars in new revenue is streaming into state coffers this year. Nice guy, sharp elbows: Virginia Gov. Northam scores big in first year Members of Northam's own party were almost unanimous in their calls for his resignation. The Washington Post reports Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring has called for Northam's resignation, not just because of the moral lapse shown by his actions, but because he will no longer be able to effectively lead the state. "It is no longer possible for Governor Northam to lead our Commonwealth and it is time for him to step down," Herring said. "I have spoken with Lieutenant Governor Fairfax and assured him that, should he ascend to the governorship, he will have my complete support and commitment to ensuring his success and the success of our Commonwealth." Gov. Northam refuses to step down, despite flood of calls for his resignation over racist photo 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. | Ralph Northam, the Democratic governor of Virginia, has refused to step down. The governor initially admitted to being in the photo and apologized, only to recant the next day. He then said there had been another time he had donned blackface, but for a dance competition in which he dressed as Michael Jackson. | bart | 2 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/should_ralph_northam_resign.html | 0.237304 |
Why arent our federal politicians held to account for what they say in election ads? | Justin Trudeau dropped a couple of big hints about the coming budget in a video he released on social media this week. Its a transit-themed video. The prime minister appears at a variety of transit stops including the GO station he visited in Milton, Ont, just last week to boast that his federal Liberals have kept their word on building infrastructure across Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an ad released on social media this week. As we get closer to the federal vote the election ad war is underway but what has been left behind is any accountability from our politicians with regards to the promises they are making, Susan Delacourt writes. ( Twitter ) This month well be announcing everything weve done and announcing new projects to create good, middle-class jobs and build the infrastructure we need, Trudeau says. So we learn two things from that one-minute video: Trudeaus last budget before the election will likely land this month (bet on the last week of February) and it will include new announcements for infrastructure programs across the country. Trudeau isnt the only one doing videos either. Article Continued Below Both ads were withdrawn after a bit of a backlash, but one does wonder whether this is some kind of new publicity tactic on the part of the Conservatives. Retracting the ads, after all, may have yielded more attention to the attack ads than the Conservatives would have achieved without the outcry. If it happens a third time, assume that this is a new wrinkle in Canadian political-ad wars: advance, retreat, advance again. It wouldnt be the first time that Conservatives have blazed an advertising trail either in Canada. When they were in government from 2006 to 2015, they were the first to make extensive use of attack ads against opponents in between official campaign periods, with relentless waves of advertising against successive leaders Stphane Dion, Michael Ignatieff and Trudeau. Article Continued Below For the most part, Canadians have been spared that perpetual ad campaign over the past three and a half years. It would seem so, though Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has been out on the TV advertising circuit for a while now with mainly positive ads, introducing himself to Canadians as a guy whos far more in touch with middle-class suburbanites than the prime minister is. (Presumably theyll be upping their game on promised ad transparency before the election.) But the focus on infrastructure and transit is very much linked to Liberal advertising of the past. Back in the 2015 campaign, using data culled from the partys massive voter outreach efforts, Trudeau walked into a studio one day and recorded 40 different ads, promising to fix individual infrastructure issues identified as the largest concerns in 40 different communities. You may even remember hearing them Trudeau talking about water-quality issues in your town or gridlock you were encountering on your commute to work. It would be a worthwhile exercise to measure this months announcements from Trudeau against those promises in the 40 radio ads. (Unfortunately, no archive seems to exist.) Perhaps the Trudeau government has already taken stock of its long-ago promises, and the infrastructure-themed video this week is a bid to tie up some loose ends from the 2015 campaign. Ads are the most powerful tools the political parties have for communicating with the voters. More people will view ads than the relatively few who sift through the party platforms or who closely read the political news (sorry to have to acknowledge this.) On the question of ad accountability, however, we here in Canada are somewhat behind the times. We dont require politicians to personally endorse the ad claims at the end of the spot, as they do in the United States, and we in the media tend to keep track more on what the parties are spending than on what they say or promise in those 20- to 30-second spots. This election year is a good time to shift that approach; to hold the leaders and the parties accountable for the content of the advertising theyre now writing and filming to fill up the airwaves and our social-media feeds. If the ad war is about to begin, complete with transit-stop videos and retracted claims, then that accountability effort should start now too. Susan Delacourt is the Stars Ottawa bureau chief and a columnist covering national politics. Reach her via email: sdelacourt@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt Read more about: | As we get closer to the federal vote the election ad war is underway. What has been left behind is any accountability from our politicians with regards to the promises they are making, Susan Delacourt writes. For the most part, Canadians have been spared that perpetual ad campaign over the past three and a half years. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.thestar.com/politics/political-opinion/2019/02/05/why-arent-our-federal-politicians-held-to-account-for-what-they-say-in-election-ads.html | 0.101159 |
Can UW Huskies secure the best class of the Chris Petersen Era (and beyond) on national signing day? | Washington, which signed 20 prospects in December, already owns a 2019 recruiting class ranked 14th nationally by 247Sports. Lets start with some unrealistic expectations. After all, Wednesday is national signing day, a college football holiday marked by press conferences wherein every coach at every school raves about every one of their 20-something signees. Every program is on the rise. Every need was filled. Every team is undefeated and will be forever and ever. Its no different at the University of Washington, where 20 recruits signed with the program in December and several more are expected to officially join the class on Wednesday. Shoot, this might be the best class UW has ever had, defensive tackle signee Noa Ngalu told The Times on Tuesday, in a phone interview from the library at Menlo-Atherton High School. I cant wait to get it started. But first, lets all stop and take a breath. Its far too early to tell and possibly reckless to even suggest. But that doesnt mean UW fans shouldnt be plenty excited. I think no matter what this is going to be (head coach Chris Petersens) best class that hes signed, said Brandon Huffman, national recruiting editor for 247Sports. Theyve got a fantastic D-line group, both with defensive tackles and guys that are playing on the edge. Youve got a fantastic linebacker corps. Youve got a top-quality secondary class. Youve got a running back. Youve got a quarterback. Youve got at least one receiver and potentially two. Up front on the offensive line youve got guys that can come in and play right away. Youve got some guys that youre going to be able to develop. Then, to make it even more worthwhile, you get a top-tier kicker. Youre seeing not only an upgrade in talent, but more importantly, playable talent, and filling just about every need. Just about. If Washingtons current class which is ranked 14th nationally by 247Sports has a weakness, its that the Huskies snagged just one wide receiver and zero tight ends during the early signing period in December. UW may be able to patch those holes on Wednesday, when tentative USC commit and consensus four-star wide receiver Puka Nacua announces his college destination. Huffman said that Petersen and Co. very realistically do have a shot at flipping Nacua, who has taken official visits to UW and Oregon in the last few weeks and also has a brother who plays for Utah. Outside of Nacua, two four-star Husky linebacker targets Daniel Heimuli and Henry Tootoo will sign with someone on Wednesday. Huffman said hed be stunned if Heimuli doesnt ink with UW, while Alabama is still the favorite to land Tootoos services and signature. Though the Huskies might not be far behind. As far as Henry is concerned, everything Im hearing is still Bama. But Washington has made it compelling, Huffman said. Theyve certainly put themselves in the mix. I think Washington has been that one Pac-12 school that has just hovered there the entire recruitment, and I still think they have a realistic shot of getting him. But theyve just got to overcome the big lead Alabama had built up over the last six to eight months. In Petersens dream signing day, Tootoo, Heimuli and Nacua plus four-star safety Asa Turner, who reaffirmed his commitment to the Huskies last week would add to an already impressive haul. Of course, that might be just a dream. It would be tremendous (for UW), Huffman said. It would be up there among their biggest signing day closes probably since they signed Budda Baker and Kaleb McGary in the same class, or the year that they got Shaq Thompson and a few other guys that committed on signing day. You dont have that impact Shaq Thompson-type guy, but you close with three of your biggest targets for the better part of a year one at an extreme position of need at receiver and the other two at a (linebacker) position that youve really stocked up well. If, somehow, that all came to pass, UWs existing signees would deserve some credit for the accomplishment. After all, nine Husky signees participated in the Polynesian Bowl all-star game last month, more than any other program. They spent a week in Hawaii playing with, practicing with (and, yes, recruiting) some of the top uncommitted prospects in the country. Check. Check. Check. Check. They came. They saw. They recruited. I think last year is when you really saw the impact the Polynesian Bowl had on prospective recruits, Huffman said. (Washington defensive tackle) Tuli Letuligasenoa didnt sign in December, spent a week in Hawaii around all the Polynesian Bowl players going to Washington and ultimately turned. That week had a huge impact on him. A year later, Daniel Heimuli was coming off his official visit to Oregon. Henry (Tootoo) had already visited Washington in the fall but he was getting ready to visit Alabama. Then (Alabama defensive coordinator) Tosh Lupoi, who was recruiting both of them, leaves. Now youve got nine other guys that are already committed to Washington spending that entire week recruiting them, and a lot of guys had just come off their own official visits to Washington earlier in the month. When asked in January how often Washington signees recruited him during their week in Hawaii, Heimuli who took home defensive MVP honors in the game laughed and said, Every night. Every chance they got. That extra effort may pay off on Wednesday. Unlikely. But, unrealistic expectations aside, it could still be something special. We treat each other like family, Ngalu said. I feel like were going to have a really solid group this year. | The University of Washington is expected to sign its 2019 recruiting class on Wednesday. The Huskies are ranked 14th in the country by 247Sports. It's too early to tell if this will be the best class Chris Petersen has ever had. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-football/can-uw-huskies-secure-the-best-class-of-the-chris-petersen-era-and-beyond-on-national-signing-day/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 0.155102 |
Can UW Huskies secure the best class of the Chris Petersen Era (and beyond) on national signing day? | Washington, which signed 20 prospects in December, already owns a 2019 recruiting class ranked 14th nationally by 247Sports. Lets start with some unrealistic expectations. After all, Wednesday is national signing day, a college football holiday marked by press conferences wherein every coach at every school raves about every one of their 20-something signees. Every program is on the rise. Every need was filled. Every team is undefeated and will be forever and ever. Its no different at the University of Washington, where 20 recruits signed with the program in December and several more are expected to officially join the class on Wednesday. Shoot, this might be the best class UW has ever had, defensive tackle signee Noa Ngalu told The Times on Tuesday, in a phone interview from the library at Menlo-Atherton High School. I cant wait to get it started. But first, lets all stop and take a breath. Its far too early to tell and possibly reckless to even suggest. But that doesnt mean UW fans shouldnt be plenty excited. I think no matter what this is going to be (head coach Chris Petersens) best class that hes signed, said Brandon Huffman, national recruiting editor for 247Sports. Theyve got a fantastic D-line group, both with defensive tackles and guys that are playing on the edge. Youve got a fantastic linebacker corps. Youve got a top-quality secondary class. Youve got a running back. Youve got a quarterback. Youve got at least one receiver and potentially two. Up front on the offensive line youve got guys that can come in and play right away. Youve got some guys that youre going to be able to develop. Then, to make it even more worthwhile, you get a top-tier kicker. Youre seeing not only an upgrade in talent, but more importantly, playable talent, and filling just about every need. Just about. If Washingtons current class which is ranked 14th nationally by 247Sports has a weakness, its that the Huskies snagged just one wide receiver and zero tight ends during the early signing period in December. UW may be able to patch those holes on Wednesday, when tentative USC commit and consensus four-star wide receiver Puka Nacua announces his college destination. Huffman said that Petersen and Co. very realistically do have a shot at flipping Nacua, who has taken official visits to UW and Oregon in the last few weeks and also has a brother who plays for Utah. Outside of Nacua, two four-star Husky linebacker targets Daniel Heimuli and Henry Tootoo will sign with someone on Wednesday. Huffman said hed be stunned if Heimuli doesnt ink with UW, while Alabama is still the favorite to land Tootoos services and signature. Though the Huskies might not be far behind. As far as Henry is concerned, everything Im hearing is still Bama. But Washington has made it compelling, Huffman said. Theyve certainly put themselves in the mix. I think Washington has been that one Pac-12 school that has just hovered there the entire recruitment, and I still think they have a realistic shot of getting him. But theyve just got to overcome the big lead Alabama had built up over the last six to eight months. In Petersens dream signing day, Tootoo, Heimuli and Nacua plus four-star safety Asa Turner, who reaffirmed his commitment to the Huskies last week would add to an already impressive haul. Of course, that might be just a dream. It would be tremendous (for UW), Huffman said. It would be up there among their biggest signing day closes probably since they signed Budda Baker and Kaleb McGary in the same class, or the year that they got Shaq Thompson and a few other guys that committed on signing day. You dont have that impact Shaq Thompson-type guy, but you close with three of your biggest targets for the better part of a year one at an extreme position of need at receiver and the other two at a (linebacker) position that youve really stocked up well. If, somehow, that all came to pass, UWs existing signees would deserve some credit for the accomplishment. After all, nine Husky signees participated in the Polynesian Bowl all-star game last month, more than any other program. They spent a week in Hawaii playing with, practicing with (and, yes, recruiting) some of the top uncommitted prospects in the country. Check. Check. Check. Check. They came. They saw. They recruited. I think last year is when you really saw the impact the Polynesian Bowl had on prospective recruits, Huffman said. (Washington defensive tackle) Tuli Letuligasenoa didnt sign in December, spent a week in Hawaii around all the Polynesian Bowl players going to Washington and ultimately turned. That week had a huge impact on him. A year later, Daniel Heimuli was coming off his official visit to Oregon. Henry (Tootoo) had already visited Washington in the fall but he was getting ready to visit Alabama. Then (Alabama defensive coordinator) Tosh Lupoi, who was recruiting both of them, leaves. Now youve got nine other guys that are already committed to Washington spending that entire week recruiting them, and a lot of guys had just come off their own official visits to Washington earlier in the month. When asked in January how often Washington signees recruited him during their week in Hawaii, Heimuli who took home defensive MVP honors in the game laughed and said, Every night. Every chance they got. That extra effort may pay off on Wednesday. Unlikely. But, unrealistic expectations aside, it could still be something special. We treat each other like family, Ngalu said. I feel like were going to have a really solid group this year. | The University of Washington is expected to sign its 2019 recruiting class on Wednesday. The Huskies are ranked 14th in the country by 247Sports. It's too early to tell if this will be the best class Chris Petersen has ever had, but experts say it could be. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-football/can-uw-huskies-secure-the-best-class-of-the-chris-petersen-era-and-beyond-on-national-signing-day/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 0.199142 |
Why are most of the top football recruits leaving Arizona? | Williams Fields Noa Pola-Gates looks toward the middle of the field in game against Gilbert on Friday night at Gilbert High School on Sept. 28, 2018. (Photo: Kynan Marlin) Gilbert Williams Field defensive back Noa Pola-Gates, who played in two high school All-American games in January, was ready to commit to Arizona State before Nebraska coach Scott Frost made an in-home visit. "I was headed to Arizona State after I decided not to go to Alabama," said Pola-Gates, one of The Arizona Republic's eight finalists for Football Player of the Year. "But then I was challenged to step out of my comfort zone by Coach Frost. "It really made me think deeper." That comfort zone was staying home and, as Pola-Gates put it, dealing with "my own personal distractions." Pola-Gates wanted to get out of Arizona and spread his wings. "But dont get me wrong," he said. "ASU is going to be a powerhouse and Im excited for the program. They're about to do big things." When he announced on CBS Sports Network on Jan. 19 during the Polynesian Bowl that he would sign with Nebraska on Wednesday, it broke the hearts of college football fans in Arizona. He was another big-time recruit who got away. With new coaches at the two in-state Pac-12 schools Herm Edwards at ASU and Kevin Sumlin at Arizona coming in last year, the struggle continues to keep the kids with the most stars from leaving the state. There's a history of them, dating well before the Edwards and Sumlin eras, even before the Todd Graham (ASU) and Rich Rodriguez (UA) eras, of big-time players getting away. Phoenix Desert Vista defensive end/outside linebacker Devon Kennard to USC, before starting his NFL career. Avondale Agua Fria defensive end Everson Griffen to USC, before the NFL. Glendale Apollo defensive back Prince Amukamara to Nebraska, before the NFL. Phoenix South Mountain wide receiver Kenny Cheatham to Nebraska. South Mountain defensive back Terry Fair to Tennessee, before the NFL. And more recently, when Graham and Rodriguez were in charge of the major programs in Arizona: Scottsdale Desert Mountain wide receiver/tight end Marks Andrews to Oklahoma, before the NFL. Scottsdale Saguaro wide receiver Christian Kirk to Texas A&M, before the NFL. Peoria Centennial safety Zach Hoffpauir to Stanford. Tempe Corona del Sol offensive lineman Andrus Peat to Stanford, before the NFL. Edwards and Sumlin have now had a year to recruit Arizona. Before Wednesday's National Signing Day, ASU and UA got many recruits on Dec. 19 during the early period. Now ASU will have four in-state recruits Tempe Corona del Sol wide receiver Ricky Pearsall Jr., Chandler Basha offensive lineman Roman DeWys, Tolleson wide receiver Andre Johnson, Scottsdale Saguaro linebacker Connor Soelle and UA will have two Marana offensive lineman Jordan Morgan and Desert Vista punter Kyle Ostendorp. Kyle Patterson of Gilbert Perry High School is being recruited for football and basketball. (Photo: Nick Oza/azcentral sports) The last of the state's top-tier 2019 recruits Chandler defensive tackle Matthew Pola-Mao and Gilbert Perry tight end Kyle Patterson will announce their college commitments during ceremonies at their schools on Wednesday morning. Neither are expected to announce either ASU or UA. Pac-12 California has already sewn up six Arizona players in its 2019 recruiting class They are: Desert Vista defensive lineman Brett Johnson, Gilbert Higley quarterback Spencer Brasch, Chandler running back DeCarlos Brooks, Peoria Liberty linebacker Ryan Puskas, Liberty defensive end Braxten Croteau and Gilbert Perry offensive lineman Brayden Rohme. "Both (Edwards and Sumlin) have had a full year to recruit kids," Higley coach Eddy Zubey said. "Both said they want to win the state. For having 50-plus Division I kids in the state of Arizona, and getting that few, that's not good. They all had a full year to be here and do that. Both schools need to get on people early." Zubey said that his stud defensive lineman, Ty Robinson, was offered by ASU in June heading into his senior year. That was his fourth offer. Nebraska, Zubey said, offered before that. Robinson, 6-foot-6, 285 pounds, who played in the High School All-American Bowl in San Antonio, signed on Dec. 19 with Nebraska, after he had Nebraska's entire coaching staff, led by Frost, take an in-home visit to him on the last day college coaches could do that before the earlier signing period. Higley defensive lineman Ty Robinson celebrates with his mom, Tresha, after he announces he will be attending University of Nebraska during signing day at Higley High in Gilbert on Dec. 19, 2018. (Photo: Cheryl Evans/The Republic) "I played at ASU and was a graduate assistant at ASU," Zubey said. "I was with them from 2001-04. I sent kids to ASU. Their starting tackle (Quinn Bailey) is from here (Higley). "When I'm telling people I got a guy, ASU is the first people I call. I'm not blowing smoke. I'm not trying to sell something that isn't legit." It's not all on the ASU and UA coaches not doing enough to secure those top players. ASU has struck gold in recent years with in-state talent, from running back/receiver D.J. Foster (Scottsdale Saguaro) and wide receiver N'Keal Harry (Chandler) to defensive back Chase Lucas (Chandler) and kicker Brandon Ruiz (Williams Field). But the state can't keep them all. Some players just want to get out of the state to see what the world is like away from family and friends. "They're tired of playing in 110 degrees," Zubey said. "It takes a toll." Phoenix Pinnacle coach Dana Zupke's last two quarterbacks (Brian Lewerke, Michigan State and Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma) signed with major colleges. He has another now, junior J.D. Johnson, who committed to Michigan, before ASU had even offered. Ohio State got a commitment from Scottsdale Chaparral quarterback Jack Miller before his junior season last summer. UA recently got a commitment from Gilbert junior QB Will Plummer. Gilberts Will Plummer looks up the field between plays against Notre Dame on Friday night at Notre Dame Preparatory High School on Nov. 2, 2018. (Photo: Kynan Marlin) "I think that there are a few reasons why recruits leave the state," Zupke said. "First of all, most everyone in Arizona is from somewhere else, or at least has ties to somewhere else. "I think this, along with the in-state programs not being iconic like a Notre Dame or Ohio State largely explains why. I also think there's a sentiment from many that there's not a big enough effort to recruit the state. I don't know if that's fair or not, but it is what it is." After committing the summer prior to his junior season in 2017, it was going to be hard to get Rattler away from Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, especially after having the last two Heisman Trophy winners play quarterback for the Sooners. Christian Kirk just wanted to be part of the SEC, the monster conference that is producing the national champion every year, it seems. After the early signing period ended in December, Edwards and Sumlin began to hit the state hard. Each school added a new running backs coach. Arizona brought in former Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray and ASU hired Shaun Aguano, who led Chandler to four state titles in the past five years, including the last three at the state's biggest level. They're both already hard after the state's top 2020 recruits. Before the Murray hire, Tucson Salpointe Catholic junior running back Bijan Robinson (the 2018 recipient of the Doherty Award) was lukewarm toward the school in his backyard. Salpointe's Bijan Robinson rushes against Saguaro during the first half of the 4A State Championship on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. #azhsfb (Photo: Sean Logan/The Republic) After meeting with Murray, Robinson said, "Yes, I very much consider them now." Robinson has offers from iconic programs such as Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas and USC. Zubey believes ASU will have a bigger in-state recruiting impact with the hiring of Aguano. "I think both in-state schools have made a much more concerted effort recently," Saguaro coach Jason Mohns said. "But the results probably won't show up until a couple of years down the road. "It takes time to build the relationships that will pay dividends." To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him at twitter.com/azc_obert. READ MORE | Most of the top football recruits in Arizona are leaving the state. There's a history of big-time players getting away. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/02/05/why-most-top-football-recruits-leaving-arizona/2780530002/ | 0.121552 |
Why are most of the top football recruits leaving Arizona? | Williams Fields Noa Pola-Gates looks toward the middle of the field in game against Gilbert on Friday night at Gilbert High School on Sept. 28, 2018. (Photo: Kynan Marlin) Gilbert Williams Field defensive back Noa Pola-Gates, who played in two high school All-American games in January, was ready to commit to Arizona State before Nebraska coach Scott Frost made an in-home visit. "I was headed to Arizona State after I decided not to go to Alabama," said Pola-Gates, one of The Arizona Republic's eight finalists for Football Player of the Year. "But then I was challenged to step out of my comfort zone by Coach Frost. "It really made me think deeper." That comfort zone was staying home and, as Pola-Gates put it, dealing with "my own personal distractions." Pola-Gates wanted to get out of Arizona and spread his wings. "But dont get me wrong," he said. "ASU is going to be a powerhouse and Im excited for the program. They're about to do big things." When he announced on CBS Sports Network on Jan. 19 during the Polynesian Bowl that he would sign with Nebraska on Wednesday, it broke the hearts of college football fans in Arizona. He was another big-time recruit who got away. With new coaches at the two in-state Pac-12 schools Herm Edwards at ASU and Kevin Sumlin at Arizona coming in last year, the struggle continues to keep the kids with the most stars from leaving the state. There's a history of them, dating well before the Edwards and Sumlin eras, even before the Todd Graham (ASU) and Rich Rodriguez (UA) eras, of big-time players getting away. Phoenix Desert Vista defensive end/outside linebacker Devon Kennard to USC, before starting his NFL career. Avondale Agua Fria defensive end Everson Griffen to USC, before the NFL. Glendale Apollo defensive back Prince Amukamara to Nebraska, before the NFL. Phoenix South Mountain wide receiver Kenny Cheatham to Nebraska. South Mountain defensive back Terry Fair to Tennessee, before the NFL. And more recently, when Graham and Rodriguez were in charge of the major programs in Arizona: Scottsdale Desert Mountain wide receiver/tight end Marks Andrews to Oklahoma, before the NFL. Scottsdale Saguaro wide receiver Christian Kirk to Texas A&M, before the NFL. Peoria Centennial safety Zach Hoffpauir to Stanford. Tempe Corona del Sol offensive lineman Andrus Peat to Stanford, before the NFL. Edwards and Sumlin have now had a year to recruit Arizona. Before Wednesday's National Signing Day, ASU and UA got many recruits on Dec. 19 during the early period. Now ASU will have four in-state recruits Tempe Corona del Sol wide receiver Ricky Pearsall Jr., Chandler Basha offensive lineman Roman DeWys, Tolleson wide receiver Andre Johnson, Scottsdale Saguaro linebacker Connor Soelle and UA will have two Marana offensive lineman Jordan Morgan and Desert Vista punter Kyle Ostendorp. Kyle Patterson of Gilbert Perry High School is being recruited for football and basketball. (Photo: Nick Oza/azcentral sports) The last of the state's top-tier 2019 recruits Chandler defensive tackle Matthew Pola-Mao and Gilbert Perry tight end Kyle Patterson will announce their college commitments during ceremonies at their schools on Wednesday morning. Neither are expected to announce either ASU or UA. Pac-12 California has already sewn up six Arizona players in its 2019 recruiting class They are: Desert Vista defensive lineman Brett Johnson, Gilbert Higley quarterback Spencer Brasch, Chandler running back DeCarlos Brooks, Peoria Liberty linebacker Ryan Puskas, Liberty defensive end Braxten Croteau and Gilbert Perry offensive lineman Brayden Rohme. "Both (Edwards and Sumlin) have had a full year to recruit kids," Higley coach Eddy Zubey said. "Both said they want to win the state. For having 50-plus Division I kids in the state of Arizona, and getting that few, that's not good. They all had a full year to be here and do that. Both schools need to get on people early." Zubey said that his stud defensive lineman, Ty Robinson, was offered by ASU in June heading into his senior year. That was his fourth offer. Nebraska, Zubey said, offered before that. Robinson, 6-foot-6, 285 pounds, who played in the High School All-American Bowl in San Antonio, signed on Dec. 19 with Nebraska, after he had Nebraska's entire coaching staff, led by Frost, take an in-home visit to him on the last day college coaches could do that before the earlier signing period. Higley defensive lineman Ty Robinson celebrates with his mom, Tresha, after he announces he will be attending University of Nebraska during signing day at Higley High in Gilbert on Dec. 19, 2018. (Photo: Cheryl Evans/The Republic) "I played at ASU and was a graduate assistant at ASU," Zubey said. "I was with them from 2001-04. I sent kids to ASU. Their starting tackle (Quinn Bailey) is from here (Higley). "When I'm telling people I got a guy, ASU is the first people I call. I'm not blowing smoke. I'm not trying to sell something that isn't legit." It's not all on the ASU and UA coaches not doing enough to secure those top players. ASU has struck gold in recent years with in-state talent, from running back/receiver D.J. Foster (Scottsdale Saguaro) and wide receiver N'Keal Harry (Chandler) to defensive back Chase Lucas (Chandler) and kicker Brandon Ruiz (Williams Field). But the state can't keep them all. Some players just want to get out of the state to see what the world is like away from family and friends. "They're tired of playing in 110 degrees," Zubey said. "It takes a toll." Phoenix Pinnacle coach Dana Zupke's last two quarterbacks (Brian Lewerke, Michigan State and Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma) signed with major colleges. He has another now, junior J.D. Johnson, who committed to Michigan, before ASU had even offered. Ohio State got a commitment from Scottsdale Chaparral quarterback Jack Miller before his junior season last summer. UA recently got a commitment from Gilbert junior QB Will Plummer. Gilberts Will Plummer looks up the field between plays against Notre Dame on Friday night at Notre Dame Preparatory High School on Nov. 2, 2018. (Photo: Kynan Marlin) "I think that there are a few reasons why recruits leave the state," Zupke said. "First of all, most everyone in Arizona is from somewhere else, or at least has ties to somewhere else. "I think this, along with the in-state programs not being iconic like a Notre Dame or Ohio State largely explains why. I also think there's a sentiment from many that there's not a big enough effort to recruit the state. I don't know if that's fair or not, but it is what it is." After committing the summer prior to his junior season in 2017, it was going to be hard to get Rattler away from Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, especially after having the last two Heisman Trophy winners play quarterback for the Sooners. Christian Kirk just wanted to be part of the SEC, the monster conference that is producing the national champion every year, it seems. After the early signing period ended in December, Edwards and Sumlin began to hit the state hard. Each school added a new running backs coach. Arizona brought in former Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray and ASU hired Shaun Aguano, who led Chandler to four state titles in the past five years, including the last three at the state's biggest level. They're both already hard after the state's top 2020 recruits. Before the Murray hire, Tucson Salpointe Catholic junior running back Bijan Robinson (the 2018 recipient of the Doherty Award) was lukewarm toward the school in his backyard. Salpointe's Bijan Robinson rushes against Saguaro during the first half of the 4A State Championship on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. #azhsfb (Photo: Sean Logan/The Republic) After meeting with Murray, Robinson said, "Yes, I very much consider them now." Robinson has offers from iconic programs such as Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas and USC. Zubey believes ASU will have a bigger in-state recruiting impact with the hiring of Aguano. "I think both in-state schools have made a much more concerted effort recently," Saguaro coach Jason Mohns said. "But the results probably won't show up until a couple of years down the road. "It takes time to build the relationships that will pay dividends." To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him at twitter.com/azc_obert. READ MORE | Most of the top football recruits in Arizona are leaving the state. There's a history of them, dating well before the Edwards and Sumlin eras, of big-time players getting away. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/02/05/why-most-top-football-recruits-leaving-arizona/2780530002/ | 0.167179 |
Why are most of the top football recruits leaving Arizona? | Williams Fields Noa Pola-Gates looks toward the middle of the field in game against Gilbert on Friday night at Gilbert High School on Sept. 28, 2018. (Photo: Kynan Marlin) Gilbert Williams Field defensive back Noa Pola-Gates, who played in two high school All-American games in January, was ready to commit to Arizona State before Nebraska coach Scott Frost made an in-home visit. "I was headed to Arizona State after I decided not to go to Alabama," said Pola-Gates, one of The Arizona Republic's eight finalists for Football Player of the Year. "But then I was challenged to step out of my comfort zone by Coach Frost. "It really made me think deeper." That comfort zone was staying home and, as Pola-Gates put it, dealing with "my own personal distractions." Pola-Gates wanted to get out of Arizona and spread his wings. "But dont get me wrong," he said. "ASU is going to be a powerhouse and Im excited for the program. They're about to do big things." When he announced on CBS Sports Network on Jan. 19 during the Polynesian Bowl that he would sign with Nebraska on Wednesday, it broke the hearts of college football fans in Arizona. He was another big-time recruit who got away. With new coaches at the two in-state Pac-12 schools Herm Edwards at ASU and Kevin Sumlin at Arizona coming in last year, the struggle continues to keep the kids with the most stars from leaving the state. There's a history of them, dating well before the Edwards and Sumlin eras, even before the Todd Graham (ASU) and Rich Rodriguez (UA) eras, of big-time players getting away. Phoenix Desert Vista defensive end/outside linebacker Devon Kennard to USC, before starting his NFL career. Avondale Agua Fria defensive end Everson Griffen to USC, before the NFL. Glendale Apollo defensive back Prince Amukamara to Nebraska, before the NFL. Phoenix South Mountain wide receiver Kenny Cheatham to Nebraska. South Mountain defensive back Terry Fair to Tennessee, before the NFL. And more recently, when Graham and Rodriguez were in charge of the major programs in Arizona: Scottsdale Desert Mountain wide receiver/tight end Marks Andrews to Oklahoma, before the NFL. Scottsdale Saguaro wide receiver Christian Kirk to Texas A&M, before the NFL. Peoria Centennial safety Zach Hoffpauir to Stanford. Tempe Corona del Sol offensive lineman Andrus Peat to Stanford, before the NFL. Edwards and Sumlin have now had a year to recruit Arizona. Before Wednesday's National Signing Day, ASU and UA got many recruits on Dec. 19 during the early period. Now ASU will have four in-state recruits Tempe Corona del Sol wide receiver Ricky Pearsall Jr., Chandler Basha offensive lineman Roman DeWys, Tolleson wide receiver Andre Johnson, Scottsdale Saguaro linebacker Connor Soelle and UA will have two Marana offensive lineman Jordan Morgan and Desert Vista punter Kyle Ostendorp. Kyle Patterson of Gilbert Perry High School is being recruited for football and basketball. (Photo: Nick Oza/azcentral sports) The last of the state's top-tier 2019 recruits Chandler defensive tackle Matthew Pola-Mao and Gilbert Perry tight end Kyle Patterson will announce their college commitments during ceremonies at their schools on Wednesday morning. Neither are expected to announce either ASU or UA. Pac-12 California has already sewn up six Arizona players in its 2019 recruiting class They are: Desert Vista defensive lineman Brett Johnson, Gilbert Higley quarterback Spencer Brasch, Chandler running back DeCarlos Brooks, Peoria Liberty linebacker Ryan Puskas, Liberty defensive end Braxten Croteau and Gilbert Perry offensive lineman Brayden Rohme. "Both (Edwards and Sumlin) have had a full year to recruit kids," Higley coach Eddy Zubey said. "Both said they want to win the state. For having 50-plus Division I kids in the state of Arizona, and getting that few, that's not good. They all had a full year to be here and do that. Both schools need to get on people early." Zubey said that his stud defensive lineman, Ty Robinson, was offered by ASU in June heading into his senior year. That was his fourth offer. Nebraska, Zubey said, offered before that. Robinson, 6-foot-6, 285 pounds, who played in the High School All-American Bowl in San Antonio, signed on Dec. 19 with Nebraska, after he had Nebraska's entire coaching staff, led by Frost, take an in-home visit to him on the last day college coaches could do that before the earlier signing period. Higley defensive lineman Ty Robinson celebrates with his mom, Tresha, after he announces he will be attending University of Nebraska during signing day at Higley High in Gilbert on Dec. 19, 2018. (Photo: Cheryl Evans/The Republic) "I played at ASU and was a graduate assistant at ASU," Zubey said. "I was with them from 2001-04. I sent kids to ASU. Their starting tackle (Quinn Bailey) is from here (Higley). "When I'm telling people I got a guy, ASU is the first people I call. I'm not blowing smoke. I'm not trying to sell something that isn't legit." It's not all on the ASU and UA coaches not doing enough to secure those top players. ASU has struck gold in recent years with in-state talent, from running back/receiver D.J. Foster (Scottsdale Saguaro) and wide receiver N'Keal Harry (Chandler) to defensive back Chase Lucas (Chandler) and kicker Brandon Ruiz (Williams Field). But the state can't keep them all. Some players just want to get out of the state to see what the world is like away from family and friends. "They're tired of playing in 110 degrees," Zubey said. "It takes a toll." Phoenix Pinnacle coach Dana Zupke's last two quarterbacks (Brian Lewerke, Michigan State and Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma) signed with major colleges. He has another now, junior J.D. Johnson, who committed to Michigan, before ASU had even offered. Ohio State got a commitment from Scottsdale Chaparral quarterback Jack Miller before his junior season last summer. UA recently got a commitment from Gilbert junior QB Will Plummer. Gilberts Will Plummer looks up the field between plays against Notre Dame on Friday night at Notre Dame Preparatory High School on Nov. 2, 2018. (Photo: Kynan Marlin) "I think that there are a few reasons why recruits leave the state," Zupke said. "First of all, most everyone in Arizona is from somewhere else, or at least has ties to somewhere else. "I think this, along with the in-state programs not being iconic like a Notre Dame or Ohio State largely explains why. I also think there's a sentiment from many that there's not a big enough effort to recruit the state. I don't know if that's fair or not, but it is what it is." After committing the summer prior to his junior season in 2017, it was going to be hard to get Rattler away from Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, especially after having the last two Heisman Trophy winners play quarterback for the Sooners. Christian Kirk just wanted to be part of the SEC, the monster conference that is producing the national champion every year, it seems. After the early signing period ended in December, Edwards and Sumlin began to hit the state hard. Each school added a new running backs coach. Arizona brought in former Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray and ASU hired Shaun Aguano, who led Chandler to four state titles in the past five years, including the last three at the state's biggest level. They're both already hard after the state's top 2020 recruits. Before the Murray hire, Tucson Salpointe Catholic junior running back Bijan Robinson (the 2018 recipient of the Doherty Award) was lukewarm toward the school in his backyard. Salpointe's Bijan Robinson rushes against Saguaro during the first half of the 4A State Championship on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. #azhsfb (Photo: Sean Logan/The Republic) After meeting with Murray, Robinson said, "Yes, I very much consider them now." Robinson has offers from iconic programs such as Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas and USC. Zubey believes ASU will have a bigger in-state recruiting impact with the hiring of Aguano. "I think both in-state schools have made a much more concerted effort recently," Saguaro coach Jason Mohns said. "But the results probably won't show up until a couple of years down the road. "It takes time to build the relationships that will pay dividends." To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him at twitter.com/azc_obert. READ MORE | Most of the top football recruits in Arizona are leaving the state. There's a history of them, dating well before the Edwards and Sumlin eras, of big-time players getting away. The last of the state's top-tier 2019 recruits will announce their college commitments on Wednesday morning. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/02/05/why-most-top-football-recruits-leaving-arizona/2780530002/ | 0.24917 |
Are We Safer Today Than We Were Before Sept. 11? | Wow! I cannot recall such an overwhelming e-mail reaction to one of our questions. Thank you, dear viewers, for taking the time to write. I promise I will read every comment, though because of the volume it is impossible to respond to everyone. Here are some samples of what was on your mind. Douglas of New York City: "I think the short term risk of some forms of terrorism may have actually increased since 9/11, but we're still far better off because we are now fighting the scourge of terrorism and the long term outlook looks bright. Before 9/11 we were just sitting ducks." Dale (who didn't tell us where he lives): "No. The enemy has declared war on our nation and no nation is safe under such circumstances. Americans need to stop attacking each other and attack the enemy!" From West Palm Beach, FL, we heard from Egon: "We are only in the early stages of assessing the extent of the Islamic threat to civilization, the question "whether we are safer now" doesn't really make much sense. What we see is the media's and the administration's simplistic view of this, still growing, problem. Political correctness can be our ultimate downfall if we don't face the facts." I would say we are no safer now than we ever where. However, I would say we are far more aware of the fact that there are people who would like to see all those they consider infidels, dead." Ed from DuBois, PA, used the opportunity to offer commentary on some of the stories we cover: "Maybe we are somewhat safer now. The terrorist and their actions have not been eliminated but their existence and purpose aimed at destroying us is now known. Prior to 9/11 hardly anyone in the U.S. knew or cared about bin Laden and Al Qaeda. Prior to 9/11 the major news outlets were reporting non-stop about shark attacks, missing young women and celebrity trials. Well, on second thought maybe we aren't any safer now since the news media are still reporting non-stop about shark attacks, missing young women and celebrity trials. Maybe we need to send reporters to the Afghan and Pakistani borders and start to interview non-stop the family and friends of bin Laden and his henchmen. "I know that its important to find out what happened to Natalee Holloway but isn't it really important that we find bin Laden and the terrorist so we can actually start to get our world put back together again. Just a thought." There were many who echoed the sentiments of Dan from Goodlettsville, TN: "I believe that overall the world is a safer place since 9/11, but here, in America, we are not safer. The open borders we allow have let an unknown number of people into this country that intend to do us harm. It is a fact we have ignored, a fact our government has ignored that terrorists are coming into our nation through the Mexican and Canadian borders. It is only a matter of time before some insidious act is perpetrated against us." Phyllis from Florida wrote: "My 'gut feeling' on being more safe now than before 9/11 is: Noooooooooooooo. Until we have our country borders as secure as our banks we will never be safe." John from Elgin, OR, took issue with the way we posed the question: "The question should be, 'Do you believe continuing the war on terrorism will make the world safer, specifically in regard to terrorism, 50 or 100 years from now?' "The sitcom generation has learned to expect immediate gratification for every desire. They have also learned to expect that short-term solutions will solve long-term problems. Have we forgotten the word, "perseverance?" Shame on us for our lack of it. Let's forget our selfish desires for our own immediate safety and think of our children and grandchildren for a change." And we'll wrap it up with this from Marilyn from Mound, MN: "Absolutely we are safer now than before 9/11. We are now AWARE! We used to walk around in ignorant bliss, and now that is a thing of the past. We are AWARE, thus we are safer!" Thank you all for caring enough to express your thoughts. It helps me to hear opinions from the real world from "beyond the Beltway." I think this will become a regular Monday morning feature on The Wilson Watch. See you next Sunday if not before. Brian Send your comments to: weekendlive@foxnews.com. Brian Wilson is a congressional correspondent for FOX News and anchor of the Sunday edition of "Weekend Live." | We asked you if the U.S. is now safer than it was before 9/11. Many of you said we are no safer than before 9/11. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/story/are-we-safer-today-than-we-were-before-sept-11 | 0.250799 |
Are We Safer Today Than We Were Before Sept. 11? | Wow! I cannot recall such an overwhelming e-mail reaction to one of our questions. Thank you, dear viewers, for taking the time to write. I promise I will read every comment, though because of the volume it is impossible to respond to everyone. Here are some samples of what was on your mind. Douglas of New York City: "I think the short term risk of some forms of terrorism may have actually increased since 9/11, but we're still far better off because we are now fighting the scourge of terrorism and the long term outlook looks bright. Before 9/11 we were just sitting ducks." Dale (who didn't tell us where he lives): "No. The enemy has declared war on our nation and no nation is safe under such circumstances. Americans need to stop attacking each other and attack the enemy!" From West Palm Beach, FL, we heard from Egon: "We are only in the early stages of assessing the extent of the Islamic threat to civilization, the question "whether we are safer now" doesn't really make much sense. What we see is the media's and the administration's simplistic view of this, still growing, problem. Political correctness can be our ultimate downfall if we don't face the facts." I would say we are no safer now than we ever where. However, I would say we are far more aware of the fact that there are people who would like to see all those they consider infidels, dead." Ed from DuBois, PA, used the opportunity to offer commentary on some of the stories we cover: "Maybe we are somewhat safer now. The terrorist and their actions have not been eliminated but their existence and purpose aimed at destroying us is now known. Prior to 9/11 hardly anyone in the U.S. knew or cared about bin Laden and Al Qaeda. Prior to 9/11 the major news outlets were reporting non-stop about shark attacks, missing young women and celebrity trials. Well, on second thought maybe we aren't any safer now since the news media are still reporting non-stop about shark attacks, missing young women and celebrity trials. Maybe we need to send reporters to the Afghan and Pakistani borders and start to interview non-stop the family and friends of bin Laden and his henchmen. "I know that its important to find out what happened to Natalee Holloway but isn't it really important that we find bin Laden and the terrorist so we can actually start to get our world put back together again. Just a thought." There were many who echoed the sentiments of Dan from Goodlettsville, TN: "I believe that overall the world is a safer place since 9/11, but here, in America, we are not safer. The open borders we allow have let an unknown number of people into this country that intend to do us harm. It is a fact we have ignored, a fact our government has ignored that terrorists are coming into our nation through the Mexican and Canadian borders. It is only a matter of time before some insidious act is perpetrated against us." Phyllis from Florida wrote: "My 'gut feeling' on being more safe now than before 9/11 is: Noooooooooooooo. Until we have our country borders as secure as our banks we will never be safe." John from Elgin, OR, took issue with the way we posed the question: "The question should be, 'Do you believe continuing the war on terrorism will make the world safer, specifically in regard to terrorism, 50 or 100 years from now?' "The sitcom generation has learned to expect immediate gratification for every desire. They have also learned to expect that short-term solutions will solve long-term problems. Have we forgotten the word, "perseverance?" Shame on us for our lack of it. Let's forget our selfish desires for our own immediate safety and think of our children and grandchildren for a change." And we'll wrap it up with this from Marilyn from Mound, MN: "Absolutely we are safer now than before 9/11. We are now AWARE! We used to walk around in ignorant bliss, and now that is a thing of the past. We are AWARE, thus we are safer!" Thank you all for caring enough to express your thoughts. It helps me to hear opinions from the real world from "beyond the Beltway." I think this will become a regular Monday morning feature on The Wilson Watch. See you next Sunday if not before. Brian Send your comments to: weekendlive@foxnews.com. Brian Wilson is a congressional correspondent for FOX News and anchor of the Sunday edition of "Weekend Live." | We asked you if the U.S. is now safer than it was before 9/11. Many of you said we are no safer than we were before 9/11. Some of you said the U.S. is still at risk from terrorism. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.foxnews.com/story/are-we-safer-today-than-we-were-before-sept-11 | 0.318302 |
Will Foxconn Steal Wisconsins Intellectual Property? | 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. In 2017, the Taiwanese electronics company Foxconn promised the state of Wisconsin 13,000 jobs, many of them in manufacturing, in return for what now amounts to a $4 billion subsidy: the largest in US history. It now seems unlikely that Foxconn will make good on its pledge, especially for blue-collar jobs. Having already downsized the expected plant once, Foxconn told Reuters last week the factory project was off and then denied this days later in a statement. Ad Policy The statement also mentioned expand[ing] our investment in American talent in Wisconsin. On that front, the company has been active: Foxconn has been integrating itself into the revenue-desperate state-university system for years. Now, university students worry that the intellectual property that comes out of their hard work might end up in the pockets of the corporate behemoth. In August, the company announced a $100 million research institution at the University of WisconsinMadisons engineering graduate school, the largest private partnership in school history. The investment will refit a university building for the Foxconn Institute for Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), where research will span everything from biochips and supercomputing to robotics and artificial intelligence. Related Article Your Phone May Have Been Built by an Intern Michelle Chen The company has already built a substantial recruitment presence on campus, said Sonali Gupta, a biophysics graduate student, including career-fair days reserved for Foxconn. She and others fear the company will exploit research done at the public university for its own profit at the expense of academic freedom for professors and their graduate students. As is, the deal provides few clear-cut protections for the intellectual property or publishing rights of UW-Madison faculty, researchers, and students regarding discoveries or techniques that emerge from the new institute. Instead, the document, which is not binding, describes three categories of projected research at the institute. One type of research will produce intellectual property reserved for the university, and another type will produce it for the company. A third category of research, which concerns developed value from the institute, will produce intellectual property of uncertain status. Ownership will be negotiated between Foxconn and the university. Current Issue View our current issue The document omits both the process for determining how research is categorized and who will be doing the negotiating for the university. University spokesman John Lucas wrote in an e-mail that the agreement contains no restrictions on rights to publish. The concern, though, regards the absence of protections for the school. Without clear and detailed guardrails and governance, people might reasonably worry that this deal will turn parts of UW into a contract shop for a particular partner, said Jason Owen-Smith, a University of Michigan sociology professor. At stake is the core duty of any public university: to conduct free and open academic inquiry that serves society. Feeding research and resources to a trillion-dollar corporation flies in the face of this mandate. In a December resolution, UW-Madisons graduate-student union condemned the process as intentionally opaque. The agreement omits many details about the institute under the claim of confidentiality, and graduate students contend that they have no sense of ongoing negotiations between the university and Foxconn. There is a complete lack of transparency, Gupta said. She and other union members are organizing resistance to the deal; they fear the company will exploit the ambiguity to claim intellectual-property rights to research not strictly reserved for the university. Nothing in the agreement supersedes the universitys existing policies and protections for faculty or student research, Lucas wrote. But the deal already skirts standard practice at UW-Madison. Ordinarily, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), an intellectual-property-management organization, determines which aspects of a new discovery or technique belong to which party: whether the researcher, the university, or an outside entity. WARF-generated patents bring in more than $100 million annually to UW-Madison. WARF presumes that researchers own their intellectual property. When other obligations exist, the organization ensures its determinations are written into contractual agreements. A WARF spokesperson said the organization was consulted but not included in the agreementand thus will not oversee the intellectual property at FIRST. Whats more, WARF is known as a strong guard of IP rights in academia, according to Owen-Smith, who called its absence in these negotiations strange. The agreement also mentions cost sharing of new faculty and work-for-hire researchers partly funded by Foxconn. The institute directora company employeewould have a faculty position. If a faculty member is reliant for 50 percent of his or her income on corporate goodwill and on the continuing of the contractual relationship between the institution and the corporation, the faculty member is probably not going to be great at standing up for his or her rights, said Cary Nelson, a professor at University of Illinois, who has written extensively on academic-rights issues. Lucas said these contracts would be independent of Foxconn funding. Academic work supported by outside funding is not exploitative in every instance. Federal grants fund labs and projects across the country, and Owen-Smith pointed to MITs media lab as healthy corporate sponsorship. But these arrangements need to be done right, and the Wisconsin deal risks mixed loyalties and conflicts of interest, Nelson said. He noted other instances of inappropriate corporate academic influence, including BP PLCs attempt to censure research at Gulf Coast universities and a deal at the University of CaliforniaBerkley that allowed Novartis exclusive access to research and licensing. Theres been a trend of corporations trying to nail down IP and proprietary rights as aggressively as they can, Nelson said. Given the absence of WARF legal protections, faculty dependence on Foxconns goodwill, and the ambiguous process of negotiating intellectual property, the Foxconn institute needs stronger protections to avoid this trend. Without them, Nelson predicts, the slide towards corporate interests will accelerate. I would regard this as a highly aggressive contract, he said. Apoorv Saraogee is a PhD student in chemical and biological engineering. His adviserand sole funding sourceis in the engineering school. Saraogee fears a scenario where his adviser becomes answerable to Foxconn. Theres this power dynamic, he said, and because of this I may be forced [into] a project I may not want to get involved with. The concern is more than academic. Saraogee and some of his peers say Foxconns reputation drives their opposition to the institute. They mentioned the corporations inevitable association with Scott Walker, their poor environmental record, and especially the suicides. In 2010, at least 14 workers jumped to their deaths at Chinese Foxconn factories due to inhumane conditionsand the company responded by putting up nets. The international outcry was loud but brief, and these plants still produce many of the worlds iPhones. Chinese Foxconn factory workers have gone in strike several times since, as recently as December 2018. A recent report from China Labor Watch detailed ongoing exploitative practices. Hridindu Roychowdhury, a graduate student in biochemistry, doesnt like the idea of helping a company responsible for labor abuses. But you cant just quit a lab, he says. This is your life. Roychowdhury called engineering a more corporate field, where students may be less inclined to join political protests or labor movements. Indeed, Saraogee, the chemical and bioengineering student, said the intellectual-property concerns first grabbed his attention. Only then did he consider the political and ethical questions. Theres a lot of work to be done to engage engineering students, he said. Next up for the organizers are demonstrations at the February meeting of the universitys board of regentswhich Walker packed with conservative hard-liners after losing reelection. They plan to protest Foxconns presence at future career fairs, while recruiting other students and Madison residents to the cause. There is a grim necessity in UW-Madisons association with Foxconn. Walker gave the corporation billions in state tax money while gleefully slashing education funding. Absent the public dollars, the university system turned to the recipient of the state funds it was due. This shift is nothing new. Thats a pattern thats been going on for decades, Nelson said, hardly limited to Wisconsin. Faced with this reality, public-university administrators across the country hike tuitiondriving the student debt crisiswhile becoming increasingly reliant on outside funding. Public institutions become privatized as corporate logic undercuts academic obligations of serving society, maintaining expertise, and educating young people. Roychowdhury and other graduate students say the deal betrays whats known as the Wisconsin Idea :the universitys philosophy, established more than a century ago, that public education should benefit public good. The university maintains the agreement does not violate this principle. Or, as Owen-Smith asked, is UW-Madison being captured by a company with a somewhat nefarious reputation? He is not sure. But when you have to ask the question, its a problem. | The Taiwanese electronics company Foxconn promised the state of Wisconsin 13,000 jobs, many of them in manufacturing, in return for a $4 billion subsidy. Now, university students worry that the intellectual property that comes out of their hard work might end up in the pockets of the corporate behemoth. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.thenation.com/article/foxconn-patent-university-jobs-wisconsin/ | 0.120096 |
Who is Alice Marie Johnson, the great-grandmother Trump is granting clemency to? | Alice Marie Johnson walked out of prison on June 6 a free woman. The great-grandmother had been in jail for more than 20 years, serving a life sentence for non-violent drug charges. She was released after President Trump commuted her sentence. On Johnson's behalf, reality television star Kim Kardashian West had met with Trump at the White House a week earlier to discuss her case. "Good luck to Alice Johnson. Have a wonderful life!" Trump said in a tweet. After her release, Johnson thanked both Trump and Kardashian West, who she called an "angel" for being her advocate. Johnson, 63, was arrested in 1993 and convicted of drug conspiracy and money laundering in 1996, according to a Mic profile. She became involved with cocaine dealers after she lost her job, her son was killed, she and her husband divorced and her home was foreclosed on, Mic reported. Johnson has said she did not sell drugs or make deals, though she did admit to acting as an intermediary for those involved, passing along messages. She was given life in prison without parole. I did do something wrong, Johnson previously told HuffPost. Kardashian West later enlisted her lawyer, Shawn Holley, to work on getting clemency for Johnson and Cyntoia Brown, who is serving life in prison for a murder she committed when she was 16 and a victim of sex trafficking, supporters have said. [Johnson] has been a model prisoner and has the support of the warden, government officials and a host of others in her bid for release, Holley has said. The great-grandmother previously sent the reality television star a thank you note, TMZ reported last year. Ms. Kardashian you are literally helping to save my life and restore me to my family, Johnson wrote in the letter. I was drowning and you have thrown me a life jacket and given me hope that this Life jacket Im serving may one day be taken off. Johnson referenced Rosa Parks refusal to give up her seat on a bus as a defining moment in history. KIM KARDASHIAN WEST ADVOCATES FOR ALICE JOHNSON, OTHERS WHO ARE JAILED I believe that history will record that Kim Kardashian had the courage to take a stand against human warehousing and was a key figure in meaningful criminal justice reform becoming a reality," she added. A Change.org petition in support of clemency for Johnson had received more than 271,000 signatures before her release. Johnson had sought a pardon from former President Barack Obama but did not receive one. Kardashian West was the one who got to break the news to Johnson of her release, Holley told The Associated Press. "Telling her for the first time and hearing her screams while crying together is a moment I will never forget," Kardashian West said in a tweet. Unlike a pardon, the commutation will not erase Johnson's conviction, only end her sentence. "While this Administration will always be very tough on crime, it believes that those who have paid their debt to society and worked hard to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance," press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. The decision to commute Johnson's sentence was also advocated by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, the president's son-in-law and daughter. The Associated Press contributed to this report. | Alice Marie Johnson, 63, was released from prison on June 6. The great-grandmother had been serving a life sentence for non-violent drug charges. President Trump commuted her sentence. | bart | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/politics/who-is-alice-marie-johnson-the-great-grandmother-trump-is-granting-clemency-to | 0.155381 |
Who is Alice Marie Johnson, the great-grandmother Trump is granting clemency to? | Alice Marie Johnson walked out of prison on June 6 a free woman. The great-grandmother had been in jail for more than 20 years, serving a life sentence for non-violent drug charges. She was released after President Trump commuted her sentence. On Johnson's behalf, reality television star Kim Kardashian West had met with Trump at the White House a week earlier to discuss her case. "Good luck to Alice Johnson. Have a wonderful life!" Trump said in a tweet. After her release, Johnson thanked both Trump and Kardashian West, who she called an "angel" for being her advocate. Johnson, 63, was arrested in 1993 and convicted of drug conspiracy and money laundering in 1996, according to a Mic profile. She became involved with cocaine dealers after she lost her job, her son was killed, she and her husband divorced and her home was foreclosed on, Mic reported. Johnson has said she did not sell drugs or make deals, though she did admit to acting as an intermediary for those involved, passing along messages. She was given life in prison without parole. I did do something wrong, Johnson previously told HuffPost. Kardashian West later enlisted her lawyer, Shawn Holley, to work on getting clemency for Johnson and Cyntoia Brown, who is serving life in prison for a murder she committed when she was 16 and a victim of sex trafficking, supporters have said. [Johnson] has been a model prisoner and has the support of the warden, government officials and a host of others in her bid for release, Holley has said. The great-grandmother previously sent the reality television star a thank you note, TMZ reported last year. Ms. Kardashian you are literally helping to save my life and restore me to my family, Johnson wrote in the letter. I was drowning and you have thrown me a life jacket and given me hope that this Life jacket Im serving may one day be taken off. Johnson referenced Rosa Parks refusal to give up her seat on a bus as a defining moment in history. KIM KARDASHIAN WEST ADVOCATES FOR ALICE JOHNSON, OTHERS WHO ARE JAILED I believe that history will record that Kim Kardashian had the courage to take a stand against human warehousing and was a key figure in meaningful criminal justice reform becoming a reality," she added. A Change.org petition in support of clemency for Johnson had received more than 271,000 signatures before her release. Johnson had sought a pardon from former President Barack Obama but did not receive one. Kardashian West was the one who got to break the news to Johnson of her release, Holley told The Associated Press. "Telling her for the first time and hearing her screams while crying together is a moment I will never forget," Kardashian West said in a tweet. Unlike a pardon, the commutation will not erase Johnson's conviction, only end her sentence. "While this Administration will always be very tough on crime, it believes that those who have paid their debt to society and worked hard to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance," press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. The decision to commute Johnson's sentence was also advocated by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, the president's son-in-law and daughter. The Associated Press contributed to this report. | Alice Marie Johnson, 63, was released from prison on June 6. The great-grandmother had been serving a life sentence for non-violent drug charges. She was released after President Trump commuted her sentence. On Johnson's behalf, reality television star Kim Kardashian West met with Trump at the White House a week earlier. | bart | 2 | https://www.foxnews.com/politics/who-is-alice-marie-johnson-the-great-grandmother-trump-is-granting-clemency-to | 0.202317 |
Where Will Seagate Technology Be in 5 Years? | Seagate Technology (NASDAQ: STX), the world's second-largest HDD (hard disk drive) maker, has lost about 10% of its value over the past five years, even as the NASDAQ rallied over 80%. Seagate struggled with the rise of flash-based SSDs (solid state drives), which were smaller, faster, more power efficient, and less prone to damage than platter-based HDDs. Sluggish sales of traditional PCs and uneven demand from enterprise customers exacerbated that pain. Unlike its bigger rival Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC), which aggressively expanded its SSD and flash memory business by acquiring SanDisk in 2016, Seagate focused on selling higher-capacity HDDs to data center customers to meet the rising demands of cloud-based services. Many of these customers prefer HDDs to SSDs because they offer much more storage per dollar. Four HDDs. More Image source: Getty Images. A more conservative approach Seagate has also focused on smaller acquisitions that cost less than $1 billion over the past five years, including storage systems company Xyratex and software and hardware storage systems supplier Dot Hill Systems. Additionally, it acquired LSI's flash and SSD products from Avago (now known as Broadcom). As a result, Seagate has low exposure to the flash memory market (which made up less than 10% of its revenue last quarter), insulating it from the recent downturn in NAND prices that torpedoed WD's growth. To boost shareholder value, Seagate has prioritized buybacks and raised its dividend for seven straight years. Those conservative moves have helped Seagate shares outperform WD stock, which lost more than 40% of its value over the past five years. However, the bears argue that Seagate is merely treading water as the price gap between cheap SSDs and HDDs narrows, and that its revenue base will erode over time. Looking back at the past five years Seagate's revenue declined between fiscal 2014 and fiscal 2017 as HDD sales to enterprise customers and PC makers decelerated and SSDs gained ground in multiple markets. Metric 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Revenue $13.7 billion $13.7 billion $11.2 billion $10.8 billion $11.2 billion YOY growth (5%) 0% (18%) (4%) 4% Data source: Seagate annual reports. Chart by author. YOY = year over year. That multiyear losing streak finally ended in fiscal 2018, as PC sales stabilized. However, analysts expect Seagate's sales to decline 5% this fiscal year (which ends in June) and to drop another 1% next year as slower enterprise spending, weaker cloud demand, and macro challenges throttle its growth. The ongoing declines in NAND prices could also hurt Seagate by flooding the market with cheap SSDs. | Seagate Technology (NASDAQ: STX) has lost about 10% of its value over the past five years. Seagate struggled with the rise of flash-based SSDs (solid state drives) Sluggish sales of traditional PCs and uneven demand from enterprise customers exacerbated that pain. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/where-seagate-technology-5-years-013400749.html | 0.117682 |
What was Nancy Pelosi reading during Trump's State of the Union? | Nancy Pelosi was reading something during Trump's State of the Union address, and Twitter users had questions. Nancy Pelosi was reading something during Trump's State of the Union address, and Twitter users had questions. 1 / 19 Back to Gallery During President Donald Trump's State of the Union Speech on Tuesday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could be seen reading something on multiple occasions while sitting behind the president. A number of Twitter users watching the speech were curious to know what the San Francisco Democrat was reading. The most common theory was that she was reading a transcript of the president's speech, and it was later confirmed that this was the case. FULL COVERAGE: President Trump to give State of the Union address "Pelosi's just...reading the speech?" Bloomberg News reporter Steven Dennis asked. "I... do not recall past Speakers holding up the printed text of the speech during the address," conservative commentator Jim Geraghty tweeted. AP FACT CHECK: Trump's claims in his State of the Union address Transcripts of the speech are often released just prior to the State of the Union address. Other people jokingly speculated that Pelosi could be reading the Robert Mueller report, or a menu for dinner. Click through the slideshow above to see reactions to Nancy Pelosi's reading material. Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email him at eting@sfchronicle.com and follow him on Twitter Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news. | Nancy Pelosi was seen reading something during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. The most common theory was that she was reading a transcript of the president's speech. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Nancy-Pelosi-reading-State-of-the-Union-Trump-SOTU-13592720.php | 0.434834 |
What was Nancy Pelosi reading during Trump's State of the Union? | Nancy Pelosi was reading something during Trump's State of the Union address, and Twitter users had questions. Nancy Pelosi was reading something during Trump's State of the Union address, and Twitter users had questions. 1 / 19 Back to Gallery During President Donald Trump's State of the Union Speech on Tuesday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could be seen reading something on multiple occasions while sitting behind the president. A number of Twitter users watching the speech were curious to know what the San Francisco Democrat was reading. The most common theory was that she was reading a transcript of the president's speech, and it was later confirmed that this was the case. FULL COVERAGE: President Trump to give State of the Union address "Pelosi's just...reading the speech?" Bloomberg News reporter Steven Dennis asked. "I... do not recall past Speakers holding up the printed text of the speech during the address," conservative commentator Jim Geraghty tweeted. AP FACT CHECK: Trump's claims in his State of the Union address Transcripts of the speech are often released just prior to the State of the Union address. Other people jokingly speculated that Pelosi could be reading the Robert Mueller report, or a menu for dinner. Click through the slideshow above to see reactions to Nancy Pelosi's reading material. Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email him at eting@sfchronicle.com and follow him on Twitter Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news. | Nancy Pelosi was seen reading something during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. The most common theory was that she was reading a transcript of the president's speech. Other people jokingly speculated that Pelosi could be reading the Robert Mueller report, or a menu for dinner. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Nancy-Pelosi-reading-State-of-the-Union-Trump-SOTU-13592720.php | 0.57905 |
Why Vietnam for the second Trump-Kim summit? | Vietnam is one of just a handful of countries with good relations with North Korea (AFP Photo/HOANG DINH NAM) Hanoi (AFP) - Communist-run but with capitalist leanings, and a friend to both the United States and North Korea, Vietnam will host the next summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jung Un from February 27-28. Like North Korea, Vietnam was once locked in a bloody and bitter war with the US. But unlike Pyongyang, Hanoi now counts Washington among its closest allies, emerging from the ravages of war to become one of the fastest growing economies in Asia -- and one of the most diplomatically savvy. Vietnam ticks a lot of boxes. It is a short enough flight from Pyongyang for Kim, who otherwise travels by armoured train. It is also home to both US and North Korean embassies to help with pre-summit arrangements. Hanoi enjoys friendly ties with both countries and is considered "neutral" territory, unlike, say, the US state of Hawaii, which was also rumoured as an option. Security in the communist country is tight even during normal times. Authorities will carefully control media access and crowds for an event where the choreography between the leaders will be closely watched across the world. Vietnam is one of a handful of countries with which North Korea has good relations. Diplomatic ties between Hanoi and Pyongyang date back to 1950, and North Korea sent air force personnel to the communist North during the Vietnam War. The last top North Korean leader to visit Vietnam was Kim Jong Un's grandfather Kim Il Sung in 1958, though several senior officials have visited since then. While trade has dipped in the wake of UN sanctions against Pyongyang, it reached $7 million (6.1 million euros) in 2017. Kim's trip to Vietnam -- it will be his first -- could also be a chance for him to learn from Vietnam's post-war economic transformation. "(Kim) would be interested in seeing the Vietnam story for himself, that can be a good source of inspiration and reflection for him to think about the way he should take North Korea forward," Le Hong Hiep, a Vietnam expert at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told AFP. Vietnam might also be a strategically important location for the US, which is currently locked in a trade war with China -- one of North Korea's closest allies. Trump could use Vietnam to "signal to Beijing that North Korea is not in your hands, we have a counterbalance to Chinese influence in this area", said Cheon Seong Whun, a visiting research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. Washington is also keen to show off Vietnam's economic success story, touted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a visit to the country last year. "Your country can replicate this path. It's yours if you'll seize the moment," Pompeo said in remarks aimed at Kim. "It can be your miracle in North Korea as well." Vietnam is eager to showcase its diplomatic gravitas on a global stage, following on from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2017 and a regional World Economic Forum meeting last year. The Trump-Kim meet could pay off in more ways than one. Hosting the box-office summit could boost "Vietnam's status in the international community, which helps the country attract tourism and foreign investment", said Vu Minh Khuong, a policy analyst at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. | Vietnam will host the next summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jung Un. Like North Korea, Vietnam was once locked in a bloody and bitter war with the US. But unlike Pyongyang, Hanoi now counts Washington among its closest allies. | pegasus | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/why-vietnam-second-trump-kim-summit-034800504.html | 0.102823 |
Why Vietnam for the second Trump-Kim summit? | Vietnam is one of just a handful of countries with good relations with North Korea (AFP Photo/HOANG DINH NAM) Hanoi (AFP) - Communist-run but with capitalist leanings, and a friend to both the United States and North Korea, Vietnam will host the next summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jung Un from February 27-28. Like North Korea, Vietnam was once locked in a bloody and bitter war with the US. But unlike Pyongyang, Hanoi now counts Washington among its closest allies, emerging from the ravages of war to become one of the fastest growing economies in Asia -- and one of the most diplomatically savvy. Vietnam ticks a lot of boxes. It is a short enough flight from Pyongyang for Kim, who otherwise travels by armoured train. It is also home to both US and North Korean embassies to help with pre-summit arrangements. Hanoi enjoys friendly ties with both countries and is considered "neutral" territory, unlike, say, the US state of Hawaii, which was also rumoured as an option. Security in the communist country is tight even during normal times. Authorities will carefully control media access and crowds for an event where the choreography between the leaders will be closely watched across the world. Vietnam is one of a handful of countries with which North Korea has good relations. Diplomatic ties between Hanoi and Pyongyang date back to 1950, and North Korea sent air force personnel to the communist North during the Vietnam War. The last top North Korean leader to visit Vietnam was Kim Jong Un's grandfather Kim Il Sung in 1958, though several senior officials have visited since then. While trade has dipped in the wake of UN sanctions against Pyongyang, it reached $7 million (6.1 million euros) in 2017. Kim's trip to Vietnam -- it will be his first -- could also be a chance for him to learn from Vietnam's post-war economic transformation. "(Kim) would be interested in seeing the Vietnam story for himself, that can be a good source of inspiration and reflection for him to think about the way he should take North Korea forward," Le Hong Hiep, a Vietnam expert at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told AFP. Vietnam might also be a strategically important location for the US, which is currently locked in a trade war with China -- one of North Korea's closest allies. Trump could use Vietnam to "signal to Beijing that North Korea is not in your hands, we have a counterbalance to Chinese influence in this area", said Cheon Seong Whun, a visiting research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. Washington is also keen to show off Vietnam's economic success story, touted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a visit to the country last year. "Your country can replicate this path. It's yours if you'll seize the moment," Pompeo said in remarks aimed at Kim. "It can be your miracle in North Korea as well." Vietnam is eager to showcase its diplomatic gravitas on a global stage, following on from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2017 and a regional World Economic Forum meeting last year. The Trump-Kim meet could pay off in more ways than one. Hosting the box-office summit could boost "Vietnam's status in the international community, which helps the country attract tourism and foreign investment", said Vu Minh Khuong, a policy analyst at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. | Vietnam will host the next summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jung Un. Like North Korea, Vietnam was once locked in a bloody and bitter war with the US. But unlike Pyongyang, Hanoi now counts Washington among its closest allies. It is also home to both US and North Korean embassies to help with pre-summit arrangements. | pegasus | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/why-vietnam-second-trump-kim-summit-034800504.html | 0.153261 |
Is Rob Gronkowski telling us something in Tom Brady's victory Instagram post? | Scroll to continue with content Ad If you're willing to squint between the lines, he may be back for more in 2019. As the confetti settled Sunday night on the New England Patriots' sixth Super Bowl title, Gronkowski joined Tom Brady for the quarterback's celebratory Instagram video. Let's go right to the tape: Good morning from Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowski. Sure. MORE SUPER BOWL COVERAGE But humor us for a second: Gronkowski seems to be making the "weighing my options" hand gesture early in the video. Then Brady starts nodding his head as if he knows what Gronk should do -- and Gronk seems to agree. Add in the soundtrack (Eminem's "Without Me," with the chorus "guess who's back?") and the ending text ("To be continued...") and you've got enough hints you could interpret as Brady "convincing" his all-world tight end to return for one more season. OK, back to reality: Gronkowski, who tallied 87 yards on six catches in the Patriots' 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams, insisted to anyone who listened he'll need a couple weeks to relax before deciding whether to retire or keep playing. We should take the 29-year-old at his word. But if he suits up in 2019, remember this brief clip as the first clue Gronk dropped. Story continues Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | Rob Gronkowski joined Tom Brady for a celebratory Instagram video. Gronkowski seems to be making the "weighing my options" hand gesture. | bart | 0 | https://sports.yahoo.com/rob-gronkowski-telling-us-something-131131501.html?src=rss | 0.167086 |
Is Rob Gronkowski telling us something in Tom Brady's victory Instagram post? | Scroll to continue with content Ad If you're willing to squint between the lines, he may be back for more in 2019. As the confetti settled Sunday night on the New England Patriots' sixth Super Bowl title, Gronkowski joined Tom Brady for the quarterback's celebratory Instagram video. Let's go right to the tape: Good morning from Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowski. Sure. MORE SUPER BOWL COVERAGE But humor us for a second: Gronkowski seems to be making the "weighing my options" hand gesture early in the video. Then Brady starts nodding his head as if he knows what Gronk should do -- and Gronk seems to agree. Add in the soundtrack (Eminem's "Without Me," with the chorus "guess who's back?") and the ending text ("To be continued...") and you've got enough hints you could interpret as Brady "convincing" his all-world tight end to return for one more season. OK, back to reality: Gronkowski, who tallied 87 yards on six catches in the Patriots' 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams, insisted to anyone who listened he'll need a couple weeks to relax before deciding whether to retire or keep playing. We should take the 29-year-old at his word. But if he suits up in 2019, remember this brief clip as the first clue Gronk dropped. Story continues Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | Rob Gronkowski joined Tom Brady for the quarterback's Instagram video. Gronkowski seems to be making the "weighing my options" hand gesture early in the video. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/rob-gronkowski-telling-us-something-131131501.html?src=rss | 0.131981 |
Is Rob Gronkowski telling us something in Tom Brady's victory Instagram post? | Scroll to continue with content Ad If you're willing to squint between the lines, he may be back for more in 2019. As the confetti settled Sunday night on the New England Patriots' sixth Super Bowl title, Gronkowski joined Tom Brady for the quarterback's celebratory Instagram video. Let's go right to the tape: Good morning from Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowski. Sure. MORE SUPER BOWL COVERAGE But humor us for a second: Gronkowski seems to be making the "weighing my options" hand gesture early in the video. Then Brady starts nodding his head as if he knows what Gronk should do -- and Gronk seems to agree. Add in the soundtrack (Eminem's "Without Me," with the chorus "guess who's back?") and the ending text ("To be continued...") and you've got enough hints you could interpret as Brady "convincing" his all-world tight end to return for one more season. OK, back to reality: Gronkowski, who tallied 87 yards on six catches in the Patriots' 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams, insisted to anyone who listened he'll need a couple weeks to relax before deciding whether to retire or keep playing. We should take the 29-year-old at his word. But if he suits up in 2019, remember this brief clip as the first clue Gronk dropped. Story continues Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | Rob Gronkowski joined Tom Brady for the quarterback's Super Bowl Instagram video. Gronkowski appeared to make the "weighing my options" hand gesture. Gronkowski had 87 yards on six catches in the Patriots' 13-3 win over the Rams. | pegasus | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/rob-gronkowski-telling-us-something-131131501.html?src=rss | 0.213092 |
How will Sacramento spend $16 million on the homeless? | The city of Sacramento will spend nearly $16 million in city money toward addressing the homeless crisis, the City Council decided Tuesday. The council plans to decide how to spend the money during a meeting Feb. 12. Mayor Darrell Steinberg has proposed spending the money to open multiple triage homeless shelters, he has said previously. Councilman Larry Carr questioned whether shelters are the best solution. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee I dont want us to get focused on one technical solution, Carr said. We should stay focused on the goal of getting people off the street. The $15.7 million in city funding would be combined with about $12 million in state funds and $8 million in private funds for a total of about $36 million toward homeless initiatives. The city funding would come from the citys Measure U reserve fund. City officials set that money aside in case voters rejected the increased Measure U sales tax in November, Steinberg said. This is a horrific public health, public safety and humanitarian crisis and it is incumbent upon us to bring to scale what we have already proven to be successful, Steinberg said Tuesday. In December, Steinberg asked all council members to find sites for homeless shelters in their districts so the city can open more shelters similar to its 100-bed triage shelter in north Sacramento on Railroad Drive. That shelter provides medical and mental health care for guests, as well as help removing the barriers they face in finding permanent housing, such as obtaining state identification cards. Councilman Jay Schenirer is proposing a portion of a parking lot at the Florin light rail station owned by Sacramento Regional Transit, while Councilman Jeff Harris is proposing a state-owned site at Cal Expo. Carr hopes the council receives data from city staff on how successful the Railroad Drive shelter has been at the Feb. 12 meeting, he said. Weve spent a lot of money. Was that well spent? Carr asked. The council also approved spending about $2.1 million in city money on the following initiatives to serve youths in disadvantaged neighborhoods this month: $350,000 for citywide pop-up events every Friday and Saturday nights for teens $350,000 to help renovate the South Sacramento Cal Skate Facility $350,000 to help nonprofit La Familia build an Economic Development Opportunity Center $350,000 to help fund the Del Paso Heights Sports Complex, which will include three baseball fields and soccer fields to host local youth leagues and regional tournaments $350,000 to build nonprofit capacity and help the city be better connected to our many diverse neighborhoods $350,000 to build business capacity and help the city be better connected to our diverse business community, focusing on minority and women-owned business and urban commercial corridors The city will also spend $11.2 million on a list of projects proposed by City Manager Howard Chan, including improving 311 response times, bolstering code enforcement staffing and expanding illegal dumping services. The approved list also includes $360,000 for a public restroom in Cesar Chavez Plaza; $1 million for nonprofits that serve homeless women and children; $500,000 on a program that provides legal aid for immigrants; $1.8 million to increase mowing at city parks and make improvements; and $326,078 to hire staff to release police videos and documents. The city will also transfer about $5.9 million to the upcoming fiscal year budget. Steinberg proposed that money be used for equity projects in the citys disadvantaged neighborhoods. | The city of Sacramento will spend nearly $16 million in city money toward addressing the homeless crisis. The council plans to decide how to spend the money during a meeting Feb. 12. Mayor Darrell Steinberg has proposed spending the money to open multiple triage homeless shelters. The city will also spend $11.2 million on a list of projects. | bart | 2 | https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article225583800.html | 0.62965 |
How can Co-op Energys own failures cost me 2,000? | It didnt debit or bill my account for years, so surely back-billing rules should apply Co-op Energy was my supplier for gas and electricity from 2014 to 2016. Although Im no longer a customer, Ive been paying 100 a month since last May to reduce arrears of more than 2,000 caused by its failure to debit or bill my account. I now wonder whether I do, in fact, have to pay this under the back-billing rule. When I signed up to Co-op in 2014 I paid 160.84 a month via direct debit. In April 2015 it stopped debiting my account. I pointed this out, but it did not start taking payments for another five months. In April 2016 it again stopped taking the direct debit and I was told the issue would soon be resolved, but nothing came of it. During this time I never had a bill or statement. I did receive a couple of emails headed Your statement is now available to view online, but because of its failed attempts to introduce a new system, I was unable to register for online access. I decided to change supplier, thinking this would force it to address the issue as any arrears would need to be cleared before it would allow a transfer. But it did let me go without issue in July 2016. In March last year I was notified that I was 4,352.47 in arrears for a period ending July 2016. A week later I received another letter now stating I was 2,165.45 in arrears for the period ending 6 July 2016. A third letter, bearing the same date, told me I was in arrears by 2,307.90 but for a period ending 27 July. Eventually, I agreed that the arrears should be set at 2,165.45. I now question whether I should be liable for these arrears since I was never billed for the period and it waited more than 17 months before contacting me. TW, St Dogmaels, Cardigan You are correct. Under rules enforced by the utilities regulator Ofgem, customers are not liable for unbilled energy used more than 12 months ago, and energy companies are obliged to make this clear in their terms and conditions. It is scandalous that Co-op Energy flouted this rule when its own incompetence caused the arrears. In 2016 it was obliged by Ofgem to pay 1.8m in compensation to about 260,000 customers after a new IT system caused a billing fiasco. Customers were, like you, unable to check their accounts online, bills werent sent and direct debits were erroneously stopped. Ofgem praised the company at the time for taking responsibility for the issue. Either Co-op has a short memory or it hopes its customers have if its now devolving that responsibility on to you. Its dispiriting that it only admitted the back-billing rule does apply in your case when I pointed it out. A week after I called the press office, it decided to write off the arrears, refund the 800 youve repaid and add 150 in goodwill. Having now been able to review the account fully, we agree some of the issues in the past should be covered by the back-billing code, it says. The fact is, all the issues were covered. The worry is how many other customers could be paying off debts theyre not liable for. If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number. Submission subject to our terms and conditions | Co-op Energy didn't debit or bill my account for years, so surely back-billing rules should apply? I've been paying 100 a month since last May to reduce arrears of more than 2,000 caused by its failure to debit or bills my account. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/feb/06/co-op-energy-bills-backbilling-direct-debit-bills | 0.121007 |
Does Gordon Hayward deserve more patience? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Fifteen months after his horrific ankle injury, Gordon Hayward is back at the scene of the crime on Tuesday night. Even with three months of game action under his belt now, Hayward is still searching for a consistency that has been fleeting since his return and left the former All-Star visibly frustrated at times this season. Scroll to continue with content Ad Given the amount of time that's passed, it's fair to wonder if the Celtics should be getting more out of Hayward. Maybe that's why it was so interesting to hear Paul George plead for continued patience with Hayward in the aftermath of Oklahoma City's visit to Boston on Sunday. George, a sympathetic ear during Hayward's recovery, needed just eight months to return from a gruesome leg injury. George got six games under his belt at the tail end of the 2014-15 season and then seemed to hit the ground running the following year, posting a career best in scoring while earning All-Star honors during the 2015-16 campaign. The natural instinct is to look at the timelines and suggest Hayward should be closer to the player he used to be in Utah and not the one that saw half of his six shot attempts blocked by Oklahoma City on Sunday. What that ignores is the follow-up procedure Hayward endured in late May. He didn't return to full basketball activities until right before the start of training camp and didn't get the sort of ramp-up that a typical NBA offseason might afford. George was staunch in his declaration that Hayward can't beat himself up over the lack of consistency to this point. Story continues "Honestly, just don't be so hard on yourself," said George. "I was fortunate when I got hurt. The following season I got to play six games and that kind of helped me into the transition. Fact of the matter is everyone is expecting Gordon to be Gordon from Utah and he's not. He has to take strides, take steps along the way." Complicating matters is that Hayward has shown glimpses of turning a corner. He's had a couple of loud performances - like a 30-point outing in Minnesota in early December - and strung together maybe his best stretch of games at the start of January. Each time, Hayward hasn't been able to harness the momentum. He's fought his shot at times - although it should be noted that George's shooting percentages dove in his first season back as well - and Hayward has shown obvious frustration, even as he's told himself not to get too high or too low about his performances. George encouraged Hayward to ignore those in a rush to point out how his play isn't commensurate with his team-high $31.2 million salary. "Fans can't be too hard on him and he can't be too hard on himself. The game is different," said George. "When you sit out a year and you try to come back, the game is totally different from where you left it. He's got to adapt, find his game, find his rhythm, block out the noise that people are expecting him to be himself right away. "It takes time. When I got hurt, the doctors told me it would be two to three years before I would feel the way I feel now. Despite them saying I would make a full recovery, it wouldn't be until two or three years. It's a long marathon for him. He'll be alright." Watching George play his way into some MVP chatter this season should be an example of how a player can not only find his form but even go to another level with enough time. Even though George has been excellent the past three seasons, his scoring average is up more than six points per game this year and he's shooting the ball as well as he has his entire career. It'd be fascinating to know where Hayward might be without that second surgery in May to remove nagging hardware. Even if he hadn't been able to get back on the court before Boston's playoff run ended, maybe having the summer to ramp up his basketball activities would have allowed him to enter the season with more confidence. It didn't happen. He's been forced to work through the bumps with everybody watching and questioning whether he'll get back to the player he used to be. The Celtics have preached patience to Hayward, hoping that he'll find more consistency as the year goes on. "Hopefully he'll continue to get more comfortable. And by game 60 and 80, he'll feel better than he does at 40 and 20," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said last month. A glimpse at the box score Sunday suggests a rough day for Hayward, who missed five of the six shots he took and got swatted three times (including once by George). But Hayward was also aggressive going at the basket, an encouraging sign that he's trying to be more assertive. He's had a propensity to avoid contact at times early in the season and settle for perimeter shots. To get back to the old Hayward, he has to be fearless going at the hoop. When the Celtics were in Cleveland in November, coach Brad Stevens made it a point to run an alley-oop lob almost identical to the one Hayward was injured on back in October 2017. Stevens has run similar actions a few times this year and it wouldn't be a surprise to see it come out again this trip (in part because these rebuilding Cavs don't put a heavy emphasis on defense). But anything that can get Hayward out of his own head and playing with more confidence would be a good thing for these Celtics. For all his individual woes, Hayward still owns a net rating of plus-5.2 this season. That's a solid number; it's simply diminished by how good the team has been when he's off the floor, the Celtics posting a plus-9.4 net rating without Hayward (though that might simply reflect on a bench unit that's struggled to find consistency as a group). At times this season it's felt like Hayward's emergence might be the key to just how far the Celtics might surge this season. If you think that's an overstatement, consider this: Basketball Reference tracks a metric called Game Score that attempts to quantify a player's game performance based on box score stats. It's noisy but, ultimately, a score south of the teens is average at best (while a score in the 40s is a dominant effort) This season, when Hayward has posted a Game Score of 14.5 or better, the Celtics are 9-1 and that includes two wins over Toronto and another over Milwaukee - the only two teams that currently sit ahead of Boston in the East standings. In the 35 other games, in which Hayward's Game Score was 11.9 or lower, Boston is 21-17. Boston's success doesn't hinge on Hayward, but it certainly could go a long way to making these Celtics look more like the East power that was expected. Even as Boston starts to play more consistent ball and surge up the standings, having a confident and consistent Hayward in April and May would go a long way in helping the Celtics make up any homecourt advantage they might lack. Maybe it's not fair to expect that sort of consistency from Hayward until next season, but it's clear from his frustration that he, more than anyone, wants to find it sooner. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | Gordon Hayward is still searching for a consistency that has been fleeting since his return. Paul George pleaded for patience with Hayward in the aftermath of Oklahoma City's visit to Boston on Sunday. | bart | 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/does-gordon-hayward-deserve-more-034305426.html?src=rss | 0.142457 |
Does Gordon Hayward deserve more patience? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Fifteen months after his horrific ankle injury, Gordon Hayward is back at the scene of the crime on Tuesday night. Even with three months of game action under his belt now, Hayward is still searching for a consistency that has been fleeting since his return and left the former All-Star visibly frustrated at times this season. Scroll to continue with content Ad Given the amount of time that's passed, it's fair to wonder if the Celtics should be getting more out of Hayward. Maybe that's why it was so interesting to hear Paul George plead for continued patience with Hayward in the aftermath of Oklahoma City's visit to Boston on Sunday. George, a sympathetic ear during Hayward's recovery, needed just eight months to return from a gruesome leg injury. George got six games under his belt at the tail end of the 2014-15 season and then seemed to hit the ground running the following year, posting a career best in scoring while earning All-Star honors during the 2015-16 campaign. The natural instinct is to look at the timelines and suggest Hayward should be closer to the player he used to be in Utah and not the one that saw half of his six shot attempts blocked by Oklahoma City on Sunday. What that ignores is the follow-up procedure Hayward endured in late May. He didn't return to full basketball activities until right before the start of training camp and didn't get the sort of ramp-up that a typical NBA offseason might afford. George was staunch in his declaration that Hayward can't beat himself up over the lack of consistency to this point. Story continues "Honestly, just don't be so hard on yourself," said George. "I was fortunate when I got hurt. The following season I got to play six games and that kind of helped me into the transition. Fact of the matter is everyone is expecting Gordon to be Gordon from Utah and he's not. He has to take strides, take steps along the way." Complicating matters is that Hayward has shown glimpses of turning a corner. He's had a couple of loud performances - like a 30-point outing in Minnesota in early December - and strung together maybe his best stretch of games at the start of January. Each time, Hayward hasn't been able to harness the momentum. He's fought his shot at times - although it should be noted that George's shooting percentages dove in his first season back as well - and Hayward has shown obvious frustration, even as he's told himself not to get too high or too low about his performances. George encouraged Hayward to ignore those in a rush to point out how his play isn't commensurate with his team-high $31.2 million salary. "Fans can't be too hard on him and he can't be too hard on himself. The game is different," said George. "When you sit out a year and you try to come back, the game is totally different from where you left it. He's got to adapt, find his game, find his rhythm, block out the noise that people are expecting him to be himself right away. "It takes time. When I got hurt, the doctors told me it would be two to three years before I would feel the way I feel now. Despite them saying I would make a full recovery, it wouldn't be until two or three years. It's a long marathon for him. He'll be alright." Watching George play his way into some MVP chatter this season should be an example of how a player can not only find his form but even go to another level with enough time. Even though George has been excellent the past three seasons, his scoring average is up more than six points per game this year and he's shooting the ball as well as he has his entire career. It'd be fascinating to know where Hayward might be without that second surgery in May to remove nagging hardware. Even if he hadn't been able to get back on the court before Boston's playoff run ended, maybe having the summer to ramp up his basketball activities would have allowed him to enter the season with more confidence. It didn't happen. He's been forced to work through the bumps with everybody watching and questioning whether he'll get back to the player he used to be. The Celtics have preached patience to Hayward, hoping that he'll find more consistency as the year goes on. "Hopefully he'll continue to get more comfortable. And by game 60 and 80, he'll feel better than he does at 40 and 20," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said last month. A glimpse at the box score Sunday suggests a rough day for Hayward, who missed five of the six shots he took and got swatted three times (including once by George). But Hayward was also aggressive going at the basket, an encouraging sign that he's trying to be more assertive. He's had a propensity to avoid contact at times early in the season and settle for perimeter shots. To get back to the old Hayward, he has to be fearless going at the hoop. When the Celtics were in Cleveland in November, coach Brad Stevens made it a point to run an alley-oop lob almost identical to the one Hayward was injured on back in October 2017. Stevens has run similar actions a few times this year and it wouldn't be a surprise to see it come out again this trip (in part because these rebuilding Cavs don't put a heavy emphasis on defense). But anything that can get Hayward out of his own head and playing with more confidence would be a good thing for these Celtics. For all his individual woes, Hayward still owns a net rating of plus-5.2 this season. That's a solid number; it's simply diminished by how good the team has been when he's off the floor, the Celtics posting a plus-9.4 net rating without Hayward (though that might simply reflect on a bench unit that's struggled to find consistency as a group). At times this season it's felt like Hayward's emergence might be the key to just how far the Celtics might surge this season. If you think that's an overstatement, consider this: Basketball Reference tracks a metric called Game Score that attempts to quantify a player's game performance based on box score stats. It's noisy but, ultimately, a score south of the teens is average at best (while a score in the 40s is a dominant effort) This season, when Hayward has posted a Game Score of 14.5 or better, the Celtics are 9-1 and that includes two wins over Toronto and another over Milwaukee - the only two teams that currently sit ahead of Boston in the East standings. In the 35 other games, in which Hayward's Game Score was 11.9 or lower, Boston is 21-17. Boston's success doesn't hinge on Hayward, but it certainly could go a long way to making these Celtics look more like the East power that was expected. Even as Boston starts to play more consistent ball and surge up the standings, having a confident and consistent Hayward in April and May would go a long way in helping the Celtics make up any homecourt advantage they might lack. Maybe it's not fair to expect that sort of consistency from Hayward until next season, but it's clear from his frustration that he, more than anyone, wants to find it sooner. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | Gordon Hayward is still searching for a consistency that has been fleeting since his return. Paul George pleaded for continued patience with Hayward in the aftermath of Oklahoma City's visit to Boston on Sunday. George, a sympathetic ear during Hayward's recovery, needed just eight months to return from a gruesome leg injury. | bart | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/does-gordon-hayward-deserve-more-034305426.html?src=rss | 0.244002 |
Will the death of Malaysia Goodson finally lead to accessible city transport? | Im halfway down the footbridge, thunking my nine-month-old son from step to step like someone trying to hit ketchup out of a bottle. He starts to cry a wheedling, disgruntled moan so I take one hand off the buggy to stroke his face. In that moment he squirms, the buggy tilts and I get a flash, for a microsecond, of the drop, the concrete, the depth and the danger. For lack of a lift, a ramp or an assistant I could have lost the centre of my world. Last week, Malaysia Goodson, a mother from Stamford, Connecticut, is believed to have fallen to her death while trying to get down a flight of stairs at the Seventh Avenue station in New York City while carrying her one-year-old daughter in a buggy. Goodson was found lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs beside a tipped-up stroller. Her daughter, miraculously, was unharmed, but is now motherless. The authorities later said that it appeared her death was related to a pre-existing medical condition, however it has prompted demands to improve accessibility on the subway. The incident caused the mayor, Bill de Blasio, to state on Twitter: The subway system is not accessible for everyone, and thats an environment the [Metropolitan Transport Authority] should not allow. Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) This is a heartbreaking tragedy that never should have happened. The subway system is not accessible for everyone and thats an environment the MTA should not allow. https://t.co/X89fQep0LY To many parents, the incident is chilling, and call into question how we can address the accessibility needs of parents alongside wheelchair users and other disabled people. For many parents, accessibility in cities means more than just ramps, lifts and lowered kerbs. You must be able to keep a child safe but also within touching reach; you must carry luggage, sit to feed, avoid high levels of air pollution, regulate a healthy temperature, be able to change a nappy and go to the toilet yourself, and eventually guard against a mobile-but-unstable child who insists on walking. While slings and rucksack carriers may make navigating public transport easier, they are not always suitable for parents with disabilities, nor the solution to something as nuanced as finding a suitable place to feed your child. I cant be the only person who has sat on a concrete bollard, in the rain, beside two lanes of traffic, with my shirt open, my buggy wedged against a set of fragrant railings, wondering if there might be a better way. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Steep stairs, such as these at a subway station in Manhattan, are a nightmare for those with mobility issues or with a pram or pushchair. Photograph: Jeff Greenberg/UIG via Getty Images Nevertheless, it is easy, as a parent, to start to view any transport network whether its in London or So Paulo as simply impossible when travelling with children. Steps, footbridges, broken lifts, narrow trains, gaps between train and platform; all are a nightmare for those with mobility issues or in wheelchairs, and a significant obstacle for anyone with a pram, buggy or pushchair. A few cities are taking steps to make the urban landscape more accessible to parents, from the Universal Design principles innate to Singapores Building Construction Authority to TfLs Baby On Board badges. In Washington, DC all 91 Metro stations are fully accessible, with gap reducers between train and platform and priority seating in each carriage. While it could be argued that including these features at the time of construction (much of the subway in Washington, DC was built in the 1970s) is easier than retrofitting them into Victorian engineering, for parents it can often seem that the problem is not one of practicality, but of priority. Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Washington DC Metro, built in the 1970s with greater accessibility in mind than many of its Victorian counterparts, such as the London underground. Photograph: National Geographic Image Collection/Alamy In particular, urban design often seems to set wheelchair users in competition for space against parents or other people with disabilities. Having a single space for both wheelchair and buggy users immediately sets up a necessary but unpleasant hierarchy of need. Too often, I see bus drivers simply fail to let wheelchair users on a crowded bus, despite the fact that, by law, they must take priority over those with buggies or pushchairs. In Berlin, most buses have a designated space for three buggies, or a wheelchair and two buggies. But the solution could, perhaps, be as simple as providing more pull-down seats, providing space for disabled, non-disabled and pushchair users alike. Luggage racks could help stop children having to vie for space with suitcases and shopping trolleys. In Tokyo, many trains have specific carriages with space for prams and wheelchairs, with their position marked on the platform so passengers can more easily wait in the right spot. I have been pleased to notice the overhead signs on many London underground stations indicating where the wheelchair and buggy sections will be. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Pushchair and wheelchair boarding sign at UK railway station. Photograph: Colin Underhill/Alamy Better training could help for drivers and other transport staff, who often seem to feel as though the onus is on parents to take up less space. The NHS advice is for all babies to lie flat in a buggy or pram until they are able to sit up unaided (approximately around six months) with preference for a carry cot or bassinet on wheels for the first few months. It is therefore not quite so easy for parents to choose a fold-up or space-saving option. Because public attitudes to small children are almost universally positive, we can too easily slip into believing that parents can get by thanks to the assistance of strangers. Sadly, the bystander effect the psychological state that tells onlookers that someone else will help, so you dont need to is as visible at the top of station steps or by an unlowered kerb as anywhere else in the city environment. In order to break it, we can look to better signage and design. For instance, upholstering your priority seats in a different fabric to make them visually conspicuous, as they have done with bright yellow seat covers in the Bay Area Rapid Transport trains around San Francisco, or colour-coding lifts for disabled and buggy users. Once you introduce ramps, lifts, lowered buses, in the ways recognised by the European Commission Access City Award in cities like Lyon, Chester, Milan and Viborg, you no longer place the onus on the public to do the right thing. Moreover, we can do more to inform parents of the insurance and liability responsibility that often falls to staff: for instance, a Transport for London employee may ask you to take your child out of a buggy before carrying it up the stairs. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Highly visible priority seating on a Bay Area Rapid Transport train, San Francisco. Photograph: Felicia Kieselhorst/BART There are other child safety issues on public transport. A 2017 WHO report said that 570,000 children under the age of five died every year from illnesses that could be linked to pollution. Air pollution, while a problem for all city dwellers, is particularly dangerous at traffic highpoints like bus stops, road junctions, traffic lights: places where parents with buggies are impelled to wait. I had never asked so many idling cars to switch off their engines as I have since having a child in a buggy at exhaust-pipe height. Low emission zones, congestion charges, bicycle subsidies and disincentives for parents to drive to schools and offices could all improve air quality without great change to public infrastructure. A city accessible for parents, along with wheelchair users and disabled people, is simply a city that is better to live in for everyone. I was lucky, that day on the footbridge. I managed to grab my second handle in time. I managed to thunk my way down to the platform despite the sweat on my palms and the racing in my chest. I managed to get away with it that time. But it could very easily have gone the other way. Malaysia Goodson was not an exception, but must be a warning to us all. Best and worst city transport Berlin Wheelchairtravel.org describes Berlin as having one of the most wheelchair-friendly public transportation systems in the world including accessible trams, buses and trains. The two major metro rail systems, U-Bahn and S-Bahn, are accessible at the majority of stations, while the Berliner Verkehrsbetrieb (BVG) site allows users to plan a wheelchair friendly route through the city, including barrier-free routes. Although Berlins famous cobbled streets can prove a challenge for anyone navigating the city with a pushchair, the city is largely flat and covered by a network of accessible buses. The German government has also abolished kindergarten fees in Berlin making it one of Europes most attractive cities for young families. Breda, The Netherlands Despite being a medieval city, the winner of the 2019 European Commission Access City Award has wheelchair access in over 800 shops and businesses. Most of the sport centres, museums and theatres are also wheelchair accessible under the banner campaign of Breda For Everyone. Facebook Twitter Pinterest A cycle, pushchair and wheelchair carriage on Copenhagen S-Train. Photograph: Realimage/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Stock Photo Seattle In a bid to make the windy, hilly city more accessible for wheelchair and buggy users, Seattles AccessMap allows users to plot routes according to customised settings including avoiding steep inclines and raised kerbs. Copenhagen According to VisitCopenhagen all metro stations are equipped with lifts, while the S-train has an adjustable ramp that the driver can lower to allow wheelchairs or buggies to board. Most of the city parks have paved walkways and breastfeeding is common in public areas. New York Just 117 out of 472 New York subway stations are fully accessible, and only a quarter have lifts, making it almost impossible to navigate without a high degree of local knowledge. However, a law was passed on 1 January requiring all new and renovated buildings with public toilets to include changing tables, including in mens toilets. Read more Paris Although most of the Parisian bus network has wheelchair access, the Metro has just one accessible, barrier-free line (number 14) and at many stations parents will have to ask Metro staff to open ticket gates as there is no wider buggy or wheelchair gate and for assistance getting on and off of the trains. Like so many cities, Paris also suffers from narrow pavements, cobbled streets and steep inclines, some of which include steps. Find Guardian Cities on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to join the discussion, catch up on our best stories or sign up for our weekly newsletter | Last week, Malaysia Goodson, a mother from Connecticut, is believed to have fallen to her death while trying to get down a flight of stairs at the Seventh Avenue station in New York City. Goodson was found lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs beside a tipped-up stroller. | bart | 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/06/will-the-death-of-malaysia-goodson-finally-lead-to-accessible-city-transport | 0.114613 |
What's the ultimate way to travel to school? | To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. For 7-year-old Madog, it's a way of life. He and his family have decided to ditch 21st century living in favour or a more basic lifestyle with no mains electricity or even wifi! Madog lives with his mum, dad and baby brother in Cumbria. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. See kids in the Amazon travel by canoe... Many kids across the world travel to school in all sorts of ways and we want to hear from you. Let us know below. | Madog, 7, lives in Cumbria with his family and no mains electricity or wifi. He travels to school by canoe, kayaking and walking. What is your ultimate way to travel to school? Tell us below. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47141168 | 0.189533 |
Could A Super-Earth World Around Barnard's Star Be Home To Alien Life? | When it comes to the origin of life, we only have one example in the entire known Universe where we're certain it's successfully arisen: right here on Earth. Although we're aware of many steps in the story of how life evolved and gave rise to the diversity of organisms we observe today and in the fossil record, some big mysteries remain. In particular, we don't know how life first arose, and which ingredients and conditions from Earth's early history were essential in that key step of creating life from non-life. We assume that it's smart to look for life on Earth-sized planets with Earth-like orbits around Sun-like stars with heavy element presences similar to our Solar System. But those might not be the only conditions which support life. In fact, Super-Earth worlds, despite their extraordinary differences from Earth-like worlds, might support life finding a way, too. And if so, there's one right next door: around Barnard's Star. The nearest star system to our own is the Alpha Centauri system. Unlike our own star, however, Alpha Centauri is made up of three stars: Alpha Centauri A, which is a Sun-like (G-class) star, Alpha Centauri B, which is a little cooler and less massive (K-class), but orbits Alpha Centauri A at a distance of the gas giants in our Solar System, and Proxima Centauri, which is much cooler and less massive (M-class), and is known to have at least one Earth-sized planet. But the most common type of planet in the Universe, as far as we know, is neither an Earth-sized planet nor a gas giant-sized planet, but an in-between size. As revealed by the Kepler mission, the most common type of world in the Universe is a super-Earth, between about 2 and 10 times the mass of our own planet. So far, we don't know of any super-Earth-sized worlds around the nearest star system to us, but the second-closest system was newly-found to have one. At a distance of just six light years away, Barnard's star has had its proper motion known since 1916. Back in the 1960s, it gained some temporary fame as the first star conjectured to have planets around it. Working using a now-discredited technique, Peter van de Kamp (1960s-70s) claimed to have found two Jupiter-sized planets with orbital periods of 11 and 27 years, around it, which set off a firestorm of both excitement and criticism. Unfortunately, the data that gave rise to the suspected detection wasn't due to a planet, but rather to the fact that the telescope being used to record the data had its optics changed. Half a century later, we know those planets were mere phantasms. But Barnard's star truly is home to a planet around it. Barnard b, announced in 2018, is robust and real, and its discovery arose from more than 20 years of observations that carefully monitored the motion of Barnard's star itself. Over this very long baseline of time, we could detect the tiny wobbles of the star as it periodically moved towards and away from us, due to the minute tug of the planet on its parent star. As reported by the discovery paper, Barnard b has the following properties: An orbital period (i.e., year) of 233 Earth days, A mean surface temperature of -168 C (-270 F), And a mass that's at least 325% as large as Earth's mass. The biggest questions that we'll find ourselves poised to answer in the very near future is exactly what this planet is like. The most remarkable property of Barnard b is that, at its extremely close distance to Earth but its relatively large, Earth-like distance from its parent star, it will be well-separated from it in a telescope. Although an angular separation of 0.22" (where 3600", or arc-seconds, are in 1 degree) is extremely small under normal astronomical circumstances, it's a tremendously large separation by exoplanet standards. Most of the exoplanets found by Kepler have two things in common with one another: They're orbiting stars hundreds or even thousands of light-years away from us. They have short periods, meaning they're located very close to their parent stars. In terms of angular separations, we have no practical chance of observing these planets, directly, with any current or near-future telescopes. But Barnard b has a few things going for it that these other worlds don't from an observational perspective. With a period of nearly a year, it's one of the longer-period planets ever found. Since it's orbiting a red dwarf while being a physically large size, it should be visible with only a coronagraph blocking out the star's light. And, because it's around one of the closest star systems conceivable, our upcoming telescopes should be able to image it directly. This would be the first direct image of a possibly-inhabited world ever taken. If it's a rocky world only a little bit larger than Earth and with approximately 3.25 Earth masses, that may be possible the imaging capabilities of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope or the 30-meter class telescopes being built here on Earth like GMT or ELT should nab it. If it's more like a mini-Neptune, with 450% the size of Earth (or more), the existing VLT with the SPHERE instrument could get it today. Compared to Earth, it only receives 2% of the amount of energy from its star that we get, which explains the expected cold temperatures of Barnard b. But the whole reason we think life on an Earth-sized world in a more temperature-friendly zone around a red dwarf star is no good is because a world like Proxima b receives far too much X-ray and ultraviolet radiation to even maintain an atmosphere, much less remain life-friendly. Sure, Proxima b gets 65% of the energy from its star that we receive from ours on Earth, but it receives 650 times the irradiation we do from solar X-rays and 130 times the ultraviolet radiation. By comparison, though, Barnard b receives 50% of the X-ray energy and 35% of the ultraviolet energy. If it has a hot core and a significant enough enhancement of geothermal energy, particularly via plumes, vents, and a subsurface ocean, Barnard b may house life after all. Based on a study that was done a few years ago that classified exoplanets based on both mass and radius (where both were available), we were able to determine that there is a rough cutoff at around 2 Earth masses that defines the border between rocky planet and planets with a large gas envelope. At 3.25 (or more) Earth masses, coupled with low temperatures, Barnard b is almost certainly a mini-Neptune. Barnard's star, and any planets surrounding it, are old. Whereas our Sun is around 4.5 billion years old, this system has an estimated age of 8.6 billion years: nearly twice as old as our Solar System. There has only been one planet discovered whose signal has risen above the noise: Barnard b, which could potentially be directly imaged with the next generation of space-based and ground-based telescopes. Although there is little danger that it will have lost its atmosphere, its surface water, or be sterilized by its parent star's X-ray and ultraviolet radiation, it is likely to harbor too thick of an atmosphere to support life. Although it may be geothermally active and have large amounts of volatiles beneath that atmosphere, it would take quite a surprise for this world to be rocky in nature. Still, there are great things to be learned in the coming years by looking at it. We have never done spectroscopy on a world like this, nor have we directly imaged an exoplanet so close to our own Solar System before. With the discovery of Barnard b, we are well-positioned to look for signatures of life, Earth-like conditions, and to measure the chemical composition of its atmosphere. If we're looking for life, another intriguing possibility exists: there may be lower-mass planets interior to Barnard b, whose signals have not yet risen above the noise in the radial velocity data. When the James Webb Space Telescope launches, or when 30-meter class telescopes come online, we may get more than just images and information about Barnard b. We may yet uncover entirely new worlds in that star system. Each planet carries with it a new chance for life. As always, the only way we'll ever find out is to look, and see what nature is waiting for us to discover. | Super-Earth worlds, despite their extraordinary differences from Earth-like worlds, might support life finding a way, too. And if so, there's one right next door: around Barnard's Star. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/02/06/could-a-super-earth-world-around-barnards-star-be-home-to-alien-life/ | 0.104035 |
Could A Super-Earth World Around Barnard's Star Be Home To Alien Life? | When it comes to the origin of life, we only have one example in the entire known Universe where we're certain it's successfully arisen: right here on Earth. Although we're aware of many steps in the story of how life evolved and gave rise to the diversity of organisms we observe today and in the fossil record, some big mysteries remain. In particular, we don't know how life first arose, and which ingredients and conditions from Earth's early history were essential in that key step of creating life from non-life. We assume that it's smart to look for life on Earth-sized planets with Earth-like orbits around Sun-like stars with heavy element presences similar to our Solar System. But those might not be the only conditions which support life. In fact, Super-Earth worlds, despite their extraordinary differences from Earth-like worlds, might support life finding a way, too. And if so, there's one right next door: around Barnard's Star. The nearest star system to our own is the Alpha Centauri system. Unlike our own star, however, Alpha Centauri is made up of three stars: Alpha Centauri A, which is a Sun-like (G-class) star, Alpha Centauri B, which is a little cooler and less massive (K-class), but orbits Alpha Centauri A at a distance of the gas giants in our Solar System, and Proxima Centauri, which is much cooler and less massive (M-class), and is known to have at least one Earth-sized planet. But the most common type of planet in the Universe, as far as we know, is neither an Earth-sized planet nor a gas giant-sized planet, but an in-between size. As revealed by the Kepler mission, the most common type of world in the Universe is a super-Earth, between about 2 and 10 times the mass of our own planet. So far, we don't know of any super-Earth-sized worlds around the nearest star system to us, but the second-closest system was newly-found to have one. At a distance of just six light years away, Barnard's star has had its proper motion known since 1916. Back in the 1960s, it gained some temporary fame as the first star conjectured to have planets around it. Working using a now-discredited technique, Peter van de Kamp (1960s-70s) claimed to have found two Jupiter-sized planets with orbital periods of 11 and 27 years, around it, which set off a firestorm of both excitement and criticism. Unfortunately, the data that gave rise to the suspected detection wasn't due to a planet, but rather to the fact that the telescope being used to record the data had its optics changed. Half a century later, we know those planets were mere phantasms. But Barnard's star truly is home to a planet around it. Barnard b, announced in 2018, is robust and real, and its discovery arose from more than 20 years of observations that carefully monitored the motion of Barnard's star itself. Over this very long baseline of time, we could detect the tiny wobbles of the star as it periodically moved towards and away from us, due to the minute tug of the planet on its parent star. As reported by the discovery paper, Barnard b has the following properties: An orbital period (i.e., year) of 233 Earth days, A mean surface temperature of -168 C (-270 F), And a mass that's at least 325% as large as Earth's mass. The biggest questions that we'll find ourselves poised to answer in the very near future is exactly what this planet is like. The most remarkable property of Barnard b is that, at its extremely close distance to Earth but its relatively large, Earth-like distance from its parent star, it will be well-separated from it in a telescope. Although an angular separation of 0.22" (where 3600", or arc-seconds, are in 1 degree) is extremely small under normal astronomical circumstances, it's a tremendously large separation by exoplanet standards. Most of the exoplanets found by Kepler have two things in common with one another: They're orbiting stars hundreds or even thousands of light-years away from us. They have short periods, meaning they're located very close to their parent stars. In terms of angular separations, we have no practical chance of observing these planets, directly, with any current or near-future telescopes. But Barnard b has a few things going for it that these other worlds don't from an observational perspective. With a period of nearly a year, it's one of the longer-period planets ever found. Since it's orbiting a red dwarf while being a physically large size, it should be visible with only a coronagraph blocking out the star's light. And, because it's around one of the closest star systems conceivable, our upcoming telescopes should be able to image it directly. This would be the first direct image of a possibly-inhabited world ever taken. If it's a rocky world only a little bit larger than Earth and with approximately 3.25 Earth masses, that may be possible the imaging capabilities of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope or the 30-meter class telescopes being built here on Earth like GMT or ELT should nab it. If it's more like a mini-Neptune, with 450% the size of Earth (or more), the existing VLT with the SPHERE instrument could get it today. Compared to Earth, it only receives 2% of the amount of energy from its star that we get, which explains the expected cold temperatures of Barnard b. But the whole reason we think life on an Earth-sized world in a more temperature-friendly zone around a red dwarf star is no good is because a world like Proxima b receives far too much X-ray and ultraviolet radiation to even maintain an atmosphere, much less remain life-friendly. Sure, Proxima b gets 65% of the energy from its star that we receive from ours on Earth, but it receives 650 times the irradiation we do from solar X-rays and 130 times the ultraviolet radiation. By comparison, though, Barnard b receives 50% of the X-ray energy and 35% of the ultraviolet energy. If it has a hot core and a significant enough enhancement of geothermal energy, particularly via plumes, vents, and a subsurface ocean, Barnard b may house life after all. Based on a study that was done a few years ago that classified exoplanets based on both mass and radius (where both were available), we were able to determine that there is a rough cutoff at around 2 Earth masses that defines the border between rocky planet and planets with a large gas envelope. At 3.25 (or more) Earth masses, coupled with low temperatures, Barnard b is almost certainly a mini-Neptune. Barnard's star, and any planets surrounding it, are old. Whereas our Sun is around 4.5 billion years old, this system has an estimated age of 8.6 billion years: nearly twice as old as our Solar System. There has only been one planet discovered whose signal has risen above the noise: Barnard b, which could potentially be directly imaged with the next generation of space-based and ground-based telescopes. Although there is little danger that it will have lost its atmosphere, its surface water, or be sterilized by its parent star's X-ray and ultraviolet radiation, it is likely to harbor too thick of an atmosphere to support life. Although it may be geothermally active and have large amounts of volatiles beneath that atmosphere, it would take quite a surprise for this world to be rocky in nature. Still, there are great things to be learned in the coming years by looking at it. We have never done spectroscopy on a world like this, nor have we directly imaged an exoplanet so close to our own Solar System before. With the discovery of Barnard b, we are well-positioned to look for signatures of life, Earth-like conditions, and to measure the chemical composition of its atmosphere. If we're looking for life, another intriguing possibility exists: there may be lower-mass planets interior to Barnard b, whose signals have not yet risen above the noise in the radial velocity data. When the James Webb Space Telescope launches, or when 30-meter class telescopes come online, we may get more than just images and information about Barnard b. We may yet uncover entirely new worlds in that star system. Each planet carries with it a new chance for life. As always, the only way we'll ever find out is to look, and see what nature is waiting for us to discover. | Super-Earth worlds, despite their extraordinary differences from Earth-like worlds, might support life finding a way. Barnard b, announced in 2018, is the second-closest system to us to have a super-Earth world around its star, Alpha Centauri. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/02/06/could-a-super-earth-world-around-barnards-star-be-home-to-alien-life/ | 0.122612 |
Will Trump Reach Out To All Americans During His State Of The Union? | Rachel Martin talks to former presidential speech writer David Frum, who is now senior editor at The Atlantic, for a preview of President Trump's speech to Congress and the nation Tuesday night. RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: President Trump will deliver his State of the Union address tonight, which almost didn't happen. At one point during the government shutdown, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took her invitation back, saying the speech shouldn't occur until the government was reopened. She did tell the president he could deliver his message in writing. He said no thanks because the State of the Union speech gives the president of the United States a unique platform. This isn't a tweet. This isn't a rally. It is a formal, televised address in front of Congress, a chance to lay out presidential priorities and reach out to all Americans. We are joined now by a man who has been involved with some State of the Union speeches in his time, David Frum. He was a speechwriter for President George W. Bush and is now a senior editor at The Atlantic. David, thanks for being here. DAVID FRUM: Good morning. MARTIN: I'm going to ask a general question, then specific. FRUM: What - these speeches are enormously powerful. They - as you said, they're the one time that the president speak directly to the public in prime time. Presidents have been speaking in prime time only since 1965. Before that, TV was not such a factor. It's a televised moment. Congress - not just Congress but the Supreme Court, the whole symbolism of the American government, is all there. And they have to clap (laughter) so the president... MARTIN: Sort of (laughter). FRUM: ...Can talk to the country. That's the potential. MARTIN: So let's talk about the specific moment. FRUM: Well, so many of the questions about Donald Trump invite the answer what the president needs to do is build a time machine, go back in time and be a completely different person who came into government in a completely different way. So what this president should do is so different from what this president will do that the should question - you know, we're just spitballing when we ask that question. MARTIN: So let's talk about what you anticipate him to do. I mean, this is a moment - we've established that there's a lot of gravitas here. There is an ongoing debate, though, happening right now. Lawmakers are in the middle of negotiations over border security to eliminate another potential shutdown. FRUM: Here's what this president will end up doing, I am quite confident. During the government shutdown, President Trump's numbers dropped with a series of groups that are crucial to his base - non-college white men, evangelicals. I think what he is going to do is come to this address and try to wage a certain amount of culture war in order to bring back his base. President Trump has never aspired to be president of all of the United States. He's aspired to be the president of his base. MARTIN: But we - I mean, he says this is going to be about unity. FRUM: When the president speaks about unity, what he means is victimhood. He never sees unity as something that he does for others. Unity is something that others do for him. And that's why he's bringing that poor, unfortunate, little boy who was mocked because of the similarity in the last name between the president's family and his own. MARTIN: This is a student whose surname is Trump, and he'll be sitting with the first lady to highlight her effort on cyberbullying. FRUM: You know what would've a nice - a nice thing to do would've been to telephone the family and bring them into the White House for a private tour and give them - if you were concerned with their feelings, you would reach out to them. But the president is bringing that boy because he wants to use that boy as a talisman for himself. It's not about the boy. It's about him. So what the president will do is he's going to talk, I suspect, a lot about abortion as a way of pulling back the parts of the base that drifted away during the government shutdown fight. He will talk about the wall in a way that is not guaranteed to get to yes but actually is guaranteed to get to no. A no on the border wall is better for the president than a yes because it inflames his supporters. His strategy for 2020 - there is really no way that Donald Trump can get himself re-elected. But what he can do is if he can keep his base - his base plus the weak Republican support, his 45, 48 percent of the country - more or less coalesced together around him and mobilized and angry, then if Democrats split, he's got a path to victory. But he can't do it on his own. And at this point, he has no ability and no interest in - and probably the audience is gone - for him to reach out to the majority of the country and say, I speak to you as the president of all of you. He's never been interested in that job. MARTIN: Let's talk about the speech as an opportunity for big moments. You were involved in the drafting of the 2002 State of the Union for President Bush in which he used the phrase axis of evil to describe Iran, Iraq, North Korea. It was a big moment. People still talk about it, clearly. And so when presidents have done big things - I mean, 1965, when President Johnson laid out what would become the Great Society, it didn't come as, like, a light bulb revelation to Congress. They knew that the president was working on these things, that the legislative majority had been built. This is the moment where the thing you've been testing in the lab and working with Congress you talk to the whole American public about it, to the people don't pay such close attention to politics, but it's ready to go. Donald Trump's emergency bill is not ready to go. There - it raises all kinds of problems. If he goes ahead with the state of emergency and seizes military funding from other projects, all those other projects have political sponsors. What happens when you take away - there's a 32-million-dollar vehicle rehabilitation project to be built in Kentucky, the state of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. There's work that has to be done. Very obviously, the Trump people have not done that work. FRUM: It can. When - Bill Clinton showed that it could. Bill Clinton gave a series of States of the Union that were utterly derided by speechwriters. They were big, baggy messes. And they had no theme that he would start with the most popular item and go all the way to the least. But they worked. They worked. And some of George Bush's speeches worked, too. MARTIN: David Frum, senior editor at The Atlantic, thank you so much. FRUM: Thank you. Copyright 2019 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. | President Trump will deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday night. David Frum was a speechwriter for President George W. Bush. He says the speech is a chance for the president to reach out to all Americans. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.npr.org/2019/02/05/691536323/will-trump-reach-out-to-all-americans-during-his-state-of-the-union?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=analysis | 0.261149 |
What is FGM, where does it happen and why? | Image copyright Getty Images Image caption This woman in Mombasa, Kenya shows the razorblade she has used on girls' genitals It's estimated that 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM, according to the United Nations (UN). Although primarily concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, it is also practised in some countries in Asia and Latin America. And amongst immigrant populations living in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, the UN says. It is calling for an end to FGM on International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on 6 February. FGM can cause physical and mental health problems that go on to affect women in later life, as Bishara Sheikh Hamo, from the Borana Community in Kenya's Isiolo County explains. "I underwent FGM when I was 11 years old," says Bishara. "I was told by my grandmother FGM is a requirement for every girl, that it made us pure." But what Bishara did not know was that it would leave her with irregular periods, bladder problems, and recurrent infections. She was only able to give birth via Caesarean section. She is now an anti FGM campaigner. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Unicef estimates more than 200 million girls and women have suffered FGM in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, but also within migrant communities where FGM is common - in Spain, 18,000 girls are considered to be at risk Female genital mutilation, or FGM for short, is the deliberate cutting or removal of a female's external genitalia. It often involves the removal or cutting of the labia and clitoris, and the World Health Organization describes it as "any procedure that injures the female genital organs for non-medical reasons". Omnia Ibrahim, a blogger and film maker from Egypt, says FGM is distressing and damages women's relationships and how they feel about themselves. "You are an ice cube. You don't feel; you don't love; you don't have desire," she says. Omnia says she has struggled with the psychological impact of FGM all her adult life. She says her community taught her "that a body means sex and that sex is a sin. To my mind my body had become a curse". "I used to always ask myself: did I hate sex because I was taught to be afraid of it, or do I really not care for it?" Image caption Bishara became an anti FGM campaigner after struggling to cope with her mutilation In Kenya, Bishara told the BBC FGM was carried out on her, together with four other girls. "I was blindfolded. Then she [the cutter] tied my hands behind my back. My legs were spread open and then they pinned down my labia." "Then after a few minutes, I felt a sharp pain. I screamed, I yelled, but no-one could hear me. I tried to kick myself free, but a vice-like grip held my leg. She says it was "pathetic. It's one of the most severe types of medical procedures, and so unhygienic. They used the same cutting tool on all of us girls". The only pain relief available was a traditional remedy: "There was a hole in the ground, and they kept herbs in the hole. Then they tied my legs like a goat and rubbed the herbs on me. Then they said 'next girl, next girl,' and they took another girl..." Although FGM it is illegal in many countries, it is still routinely carried out in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East - and also among the diaspora of those countries where FGM is common. There are four types of FGM Type 1: Clitoridectomy. That's the total or partial removal of the sensitive clitoris and its surrounding skin. Type 2: Excision. The partial or total removal of the clitoris plus the removal of the labia minora, or inner skin folds surrounding the vagina. Type 3: Infibulation. The cutting and repositioning of the labia minora and the labia majora - the outer skin folds that surround the vagina. This often includes stitching to leave only a small gap. This practice is not only extremely painful and distressing, it's also an ongoing infection risk: the closing over of the vagina and the urethra leaves women with a very small opening through which to pass menstrual fluid and urine. In fact, sometimes the opening can be so small that it needs to be cut open to allow sexual intercourse or birth - often causing complications which harm both mother and baby. Type 4: This covers all other harmful procedures like pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterising the clitoris or genital area. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Some Kenyan Maasai women voiced opposition to a FGM ban because of fears that uncut girls would not be able to get married or become promiscuous The most frequently cited reasons for carrying out FGM are social acceptance, religion, misconceptions about hygiene, a means of preserving a girl or woman's virginity, making the woman "marriageable" and enhancing male sexual pleasure. In some cultures FGM is regarded as a rite of passage into adulthood, and considered a pre-requisite for marriage. Although there are no hygienic advantages or health benefits to FGM, practising communities believe that women's vaginas need to be cut - and women who have not undergone FGM are regarded as unhealthy, unclean or unworthy. Often it's performed against their will, and health professionals worldwide consider it a form of violence against women and a violation of their human rights. When FGM is inflicted on children, it is also seen as a form of child abuse. Because it's a taboo subject and many women might not want to say openly they've had FGM, figures are based on estimates. FGM expert and barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman said it is "almost impossible to detect," as many of the girls are not in school or old enough to report it. The above map was put together by The Woman Stats Project, who have collated research on the issue, including data from the UN and Unicef. According to a Unicef report carried out in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East, the practice is still being widely carried out, despite the fact that 24 of these countries have legislation or some form of decrees against FGM. FGM is illegal in the UK. A mother in London - originally from Uganda - has recently become the first person in the UK to be found guilty of carrying out FGM on her then three-year-old daughter. She will be sentenced on 8 March. Many of the women surveyed by Unicef and the WHO said it was taboo to even discuss FGM in their communities. They were fearful of attracting criticism from outsiders, or - in places where FGM is illegal - of saying anything that would lead to the prosecution of family or community members. | Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the deliberate cutting or removal of a female's external genitalia. | bart | 0 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-47131052 | 0.502052 |
What is FGM, where does it happen and why? | Image copyright Getty Images Image caption This woman in Mombasa, Kenya shows the razorblade she has used on girls' genitals It's estimated that 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM, according to the United Nations (UN). Although primarily concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, it is also practised in some countries in Asia and Latin America. And amongst immigrant populations living in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, the UN says. It is calling for an end to FGM on International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on 6 February. FGM can cause physical and mental health problems that go on to affect women in later life, as Bishara Sheikh Hamo, from the Borana Community in Kenya's Isiolo County explains. "I underwent FGM when I was 11 years old," says Bishara. "I was told by my grandmother FGM is a requirement for every girl, that it made us pure." But what Bishara did not know was that it would leave her with irregular periods, bladder problems, and recurrent infections. She was only able to give birth via Caesarean section. She is now an anti FGM campaigner. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Unicef estimates more than 200 million girls and women have suffered FGM in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, but also within migrant communities where FGM is common - in Spain, 18,000 girls are considered to be at risk Female genital mutilation, or FGM for short, is the deliberate cutting or removal of a female's external genitalia. It often involves the removal or cutting of the labia and clitoris, and the World Health Organization describes it as "any procedure that injures the female genital organs for non-medical reasons". Omnia Ibrahim, a blogger and film maker from Egypt, says FGM is distressing and damages women's relationships and how they feel about themselves. "You are an ice cube. You don't feel; you don't love; you don't have desire," she says. Omnia says she has struggled with the psychological impact of FGM all her adult life. She says her community taught her "that a body means sex and that sex is a sin. To my mind my body had become a curse". "I used to always ask myself: did I hate sex because I was taught to be afraid of it, or do I really not care for it?" Image caption Bishara became an anti FGM campaigner after struggling to cope with her mutilation In Kenya, Bishara told the BBC FGM was carried out on her, together with four other girls. "I was blindfolded. Then she [the cutter] tied my hands behind my back. My legs were spread open and then they pinned down my labia." "Then after a few minutes, I felt a sharp pain. I screamed, I yelled, but no-one could hear me. I tried to kick myself free, but a vice-like grip held my leg. She says it was "pathetic. It's one of the most severe types of medical procedures, and so unhygienic. They used the same cutting tool on all of us girls". The only pain relief available was a traditional remedy: "There was a hole in the ground, and they kept herbs in the hole. Then they tied my legs like a goat and rubbed the herbs on me. Then they said 'next girl, next girl,' and they took another girl..." Although FGM it is illegal in many countries, it is still routinely carried out in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East - and also among the diaspora of those countries where FGM is common. There are four types of FGM Type 1: Clitoridectomy. That's the total or partial removal of the sensitive clitoris and its surrounding skin. Type 2: Excision. The partial or total removal of the clitoris plus the removal of the labia minora, or inner skin folds surrounding the vagina. Type 3: Infibulation. The cutting and repositioning of the labia minora and the labia majora - the outer skin folds that surround the vagina. This often includes stitching to leave only a small gap. This practice is not only extremely painful and distressing, it's also an ongoing infection risk: the closing over of the vagina and the urethra leaves women with a very small opening through which to pass menstrual fluid and urine. In fact, sometimes the opening can be so small that it needs to be cut open to allow sexual intercourse or birth - often causing complications which harm both mother and baby. Type 4: This covers all other harmful procedures like pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterising the clitoris or genital area. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Some Kenyan Maasai women voiced opposition to a FGM ban because of fears that uncut girls would not be able to get married or become promiscuous The most frequently cited reasons for carrying out FGM are social acceptance, religion, misconceptions about hygiene, a means of preserving a girl or woman's virginity, making the woman "marriageable" and enhancing male sexual pleasure. In some cultures FGM is regarded as a rite of passage into adulthood, and considered a pre-requisite for marriage. Although there are no hygienic advantages or health benefits to FGM, practising communities believe that women's vaginas need to be cut - and women who have not undergone FGM are regarded as unhealthy, unclean or unworthy. Often it's performed against their will, and health professionals worldwide consider it a form of violence against women and a violation of their human rights. When FGM is inflicted on children, it is also seen as a form of child abuse. Because it's a taboo subject and many women might not want to say openly they've had FGM, figures are based on estimates. FGM expert and barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman said it is "almost impossible to detect," as many of the girls are not in school or old enough to report it. The above map was put together by The Woman Stats Project, who have collated research on the issue, including data from the UN and Unicef. According to a Unicef report carried out in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East, the practice is still being widely carried out, despite the fact that 24 of these countries have legislation or some form of decrees against FGM. FGM is illegal in the UK. A mother in London - originally from Uganda - has recently become the first person in the UK to be found guilty of carrying out FGM on her then three-year-old daughter. She will be sentenced on 8 March. Many of the women surveyed by Unicef and the WHO said it was taboo to even discuss FGM in their communities. They were fearful of attracting criticism from outsiders, or - in places where FGM is illegal - of saying anything that would lead to the prosecution of family or community members. | Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the deliberate cutting or removal of a female's external genitalia. Unicef estimates more than 200 million girls and women have suffered FGM in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. | bart | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-47131052 | 0.500212 |
What is FGM, where does it happen and why? | Image copyright Getty Images Image caption This woman in Mombasa, Kenya shows the razorblade she has used on girls' genitals It's estimated that 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM, according to the United Nations (UN). Although primarily concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, it is also practised in some countries in Asia and Latin America. And amongst immigrant populations living in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, the UN says. It is calling for an end to FGM on International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on 6 February. FGM can cause physical and mental health problems that go on to affect women in later life, as Bishara Sheikh Hamo, from the Borana Community in Kenya's Isiolo County explains. "I underwent FGM when I was 11 years old," says Bishara. "I was told by my grandmother FGM is a requirement for every girl, that it made us pure." But what Bishara did not know was that it would leave her with irregular periods, bladder problems, and recurrent infections. She was only able to give birth via Caesarean section. She is now an anti FGM campaigner. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Unicef estimates more than 200 million girls and women have suffered FGM in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, but also within migrant communities where FGM is common - in Spain, 18,000 girls are considered to be at risk Female genital mutilation, or FGM for short, is the deliberate cutting or removal of a female's external genitalia. It often involves the removal or cutting of the labia and clitoris, and the World Health Organization describes it as "any procedure that injures the female genital organs for non-medical reasons". Omnia Ibrahim, a blogger and film maker from Egypt, says FGM is distressing and damages women's relationships and how they feel about themselves. "You are an ice cube. You don't feel; you don't love; you don't have desire," she says. Omnia says she has struggled with the psychological impact of FGM all her adult life. She says her community taught her "that a body means sex and that sex is a sin. To my mind my body had become a curse". "I used to always ask myself: did I hate sex because I was taught to be afraid of it, or do I really not care for it?" Image caption Bishara became an anti FGM campaigner after struggling to cope with her mutilation In Kenya, Bishara told the BBC FGM was carried out on her, together with four other girls. "I was blindfolded. Then she [the cutter] tied my hands behind my back. My legs were spread open and then they pinned down my labia." "Then after a few minutes, I felt a sharp pain. I screamed, I yelled, but no-one could hear me. I tried to kick myself free, but a vice-like grip held my leg. She says it was "pathetic. It's one of the most severe types of medical procedures, and so unhygienic. They used the same cutting tool on all of us girls". The only pain relief available was a traditional remedy: "There was a hole in the ground, and they kept herbs in the hole. Then they tied my legs like a goat and rubbed the herbs on me. Then they said 'next girl, next girl,' and they took another girl..." Although FGM it is illegal in many countries, it is still routinely carried out in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East - and also among the diaspora of those countries where FGM is common. There are four types of FGM Type 1: Clitoridectomy. That's the total or partial removal of the sensitive clitoris and its surrounding skin. Type 2: Excision. The partial or total removal of the clitoris plus the removal of the labia minora, or inner skin folds surrounding the vagina. Type 3: Infibulation. The cutting and repositioning of the labia minora and the labia majora - the outer skin folds that surround the vagina. This often includes stitching to leave only a small gap. This practice is not only extremely painful and distressing, it's also an ongoing infection risk: the closing over of the vagina and the urethra leaves women with a very small opening through which to pass menstrual fluid and urine. In fact, sometimes the opening can be so small that it needs to be cut open to allow sexual intercourse or birth - often causing complications which harm both mother and baby. Type 4: This covers all other harmful procedures like pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterising the clitoris or genital area. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Some Kenyan Maasai women voiced opposition to a FGM ban because of fears that uncut girls would not be able to get married or become promiscuous The most frequently cited reasons for carrying out FGM are social acceptance, religion, misconceptions about hygiene, a means of preserving a girl or woman's virginity, making the woman "marriageable" and enhancing male sexual pleasure. In some cultures FGM is regarded as a rite of passage into adulthood, and considered a pre-requisite for marriage. Although there are no hygienic advantages or health benefits to FGM, practising communities believe that women's vaginas need to be cut - and women who have not undergone FGM are regarded as unhealthy, unclean or unworthy. Often it's performed against their will, and health professionals worldwide consider it a form of violence against women and a violation of their human rights. When FGM is inflicted on children, it is also seen as a form of child abuse. Because it's a taboo subject and many women might not want to say openly they've had FGM, figures are based on estimates. FGM expert and barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman said it is "almost impossible to detect," as many of the girls are not in school or old enough to report it. The above map was put together by The Woman Stats Project, who have collated research on the issue, including data from the UN and Unicef. According to a Unicef report carried out in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East, the practice is still being widely carried out, despite the fact that 24 of these countries have legislation or some form of decrees against FGM. FGM is illegal in the UK. A mother in London - originally from Uganda - has recently become the first person in the UK to be found guilty of carrying out FGM on her then three-year-old daughter. She will be sentenced on 8 March. Many of the women surveyed by Unicef and the WHO said it was taboo to even discuss FGM in their communities. They were fearful of attracting criticism from outsiders, or - in places where FGM is illegal - of saying anything that would lead to the prosecution of family or community members. | Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the deliberate cutting or removal of a female's external genitalia. Unicef estimates more than 200 million girls and women have suffered FGM in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The UN is calling for an end to FGM on International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. | bart | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-47131052 | 0.507605 |
Are pastel colored toys sexist? | CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For Christmas, both my kids got Legos from family members. My 8-year-old son was wowed by the Marvel Super Heroes Avengers: Infinity War The Hulkbuster Smash-Up set, its red-and-black box showing a war scene. My daughter was thrilled by the Lego Friends Snow Resort Ski Lift, its purple package showing five girls hugging. Both kids were happy with their presents. Im happy they like the building challenge Legos provide. Sure, the Lego Friends set says its made for boys and girls ages 8 to 12. And I think my son would happily help construct the working winch of the ski lift. But the pastel colors scream NO BOYS ALLOWED! Theres this cue even if it doesnt say girls on it theres this cue that all the pink things are for girls and everything else is for boys," Rebecca Hains, advertising and media studies professor at Salem State University, told the Canadian Broadcasting Co. You can see pinkwashing everywhere. Pink Little Tikes Cozy Coupes and basketball hoops. A pink Fisher Price chair and a yellow one. Pastel toy organizers and primary colored ones. And what that means is that for families who have kids of both genders, they often feel compelled to buy two of everything so theyre [toy companies] selling twice the toys that they would have if everything was just primary colors, said Hains. At least the colors are no longer formally labeled girl vs. boy. Akron mom Abi Bechtel helped remove gender labels from Target in 2015. Akron mom pushes Target to stop labeling boy and girl toys: Multitasking Moms and Dads The trend may finally be reversing. Groups like Let Toys Be Toys are pushing for stereotype-busting toys and marketing. Gender stereotypes hold us all back and help to drive assumptions about who does the caring, they cause toxic masculinity and hold women and girls back in terms of the career choices they perceive as being for them, the womens rights group Fawcett Society Chief Executive Sam Smethers told CEO Magazine. Follow Shatter on Facebook. | Pastel colored toys are often seen as sexist, says Shatter. The trend may finally be reversing. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/02/are-pastel-colored-toys-sexist.html | 0.588259 |
Are pastel colored toys sexist? | CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For Christmas, both my kids got Legos from family members. My 8-year-old son was wowed by the Marvel Super Heroes Avengers: Infinity War The Hulkbuster Smash-Up set, its red-and-black box showing a war scene. My daughter was thrilled by the Lego Friends Snow Resort Ski Lift, its purple package showing five girls hugging. Both kids were happy with their presents. Im happy they like the building challenge Legos provide. Sure, the Lego Friends set says its made for boys and girls ages 8 to 12. And I think my son would happily help construct the working winch of the ski lift. But the pastel colors scream NO BOYS ALLOWED! Theres this cue even if it doesnt say girls on it theres this cue that all the pink things are for girls and everything else is for boys," Rebecca Hains, advertising and media studies professor at Salem State University, told the Canadian Broadcasting Co. You can see pinkwashing everywhere. Pink Little Tikes Cozy Coupes and basketball hoops. A pink Fisher Price chair and a yellow one. Pastel toy organizers and primary colored ones. And what that means is that for families who have kids of both genders, they often feel compelled to buy two of everything so theyre [toy companies] selling twice the toys that they would have if everything was just primary colors, said Hains. At least the colors are no longer formally labeled girl vs. boy. Akron mom Abi Bechtel helped remove gender labels from Target in 2015. Akron mom pushes Target to stop labeling boy and girl toys: Multitasking Moms and Dads The trend may finally be reversing. Groups like Let Toys Be Toys are pushing for stereotype-busting toys and marketing. Gender stereotypes hold us all back and help to drive assumptions about who does the caring, they cause toxic masculinity and hold women and girls back in terms of the career choices they perceive as being for them, the womens rights group Fawcett Society Chief Executive Sam Smethers told CEO Magazine. Follow Shatter on Facebook. | Pastel colored toys are often seen as sexist, says Shatter. The trend may finally be reversing, as groups like Let Toys Be Toys are pushing for stereotype-busting toys. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/02/are-pastel-colored-toys-sexist.html | 0.688019 |
When will Canada take action for girls who endure FGM? | Giselle Portenier is a Vancouver-based journalist and filmmaker Open this photo in gallery This photo taken on Jan. 30, 2018, shows a warning sign against female genital mutilation (FGM) in Katabok village, northeast Uganda. YASUYOSHI CHIBA Not long ago, I sat with Hadija (not her real name), a beautiful young Canadian woman, tears streaming down her face, as she told me about her summer holiday back to her birthplace in Somalia, where she came face to face with a razor blade in a mud hut and was forced to endure female genital mutilation at the age of 14. Wednesday is International Zero Tolerance Day for female genital mutilation (FGM) with activities worldwide, but in Canada it will again be greeted with a deafening silence. This, despite the fact that the Canadian government knows Hadijas case is not unique; FGM is an issue here too. Government documents released to journalists under the Freedom of Information Act show that thousands of Canadian girls may be at risk of this torture. Story continues below advertisement Theres evidence girls are taken abroad for vacation cutting, and that cutters with their razor blades are entering Canada to do their dirty work here; and yet our government, much of civil society and the media remain silent. FGM is the single worst systematic human rights abuse committed against girls and women in the world today. It predates both Islam and Christianity and is defined as the alteration of the female genitalia for non-medical purposes. Its an extreme form of sexual control of girls, and is a fact of life in 28 countries in Africa, and elsewhere too; Asia Indonesia, Malaysia, parts of India; pockets of the Middle East, including Egypt; pockets of South America; Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan, and now, with immigration from practising countries, in the West. The most serious type of FGM, practised almost universally in Somalia where many Canadian immigrants hail from, involves removing the external part of the clitoris, the labia minora and majora, and then sewing everything shut, leaving only a tiny opening. Its not difficult to grasp the serious health implications that result post-traumatic stress, difficulty and excruciating pain passing urine and menstrual blood, complications in child birth even death. Never mind the right to pain-free, joyful sexual intimacy that every human being is entitled to. According to the World Health Organization, there are 200 million FGM survivors worldwide, and more than three million girls at risk each year. Some of those girls are right here in Canada; recently a teacher in Greater Vancouver told me of a mother who confessed to having taken her own daughter to India to be cut; the teacher did nothing. Theres been a law against FGM in Canada since 1997, but there hasnt been a single prosecution. Unlike other Western countries, in Canada there are no protocols to save girls from FGM; no training for teachers, no systems in place to spot girls and save girls who are in danger. For survivors who came here already cut and that includes young women who arrived here as small children there is virtually no specialized help. No specific counselling, no specially-trained doctors, nurses or midwives. Nothing. Contrast this with other Western countries: In Britain, survivor activists have forced the government into action. There are now helplines for girls at risk; specialized clinics for survivors; training for teachers to spot vulnerable girls; a mandatory reporting requirement of FGM cases for all health and social services professionals and teachers. And just last week they had their first conviction, of a mother who forced her three-year-old daughter to undergo FGM. In Canada, there arent even any official statistics analyzing the scope of the issue. An informal analysis of the 2011 Canadian Census looking at immigration from affected countries and UNICEF statistics on the prevalence of FGM indicates there may be upward of 80,000 survivors of FGM in Canada, and yet this is not an issue addressed by any government department. This distinct lack of action is fuelled in part by the fear of stigmatizing the communities involved, and is encouraged by the adults of the communities themselves, who enforce a strict code of silence. The silence is also the by-product of cultural relativists mostly white, who argue that FGM is a cultural prerogative, when in fact its an unacceptable abuse of a girls human rights, plain and simple. Indeed, in Africa the campaign to end FGM is driven by Africans themselves. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement So far, no Canadian survivor has galvanized action on FGM. But that is no excuse for inaction. We are completely failing Canadian girls: those at risk, and young survivors like Hadija crying out for help. It is a disgrace. By worrying so much about the cultural sensitivities of the adults, we are sacrificing the human rights of the children. | Wednesday is International Zero Tolerance Day for female genital mutilation. In Canada, there are no protocols to save girls from FGM. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-when-will-canada-take-action-for-girls-who-endure-fgm/ | 0.108517 |
When will Canada take action for girls who endure FGM? | Giselle Portenier is a Vancouver-based journalist and filmmaker Open this photo in gallery This photo taken on Jan. 30, 2018, shows a warning sign against female genital mutilation (FGM) in Katabok village, northeast Uganda. YASUYOSHI CHIBA Not long ago, I sat with Hadija (not her real name), a beautiful young Canadian woman, tears streaming down her face, as she told me about her summer holiday back to her birthplace in Somalia, where she came face to face with a razor blade in a mud hut and was forced to endure female genital mutilation at the age of 14. Wednesday is International Zero Tolerance Day for female genital mutilation (FGM) with activities worldwide, but in Canada it will again be greeted with a deafening silence. This, despite the fact that the Canadian government knows Hadijas case is not unique; FGM is an issue here too. Government documents released to journalists under the Freedom of Information Act show that thousands of Canadian girls may be at risk of this torture. Story continues below advertisement Theres evidence girls are taken abroad for vacation cutting, and that cutters with their razor blades are entering Canada to do their dirty work here; and yet our government, much of civil society and the media remain silent. FGM is the single worst systematic human rights abuse committed against girls and women in the world today. It predates both Islam and Christianity and is defined as the alteration of the female genitalia for non-medical purposes. Its an extreme form of sexual control of girls, and is a fact of life in 28 countries in Africa, and elsewhere too; Asia Indonesia, Malaysia, parts of India; pockets of the Middle East, including Egypt; pockets of South America; Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan, and now, with immigration from practising countries, in the West. The most serious type of FGM, practised almost universally in Somalia where many Canadian immigrants hail from, involves removing the external part of the clitoris, the labia minora and majora, and then sewing everything shut, leaving only a tiny opening. Its not difficult to grasp the serious health implications that result post-traumatic stress, difficulty and excruciating pain passing urine and menstrual blood, complications in child birth even death. Never mind the right to pain-free, joyful sexual intimacy that every human being is entitled to. According to the World Health Organization, there are 200 million FGM survivors worldwide, and more than three million girls at risk each year. Some of those girls are right here in Canada; recently a teacher in Greater Vancouver told me of a mother who confessed to having taken her own daughter to India to be cut; the teacher did nothing. Theres been a law against FGM in Canada since 1997, but there hasnt been a single prosecution. Unlike other Western countries, in Canada there are no protocols to save girls from FGM; no training for teachers, no systems in place to spot girls and save girls who are in danger. For survivors who came here already cut and that includes young women who arrived here as small children there is virtually no specialized help. No specific counselling, no specially-trained doctors, nurses or midwives. Nothing. Contrast this with other Western countries: In Britain, survivor activists have forced the government into action. There are now helplines for girls at risk; specialized clinics for survivors; training for teachers to spot vulnerable girls; a mandatory reporting requirement of FGM cases for all health and social services professionals and teachers. And just last week they had their first conviction, of a mother who forced her three-year-old daughter to undergo FGM. In Canada, there arent even any official statistics analyzing the scope of the issue. An informal analysis of the 2011 Canadian Census looking at immigration from affected countries and UNICEF statistics on the prevalence of FGM indicates there may be upward of 80,000 survivors of FGM in Canada, and yet this is not an issue addressed by any government department. This distinct lack of action is fuelled in part by the fear of stigmatizing the communities involved, and is encouraged by the adults of the communities themselves, who enforce a strict code of silence. The silence is also the by-product of cultural relativists mostly white, who argue that FGM is a cultural prerogative, when in fact its an unacceptable abuse of a girls human rights, plain and simple. Indeed, in Africa the campaign to end FGM is driven by Africans themselves. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement So far, no Canadian survivor has galvanized action on FGM. But that is no excuse for inaction. We are completely failing Canadian girls: those at risk, and young survivors like Hadija crying out for help. It is a disgrace. By worrying so much about the cultural sensitivities of the adults, we are sacrificing the human rights of the children. | Wednesday is International Zero Tolerance Day for female genital mutilation. In Canada, there are no protocols to save girls from FGM. There are no specific counselling, no specially-trained doctors, nurses or midwives. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-when-will-canada-take-action-for-girls-who-endure-fgm/ | 0.108315 |
Who was Alan Turing? | Science Photo Library Alan Turing has been named the most "iconic" figure of the 20th century, fighting off competition from international leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. He was chosen as the greatest scientist in a category that included Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and Tu Youyou. Turing was picked by the public during a live broadcast of BBC Two's 'Icons: The Greatest Person Of The 20th Century'. Alan Turing was a mathematician who cracked codes during World War Two. It is thought that Turing and his fellow code-breakers shortened the war by several years. He worked for the British Government's Code and Cypher School before the Second World War broke out. In 1939, he began working at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire - where top secret work was carried out to crack Germany's military codes. Tristan Appleby/ Getty Images Enigma cipher machine, used by Germany during World War Two to encrypt and decrypt messages Turing's main job at Bletchley was to crack something called the 'Enigma' code. The Enigma was a type of machine used by the German army to send secret messages. Turing and another code-breaker called Gordon Welchman invented a machine known as the Bombe. This device helped to significantly reduce the work of the code-breakers. During his life, he worked almost entirely in secret, and it wasn't until long after his death that the legacy of his life and work came to light. His war-time efforts had a huge influence on the development of computer science and artificial intelligence. Turing died on June 7 1954. Today he is the most celebrated figure of the 20th century, a father of computing, war hero and genius. Alan Turing was gay and arrested because of this in 1952. Being homosexual was illegal in Britain at this time. In 2013, he was pardoned for this 'crime'. Being pardoned after death is called being posthumously pardoned. In 2017, the government agreed to officially pardon men accused of 'crimes' like this, meaning they will no longer have a criminal record. This pardoning has come to be known as the Alan Turing law. | Alan Turing was a mathematician who cracked codes during World War Two. His work had a huge influence on the development of computer science and artificial intelligence. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47142948 | 0.537351 |
Who was Alan Turing? | Science Photo Library Alan Turing has been named the most "iconic" figure of the 20th century, fighting off competition from international leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. He was chosen as the greatest scientist in a category that included Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and Tu Youyou. Turing was picked by the public during a live broadcast of BBC Two's 'Icons: The Greatest Person Of The 20th Century'. Alan Turing was a mathematician who cracked codes during World War Two. It is thought that Turing and his fellow code-breakers shortened the war by several years. He worked for the British Government's Code and Cypher School before the Second World War broke out. In 1939, he began working at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire - where top secret work was carried out to crack Germany's military codes. Tristan Appleby/ Getty Images Enigma cipher machine, used by Germany during World War Two to encrypt and decrypt messages Turing's main job at Bletchley was to crack something called the 'Enigma' code. The Enigma was a type of machine used by the German army to send secret messages. Turing and another code-breaker called Gordon Welchman invented a machine known as the Bombe. This device helped to significantly reduce the work of the code-breakers. During his life, he worked almost entirely in secret, and it wasn't until long after his death that the legacy of his life and work came to light. His war-time efforts had a huge influence on the development of computer science and artificial intelligence. Turing died on June 7 1954. Today he is the most celebrated figure of the 20th century, a father of computing, war hero and genius. Alan Turing was gay and arrested because of this in 1952. Being homosexual was illegal in Britain at this time. In 2013, he was pardoned for this 'crime'. Being pardoned after death is called being posthumously pardoned. In 2017, the government agreed to officially pardon men accused of 'crimes' like this, meaning they will no longer have a criminal record. This pardoning has come to be known as the Alan Turing law. | Alan Turing was a mathematician who cracked codes during World War Two. His work had a huge influence on the development of computer science and artificial intelligence. He was arrested for being gay in 1952 but was pardoned in 2013. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47142948 | 0.557258 |
Who was Alan Turing? | Science Photo Library Alan Turing has been named the most "iconic" figure of the 20th century, fighting off competition from international leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. He was chosen as the greatest scientist in a category that included Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and Tu Youyou. Turing was picked by the public during a live broadcast of BBC Two's 'Icons: The Greatest Person Of The 20th Century'. Alan Turing was a mathematician who cracked codes during World War Two. It is thought that Turing and his fellow code-breakers shortened the war by several years. He worked for the British Government's Code and Cypher School before the Second World War broke out. In 1939, he began working at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire - where top secret work was carried out to crack Germany's military codes. Tristan Appleby/ Getty Images Enigma cipher machine, used by Germany during World War Two to encrypt and decrypt messages Turing's main job at Bletchley was to crack something called the 'Enigma' code. The Enigma was a type of machine used by the German army to send secret messages. Turing and another code-breaker called Gordon Welchman invented a machine known as the Bombe. This device helped to significantly reduce the work of the code-breakers. During his life, he worked almost entirely in secret, and it wasn't until long after his death that the legacy of his life and work came to light. His war-time efforts had a huge influence on the development of computer science and artificial intelligence. Turing died on June 7 1954. Today he is the most celebrated figure of the 20th century, a father of computing, war hero and genius. Alan Turing was gay and arrested because of this in 1952. Being homosexual was illegal in Britain at this time. In 2013, he was pardoned for this 'crime'. Being pardoned after death is called being posthumously pardoned. In 2017, the government agreed to officially pardon men accused of 'crimes' like this, meaning they will no longer have a criminal record. This pardoning has come to be known as the Alan Turing law. | Alan Turing was a mathematician who cracked codes during World War Two. His work had a huge influence on the development of computer science and artificial intelligence. He was arrested in 1952 for being gay but was later pardoned for this 'crime' His work helped to shorten the war by several years. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47142948 | 0.484938 |
How Much Does Experience Really Matter In Sales? | People tend to assume that experience equals expertise. I've discovered that experience is vastly overrated as a useful characteristic of salespeople. Yes, experience often leads to the development of an effective sales skill set. But in and of itself, it is merely an indicator of a persons ability to survive in a role, not their ability to perform exceptionally and sell effectively. Expertise certainly can come from experience, but there is no guarantee that success will come with it as well. In other words, there are countless young, successful salespeople in the world who have very little experience, yet they are able to outperform their more seasoned counterparts. If you think about it long enough, you can see some variances you may not have thought about. For example, experience can lead to the development and persistence of bad habits. It can also make salespeople overly rigid in their approaches; they become set in their ways, which is rarely a positive quality. Sure, they may have learned some helpful tricks throughout their long careers. But that doesnt make them automatically successful at sales. This is why when I led sales teams, I often preferred inexperience that I could train and develop. To me, it all comes down to building habits related to these three key characteristics: 1. Professionalism 2. Proficiency 3. Productivity In terms of a salespersons ability to operate with a high level of professionalism, experience is completely irrelevant. I have seen young, fresh-faced salespeople in their 20s conduct themselves much more professionally than those with decades of experience! Proficiency is also not necessarily related to experience. Heres a telling comparison Experienced salespeople often stick to what worked for them early in their career. Successful salespeople with less experience are always looking for the best way to make a sale and match their skills to the moment (notice how I said "successful"). They adapt quickly and make a habit out of constantly updating their skill sets. Well, sometimes experience teaches people what they have to do to simply get by and produce the bare minimum. However, productivity is determined much more by a salespersons willingness to work hard on the right things than the number of years theyve been selling. And that usually means that those dedicated folks are paying conscious attention to developing regular habits that support them in their work and help them stay motivated. The Bottom Line Experience can be useful for salespeople, but it doesnt make sales happen. In todays world, salespeople need to be professional, proficient and productive. And adaptable. The buying landscape for both consumers and organizations alike has dramatically changed with the advent of technology and digital disruption. By having an always-learning mindset, being open to possibilities and constantly working their craft, salespeople can win at both sales and self-belief. And that is a recipe to produce the best team you have ever seen. | Experience often leads to the development of an effective sales skill set. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/02/06/how-much-does-experience-really-matter-in-sales/ | 0.167479 |
How Much Does Experience Really Matter In Sales? | People tend to assume that experience equals expertise. I've discovered that experience is vastly overrated as a useful characteristic of salespeople. Yes, experience often leads to the development of an effective sales skill set. But in and of itself, it is merely an indicator of a persons ability to survive in a role, not their ability to perform exceptionally and sell effectively. Expertise certainly can come from experience, but there is no guarantee that success will come with it as well. In other words, there are countless young, successful salespeople in the world who have very little experience, yet they are able to outperform their more seasoned counterparts. If you think about it long enough, you can see some variances you may not have thought about. For example, experience can lead to the development and persistence of bad habits. It can also make salespeople overly rigid in their approaches; they become set in their ways, which is rarely a positive quality. Sure, they may have learned some helpful tricks throughout their long careers. But that doesnt make them automatically successful at sales. This is why when I led sales teams, I often preferred inexperience that I could train and develop. To me, it all comes down to building habits related to these three key characteristics: 1. Professionalism 2. Proficiency 3. Productivity In terms of a salespersons ability to operate with a high level of professionalism, experience is completely irrelevant. I have seen young, fresh-faced salespeople in their 20s conduct themselves much more professionally than those with decades of experience! Proficiency is also not necessarily related to experience. Heres a telling comparison Experienced salespeople often stick to what worked for them early in their career. Successful salespeople with less experience are always looking for the best way to make a sale and match their skills to the moment (notice how I said "successful"). They adapt quickly and make a habit out of constantly updating their skill sets. Well, sometimes experience teaches people what they have to do to simply get by and produce the bare minimum. However, productivity is determined much more by a salespersons willingness to work hard on the right things than the number of years theyve been selling. And that usually means that those dedicated folks are paying conscious attention to developing regular habits that support them in their work and help them stay motivated. The Bottom Line Experience can be useful for salespeople, but it doesnt make sales happen. In todays world, salespeople need to be professional, proficient and productive. And adaptable. The buying landscape for both consumers and organizations alike has dramatically changed with the advent of technology and digital disruption. By having an always-learning mindset, being open to possibilities and constantly working their craft, salespeople can win at both sales and self-belief. And that is a recipe to produce the best team you have ever seen. | Experience often leads to the development of an effective sales skill set. But in andsuccessful itself, it is merely an indicator of a persons ability to survive. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/02/06/how-much-does-experience-really-matter-in-sales/ | 0.156814 |
How Much Does Experience Really Matter In Sales? | People tend to assume that experience equals expertise. I've discovered that experience is vastly overrated as a useful characteristic of salespeople. Yes, experience often leads to the development of an effective sales skill set. But in and of itself, it is merely an indicator of a persons ability to survive in a role, not their ability to perform exceptionally and sell effectively. Expertise certainly can come from experience, but there is no guarantee that success will come with it as well. In other words, there are countless young, successful salespeople in the world who have very little experience, yet they are able to outperform their more seasoned counterparts. If you think about it long enough, you can see some variances you may not have thought about. For example, experience can lead to the development and persistence of bad habits. It can also make salespeople overly rigid in their approaches; they become set in their ways, which is rarely a positive quality. Sure, they may have learned some helpful tricks throughout their long careers. But that doesnt make them automatically successful at sales. This is why when I led sales teams, I often preferred inexperience that I could train and develop. To me, it all comes down to building habits related to these three key characteristics: 1. Professionalism 2. Proficiency 3. Productivity In terms of a salespersons ability to operate with a high level of professionalism, experience is completely irrelevant. I have seen young, fresh-faced salespeople in their 20s conduct themselves much more professionally than those with decades of experience! Proficiency is also not necessarily related to experience. Heres a telling comparison Experienced salespeople often stick to what worked for them early in their career. Successful salespeople with less experience are always looking for the best way to make a sale and match their skills to the moment (notice how I said "successful"). They adapt quickly and make a habit out of constantly updating their skill sets. Well, sometimes experience teaches people what they have to do to simply get by and produce the bare minimum. However, productivity is determined much more by a salespersons willingness to work hard on the right things than the number of years theyve been selling. And that usually means that those dedicated folks are paying conscious attention to developing regular habits that support them in their work and help them stay motivated. The Bottom Line Experience can be useful for salespeople, but it doesnt make sales happen. In todays world, salespeople need to be professional, proficient and productive. And adaptable. The buying landscape for both consumers and organizations alike has dramatically changed with the advent of technology and digital disruption. By having an always-learning mindset, being open to possibilities and constantly working their craft, salespeople can win at both sales and self-belief. And that is a recipe to produce the best team you have ever seen. | Experience often leads to the development of an effective sales skill set. But in andsuccessful itself, it is merely an indicator of a persons ability to survive. In todays world, salespeople need to be professional, proficient and productive. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/02/06/how-much-does-experience-really-matter-in-sales/ | 0.167083 |
How do I make a great salad in winter? | Open this photo in gallery istock A well-made salad is lively, palate-pleasing and beautiful to look at, not limp, tasteless or dull, which is the issue with many winter salads. But this time of year encourages you to look at what is in season. Most lettuce is not in season in winter and what you find is of debatable quality. However, by using sweet potatoes, apples, beets, Jerusalem artichokes, mushrooms, cactus pears, tamarillos and various citrus such as blood oranges and Meyer lemons, salads become more substantial and more stimulating. If you must have lettuce, turn to chicories such as radicchio, Belgian endive and escarole. They shine in winter. Because of the robust taste of these lettuces, the dressings need to be more assertive. Add chopped shallots or red onion to a basic oil and vinegar dressing, and whisk in some grainy mustard to give it some bite. Tomatoes are even worse in winter. Sometimes you can buy good cherry tomatoes, but larger ones are tasteless and flabby. There is a way around this, though. Bake them on a parchment-lined sheet at 350 F for 30 minutes and what flavour they have will intensify. Dont use them with lettuce, mix them with cucumbers, fennel or drained white beans. Add some chopped onions, a whisper of garlic and some capers and anchovies for a fabulous veg-based dish. Cooked vegetables also make excellent salads. Steamed or roasted vegetables such as carrots, cabbage or squash are improved with more unusual dressings. Miso ginger is my favourite for this kind of salad. Whisk together cup light miso, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, teaspoon grated ginger root, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and teaspoon sesame oil. This dressing is also good over noodle salads. Use tahini instead of miso, but stir in a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise. Avocados are easily turned into a salad. Dice the avocados, add chopped red onion, diced cucumber, diced cherry tomatoes (if you can find good ones), pickled jalapeno and a vinaigrette based on guacamole with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice and teaspoon ground cumin; stir together. Dust salad with chopped cilantro. Dont forget salt on the avocado and in the dressing. White beans with celery, radish, apple, baby kale and an Italian vinaigrette also make a good side salad with chicken or pork. Another great combination is beet, feta, red onion and pumpkin seeds with a dill vinaigrette. Crunch or texture is important in salads for mouth feel. Use roasted nuts, sunflower or other seeds, roasted chickpeas or wasabi peas. Unflavoured popcorn chopped up a bit also works, as do croutons, crisp fried onions or onion rings. Sprinkle some sugar on nuts and bake at 350 F for 10 minutes for a sweeter crunch. Try roasting grapes for another sweet touch or add grated apple into a dressing for some texture. As citrus is especially good at this time of year, slice oranges or grapefruit into a salad. A great combination is oranges, shaved radish, thinly sliced red onion and olives. Get your imagination working and come up with your own splendid seasonal salads. Send your questions to lwaverman@globeandmail.com. | A well-made salad is lively, palate-pleasing and beautiful to look at. Most lettuce is not in season in winter, but chicories shine in winter. Avocados are easily turned into a salad, as are white beans with celery, radish, apple, baby kale. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/article-what-do-i-use-to-make-a-winter-salad/ | 0.223642 |
What makes a severance package fair? | Daniel Lublin is the founding partner of Whitten & Lublin, Employment & Labour lawyers These are the two workplace law questions I am asked most often: How much severance should I receive?" Start with whether an employee signed a contract that defines the severance amount, which has become more common. If there is a valid clause (and validity itself can often be challenged), courts almost always provide the employee with just what the contract requires, no matter how long or meritorious his or her service. If a contractual clause does not apply, then the employee is entitled to a fair and reasonable severance package. There are five main factors to consider. Age: The older the employee, the greater the severance. Older age usually renders re-employment prospects far less likely. An employee who is 60 years old will receive far more severance than an employee in his or her mid-30s, even if the nature of the work they perform is the same. Tenure: Just as older age will engender a greater severance package, longer tenure will do so, too. An employee who has worked for the same company for his or her entire career will have a far more difficult time securing comparable re-employment elsewhere. Position: Although this is a factor of declining importance, it is still a relevant consideration. Employees in senior roles receive better severance payments than colleagues in junior positions, even if their age and tenure are comparable. Executives often receive the highest severance awards. Conversely, administrative employees often receive the lowest. Availability of comparable employment: The harder it is for a dismissed employee to find other comparable work, the longer the severance should be. Employees who work in a specialized field, where there are fewer available opportunities to re-employ, receive better severance compared with individuals who should quickly find other comparable work. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Precedent: This is the most important consideration. Two employees with similar characteristics should expect to receive similar results. To provide some context, here are some of the severance awards in cases I was involved in: a 61-year-old executive with two-years tenure was awarded eight-months severance; a 34-year-old senior IT role with one-years tenure was awarded four-months severance. a 47-year-old administrator with 22-years tenure was awarded 16-months severance; a 30-year-old marketing manager with five-years service was awarded six-months severance. The goal of severance is to protect an employees income until such time as he or she finds another job. Therefore, a severance package is not supposed to provide any kind of windfall. For example, if a court awards an employee 12 months severance, the judge is first required to deduct, dollar for dollar, any other income the employee received during those 12 months from what was otherwise owed. In addition, if an employee fails to reasonably look for other work of a comparable nature, the judge can also reduce the amount of severance that would have otherwise been awarded. For these reasons, most severance packages in one way or another address the possibility of an employee finding other work by requiring him or her to report it to their former employer, resulting in some form of offset from what they were owed. The most common scenario used by employers is to reduce the employees remaining severance by half the amount once he or she finds another job. If an employee with a 12-month severance package finds a similar paying job in six months, then the employer pays out half the remaining amount, or three months, such that the total severance payment is nine months. Story continues below advertisement Not only are these clauses legal, employees are generally better off agreeing to them when compared with what a court would do. In this same example, a court would deduct all of the income earned by the employee from the other job such that he or she would only receive six months pay. Agreeing to the employers severance package, even with the 50-per-cent cut-off upon finding other work, provides a financial benefit. Stay ahead in your career. We have a weekly Careers newsletter to give you guidance and tips on career management, leadership, business education and more. Sign up today. | A severance package is not supposed to provide any kind of windfall, says Daniel Lublin. There are five main factors to consider: age, position, precedence, availability of comparable employment, and position. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/leadership/article-what-makes-a-severance-package-fair/ | 0.194265 |
What makes a severance package fair? | Daniel Lublin is the founding partner of Whitten & Lublin, Employment & Labour lawyers These are the two workplace law questions I am asked most often: How much severance should I receive?" Start with whether an employee signed a contract that defines the severance amount, which has become more common. If there is a valid clause (and validity itself can often be challenged), courts almost always provide the employee with just what the contract requires, no matter how long or meritorious his or her service. If a contractual clause does not apply, then the employee is entitled to a fair and reasonable severance package. There are five main factors to consider. Age: The older the employee, the greater the severance. Older age usually renders re-employment prospects far less likely. An employee who is 60 years old will receive far more severance than an employee in his or her mid-30s, even if the nature of the work they perform is the same. Tenure: Just as older age will engender a greater severance package, longer tenure will do so, too. An employee who has worked for the same company for his or her entire career will have a far more difficult time securing comparable re-employment elsewhere. Position: Although this is a factor of declining importance, it is still a relevant consideration. Employees in senior roles receive better severance payments than colleagues in junior positions, even if their age and tenure are comparable. Executives often receive the highest severance awards. Conversely, administrative employees often receive the lowest. Availability of comparable employment: The harder it is for a dismissed employee to find other comparable work, the longer the severance should be. Employees who work in a specialized field, where there are fewer available opportunities to re-employ, receive better severance compared with individuals who should quickly find other comparable work. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Precedent: This is the most important consideration. Two employees with similar characteristics should expect to receive similar results. To provide some context, here are some of the severance awards in cases I was involved in: a 61-year-old executive with two-years tenure was awarded eight-months severance; a 34-year-old senior IT role with one-years tenure was awarded four-months severance. a 47-year-old administrator with 22-years tenure was awarded 16-months severance; a 30-year-old marketing manager with five-years service was awarded six-months severance. The goal of severance is to protect an employees income until such time as he or she finds another job. Therefore, a severance package is not supposed to provide any kind of windfall. For example, if a court awards an employee 12 months severance, the judge is first required to deduct, dollar for dollar, any other income the employee received during those 12 months from what was otherwise owed. In addition, if an employee fails to reasonably look for other work of a comparable nature, the judge can also reduce the amount of severance that would have otherwise been awarded. For these reasons, most severance packages in one way or another address the possibility of an employee finding other work by requiring him or her to report it to their former employer, resulting in some form of offset from what they were owed. The most common scenario used by employers is to reduce the employees remaining severance by half the amount once he or she finds another job. If an employee with a 12-month severance package finds a similar paying job in six months, then the employer pays out half the remaining amount, or three months, such that the total severance payment is nine months. Story continues below advertisement Not only are these clauses legal, employees are generally better off agreeing to them when compared with what a court would do. In this same example, a court would deduct all of the income earned by the employee from the other job such that he or she would only receive six months pay. Agreeing to the employers severance package, even with the 50-per-cent cut-off upon finding other work, provides a financial benefit. Stay ahead in your career. We have a weekly Careers newsletter to give you guidance and tips on career management, leadership, business education and more. Sign up today. | A severance package is not supposed to provide any kind of windfall, says Daniel Lublin. There are five main factors to consider, he says: Age, position, precedence, availability of comparable employment and availability of re-employment. Lublin: If a contractual clause does not apply, an employee is entitled to a fair and reasonable severance. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/leadership/article-what-makes-a-severance-package-fair/ | 0.362276 |
Will Trump administration tax cuts, spending hikes blow up deficit and doom economy? | Trump's big tax cuts and spending increases have substantially widened the deficit the annual gap between government income and expenses to nearly $1 trillion, lending fresh urgency to a debate that seemed to have vanished from the halls of Congress in recent years. Some economists and think tanks say the red ink could ultimately crimp the economy by pushing up borrowing costs for Americans and hampering the governments ability to spend in a crisis. That could mar Trumps economic legacy, much as a big debt run-up in the 1980s tainted President Reagans. Meanwhile, the sum of all annual deficits and surpluses, the national debt, is an eye-popping $21 trillion. The ratio of national debt held by the public which excludes things like Social Security to gross domestic product is at 78 percent, the highest level in 70 years, according to the Center for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group. The 35-day partial government shutdown, resolved at least temporarily on Jan. 25, raised questions about whether a divided Congress can pass a new spending deal this year that begins to tackle the budget gap. In early January, Fitch Ratings warned that a failure to grapple with the deficit could eventually prompt it to lower the nations credit rating, a move that would roil markets and the economy. Given that the president and Congress cant agree on simply keeping the government open, there is little prospect they can agree on addressing the nations fiscal problems, says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moodys Analytics. President Donald Trump is pictured speaking to reporters at the White House. More Also placing renewed focus on the deficit: The economic lift fueled by the Republican tax and spending measures is expected to fade this year. Thats sparking questions about whether the lingering hangover higher deficits will ultimately slow or derail an economy already set to cool. Other analysts downplay any tangible economic impact from the deficit. They note interest rates remain low and bondholders seem to have a limitless appetite for financing U.S. borrowing, especially when other countries are far less financially stable. "Even with a big deficit, the U.S. is still a pretty good bet" for bondholders, says economist Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics. "I'm not sure why ... people will start to panic in another month or two or in a year." Tax guide: When to file and what big changes to expect Planning your finances: Why you need to create a financial planning calendar for the year During the Great Recession of 2007-09 and its aftermath, when President Obama spearheaded a $787 billion stimulus to resuscitate the economy, Republicans in Congress grumbled routinely about the mounting debt burden. But many of those deficit hawks have receded from the spotlight. The loudest, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R- Wis., retired last month after embracing the Trump tax and spending laws. Some economists, however, says the calm may belie a coming storm. I think of (the deficit) like climate change, Zandi says. "We know if we dont do something, its coming, but we dont know when. Its corrosive. Deficit approaches $1 trillion The budget deficit is expected to reach $900 billion in fiscal 2019 and hover at about $1 trillion or above for the next decade, up from $779 billion last year, according to Congressional Budget Office projections. At least 40 percent of the increase can be traced to the tax and spending measures. Trump vowed that the sweeping tax cut would pay for itself by generating more economic growth that swells government coffers. | Trump's big tax cuts and spending increases have substantially widened the deficit. Some economists and think tanks say the red ink could ultimately crimp the economy. | bart | 0 | https://news.yahoo.com/trump-administration-tax-cuts-spending-100105940.html | 0.447565 |
Will Trump administration tax cuts, spending hikes blow up deficit and doom economy? | Trump's big tax cuts and spending increases have substantially widened the deficit the annual gap between government income and expenses to nearly $1 trillion, lending fresh urgency to a debate that seemed to have vanished from the halls of Congress in recent years. Some economists and think tanks say the red ink could ultimately crimp the economy by pushing up borrowing costs for Americans and hampering the governments ability to spend in a crisis. That could mar Trumps economic legacy, much as a big debt run-up in the 1980s tainted President Reagans. Meanwhile, the sum of all annual deficits and surpluses, the national debt, is an eye-popping $21 trillion. The ratio of national debt held by the public which excludes things like Social Security to gross domestic product is at 78 percent, the highest level in 70 years, according to the Center for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group. The 35-day partial government shutdown, resolved at least temporarily on Jan. 25, raised questions about whether a divided Congress can pass a new spending deal this year that begins to tackle the budget gap. In early January, Fitch Ratings warned that a failure to grapple with the deficit could eventually prompt it to lower the nations credit rating, a move that would roil markets and the economy. Given that the president and Congress cant agree on simply keeping the government open, there is little prospect they can agree on addressing the nations fiscal problems, says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moodys Analytics. President Donald Trump is pictured speaking to reporters at the White House. More Also placing renewed focus on the deficit: The economic lift fueled by the Republican tax and spending measures is expected to fade this year. Thats sparking questions about whether the lingering hangover higher deficits will ultimately slow or derail an economy already set to cool. Other analysts downplay any tangible economic impact from the deficit. They note interest rates remain low and bondholders seem to have a limitless appetite for financing U.S. borrowing, especially when other countries are far less financially stable. "Even with a big deficit, the U.S. is still a pretty good bet" for bondholders, says economist Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics. "I'm not sure why ... people will start to panic in another month or two or in a year." Tax guide: When to file and what big changes to expect Planning your finances: Why you need to create a financial planning calendar for the year During the Great Recession of 2007-09 and its aftermath, when President Obama spearheaded a $787 billion stimulus to resuscitate the economy, Republicans in Congress grumbled routinely about the mounting debt burden. But many of those deficit hawks have receded from the spotlight. The loudest, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R- Wis., retired last month after embracing the Trump tax and spending laws. Some economists, however, says the calm may belie a coming storm. I think of (the deficit) like climate change, Zandi says. "We know if we dont do something, its coming, but we dont know when. Its corrosive. Deficit approaches $1 trillion The budget deficit is expected to reach $900 billion in fiscal 2019 and hover at about $1 trillion or above for the next decade, up from $779 billion last year, according to Congressional Budget Office projections. At least 40 percent of the increase can be traced to the tax and spending measures. Trump vowed that the sweeping tax cut would pay for itself by generating more economic growth that swells government coffers. | Trump's big tax cuts and spending increases have substantially widened the deficit. Some economists and think tanks say the red ink could ultimately crimp the economy. The 35-day partial government shutdown, resolved at least temporarily on Jan. 25, raised questions about whether a divided Congress can pass a new spending deal this year. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/trump-administration-tax-cuts-spending-100105940.html | 0.541353 |
Do iRobot's cloud-stored maps of my home represent a major privacy risk? | I guess when I tweeted about using a cloud-connected robot that maps the inside of my home in conjunction with an always-on microphone that persistently uploads data over the Internet, I should have expected privacy advocates might be triggered. Rightly so, as its only been in the last couple of years that my home has suddenly become connected to the Internet and the tech giants behind it in more ways than just a laptop and a smartphone lying around. I have two smart assistants Google Home and Amazon Echo Spot units are found throughout my condo a PetCube camera that peers into my living room, and more recently an iRobot Roomba i7 vacuum, which Im reviewing for our Smart Home section on ITBusiness.ca. I already own the Roomba 690, which is also Wi-Fi connected, but the newest Roomba model bears the distinction of mapping the inside of your home. This data, which Ive observed to vastly improve the performance of the autonomous robot, isnt stored locally on the robot but uploaded to iRobots servers. Testing the @iRobot Roomba i7 for our recently launched smart home section on @itbusinessca. Connect with my Google Home so now I can just shout Hey Google, clean the dining room. and pic.twitter.com/ExAR6DXbJu Brian Jackson (@brianjjackson) November 23, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js After I shared the details of my futuristic living arrangements on Twitter, I was flagged to the potential privacy train wreck awaiting me. Robin Wilton (@futureidentity) November 23, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js After some discussion, a communications representative from iRobot reached out and offered to answer my questions. I took him up on the offer and asked for a phone call. He offered to answer questions by email, and so I sent them. Brian, happy to answer any questions you have on this topic when Im back at the office on Monday. In the meantime, heres more info: https://t.co/me2MF1VC0P James Baussmann (@boz1200) November 24, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Heres how that went below is nearly the full text from the exchange. Or you can scroll down for the TLDR. Roomba privacy Q&A with iRobot Brian Jackson: This Reuters article details iRobot plans to share data for free with other technology partners that make smart home devices. iRobot: iRobots privacy policy already allows customers to share data with third parties for the customers benefit, but only if they choose to. For example, customers can currently choose to enable voice control of the robot using Alexa enabled devices or the Google Assistant. The data shared is limited to only the data required to enable the voice control service. BJ: Consent is an important point of consideration when it comes to sharing user data. iRobot: Yes, of course. Our customers invite us into their most personal spaces their homes because they trust that our products will help them do more. iRobot takes that trust seriously. And we believe that our customers have a right to privacy in their homes. That belief guides everything we do, including our Privacy Policy. Regarding sharing data with third parties which, today, is limited to enabling a Roomba vacuum to work with IFTTT, as well as Alexa enabled devices and the Google Assistant the customer must opt-in to these services through the iRobot Home App. This opt-in process to unlock third party features and services would be no different in the future. BJ: I understand the data collected from my i7 model is a map of the inside of my home, including where items like the sofa, bed, and coffee table reside. iRobot: Weve answered this question in multiple sections below. On the type of data Roomba products process: A Roomba robot vacuum does not know where items like the sofa, bed and coffee table reside. Roomba vacuums with mapping capabilities can simply show via Clean Map reports in the iRobot HOME App where the robot has cleaned. The Roomba i7 is capable of retaining a users map of a floor and remembering specific rooms, which are labelled by the user. However, the Roomba i7 robot vacuum does not know what or where the couch is. It simply knows that there is a boundary or an obstruction that it cannot pass, and marks it as such on the map. On all Wi-Fi connected robots, usage data (e.g. how long did it clean, how far did it go, did it encounter any error codes, is it functioning correctly) can be sent to the cloud so it can be shown on the customers mobile device. iRobot Roomba 900 and i Series robot vacuums build a map of a home as they clean using a combination of onboard sensors, including a low-resolution camera. The low-resolution camera, angled toward the horizon of the room, doesnt see things like humans do. Instead, the camera perceives its environment as a pattern of light and dark contrast points in its field of view (e.g. between the corner of a windowsill and a wall clock). It uses these contrast points to localize its position on its map, enabling the robot to efficiently navigate and clean an entire level of a home. The Roomba does not take video or transmit any images to the cloud. If a user agrees to having their map data viewable on their mobile device, then the map that the Roomba creates during a cleaning job is sent to the cloud where it is processed and made visible to customers in the iRobot Home App after a cleaning job is complete. These reports show total area and duration a Roomba 900 or i Series vacuum cleaned for up to 30 cleaning jobs. Leveraging Dirt Detect an iRobot patented feature only found on Roomba vacuuming robots Clean Map reports also provide 900 Series users with information about where the robot encounters higher concentrations of dirt or debris. If a customer chooses to send map data to the cloud, Dirt Detect events are stored in the cloud and sent to the App when the Clean Map is rendered. On encryption of the data: All the data collected from iRobot products as per the Privacy Policy is handled with care and high levels of security. The data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. Data access is controlled strictly and limited only to authorized iRobot customer service personnel to do their job and help improve your product experiences. Data in transit : All iRobot connected products communicate with the iRobot cloud service using robust encryption. Currently, iRobot use AES 256-bit encryption and Transport Layer Security (TLS v1.2). Data encryption is augmented through strong identity management. All iRobot connected products have identities when they come out of the factory and those identities are validated upon each new cloud connection. Data at rest: Within iRobots cloud (built on top of AWS), customer data is stored encrypted. Customer data has multiple encryption keys which are rotated on a regular basis to reduce the risk of the data being compromised even in the event of a key exposure. Mapping data: Maps that can be accessed in the iRobot Home App are pulled from the cloud when accessed in the app. The maps are sent from the robot to the cloud over encrypted transmission. The iRobot Cloud presents a certificate, which is verified by the Roomba, to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks. Once the maps are uploaded to the cloud, they are processed and encrypted using a unique key protected in the cloud infrastructure. That unique encryption key is unique per map. In other words, no two maps share the same encryption key. Furthermore, the maps are associated with the specific Roomba vacuum that created the map. And the iRobot Home app can only request maps related to the Roomba vacuum to which it has been paired. iRobot: No. The landscape of security threats is ever evolving, as is the security at iRobot. iRobot continuously trains, researches, and exercises processes that improve the maturity of the companys overall ability to identify, react to, isolate and resolve security issues within our company and our products as quickly as possible. Additionally, we actively promote and sponsor private bug bounty programs and collaborate with the broad security research community to supplement our own security efforts. iRobot: Yes, iRobot has taken substantial measures to enhance security and privacy to ensure the company is meeting GDPR requirements. Our DPO is Mazars LLP, located in the U.K. TLDR main points For me, as a Roomba user, the key points of what Ive learned from this comes down to: iRobot has taken measures to adhere to strict privacy compliance standards and has a sophisticated approach to encrypting data throughout its lifecycle. The only third-parties that it is sharing information with at present are Google, Amazon, and IFTTT. Ive opted into two out of three of these services, as I havent thought of a good IFTTT script for it yet. If a hacker ever did unlock the treasure trove of data from iRobots cloud, theyd see a representation of my condos floor layout thats about as good as the one you see in real estate listings. Theyd also be able to tell how much of a slob I am if they got access to the patented Dirt Detect events, which isnt exactly blackmail material. The sort of rigorous questions posed by privacy professionals around smart home technology are important to ask. Never before have people willingly placed hardware with such powerful surveillance capabilities in their private domiciles. The track record of large firms suffering huge data breaches of private information makes it important to demand that personal information is only stored when absolutely necessary, used only for the purpose it was originally intended by the owner, and that consent is collected before collecting personal information. For now, I havent heard anything that will cause me to do away with the modern conveniences of my automated robotic cleaning device. Ill happily continue to live in the future I used to imagine when I was a child. But Ill keep an eye on out for the turn towards surveillance dystopia, with a little help from vigilant privacy advocates. | The iRobot Roomba i7 vacuum maps the inside of your home. The data isn't stored locally on the robot but uploaded to i Robots servers. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://nationalpost.com/pmn/technology-pmn/information-technology-pmn/do-irobots-cloud-stored-maps-of-my-home-represent-a-major-privacy-risk-2 | 0.103975 |
Do iRobot's cloud-stored maps of my home represent a major privacy risk? | I guess when I tweeted about using a cloud-connected robot that maps the inside of my home in conjunction with an always-on microphone that persistently uploads data over the Internet, I should have expected privacy advocates might be triggered. Rightly so, as its only been in the last couple of years that my home has suddenly become connected to the Internet and the tech giants behind it in more ways than just a laptop and a smartphone lying around. I have two smart assistants Google Home and Amazon Echo Spot units are found throughout my condo a PetCube camera that peers into my living room, and more recently an iRobot Roomba i7 vacuum, which Im reviewing for our Smart Home section on ITBusiness.ca. I already own the Roomba 690, which is also Wi-Fi connected, but the newest Roomba model bears the distinction of mapping the inside of your home. This data, which Ive observed to vastly improve the performance of the autonomous robot, isnt stored locally on the robot but uploaded to iRobots servers. Testing the @iRobot Roomba i7 for our recently launched smart home section on @itbusinessca. Connect with my Google Home so now I can just shout Hey Google, clean the dining room. and pic.twitter.com/ExAR6DXbJu Brian Jackson (@brianjjackson) November 23, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js After I shared the details of my futuristic living arrangements on Twitter, I was flagged to the potential privacy train wreck awaiting me. Robin Wilton (@futureidentity) November 23, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js After some discussion, a communications representative from iRobot reached out and offered to answer my questions. I took him up on the offer and asked for a phone call. He offered to answer questions by email, and so I sent them. Brian, happy to answer any questions you have on this topic when Im back at the office on Monday. In the meantime, heres more info: https://t.co/me2MF1VC0P James Baussmann (@boz1200) November 24, 2018 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Heres how that went below is nearly the full text from the exchange. Or you can scroll down for the TLDR. Roomba privacy Q&A with iRobot Brian Jackson: This Reuters article details iRobot plans to share data for free with other technology partners that make smart home devices. iRobot: iRobots privacy policy already allows customers to share data with third parties for the customers benefit, but only if they choose to. For example, customers can currently choose to enable voice control of the robot using Alexa enabled devices or the Google Assistant. The data shared is limited to only the data required to enable the voice control service. BJ: Consent is an important point of consideration when it comes to sharing user data. iRobot: Yes, of course. Our customers invite us into their most personal spaces their homes because they trust that our products will help them do more. iRobot takes that trust seriously. And we believe that our customers have a right to privacy in their homes. That belief guides everything we do, including our Privacy Policy. Regarding sharing data with third parties which, today, is limited to enabling a Roomba vacuum to work with IFTTT, as well as Alexa enabled devices and the Google Assistant the customer must opt-in to these services through the iRobot Home App. This opt-in process to unlock third party features and services would be no different in the future. BJ: I understand the data collected from my i7 model is a map of the inside of my home, including where items like the sofa, bed, and coffee table reside. iRobot: Weve answered this question in multiple sections below. On the type of data Roomba products process: A Roomba robot vacuum does not know where items like the sofa, bed and coffee table reside. Roomba vacuums with mapping capabilities can simply show via Clean Map reports in the iRobot HOME App where the robot has cleaned. The Roomba i7 is capable of retaining a users map of a floor and remembering specific rooms, which are labelled by the user. However, the Roomba i7 robot vacuum does not know what or where the couch is. It simply knows that there is a boundary or an obstruction that it cannot pass, and marks it as such on the map. On all Wi-Fi connected robots, usage data (e.g. how long did it clean, how far did it go, did it encounter any error codes, is it functioning correctly) can be sent to the cloud so it can be shown on the customers mobile device. iRobot Roomba 900 and i Series robot vacuums build a map of a home as they clean using a combination of onboard sensors, including a low-resolution camera. The low-resolution camera, angled toward the horizon of the room, doesnt see things like humans do. Instead, the camera perceives its environment as a pattern of light and dark contrast points in its field of view (e.g. between the corner of a windowsill and a wall clock). It uses these contrast points to localize its position on its map, enabling the robot to efficiently navigate and clean an entire level of a home. The Roomba does not take video or transmit any images to the cloud. If a user agrees to having their map data viewable on their mobile device, then the map that the Roomba creates during a cleaning job is sent to the cloud where it is processed and made visible to customers in the iRobot Home App after a cleaning job is complete. These reports show total area and duration a Roomba 900 or i Series vacuum cleaned for up to 30 cleaning jobs. Leveraging Dirt Detect an iRobot patented feature only found on Roomba vacuuming robots Clean Map reports also provide 900 Series users with information about where the robot encounters higher concentrations of dirt or debris. If a customer chooses to send map data to the cloud, Dirt Detect events are stored in the cloud and sent to the App when the Clean Map is rendered. On encryption of the data: All the data collected from iRobot products as per the Privacy Policy is handled with care and high levels of security. The data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. Data access is controlled strictly and limited only to authorized iRobot customer service personnel to do their job and help improve your product experiences. Data in transit : All iRobot connected products communicate with the iRobot cloud service using robust encryption. Currently, iRobot use AES 256-bit encryption and Transport Layer Security (TLS v1.2). Data encryption is augmented through strong identity management. All iRobot connected products have identities when they come out of the factory and those identities are validated upon each new cloud connection. Data at rest: Within iRobots cloud (built on top of AWS), customer data is stored encrypted. Customer data has multiple encryption keys which are rotated on a regular basis to reduce the risk of the data being compromised even in the event of a key exposure. Mapping data: Maps that can be accessed in the iRobot Home App are pulled from the cloud when accessed in the app. The maps are sent from the robot to the cloud over encrypted transmission. The iRobot Cloud presents a certificate, which is verified by the Roomba, to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks. Once the maps are uploaded to the cloud, they are processed and encrypted using a unique key protected in the cloud infrastructure. That unique encryption key is unique per map. In other words, no two maps share the same encryption key. Furthermore, the maps are associated with the specific Roomba vacuum that created the map. And the iRobot Home app can only request maps related to the Roomba vacuum to which it has been paired. iRobot: No. The landscape of security threats is ever evolving, as is the security at iRobot. iRobot continuously trains, researches, and exercises processes that improve the maturity of the companys overall ability to identify, react to, isolate and resolve security issues within our company and our products as quickly as possible. Additionally, we actively promote and sponsor private bug bounty programs and collaborate with the broad security research community to supplement our own security efforts. iRobot: Yes, iRobot has taken substantial measures to enhance security and privacy to ensure the company is meeting GDPR requirements. Our DPO is Mazars LLP, located in the U.K. TLDR main points For me, as a Roomba user, the key points of what Ive learned from this comes down to: iRobot has taken measures to adhere to strict privacy compliance standards and has a sophisticated approach to encrypting data throughout its lifecycle. The only third-parties that it is sharing information with at present are Google, Amazon, and IFTTT. Ive opted into two out of three of these services, as I havent thought of a good IFTTT script for it yet. If a hacker ever did unlock the treasure trove of data from iRobots cloud, theyd see a representation of my condos floor layout thats about as good as the one you see in real estate listings. Theyd also be able to tell how much of a slob I am if they got access to the patented Dirt Detect events, which isnt exactly blackmail material. The sort of rigorous questions posed by privacy professionals around smart home technology are important to ask. Never before have people willingly placed hardware with such powerful surveillance capabilities in their private domiciles. The track record of large firms suffering huge data breaches of private information makes it important to demand that personal information is only stored when absolutely necessary, used only for the purpose it was originally intended by the owner, and that consent is collected before collecting personal information. For now, I havent heard anything that will cause me to do away with the modern conveniences of my automated robotic cleaning device. Ill happily continue to live in the future I used to imagine when I was a child. But Ill keep an eye on out for the turn towards surveillance dystopia, with a little help from vigilant privacy advocates. | Brian Jackson tweeted about using a cloud-connected robot that maps the inside of his home in conjunction with an always-on microphone that persistently uploads data over the Internet. He was flagged to the potential privacy train wreck awaiting him. After some discussion, a communications representative from iRobot reached out and offered to answer my questions. | pegasus | 2 | https://nationalpost.com/pmn/technology-pmn/information-technology-pmn/do-irobots-cloud-stored-maps-of-my-home-represent-a-major-privacy-risk-2 | 0.203711 |
Are the Stansted 15 being treated like terrorists? | Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The Stansted 15 broke through a fence at the airport in an attempt to reach a jet taking 60 people to three African nations Clip, clip, clip go the cutters as the perimeter fence is cut. "Go, go, go!" says a man in the dark and rain - and 15 anti-deportation campaigners break into Stansted Airport in March 2017. Minutes later, they reached stand 505, where a jet was preparing to transport some 60 people to Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. All the passengers were being removed from the UK by the Home Office after it deemed they had exhausted their rights to remain in the country. Before the police and security knew it, the protesters surrounded the jet. Four of them used a sophisticated set-up to lock themselves together around the nose wheel. And that's where they remained all night. Image copyright Stansted 15 Image caption The campaigners say they were guilty of nothing more than a peaceful protest The campaigners stopped the flight because they believed that the removals were unjust. Many of those on board had not had a final decision in their case and were being subjected to a now-abandoned policy of "deport first, appeal later". But while they may feel vindicated, all of the 15 are today convicted criminals after a jury unanimously found they were guilty of the serious offence of disrupting an airport. The campaigners say they were guilty of nothing more than a peaceful protest - they would occasionally have a singalong during the long damp hours. Their conviction for what they say is a terrorism-related offence is a massive abuse of process, they claim. The Stansted 15 prosecution appears to set a legal precedent. Civil disobedience, or "direct action", has long been part of the British tradition of radical political protest. But when protesters interfere with the rights of others - such as laying down in front of a bulldozer that has permission to tear down trees for a road - the police tend to reach for the relatively minor offence of aggravated trespass. And that's been the charge used against other political protesters at airports. After being carted off by Essex Police, the Stansted 15 were also charged with aggravated trespass, which can lead to up to three months in jail. But four months later, the Crown Prosecution Service charged all of them with the far more serious offence of endangering safety at an aerodrome. And in extreme circumstances this can lead to a life sentence. The short answer is no - but it can be, in some circumstances. In 1990, Parliament passed the Aviation and Maritime Security Act. That was part of an internationally-agreed plan by governments to toughen up global airport security. The 1970s and 80s had seen a series of hijackings - and the the law had terrorism squarely in its sights. Ministers and MPs debated and approved the legislation in the wake of the Lockerbie bombing, in which an airliner was brought down while flying over the Scottish town. But here's the thing: the eventual legislation doesn't mention terrorism at all. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Lawyers for the 15 insist they will be proved right at the Court of Appeal It describes the crime as disrupting the services of an airport in such a way as to "endanger or be likely to endanger" its safe operation. In other words, it goes far wider than simply targeting groups that are ideologically bent on violence to achieve their aims. David Anderson QC, the former terrorism laws watchdog, says the offence isn't a terrorism crime - unless the prosecutors say so when they bring the case to court. This is similar to crimes like murder or kidnapping, where a terrorism motive can be shown to the jury and influence the sentence. The Stansted 15 jury was not told by prosecutors that the defendants were alleged terrorists - or that their break-in amounted to terrorism. Crucially, the UK's specialist counter-terrorism prosecution unit did not run the case - nor did the CPS call in specialist barristers who manage these sensitive cases. So it's simply not the case that the 15 were convicted as terrorists on a terrorist charge. During sentencing mitigation, Kirsty Brimelow QC - one of the country's top human rights barristers - told the judge he needed to balance protecting the airport with the rights of the defendants to take part in political protest. Ms Brimelow argued the courts had long respected the tradition of political resistance and civil disobedience, saying handing substantial sentences to protesters would seriously interfere with the demonstrators' rights. Judge Morgan said he acknowledged those arguments, but the jury were sure that the 15 had endangered the safety of Stansted. The protesters had cut through the perimeter after dark - triggering a major security operation. Police scrambled a helicopter because they did not know who else was "airside" and what they had with them. Nobody knew if a foreign object had been left in a location where it could be sucked into a jet engine with devastating consequences. "Prosecutors select charges which reflect the seriousness and extent of the offending on the facts of each individual case and give the court adequate powers to sentence," says Chris Long, chief crown prosecutor at CPS South East. "The evidence in the case supported the charge - that their actions were likely to risk the safe operation of the aerodrome." During the trial, the jury heard the airport's operations chief felt he had no choice but to close the runway for more than an hour while staff carried out a costly security sweep. As well as the delays to take-offs, 23 incoming Ryanair and EasyJet flights were diverted to Luton, Birmingham, East Midlands, Gatwick and Bristol. Image copyright Stansted 15 Image caption The 'Stansted 15' prosecution appears to set a legal precedent Ten were then refuelled so they could take off again for Stansted - while seven plane loads of passengers had to sit on buses back to where they should have landed. All of this evidence together, the CPS argues, amounted to a serious risk to public safety that justified asking the attorney general to approve charging the 15 with the far more serious offence. The defendants argued during their 42-day trial that their actions were justified: that even if they had technically broken the law, they had a good reason for doing so. But the judge told the jury they could not consider that defence - and so for this, and other reasons, lawyers for the 15 are seeking to overturn the convictions in the Court of Appeal. | 15 anti-deportation campaigners break into Stansted Airport in March 2017. They stopped a jet taking 60 people to three African nations. The campaigners say they were guilty of nothing more than a peaceful protest. | bart | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47144318 | 0.118314 |
Are the Stansted 15 being treated like terrorists? | Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The Stansted 15 broke through a fence at the airport in an attempt to reach a jet taking 60 people to three African nations Clip, clip, clip go the cutters as the perimeter fence is cut. "Go, go, go!" says a man in the dark and rain - and 15 anti-deportation campaigners break into Stansted Airport in March 2017. Minutes later, they reached stand 505, where a jet was preparing to transport some 60 people to Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. All the passengers were being removed from the UK by the Home Office after it deemed they had exhausted their rights to remain in the country. Before the police and security knew it, the protesters surrounded the jet. Four of them used a sophisticated set-up to lock themselves together around the nose wheel. And that's where they remained all night. Image copyright Stansted 15 Image caption The campaigners say they were guilty of nothing more than a peaceful protest The campaigners stopped the flight because they believed that the removals were unjust. Many of those on board had not had a final decision in their case and were being subjected to a now-abandoned policy of "deport first, appeal later". But while they may feel vindicated, all of the 15 are today convicted criminals after a jury unanimously found they were guilty of the serious offence of disrupting an airport. The campaigners say they were guilty of nothing more than a peaceful protest - they would occasionally have a singalong during the long damp hours. Their conviction for what they say is a terrorism-related offence is a massive abuse of process, they claim. The Stansted 15 prosecution appears to set a legal precedent. Civil disobedience, or "direct action", has long been part of the British tradition of radical political protest. But when protesters interfere with the rights of others - such as laying down in front of a bulldozer that has permission to tear down trees for a road - the police tend to reach for the relatively minor offence of aggravated trespass. And that's been the charge used against other political protesters at airports. After being carted off by Essex Police, the Stansted 15 were also charged with aggravated trespass, which can lead to up to three months in jail. But four months later, the Crown Prosecution Service charged all of them with the far more serious offence of endangering safety at an aerodrome. And in extreme circumstances this can lead to a life sentence. The short answer is no - but it can be, in some circumstances. In 1990, Parliament passed the Aviation and Maritime Security Act. That was part of an internationally-agreed plan by governments to toughen up global airport security. The 1970s and 80s had seen a series of hijackings - and the the law had terrorism squarely in its sights. Ministers and MPs debated and approved the legislation in the wake of the Lockerbie bombing, in which an airliner was brought down while flying over the Scottish town. But here's the thing: the eventual legislation doesn't mention terrorism at all. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Lawyers for the 15 insist they will be proved right at the Court of Appeal It describes the crime as disrupting the services of an airport in such a way as to "endanger or be likely to endanger" its safe operation. In other words, it goes far wider than simply targeting groups that are ideologically bent on violence to achieve their aims. David Anderson QC, the former terrorism laws watchdog, says the offence isn't a terrorism crime - unless the prosecutors say so when they bring the case to court. This is similar to crimes like murder or kidnapping, where a terrorism motive can be shown to the jury and influence the sentence. The Stansted 15 jury was not told by prosecutors that the defendants were alleged terrorists - or that their break-in amounted to terrorism. Crucially, the UK's specialist counter-terrorism prosecution unit did not run the case - nor did the CPS call in specialist barristers who manage these sensitive cases. So it's simply not the case that the 15 were convicted as terrorists on a terrorist charge. During sentencing mitigation, Kirsty Brimelow QC - one of the country's top human rights barristers - told the judge he needed to balance protecting the airport with the rights of the defendants to take part in political protest. Ms Brimelow argued the courts had long respected the tradition of political resistance and civil disobedience, saying handing substantial sentences to protesters would seriously interfere with the demonstrators' rights. Judge Morgan said he acknowledged those arguments, but the jury were sure that the 15 had endangered the safety of Stansted. The protesters had cut through the perimeter after dark - triggering a major security operation. Police scrambled a helicopter because they did not know who else was "airside" and what they had with them. Nobody knew if a foreign object had been left in a location where it could be sucked into a jet engine with devastating consequences. "Prosecutors select charges which reflect the seriousness and extent of the offending on the facts of each individual case and give the court adequate powers to sentence," says Chris Long, chief crown prosecutor at CPS South East. "The evidence in the case supported the charge - that their actions were likely to risk the safe operation of the aerodrome." During the trial, the jury heard the airport's operations chief felt he had no choice but to close the runway for more than an hour while staff carried out a costly security sweep. As well as the delays to take-offs, 23 incoming Ryanair and EasyJet flights were diverted to Luton, Birmingham, East Midlands, Gatwick and Bristol. Image copyright Stansted 15 Image caption The 'Stansted 15' prosecution appears to set a legal precedent Ten were then refuelled so they could take off again for Stansted - while seven plane loads of passengers had to sit on buses back to where they should have landed. All of this evidence together, the CPS argues, amounted to a serious risk to public safety that justified asking the attorney general to approve charging the 15 with the far more serious offence. The defendants argued during their 42-day trial that their actions were justified: that even if they had technically broken the law, they had a good reason for doing so. But the judge told the jury they could not consider that defence - and so for this, and other reasons, lawyers for the 15 are seeking to overturn the convictions in the Court of Appeal. | The Stansted 15 broke through a fence at the airport in an attempt to reach a jet. They stopped the flight because they believed the removals were unjust. But all of the 15 are today convicted criminals after a jury unanimously found they were guilty of the serious offence of disrupting an airport. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47144318 | 0.124213 |
What's Driving Snap's ARPU Expansion? | Snap published its Q4 2018 results on Tuesday, posting a smaller than expected loss while beating expectations on revenues. The companys revenues for the holiday quarter grew by 36% year-over-year to $389.8 million, while its net loss shrank from $350 million in the prior year period to $191.7 million. Below, we take a look at some of the trends that impacted the companys earnings and what they could mean for Snap going forward. We have created an interactive dashboard analysis on what to expect from Snap in 2019. Users can modify any of our forecasts and drivers to arrive at their own estimates for the companys revenue. We note that the dashboard is not yet updated for 2018 actual figures. DAUs Stabilize As ARPU Trends Higher Snapchat stabilized its daily active user base at 186 million users after two straight quarters of sequential declines after the companys poorly received app redesign. While the companys base of iOS users rose, its Android user base has been on the decline and the company noted that it was rolling out a rebuilt version of its Android app, which offers better performance and a more streamlined experience. While Snap didnt discuss future growth rates, it said that it does not anticipate a sequential decline in its user base over the next quarter. Snaps progress on the ARPU front was encouraging, with the metric rising by 37% year-over-year to $2.09, driven primarily by growth in markets outside of North America (Europe up 57%, Rest of World up 120%), where the companys shift to self-serve ads is enabling it to enter new markets more quickly. Under this model, advertisers of all sizes can buy and manage ad campaigns on Snapchat, without having to go through Snaps ad sales team. Snaps redesign also appears to be driving the ARPU expansion to some degree, as the new layout emphasizes premium content, and the company noted that about 30% more users were watching its publisher stories and shows every day. Snap has an internal goal of achieving profitability in 2019, and the company has been making reasonable progress on this front. Snaps gross margins rose to about 48%, compared to 36% in Q4 2017 and 36% in Q3 2018, driven by the growing revenue base as well as the companys move to improve efficiencies, by lowering infrastructure costs by optimizing bandwidth usage on the Snapchat app. The company noted that its operating expenses for the quarter also declined by 9% year-over-year and 3% sequentially, as it witnessed declines in its R&D as well as SG&A driven by lower employee-related expenses. Its likely that the increasing mix of automated ad sales is also helping the company keep costs low. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own | Snap's revenues for the holiday quarter grew by 36% year-over-year to $389.8 million. Snapchat stabilized its daily active user base at 186 million users after two straight quarters of sequential declines. Snaps redesign also appears to be driving the ARPU expansion to some degree, as the new layout emphasizes premium content. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/06/whats-driving-snaps-arpu-expansion/ | 0.634232 |
Will Contactless Card Payments Kill OEM Mobile Payments And Does It Really Even Matter? | A new survey from Juniper Research has found that OEM (original equipment manufacturer) pay solutions (such as Apple Pay and Google Pay) are on the decline in the US, with contactless card payments rising. Their conclusion is that the window of opportunity for the large OEM distributors (e.g. Apple Pay and Google Pay) is running out. Researchers from Juniper cite recent releases of contactless card functionality from large US banks and increased consumer interest in these as the key reason for the decline. I think they are wrong. About why OEM is failing, that is. Consider the functionality of both an OEM pay solution - like Apple Pay - and the contactless card. Both require the user to tap their device or their card against a third-party device when paying. Neither gives the person making the payment any specific advantage over the other - any perceived time advantages are purely semantic. The in-store merchant accepting the payment derives no differential benefits to those of accepting any other kind of chip card-style payment. These payment methods dont allow them access to any insights that help them improve their business. For example, when a person pays with a card or a card-funded OEM mobile payment, the recipient business doesnt see any previous spending behaviour or know anything specific about the person paying. They cant use this payment method to communicate with this person in any way nor can they form any meaningful insights based on the buying behaviour of similar groups of people. Lets compare this to e-commerce. When you buy something online, regardless of the payment method used, the payment recipient - the merchant - automatically becomes a lot more powerful in their marketing abilities. For the most part, they have access to far more data about you and all others making purchases from them. They can, just as an example, use this combined data to offer up personalised and re-targeted advertising and send you follow-up offers and discounts on products their analysis has shown youre likely to respond favourably to. Further, all this data, with time spent on thorough analysis, gives e-retailers a shrewd advantage. Their business plans will inherently have significantly less room for error based on guesswork given the sheer volume of data they have to work with. Unless you can rely on your customers using a digitally integrated loyalty card every time they shop, in-store merchants dont have nearly as many data-led advantages as their online counterparts. There is an exception here, however. Results from 2018 found that the most popular mobile payments solution in the US was, in fact, the Starbucks app, with Walmart and Dunkin Donuts not far behind. Due to the popularity of these payment apps, Starbucks, for example, is able to gain all the insight advantages - those listed above and many still beyond these - of an online retailer. No. Heres why: While the Starbucks app is a payment app, allowing customers to pay for their purchases, this isnt why customers use it. They use it for the benefits and convenience it provides. For example, customers can pre-order their drinks to their exact specifications and pay, skipping the queue when they walk in five minutes later to collect it. Going even further beyond this benefit, the user experience of the app has been very cleverly thought out. Its simple to use and includes fun features designed to increase digital engagement and customer loyalty. Further, they can use it regardless of which device they use or who they bank with. Its the same thing for the likes of Uber, as another example. Uber is, fundamentally, a mobile payments app (enabling you to pay for a ride). It gives customers something of value in return for payment. In this case, its being able to easily find a taxi when you need one, and seeing it on a map as it heads towards you. My point here is, in the longer term, it doesnt really matter whether contactless cards beat OEM mobile payments. The functionality and benefits of both are essentially the same. The card companies and their issuing banks cant afford to feel too smug about this short term win as there are bigger challenges for them on the horizon. They have to provide the Starbucks and Uber convenience and value while being a universal payments solution for all merchants and all consumers. That's the hard part. OEM mobile payments are not remotely close to becoming that and plastic cards cant go beyond what they are - a piece of payment facilitating payment. They have no interface. The core reason people dont care if they pay with card A, B or C or their phone which is acting as a card, is because it makes no real difference to them at all. Dont forget, the current OEM payment companies are also some of the worlds biggest tech companies. They know very well that their existing functionality simply replicates that of a contactless card and they know this isnt innovation - it doesnt solve any fundamental problems. The primary issue holding these companies back is regulation. Current payment regulations make it difficult for the likes of Apple or Google to launch a mobile payments solution that goes beyond basic functionality. In the EU, the very same regulatory changes are coming this year in the form of the second payments services directive (PSD2). One of the most hyped payments shake-ups, PSD2 mandates that banks must open their account APIs to allow licensed third-parties to offer direct account access to their users. Suddenly, any subscription-based company paying a third-party fee to a card company, for example, can instead make a compelling offer to their users encouraging them to connect payment direct to their account. For most users, it makes no tangible difference, but for the company taking monthly payments, it will mean potentially saving millions each year. In India the state launched a Unified Payment Interface (UPI) standard - a government-backed system initiated to encourage digital payments. This allowed Google the ability to launch a mobile payment solution (originally called Tez) designed to challenge existing market players such as PayTM. Indias UPI allowed Google the ability to have users connect directly to their bank accounts. With features such as peer-to-peer payment, bill settling, loyalty and the ability to be used on any phone - not just Android - Google Pay in India is suddenly so much more than just an OEM mobile payment solution. Figures from October last year show that the app grew from zero to 30-million monthly active users in just over a year. Google now has a tested model which works, ready to roll out in markets that its allowed to. They also have an e-money license from Lithuania, allowing them payment processing access across the EU. This technically means that later this year, when theyre able to under PSD2, they can launch a customised-for-Europe version of the same feature-rich and problem-solving solution which continues to grow in India. Because regulatory protections, as is shown with changes designed to shake the industry up under PSD2, can only hold innovation back so long. Payment services, to maintain long-term relevance, must serve both the consumer and the merchant. Banks and others offering or creating new mobile payment services need to (and many are trying to) create an "all scenario" solution - the Starbucks experience for everyone. Its not just a far-off reality. Its happening already in many regions. For example, this is what Alipay in China and the Nordic banks have done in Scandinavia. They catered to both sides. Their solutions know the user and the merchants and see everything in between. They facilitate a powerful and valuable connection between consumers and merchants, meaning cards in their current form don't stand a long-term chance. | OEM (original equipment manufacturer) pay solutions (such as Apple Pay and Google Pay) are on the decline in the US. Researchers from Juniper cite recent releases of contactless card functionality from large US banks as the key reason for the decline. These payment methods dont allow them access to any insights that help them improve their business. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/danieldoderlein/2019/02/06/will-contactless-card-payments-kill-oem-mobile-payments-and-does-it-really-even-matter/ | 0.355346 |
Did Apple's AR Ambitions Just Suffer a Big Setback? | Three years ago, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) hired Avi Bar-Zeev, the co-creator of Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) HoloLens, to join its secretive AR (augmented reality) team. That team was reportedly developing Apple's long-rumored AR headset. But news came out this week that Bar-Zeev left Apple last month to work as an AR consultant and develop his own projects. Published reports say the departure was on good terms and he could still do some consulting for Apple. On the face of it, the move sounds like a significant setback for Apple's fledgling AR efforts, since Bar-Zeev's job description on LinkedIn stated that he was developing "key prototypes" for the company. A man "fades away" as he wears an AR/VR headset. More Image source: Getty Images. In recent years, Apple acquired AR/VR firms like Metaio, Faceshift, Emotient, and Flyby Media. It also filed patents that depict an AR headset for the iPhone, and added depth-sensing cameras and computer vision chips to its newer iPhones. In 2017 Apple launched ARKit, an API (application programming interface) that lets iOS developers build AR apps that can access a device's depth-sensing camera, CPU, GPU, and motion sensors. Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google offers a similar API called ARCore for its higher-end Android devices. Apple also assembled a "dream team" of AR/VR experts, including Avi Bar-Zeev, Virginia Tech professor Doug Bowman, NASA scientist Jeff Norris, computer vision engineer Zeyu Li, Apple audio chief Tomlinson Holman, research scientist Yury Petrov, and former Dolby exec Mike Rockwell, who is reportedly the group's leader. Last year, CNET claimed the team was developing a stand-alone wireless AR/VR headset, codenamed T288, with an 8K display for each eye. The report said that the device probably wouldn't launch until 2020. Baby steps vs. bold moves Apple's moves into the AR and VR markets might seem ilke baby steps compared to other efforts across the industry. Two people look at a holographic projection of a city. More Image source: Getty Images. Microsoft launched the first developer version of the HoloLens in 2016, and it's expected to release an upgraded developer version this year. The HoloLens' high price tag of $3,000 prevented it from becoming a mainstream device, but it gave developers an opportunity to build AR "mixed reality" apps. A recent patent filing indicates that Microsoft could eventually shrink the HoloLens for mainstream consumers. | Avi Bar-Zeev left Apple last month to work as an AR consultant and develop his own projects. The move sounds like a significant setback for Apple's fledgling AR efforts. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/did-apple-apos-ar-ambitions-151500419.html | 0.251106 |
Did Apple's AR Ambitions Just Suffer a Big Setback? | Three years ago, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) hired Avi Bar-Zeev, the co-creator of Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) HoloLens, to join its secretive AR (augmented reality) team. That team was reportedly developing Apple's long-rumored AR headset. But news came out this week that Bar-Zeev left Apple last month to work as an AR consultant and develop his own projects. Published reports say the departure was on good terms and he could still do some consulting for Apple. On the face of it, the move sounds like a significant setback for Apple's fledgling AR efforts, since Bar-Zeev's job description on LinkedIn stated that he was developing "key prototypes" for the company. A man "fades away" as he wears an AR/VR headset. More Image source: Getty Images. In recent years, Apple acquired AR/VR firms like Metaio, Faceshift, Emotient, and Flyby Media. It also filed patents that depict an AR headset for the iPhone, and added depth-sensing cameras and computer vision chips to its newer iPhones. In 2017 Apple launched ARKit, an API (application programming interface) that lets iOS developers build AR apps that can access a device's depth-sensing camera, CPU, GPU, and motion sensors. Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google offers a similar API called ARCore for its higher-end Android devices. Apple also assembled a "dream team" of AR/VR experts, including Avi Bar-Zeev, Virginia Tech professor Doug Bowman, NASA scientist Jeff Norris, computer vision engineer Zeyu Li, Apple audio chief Tomlinson Holman, research scientist Yury Petrov, and former Dolby exec Mike Rockwell, who is reportedly the group's leader. Last year, CNET claimed the team was developing a stand-alone wireless AR/VR headset, codenamed T288, with an 8K display for each eye. The report said that the device probably wouldn't launch until 2020. Baby steps vs. bold moves Apple's moves into the AR and VR markets might seem ilke baby steps compared to other efforts across the industry. Two people look at a holographic projection of a city. More Image source: Getty Images. Microsoft launched the first developer version of the HoloLens in 2016, and it's expected to release an upgraded developer version this year. The HoloLens' high price tag of $3,000 prevented it from becoming a mainstream device, but it gave developers an opportunity to build AR "mixed reality" apps. A recent patent filing indicates that Microsoft could eventually shrink the HoloLens for mainstream consumers. | Avi Bar-Zeev left Apple last month to work as an AR consultant and develop his own projects. The move sounds like a significant setback for Apple's fledgling AR efforts. But the company's moves into the AR and VR markets might seem ilke baby steps compared to other efforts across the industry. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/did-apple-apos-ar-ambitions-151500419.html | 0.2784 |
Is Rodney Hood enough for Portland, or do Trail Blazers need to make another trade? | The Portland Trail Blazers made a trade on Super Bowl Sunday, getting veteran wing Rodney Hood from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for guards Wade Baldwin, Nik Stauskas and future second round draft picks. In Hood, the Trail Blazers get a versatile wing who is both a reliable shooter and capable defender with playoff experience, something the Blazers have coveted as they look to make a postseason push. While the move hasnt made much of a splash across the league, it was a smart trade from President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey who basically shipped out two players who couldnt crack the regular rotation for a player who can sep in immediately and help the Blazers in areas of need. Now, Trail Blazers fans are likely wondering if Rodney Hood is enough to put this team over the top. A look at the players rumored to be on the trade market who could be a good fit with the Trail Blazers. Portland Trail Blazers could be a dark horse team to trade for Anthony Davis, per reports Several news reports mention the Blazers could be in the running to acquire Anthony Davis. | The Portland Trail Blazers traded Rodney Hood to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Super Bowl Sunday. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2019/02/is-rodney-hood-enough-for-portland-or-do-trail-blazers-need-to-make-another-trade.html | 0.201319 |
Is Rodney Hood enough for Portland, or do Trail Blazers need to make another trade? | The Portland Trail Blazers made a trade on Super Bowl Sunday, getting veteran wing Rodney Hood from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for guards Wade Baldwin, Nik Stauskas and future second round draft picks. In Hood, the Trail Blazers get a versatile wing who is both a reliable shooter and capable defender with playoff experience, something the Blazers have coveted as they look to make a postseason push. While the move hasnt made much of a splash across the league, it was a smart trade from President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey who basically shipped out two players who couldnt crack the regular rotation for a player who can sep in immediately and help the Blazers in areas of need. Now, Trail Blazers fans are likely wondering if Rodney Hood is enough to put this team over the top. A look at the players rumored to be on the trade market who could be a good fit with the Trail Blazers. Portland Trail Blazers could be a dark horse team to trade for Anthony Davis, per reports Several news reports mention the Blazers could be in the running to acquire Anthony Davis. | The Portland Trail Blazers traded Rodney Hood to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Super Bowl Sunday. The Blazers also got guards Wade Baldwin, Nik Stauskas and future second round draft picks. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2019/02/is-rodney-hood-enough-for-portland-or-do-trail-blazers-need-to-make-another-trade.html | 0.353728 |
Is Rodney Hood enough for Portland, or do Trail Blazers need to make another trade? | The Portland Trail Blazers made a trade on Super Bowl Sunday, getting veteran wing Rodney Hood from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for guards Wade Baldwin, Nik Stauskas and future second round draft picks. In Hood, the Trail Blazers get a versatile wing who is both a reliable shooter and capable defender with playoff experience, something the Blazers have coveted as they look to make a postseason push. While the move hasnt made much of a splash across the league, it was a smart trade from President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey who basically shipped out two players who couldnt crack the regular rotation for a player who can sep in immediately and help the Blazers in areas of need. Now, Trail Blazers fans are likely wondering if Rodney Hood is enough to put this team over the top. A look at the players rumored to be on the trade market who could be a good fit with the Trail Blazers. Portland Trail Blazers could be a dark horse team to trade for Anthony Davis, per reports Several news reports mention the Blazers could be in the running to acquire Anthony Davis. | The Portland Trail Blazers made a trade on Super Bowl Sunday, getting veteran wing Rodney Hood from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for guards Wade Baldwin, Nik Stauskas and future second round draft picks. In Hood, the Trail Blazers get a versatile wing who is both a reliable shooter and capable defender with playoff experience, something the Blazers have coveted. | bart | 2 | https://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/2019/02/is-rodney-hood-enough-for-portland-or-do-trail-blazers-need-to-make-another-trade.html | 0.431865 |
Should Trump take credit for the number of women in Congress? | President Donald Trump, never known as a real champion of women, spent a substantial portion of the State of the Union speaking about women's issues, covering topics from reproductive rights to the threat of violence facing many women crossing the southern border. When the president began touting the high rates of employment among women, the women of the 116th Congress stood up and cheered. Trump clearly felt proud of the changing demographics, but others say he missed the point. PERSPECTIVES During the speech, Trump bragged about the high rates of employment among women in the United States during his tenure. In response, the women of the 116th Congress jumped to their feet and began cheering. Per the New York Times: No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent of the newly created jobs last year. (Women cheering in the crowd) You weren't supposed to do that. Thank you very much. All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before... After the cheering subsided, the president told the women to remain standing, before going on to explain it was the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote. Don't sit yet, you're going to like this. And exactly one century after Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in Congress than at any time before. That's great. Really great. And congratulations. Yet while Trump may, in some way, be responsible for the large constituency of women now in Congress, it is probably not in the way he would hope. As noted by columnist Frank Bruni in the New York Times, most of the women are Democrats, elected on a wave of anti-Trump sympathies to push back against his agenda. There are 102 in the House. But here's the thing: That group includes 89 Democrats and just 13 Republicans. History was made courtesy of the party that he worked hard in the midterms to defeat, that he works hard all the time to diminish and that he repeatedly trolled in the rest of his remarks on Tuesday night. If he'd had his way and sway, those rows of white would have been sparser. But he neither exhibited any awareness of that nor made any resolution to improve his party's stubbornly miserable record of recruiting and promoting female candidates. Trump taking credit for there being more women in Congress is like the Fyre Fest guy saying "You're welcome for the documentaries!!" #SOTU -- Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) February 6, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | President Donald Trump bragged about the high rates of employment among women. The women of the 116th Congress jumped to their feet and began cheering. Trump may, in some way, be responsible for the large constituency of women in Congress. | bart | 1 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/should_trump_take_credit_for_t.html | 0.302762 |
Should Trump take credit for the number of women in Congress? | President Donald Trump, never known as a real champion of women, spent a substantial portion of the State of the Union speaking about women's issues, covering topics from reproductive rights to the threat of violence facing many women crossing the southern border. When the president began touting the high rates of employment among women, the women of the 116th Congress stood up and cheered. Trump clearly felt proud of the changing demographics, but others say he missed the point. PERSPECTIVES During the speech, Trump bragged about the high rates of employment among women in the United States during his tenure. In response, the women of the 116th Congress jumped to their feet and began cheering. Per the New York Times: No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent of the newly created jobs last year. (Women cheering in the crowd) You weren't supposed to do that. Thank you very much. All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before... After the cheering subsided, the president told the women to remain standing, before going on to explain it was the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote. Don't sit yet, you're going to like this. And exactly one century after Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in Congress than at any time before. That's great. Really great. And congratulations. Yet while Trump may, in some way, be responsible for the large constituency of women now in Congress, it is probably not in the way he would hope. As noted by columnist Frank Bruni in the New York Times, most of the women are Democrats, elected on a wave of anti-Trump sympathies to push back against his agenda. There are 102 in the House. But here's the thing: That group includes 89 Democrats and just 13 Republicans. History was made courtesy of the party that he worked hard in the midterms to defeat, that he works hard all the time to diminish and that he repeatedly trolled in the rest of his remarks on Tuesday night. If he'd had his way and sway, those rows of white would have been sparser. But he neither exhibited any awareness of that nor made any resolution to improve his party's stubbornly miserable record of recruiting and promoting female candidates. Trump taking credit for there being more women in Congress is like the Fyre Fest guy saying "You're welcome for the documentaries!!" #SOTU -- Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) February 6, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | President Donald Trump bragged about the high rates of employment among women. The women of the 116th Congress jumped to their feet and began cheering. Trump may, in some way, be responsible for the large constituency of women now in Congress. But most of the women are Democrats, elected on a wave of anti-Trump sympathies. | bart | 2 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/should_trump_take_credit_for_t.html | 0.353639 |
Are Giants and Bryce Harper a match? | For the first time since Farhan Zaidi took over the Giants baseball operations, theyve reportedly expressed interest in an elite free agent. With spring training fast approaching, the Giants have two holes in the outfield and only center fielder Steven Duggar penciled in as a projected starter. Wednesday morning, reports surfaced that the Giants not only have interest in Bryce Harper (Randy Miller of NJ.com) but have met with the prized outfielder (Jon Heyman of MLB Network). Harpers agent is Scott Boras, who had been expecting to push for a record contract exceeding Giancarlo Stantons $325 million over 13 years. But as teams prepare to open camp, Harper remains unemployed. In a Chronicle interview during the general manager meetings, Boras called the Giants a perfect fit for his client. I think he likes the absolute feel of the ballpark and the fans, Boras said. Its a great fan base. You know youre at a ballgame, and he loves the enthusiasm and their success. NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 12: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals looks on against the New York Yankees during their game at Yankee Stadium on June 12, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 12: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals looks on against the New York Yankees during their game at Yankee Stadium on June 12, 2018 in New York City. 1 / 1 Back to Gallery Asked whether the massive brick wall in right field at whats now called Oracle Park is intimidating, Boras said, Not when you have Bryce Harper. At the winter meetings a month later, there was an indication that the Giants could enter the sweepstakes at a later date. But on Jan. 2, in a Chronicle interview, Zaidi downplayed expectations for a big-splash acquisition and said he was being patient with the slow market and that he was focusing on moves that would improve a team that wasnt one or two players from being a contender. Then on Jan. 23, the day of the Drew Pomeranz signing, Zaidi hinted he could circle back and pursue a player who previously wasnt considered realistic. As the market evolves, there might be guys that you had questioned or doubted the feasibility at one point that you circle back around on, Zaidi said. Its our job and responsibility to keep tabs on all parts of the market, and were continuing to do that. I think things could change. Your target list evolves over the course of the offseason. With Wednesdays news that the Giants appear in on Harper, the focus seems to be changing as pitchers and catchers prepare to report for spring training. They have a successful model, Boras said of the Giants at the GM meetings, and I always tell Larry (Baer), This fan base has rewarded you. Youve got a stadium thats paid for. Youve got a rocket ship of a financial model. So the Giants should be successful every year and can use free agency, trades and development in a way that allows them to compete. No different than the major market franchises because they are one. John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicles national baseball writer. Email: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey | Bryce Harper's agent calls the Giants a "perfect fit" for his client. | bart | 0 | https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Are-Giants-and-Bryce-Harper-a-match-13594439.php | 0.204078 |
Are Giants and Bryce Harper a match? | For the first time since Farhan Zaidi took over the Giants baseball operations, theyve reportedly expressed interest in an elite free agent. With spring training fast approaching, the Giants have two holes in the outfield and only center fielder Steven Duggar penciled in as a projected starter. Wednesday morning, reports surfaced that the Giants not only have interest in Bryce Harper (Randy Miller of NJ.com) but have met with the prized outfielder (Jon Heyman of MLB Network). Harpers agent is Scott Boras, who had been expecting to push for a record contract exceeding Giancarlo Stantons $325 million over 13 years. But as teams prepare to open camp, Harper remains unemployed. In a Chronicle interview during the general manager meetings, Boras called the Giants a perfect fit for his client. I think he likes the absolute feel of the ballpark and the fans, Boras said. Its a great fan base. You know youre at a ballgame, and he loves the enthusiasm and their success. NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 12: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals looks on against the New York Yankees during their game at Yankee Stadium on June 12, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 12: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals looks on against the New York Yankees during their game at Yankee Stadium on June 12, 2018 in New York City. 1 / 1 Back to Gallery Asked whether the massive brick wall in right field at whats now called Oracle Park is intimidating, Boras said, Not when you have Bryce Harper. At the winter meetings a month later, there was an indication that the Giants could enter the sweepstakes at a later date. But on Jan. 2, in a Chronicle interview, Zaidi downplayed expectations for a big-splash acquisition and said he was being patient with the slow market and that he was focusing on moves that would improve a team that wasnt one or two players from being a contender. Then on Jan. 23, the day of the Drew Pomeranz signing, Zaidi hinted he could circle back and pursue a player who previously wasnt considered realistic. As the market evolves, there might be guys that you had questioned or doubted the feasibility at one point that you circle back around on, Zaidi said. Its our job and responsibility to keep tabs on all parts of the market, and were continuing to do that. I think things could change. Your target list evolves over the course of the offseason. With Wednesdays news that the Giants appear in on Harper, the focus seems to be changing as pitchers and catchers prepare to report for spring training. They have a successful model, Boras said of the Giants at the GM meetings, and I always tell Larry (Baer), This fan base has rewarded you. Youve got a stadium thats paid for. Youve got a rocket ship of a financial model. So the Giants should be successful every year and can use free agency, trades and development in a way that allows them to compete. No different than the major market franchises because they are one. John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicles national baseball writer. Email: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey | The Giants reportedly have interest in Bryce Harper. Harper's agent calls the Giants a perfect fit for his client. The Giants have two holes in the outfield and only one projected starter. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Are-Giants-and-Bryce-Harper-a-match-13594439.php | 0.180173 |
Are Giants and Bryce Harper a match? | For the first time since Farhan Zaidi took over the Giants baseball operations, theyve reportedly expressed interest in an elite free agent. With spring training fast approaching, the Giants have two holes in the outfield and only center fielder Steven Duggar penciled in as a projected starter. Wednesday morning, reports surfaced that the Giants not only have interest in Bryce Harper (Randy Miller of NJ.com) but have met with the prized outfielder (Jon Heyman of MLB Network). Harpers agent is Scott Boras, who had been expecting to push for a record contract exceeding Giancarlo Stantons $325 million over 13 years. But as teams prepare to open camp, Harper remains unemployed. In a Chronicle interview during the general manager meetings, Boras called the Giants a perfect fit for his client. I think he likes the absolute feel of the ballpark and the fans, Boras said. Its a great fan base. You know youre at a ballgame, and he loves the enthusiasm and their success. NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 12: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals looks on against the New York Yankees during their game at Yankee Stadium on June 12, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 12: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals looks on against the New York Yankees during their game at Yankee Stadium on June 12, 2018 in New York City. 1 / 1 Back to Gallery Asked whether the massive brick wall in right field at whats now called Oracle Park is intimidating, Boras said, Not when you have Bryce Harper. At the winter meetings a month later, there was an indication that the Giants could enter the sweepstakes at a later date. But on Jan. 2, in a Chronicle interview, Zaidi downplayed expectations for a big-splash acquisition and said he was being patient with the slow market and that he was focusing on moves that would improve a team that wasnt one or two players from being a contender. Then on Jan. 23, the day of the Drew Pomeranz signing, Zaidi hinted he could circle back and pursue a player who previously wasnt considered realistic. As the market evolves, there might be guys that you had questioned or doubted the feasibility at one point that you circle back around on, Zaidi said. Its our job and responsibility to keep tabs on all parts of the market, and were continuing to do that. I think things could change. Your target list evolves over the course of the offseason. With Wednesdays news that the Giants appear in on Harper, the focus seems to be changing as pitchers and catchers prepare to report for spring training. They have a successful model, Boras said of the Giants at the GM meetings, and I always tell Larry (Baer), This fan base has rewarded you. Youve got a stadium thats paid for. Youve got a rocket ship of a financial model. So the Giants should be successful every year and can use free agency, trades and development in a way that allows them to compete. No different than the major market franchises because they are one. John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicles national baseball writer. Email: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey | Bryce Harper's agent calls the Giants a "perfect fit" for his client. The Giants have two holes in the outfield and only center fielder Steven Duggar penciled in as a projected starter. Harpers agent is Scott Boras, who had been expecting to push for a record contract. | bart | 2 | https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Are-Giants-and-Bryce-Harper-a-match-13594439.php | 0.253029 |
Who is Trump's World Bank president pick David Malpass? | Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Malpass was part of President Trump's 2016 election team US President Donald Trump has nominated David Malpass as his pick for the next World Bank president. Mr Malpass, a Trump loyalist, was a senior economic adviser to the US president during his 2016 election campaign. The 62-year-old has criticised the World Bank in the past, along with other institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, for being "intrusive" and "entrenched". After senior roles in the US Treasury during the Reagan and George HW Bush administrations, Mr Malpass became chief economist at Bear Sterns bank. He was there for 15 years before the bank's near collapse in the 2008 banking crisis. Bear Stearns narrowly avoided insolvency in March of that year after hedge funds got spooked by the investment bank's exposure to subprime mortgages. It was bought by rival JP Morgan for a fraction of its former value, with the backing of the US Federal Reserve. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Malpass had a senior role at Bear Stearns when the investment bank almost collapsed Mr Malpass left Bear Stearns three months later. He was subsequently criticised for an August 2007 Wall Street Journal article in which he urged investors not to panic about the credit market. "Housing and debt markets are not that big a part of the US economy, or of job creation," Mr Malpass wrote before the impending economic crisis. "It's more likely the economy is sturdy and will grow solidly in coming months, and perhaps years." The New York Times also criticised Mr Malpass for that and other Wall Street Journal articles, saying partisan bias towards Republican policy by economists had "unquestionably contributed to their forecast errors". After leaving Bear Sterns in 2008, Mr Malpass founded research group Encima Global, and held a number of directorships at finance firms. In August 2017 Mr Malpass again took up a senior role at the US Treasury, becoming undersecretary for international affairs. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption His comments ahead of the global financial crisis were heavily criticised Since then Mr Malpass has pushed for the World Bank to halt lending to China, which he says is too wealthy to deserve such aid, and has harsh lending practices to other countries. And last year, he was part of negotiations over a package of World Bank lending reforms. The US agreed to back a plan for shareholders to inject $13bn (10bn) into the World Bank and its private lending arm, with conditions that aimed to limit the bank's lending, and focus resources more on poorer countries. The reforms are aimed at pushing more middle-income countries towards private sector lending, and limiting World Bank staff salary growth. To become World Bank president Mr Malpass has to win approval from the institution's executive board, which has 25 members. The US holds a 16% share of board voting power and has traditionally chosen the World Bank's leader. China is the World Bank's third-largest shareholder after Japan, with about a 4.5% share of voting power. Justin Sandefur, a senior fellow with the Center for Global Development, said the nomination of Mr Malpass showed that the Trump administration was trying to undermine a key global institution, and urged other countries to nominate alternative candidates. "They have a choice. It's a simple majority vote, the US has no veto in this election and there are many better candidates," Mr Sandefur said. | David Malpass was a senior economic adviser to the US president during his 2016 election campaign. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47137298 | 0.266087 |
Who is Trump's World Bank president pick David Malpass? | Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Malpass was part of President Trump's 2016 election team US President Donald Trump has nominated David Malpass as his pick for the next World Bank president. Mr Malpass, a Trump loyalist, was a senior economic adviser to the US president during his 2016 election campaign. The 62-year-old has criticised the World Bank in the past, along with other institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, for being "intrusive" and "entrenched". After senior roles in the US Treasury during the Reagan and George HW Bush administrations, Mr Malpass became chief economist at Bear Sterns bank. He was there for 15 years before the bank's near collapse in the 2008 banking crisis. Bear Stearns narrowly avoided insolvency in March of that year after hedge funds got spooked by the investment bank's exposure to subprime mortgages. It was bought by rival JP Morgan for a fraction of its former value, with the backing of the US Federal Reserve. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Malpass had a senior role at Bear Stearns when the investment bank almost collapsed Mr Malpass left Bear Stearns three months later. He was subsequently criticised for an August 2007 Wall Street Journal article in which he urged investors not to panic about the credit market. "Housing and debt markets are not that big a part of the US economy, or of job creation," Mr Malpass wrote before the impending economic crisis. "It's more likely the economy is sturdy and will grow solidly in coming months, and perhaps years." The New York Times also criticised Mr Malpass for that and other Wall Street Journal articles, saying partisan bias towards Republican policy by economists had "unquestionably contributed to their forecast errors". After leaving Bear Sterns in 2008, Mr Malpass founded research group Encima Global, and held a number of directorships at finance firms. In August 2017 Mr Malpass again took up a senior role at the US Treasury, becoming undersecretary for international affairs. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption His comments ahead of the global financial crisis were heavily criticised Since then Mr Malpass has pushed for the World Bank to halt lending to China, which he says is too wealthy to deserve such aid, and has harsh lending practices to other countries. And last year, he was part of negotiations over a package of World Bank lending reforms. The US agreed to back a plan for shareholders to inject $13bn (10bn) into the World Bank and its private lending arm, with conditions that aimed to limit the bank's lending, and focus resources more on poorer countries. The reforms are aimed at pushing more middle-income countries towards private sector lending, and limiting World Bank staff salary growth. To become World Bank president Mr Malpass has to win approval from the institution's executive board, which has 25 members. The US holds a 16% share of board voting power and has traditionally chosen the World Bank's leader. China is the World Bank's third-largest shareholder after Japan, with about a 4.5% share of voting power. Justin Sandefur, a senior fellow with the Center for Global Development, said the nomination of Mr Malpass showed that the Trump administration was trying to undermine a key global institution, and urged other countries to nominate alternative candidates. "They have a choice. It's a simple majority vote, the US has no veto in this election and there are many better candidates," Mr Sandefur said. | US President Donald Trump has nominated David Malpass as World Bank president. Mr Malpass was a senior economic adviser to the US president during his 2016 election campaign. | bart | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47137298 | 0.389614 |
Who is Trump's World Bank president pick David Malpass? | Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Malpass was part of President Trump's 2016 election team US President Donald Trump has nominated David Malpass as his pick for the next World Bank president. Mr Malpass, a Trump loyalist, was a senior economic adviser to the US president during his 2016 election campaign. The 62-year-old has criticised the World Bank in the past, along with other institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, for being "intrusive" and "entrenched". After senior roles in the US Treasury during the Reagan and George HW Bush administrations, Mr Malpass became chief economist at Bear Sterns bank. He was there for 15 years before the bank's near collapse in the 2008 banking crisis. Bear Stearns narrowly avoided insolvency in March of that year after hedge funds got spooked by the investment bank's exposure to subprime mortgages. It was bought by rival JP Morgan for a fraction of its former value, with the backing of the US Federal Reserve. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Malpass had a senior role at Bear Stearns when the investment bank almost collapsed Mr Malpass left Bear Stearns three months later. He was subsequently criticised for an August 2007 Wall Street Journal article in which he urged investors not to panic about the credit market. "Housing and debt markets are not that big a part of the US economy, or of job creation," Mr Malpass wrote before the impending economic crisis. "It's more likely the economy is sturdy and will grow solidly in coming months, and perhaps years." The New York Times also criticised Mr Malpass for that and other Wall Street Journal articles, saying partisan bias towards Republican policy by economists had "unquestionably contributed to their forecast errors". After leaving Bear Sterns in 2008, Mr Malpass founded research group Encima Global, and held a number of directorships at finance firms. In August 2017 Mr Malpass again took up a senior role at the US Treasury, becoming undersecretary for international affairs. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption His comments ahead of the global financial crisis were heavily criticised Since then Mr Malpass has pushed for the World Bank to halt lending to China, which he says is too wealthy to deserve such aid, and has harsh lending practices to other countries. And last year, he was part of negotiations over a package of World Bank lending reforms. The US agreed to back a plan for shareholders to inject $13bn (10bn) into the World Bank and its private lending arm, with conditions that aimed to limit the bank's lending, and focus resources more on poorer countries. The reforms are aimed at pushing more middle-income countries towards private sector lending, and limiting World Bank staff salary growth. To become World Bank president Mr Malpass has to win approval from the institution's executive board, which has 25 members. The US holds a 16% share of board voting power and has traditionally chosen the World Bank's leader. China is the World Bank's third-largest shareholder after Japan, with about a 4.5% share of voting power. Justin Sandefur, a senior fellow with the Center for Global Development, said the nomination of Mr Malpass showed that the Trump administration was trying to undermine a key global institution, and urged other countries to nominate alternative candidates. "They have a choice. It's a simple majority vote, the US has no veto in this election and there are many better candidates," Mr Sandefur said. | David Malpass was a senior economic adviser to the US president during his 2016 election campaign. The 62-year-old has criticised the World Bank in the past for being "intrusive" and "entrenched" The US holds a 16% share of board voting power. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47137298 | 0.259542 |
Will Tesla's Latest Price Cut On The Model 3 Entice Buyers? | Tesla is proving that those federal tax credits for the purchase of their electric vehicles were really just a kickback to Tesla and not a boon for consumers. Government tax credits for the purchase of preferred goods were meant to incentivize Americans to buy certain desired items, such as a more energy efficient dishwasher, better insulated windows or a Tesla. This is part of the effort to conserve power or decrease fossil fuel emissions. However, in effect, the tax credits have served to enrich the vendors of those goods by allowing them to sell the goods for more than an efficient pricing model would indicate. At the start of this year, the tax credit for purchasing an electric vehicle was halved. Now we have seen Tesla lower the price of its base version of the Model 3 twice in the first five weeks of the year. The total cut in sticker price in 2019 is now $3,100 for this car, the least expensive in Teslas fleet. This was a direct response to cuts in tax breaks. In the simplest terms, efficient pricing happens when there is a meeting of the minds between a seller and buyers. There is often overlap between what the buyer will pay and the seller demands. In some cases, the two cannot meet, and the item will not be sold. That is what happened with government subsidies for electric vehicles, and Tesla just provided the evidence. When the tax credit was decreased, Tesla realized it needed to lower prices to accommodate the demands of buyers . After all, buyers werent willing to pay the $46,000 sticker price for a Tesla unless the government kicked in that $7,500 tax credit. Tax credits do not encourage people to buy products at the market price; they encourage sellers to sell products above market price. If not, further price reductions could be in the cards, not only for Tesla, but across the electric vehicle industry. | Tesla lowered the price of its base version of the Model 3 twice in the first five weeks of the year. The total cut in sticker price in 2019 is now $3,100 for this car, the least expensive in Teslas fleet. When the tax credit was decreased, Tesla realized it needed to lower prices to accommodate the demands of buyers. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenrwald/2019/02/06/will-teslas-latest-price-cut-on-the-model-3-entice-buyers/ | 0.154527 |
Can the What We Do in the Shadows series live up to the film? | The first trailer for Taika Waititi's What We Do In The Shadows TV series is here and it does not disappoint. The new series follows the same flatshare dynamic as the film, but introduces a whole new cast of characters, powers and a whole new setting, in Staten Island, New York. If you were concerned the move to America might suck the dry Kiwi humour out of the series, the trailer will put your fears to rest as right from the start, the vampires' human familiar Guillermo wakes up his master and congratulates him on a "very cool, very scary" entrance. They then discuss "general hygiene" in the flat in way which anyone who has ever sat through an awkward flat meeting will immediately recognise. Advertisement The series, written and directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, follows Laszlo, Nandor and Nadja (Matt Berry, Kayvan Novak and Natasia Demetriou) - a trio of European vampires who are navigating life in modern America. They're also joined by Guillermo (Harvey Guillen), and their American roommate Colin Robinson, a vampire who, instead of sucking blood, sucks the energy out of his victims by boring them to death. The series is due to screen in New Zealand on SoHo later this year. | Taika Waititi's What We Do In The Shadows TV series is here. The new series follows the same flatshare dynamic as the film. | bart | 0 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=12201518 | 0.150227 |
Can the What We Do in the Shadows series live up to the film? | The first trailer for Taika Waititi's What We Do In The Shadows TV series is here and it does not disappoint. The new series follows the same flatshare dynamic as the film, but introduces a whole new cast of characters, powers and a whole new setting, in Staten Island, New York. If you were concerned the move to America might suck the dry Kiwi humour out of the series, the trailer will put your fears to rest as right from the start, the vampires' human familiar Guillermo wakes up his master and congratulates him on a "very cool, very scary" entrance. They then discuss "general hygiene" in the flat in way which anyone who has ever sat through an awkward flat meeting will immediately recognise. Advertisement The series, written and directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, follows Laszlo, Nandor and Nadja (Matt Berry, Kayvan Novak and Natasia Demetriou) - a trio of European vampires who are navigating life in modern America. They're also joined by Guillermo (Harvey Guillen), and their American roommate Colin Robinson, a vampire who, instead of sucking blood, sucks the energy out of his victims by boring them to death. The series is due to screen in New Zealand on SoHo later this year. | Taika Waititi's What We Do In The Shadows TV series is here. The new series follows the same flatshare dynamic as the film. It introduces a whole new cast of characters, powers and a new setting. The series is due to screen in New Zealand on SoHo later this year. | bart | 2 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=12201518 | 0.295116 |
What Is the Legacy of Communist Chinas Fine Art? | In a tiny gallery on Henry Street last week, the young artist Chang Yuchen taught me one of her fathers drawing lessons: There is no line in the real world. A subzero wind blew outside as she held up two fingers pressed together. You see a line between them, she explained, but thats an illusion: Its really just the place where two forms meet, and thats what the artist must remember as they draw. We think of drawing as a means of merely depicting the visible world, and the line as a neutral tool in that process. But drawing is a technology that has a generative force all its own, and like all technologies it is soaked in ideology. In Changs case, the technology came down from her father, who had been trained in the Chistyakov system at Beijings Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). As a child, he had stumbled across a banned book of Tang poetry. He was so drawn to the imagery of traditional Chinese literature, Chang told me, but he couldnt practice Chinese traditional painting, because it was considered anti-Revolutionary back then. Instead, he was trained in a strict new pedagogical system, imported from Russia. Before the Revolution of 1949, fine art in China was dominated by ink painting, particularly in the sensitive literati style (wenrenhua). But the new communist government of the Peoples Republic of China condemned ink painting as feudal, and instead encouraged a new national art form in the socialist realist style, similar to the kind of painting being produced in the Soviet Union. Mao Zedong named CAFA himself. In 1955, the Russian oil painter Konstantin Maksimov arrived at the prestigious art school, sent as a kind of cultural ambassador by his government. Maksimov, a Stalin Prize winner, immediately found great popularity among the CAFA faculty. He organized a two-year postgraduate course in oil painting, which burgeoned into a wave of influence that effectively institutionalized his style there. Changs work is a radical reconsideration of the pencil drawing. Chang Yuchen / Assembly Room One of Maksimovs most enduring legacies was his introduction of the drawing system designed by Pavel Chistyakov. A nineteenth-century educator, Chistyakov emphasized a technique that requires the student to break down what they see into planes, practicing over and over again until the artist is capable of producing a three-dimensional effect on the canvas. Chistyakovs own paintings had an expressive texture. His figures leap brightly from the canvas, and you can see in them the seeds of socialist realism: the faithfulness to life, the romanticized activity. | The legacy of Communist Chinas Fine Art is soaked in ideology. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://newrepublic.com/article/153081/legacy-communist-chinas-fine-art | 0.558834 |
What Is the Legacy of Communist Chinas Fine Art? | In a tiny gallery on Henry Street last week, the young artist Chang Yuchen taught me one of her fathers drawing lessons: There is no line in the real world. A subzero wind blew outside as she held up two fingers pressed together. You see a line between them, she explained, but thats an illusion: Its really just the place where two forms meet, and thats what the artist must remember as they draw. We think of drawing as a means of merely depicting the visible world, and the line as a neutral tool in that process. But drawing is a technology that has a generative force all its own, and like all technologies it is soaked in ideology. In Changs case, the technology came down from her father, who had been trained in the Chistyakov system at Beijings Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). As a child, he had stumbled across a banned book of Tang poetry. He was so drawn to the imagery of traditional Chinese literature, Chang told me, but he couldnt practice Chinese traditional painting, because it was considered anti-Revolutionary back then. Instead, he was trained in a strict new pedagogical system, imported from Russia. Before the Revolution of 1949, fine art in China was dominated by ink painting, particularly in the sensitive literati style (wenrenhua). But the new communist government of the Peoples Republic of China condemned ink painting as feudal, and instead encouraged a new national art form in the socialist realist style, similar to the kind of painting being produced in the Soviet Union. Mao Zedong named CAFA himself. In 1955, the Russian oil painter Konstantin Maksimov arrived at the prestigious art school, sent as a kind of cultural ambassador by his government. Maksimov, a Stalin Prize winner, immediately found great popularity among the CAFA faculty. He organized a two-year postgraduate course in oil painting, which burgeoned into a wave of influence that effectively institutionalized his style there. Changs work is a radical reconsideration of the pencil drawing. Chang Yuchen / Assembly Room One of Maksimovs most enduring legacies was his introduction of the drawing system designed by Pavel Chistyakov. A nineteenth-century educator, Chistyakov emphasized a technique that requires the student to break down what they see into planes, practicing over and over again until the artist is capable of producing a three-dimensional effect on the canvas. Chistyakovs own paintings had an expressive texture. His figures leap brightly from the canvas, and you can see in them the seeds of socialist realism: the faithfulness to life, the romanticized activity. | The legacy of Communist Chinas Fine Art is soaked in ideology, says Frida Ghitis. Ghitis: Drawing is a technology that has a generative force all its own. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://newrepublic.com/article/153081/legacy-communist-chinas-fine-art | 0.66476 |
What Is the Legacy of Communist Chinas Fine Art? | In a tiny gallery on Henry Street last week, the young artist Chang Yuchen taught me one of her fathers drawing lessons: There is no line in the real world. A subzero wind blew outside as she held up two fingers pressed together. You see a line between them, she explained, but thats an illusion: Its really just the place where two forms meet, and thats what the artist must remember as they draw. We think of drawing as a means of merely depicting the visible world, and the line as a neutral tool in that process. But drawing is a technology that has a generative force all its own, and like all technologies it is soaked in ideology. In Changs case, the technology came down from her father, who had been trained in the Chistyakov system at Beijings Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). As a child, he had stumbled across a banned book of Tang poetry. He was so drawn to the imagery of traditional Chinese literature, Chang told me, but he couldnt practice Chinese traditional painting, because it was considered anti-Revolutionary back then. Instead, he was trained in a strict new pedagogical system, imported from Russia. Before the Revolution of 1949, fine art in China was dominated by ink painting, particularly in the sensitive literati style (wenrenhua). But the new communist government of the Peoples Republic of China condemned ink painting as feudal, and instead encouraged a new national art form in the socialist realist style, similar to the kind of painting being produced in the Soviet Union. Mao Zedong named CAFA himself. In 1955, the Russian oil painter Konstantin Maksimov arrived at the prestigious art school, sent as a kind of cultural ambassador by his government. Maksimov, a Stalin Prize winner, immediately found great popularity among the CAFA faculty. He organized a two-year postgraduate course in oil painting, which burgeoned into a wave of influence that effectively institutionalized his style there. Changs work is a radical reconsideration of the pencil drawing. Chang Yuchen / Assembly Room One of Maksimovs most enduring legacies was his introduction of the drawing system designed by Pavel Chistyakov. A nineteenth-century educator, Chistyakov emphasized a technique that requires the student to break down what they see into planes, practicing over and over again until the artist is capable of producing a three-dimensional effect on the canvas. Chistyakovs own paintings had an expressive texture. His figures leap brightly from the canvas, and you can see in them the seeds of socialist realism: the faithfulness to life, the romanticized activity. | The legacy of Communist Chinas Fine Art is soaked in ideology, says Frida Ghitis. Ghitis: Drawing is a technology that has a generative force all its own, and like all technologies it is soaked with ideology. She says the art of Chang Yuchen is a radical reconsideration of the pencil drawing. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://newrepublic.com/article/153081/legacy-communist-chinas-fine-art | 0.74806 |
Will Seahawks make a move with Kam Chancellor? And what might happen with Frank Clark and Russell Wilson? | Former NFL agent Joel Corry gave us some thoughts on those topics this week. I caught up this week with former NFL agent Joel Corry, who now writes about salary cap issues for CBSSports.com and other sites, to get his thoughts on those three topics. KAM CHANCELLOR The Seahawks have something of a deadline this week with Chancellor, whose 2019 base salary of $5.2 million becomes fully guaranteed if he is still on the roster as of Friday. But as Corry notes, its a moot point for now if Chancellor cant pass a physical, which he likely cant (Chancellor detailed his injury situation last fall, painting a pretty dire picture, after having posted to social media last July that he would not be able to play again). Because that salary, part of a three-year, $36 million deal Chancellor signed prior to the 2017 season, is fully guaranteed for injury, Seattle has to pay it if Chancellor cant play again and they also cant cut him and not pay it. That Chancellor is due the money is also why he has not officially retired since to do so would be to give up any remaining money he is owed. That the salary is guaranteed for injury leaves Seattle with few good options. But Corry said all point to Chancellor remaining on the roster for now. Chancellor is due to count $13 million against the salary cap in 2019 and $14.5 million in 2020. But as Corry notes on the off chance he can pass a physical they could cut him with $5 million as the only cap charge. Thats unlikely to happen, of course, but does maybe give some motivation for not making a move for now. The other is that Seattle can save more against the cap by releasing Chancellor as a post-June 1 cut. If he is cut prior to June 1, Seattle could save $8 million against the cap this year and $12 million in 2020 while taking dead money hits of $5 million and $2.5 million. But as a post-June 1 cut, his dead money would be $2.5 million in 2019 and the savings $10.5 million (the 2020 numbers remain the same either way). None of it is great, as Corry notes. Unless he can immediately pass a physical you are kind of stuck either way, he said. But waiting does provide a few better options that would seem to mean that for now, Chancellor will remain on Seattles roster. Its also worth noting, as OvertheCap.com pointed out, that receiver Tyler Lockett has a guarantee of $3.9 million for 2019 that also becomes guaranteed Friday. Theres obviously no reason to question that that will happen. FRANK CLARK Clark is Seattles marquee impending free agent, rated this week by Pro Football Focus number four among all NFL players who can become unrestricted free agents beginning on March 13. But Corry echoes the growing conventional wisdom that he thinks Clark will likely have been slapped with a franchise tag prior to then, assuring he stays in Seattle for at least the 2019 season and allowing the two sides to continue working toward a longer-term deal in the future (teams can place franchise tags on players beginning Feb. 19 through March 5). Youre almost going to have to franchise him based on the comments that (Clarks agent) Erik Burkhardt made (to ESPN last fall) about not being afraid of the franchise tag and knowing the value of a pass rusher, Corry said. If Im him, Im not doing something like Danielle Hunter (who re-signed with Minnesota prior to last season to a five-year deal worth $14.4 million annually that was quickly regarded as a bargain for the Vikings and has turned out to be even more of one after he finished fourth in the NFL this year with 14.5 sacks). Youre almost going to have to franchise him. Indeed, given that context, Burkhardts comment to ESPN last fall about Clark and the franchise tag is worth revisiting. Frank and I are not scared of the franchise tag, Burkhardt said. Thats going to come in at about $18 million next year for a D-end on a one-year, fully guaranteed deal. Its what (Detroits Ziggy) Ansah and (Dallas Demacus) Lawrence have done. They get that top-of-the-market value for one year, and 12 months later will get their long-term deal as well. Thats winning. The three potential top free agents listed above Clark by PFF this week also are all edge players Houstons Jadaveon Clowney, Lawrence, and Kansas Citys Dee Ford. All could be tagged. And Corry also says he thinks the agents of each could be waiting for one of the other to make the first move. They are all going to be kind of waiting for someone to re-set the market, Corry said. And the guy who goes last should use the other deals as a bench mark. Thats why I dont think anyone wants to go first. There also remains the issue of how committed the Seahawks are to wanting to give Clark the kind of deal it would likely take to sew him up for the long term right now PFF estimated Clarks value at five years, $87.5 million with $53 million guaranteed, which would make him the second-highest paid player on the team after Wilson. Corry noted this is regarded as an especially strong draft for pass rushers, which could influence how Seattle deals with Clark right now. Maybe you go year-to-year with him, Corry said. If there is ever a year to get a pass rusher in the draft this is it. This year you could maybe get a guy in the mid-to-late 20s that most years goes in the mid-teens. RUSSELL WILSON ESPNs Adam Schefter reported over the weekend that the Seahawks have yet to talk to Wilson about an extension of his contract, which runs through the 2019 season. I wrote why that shouldnt really be viewed as anything to worry about yet given that Seattles usual mode of operation on extensions is to get those done in the spring and summer after dealing with the free agency and, typically, the draft. Corry agreed. Its early, Corry said. They didnt get a deal done until July last time anyway so I dont think there is anything to read into that. I wouldnt have expected it to really heat up until after the draft, anyhow. The NFL is a deadline-driven league and last time he set a deadline of training camp (and it got done then). As for what happens then, Corry wrote an extensive piece about that last month. But he reiterated he thinks it wont be an easy negotiation for Seattle, in part because Wilson now has made money that sets him up for life and this time can wait to get what he really wants out of the deal, whether that is being made the highest-paid player in NFL history or potentially becoming a free agent. Its a different dynamic now, Corry said. Hes made a whole lot of money since then (he signed a four-year, $87.5 million deal in 2015) so he can afford to be patient this time. | Kam Chancellor's 2019 salary is fully guaranteed if he is still on the roster as of Friday. Frank Clark is a marquee impending free agent who can become unrestricted free agent beginning on March 13. Seattle can save more against the cap by releasing Chancellor as a post-June 1 cut. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/will-seahawks-make-a-move-with-kam-chancellor-and-what-might-happen-with-frank-clark-and-russell-wilson/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 0.165315 |
Did Mandy Heldt Donovan just ruin her wine? | Your typical California winemaker would be in despair if her efforts had resulted in the kind of wine that Mandy Heldt Donovan just made. But Donovan did it on purpose. Donovan inoculated a wine with brettanomyces, a spoilage yeast that most winemakers here spend their careers desperately trying to avoid. Brettanomyces or brett, to winemakers can live in winery environments and can imbue wines, if it gets into them, with a spectrum of off-putting flavors: manure, Band-Aid, horse sweat. Challenge accepted. I was just curious, says Donovan, whose wine label is called Merisi. Is this a tool we could use? Thats a sacrilegious notion in some circles, especially Napa Valley, where Donovan lives. Here, brett is regarded as an uncontrollable agent of destruction. Often called the junkyard dog of wine yeasts, brett will feast on anything from sugars to acids, making it not just unpleasant to taste but also prone to proliferation, capable of overpowering all of a wines native fruity flavors with that smear of manure. Everybodys scared of brett, says Donovan. The prevailing wisdom, she believes: This is why you dont have a gorilla as a pet. Its a wild animal. Brewers like Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Co. and Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey have been making bretty beers on purpose since the late nineties sometimes even letting brett perform the primary fermentation, leaving out the typical beer and wine yeast, saccharomyces cerevisiae, altogether. In recent years the bretty beer category has exploded, with local breweries like Southpaw, Pedro Point, Almanac, Sante Adairius and the Rare Barrel getting in on the action. And craft beer drinkers, including Donovan herself, seem to love it. So in 2017, Donovan siphoned off a little bit of Carneros Pinot Gris shed made, took it to her home basement she was careful to keep this experiment separate from the winery where she makes her normal wines, which taste clean and not at all funky and inoculated it with a strain of brett she had purchased from a craft beer supplier. I chose a fruity strain of brett, she adds, one that the yeast supplier promised would not taste like Band-Aid. (Brett has many hues, as well learn later.) In that first year, Donovan made just 30 cases; in 2018, she made 50. The resulting wine, called the Merisi Manic White, has something in common with a saison beer: It smells fruity, gingery, bright. The barnyard character, bretts hallmark, appears most strongly on the finish, but before you get there you taste soy, green herbs, some smokiness. Donovan left a little bit of residual sugar to balance the wines sourness. It is strange, undoubtedly an acquired taste, and you may be more likely to enjoy it if you stop thinking about it as a Pinot Gris. Its true that natural wine fanatics, who tend not to mind when wines arent squeaky-clean and flawless, might be the most receptive audience to the Manic Whites funky characteristics. Yet the Manic White is far from a natural wine, not least because it relies on commercial yeast rather than ambient strains. In fact, if part of natural wines imperative is relinquishing control over the winemaking process, Donovan is doing the opposite: attempting to harness the unharnessable. The Manic White is a science experiment one that engages with a crucial question posed by our current culinary moment. To be clear: Brett has always had a fan club. For centuries, before the modern era ushered in antiseptic hygiene regimens, European wine cellars and breweries teemed with brett (many still do), and the yeast was considered an integral part of the beverages made there. That je ne sais quoi in old vintages of Mourvedre of Domaine Tempier, or Chateauneuf du Pape of Chateau Beaucastel; the Flanders red ale of Rodenbach or the lambic of Cantillon yep, thats brett. Donovan became fascinated with brett during graduate school at UC Davis, while working in the lab of Dr. Linda Bisson, a yeast microbiologist. There, she got a crash course in wine sensory analysis, and began to see brett as a multifaceted, even potentially beautiful, component of wine. How you process smells is totally tied to the emotion center, Bisson explains. What were calling the putrid character, which can take on a rotten, almost vomit-like flavor for a lot of people, that just tastes like cheese. It all depends on whether your brain links that taste sensation to a positive memory. If you accept that premise, the idea that any aroma or flavor is intrinsically good or bad feels as wrong as assigning a value judgment to, say, a color. In 2013, Bisson created the brettanomyces aroma wheel, a diagram that categorizes the different sensory qualities that 83 different brett strains can express. They range from the familiar barnyard and horse sweat to burnt beans and sour milk, and even to pleasant aromas like lilac, maple syrup and tamarind. Donovans education in brett continued and intensified after graduate school, when she went to work at Cain, a Napa Valley estate where brett occasionally makes its way into the wines. Most people are too afraid to experiment with brett in a winery, Donovan says. But as she stuck around with Cain winemaker Chris Howell, she saw that brett didnt make the Cain wines taste like manure or Band-Aid. Instead, the yeast contributed floral, earthy characteristics that she liked. Howell is probably California wines most masterful brett whisperer, but even after 30 years at Cain he still doesnt understand how the yeast works. Everybody thinks that once your cellars infected with brett, everything goes, Howell says. But its just not true. Wine from certain Cain vineyard sections tends to go through a brett fermentation more often than others, suggesting that the winery building itself isnt the only vector. Is the microflora part of the terroir? Howell asks. Donovans work in the Cain lab was crucial to deepening the winerys understanding of bretts mysterious ways, Howell says, especially her discovery of patterns in the timing of brett fermentations, which were picking up after wines had already been in barrel for almost a year. Mandy really helped us look at brett as an organism, not a malady, says Howell. We dont know everything about brett, but I know that if it were gone Id miss it. We want to know how to work with it, not kill it. Thats precisely what Donovan has been devoting herself to ever since while, of course, also making plenty of non-bretty wines. (For the record, the rest of the Merisi wines are made with little manipulation, starting with a native-yeast fermentation.) She sees a potential audience for Manic White in aficionados of sour beer, who may have more positive emotional responses to the flavors and aromas of brett than longtime wine drinkers. Ive never minded a small amount of brett in a wine Cain, for instance, has long produced some of my favorite Cabernets in Napa but I admit that I find a total brett takeover in a wine or a beer hard to swallow, literally. When that sour funk overpowers everything else, I miss the taste of fruit. Then again, I spent years training my palate to identify brett as a flaw. The strength of the wine industry is tradition, but its also the weakness, Donovan continues. Were very reticent to change. As recently as the 1980s, she points out, California wineries were reluctant to embrace malolactic fermentation in white wines, now a standard practice. Ultimately, though, what drives Donovan to work with brett is not the intellectual exercise. She just thinks that brett, if we can understand it and to some degree control it, can be beautiful. I know not everyone agrees, she says, but I just dont think the flavor of brett is that out of reach. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob | Mandy Heldt Donovan inoculated a wine with brettanomyces, a spoilage yeast. | bart | 0 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/Did-Mandy-Heldt-Donovan-just-ruin-her-wine-13595160.php | 0.268175 |
Did Mandy Heldt Donovan just ruin her wine? | Your typical California winemaker would be in despair if her efforts had resulted in the kind of wine that Mandy Heldt Donovan just made. But Donovan did it on purpose. Donovan inoculated a wine with brettanomyces, a spoilage yeast that most winemakers here spend their careers desperately trying to avoid. Brettanomyces or brett, to winemakers can live in winery environments and can imbue wines, if it gets into them, with a spectrum of off-putting flavors: manure, Band-Aid, horse sweat. Challenge accepted. I was just curious, says Donovan, whose wine label is called Merisi. Is this a tool we could use? Thats a sacrilegious notion in some circles, especially Napa Valley, where Donovan lives. Here, brett is regarded as an uncontrollable agent of destruction. Often called the junkyard dog of wine yeasts, brett will feast on anything from sugars to acids, making it not just unpleasant to taste but also prone to proliferation, capable of overpowering all of a wines native fruity flavors with that smear of manure. Everybodys scared of brett, says Donovan. The prevailing wisdom, she believes: This is why you dont have a gorilla as a pet. Its a wild animal. Brewers like Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Co. and Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey have been making bretty beers on purpose since the late nineties sometimes even letting brett perform the primary fermentation, leaving out the typical beer and wine yeast, saccharomyces cerevisiae, altogether. In recent years the bretty beer category has exploded, with local breweries like Southpaw, Pedro Point, Almanac, Sante Adairius and the Rare Barrel getting in on the action. And craft beer drinkers, including Donovan herself, seem to love it. So in 2017, Donovan siphoned off a little bit of Carneros Pinot Gris shed made, took it to her home basement she was careful to keep this experiment separate from the winery where she makes her normal wines, which taste clean and not at all funky and inoculated it with a strain of brett she had purchased from a craft beer supplier. I chose a fruity strain of brett, she adds, one that the yeast supplier promised would not taste like Band-Aid. (Brett has many hues, as well learn later.) In that first year, Donovan made just 30 cases; in 2018, she made 50. The resulting wine, called the Merisi Manic White, has something in common with a saison beer: It smells fruity, gingery, bright. The barnyard character, bretts hallmark, appears most strongly on the finish, but before you get there you taste soy, green herbs, some smokiness. Donovan left a little bit of residual sugar to balance the wines sourness. It is strange, undoubtedly an acquired taste, and you may be more likely to enjoy it if you stop thinking about it as a Pinot Gris. Its true that natural wine fanatics, who tend not to mind when wines arent squeaky-clean and flawless, might be the most receptive audience to the Manic Whites funky characteristics. Yet the Manic White is far from a natural wine, not least because it relies on commercial yeast rather than ambient strains. In fact, if part of natural wines imperative is relinquishing control over the winemaking process, Donovan is doing the opposite: attempting to harness the unharnessable. The Manic White is a science experiment one that engages with a crucial question posed by our current culinary moment. To be clear: Brett has always had a fan club. For centuries, before the modern era ushered in antiseptic hygiene regimens, European wine cellars and breweries teemed with brett (many still do), and the yeast was considered an integral part of the beverages made there. That je ne sais quoi in old vintages of Mourvedre of Domaine Tempier, or Chateauneuf du Pape of Chateau Beaucastel; the Flanders red ale of Rodenbach or the lambic of Cantillon yep, thats brett. Donovan became fascinated with brett during graduate school at UC Davis, while working in the lab of Dr. Linda Bisson, a yeast microbiologist. There, she got a crash course in wine sensory analysis, and began to see brett as a multifaceted, even potentially beautiful, component of wine. How you process smells is totally tied to the emotion center, Bisson explains. What were calling the putrid character, which can take on a rotten, almost vomit-like flavor for a lot of people, that just tastes like cheese. It all depends on whether your brain links that taste sensation to a positive memory. If you accept that premise, the idea that any aroma or flavor is intrinsically good or bad feels as wrong as assigning a value judgment to, say, a color. In 2013, Bisson created the brettanomyces aroma wheel, a diagram that categorizes the different sensory qualities that 83 different brett strains can express. They range from the familiar barnyard and horse sweat to burnt beans and sour milk, and even to pleasant aromas like lilac, maple syrup and tamarind. Donovans education in brett continued and intensified after graduate school, when she went to work at Cain, a Napa Valley estate where brett occasionally makes its way into the wines. Most people are too afraid to experiment with brett in a winery, Donovan says. But as she stuck around with Cain winemaker Chris Howell, she saw that brett didnt make the Cain wines taste like manure or Band-Aid. Instead, the yeast contributed floral, earthy characteristics that she liked. Howell is probably California wines most masterful brett whisperer, but even after 30 years at Cain he still doesnt understand how the yeast works. Everybody thinks that once your cellars infected with brett, everything goes, Howell says. But its just not true. Wine from certain Cain vineyard sections tends to go through a brett fermentation more often than others, suggesting that the winery building itself isnt the only vector. Is the microflora part of the terroir? Howell asks. Donovans work in the Cain lab was crucial to deepening the winerys understanding of bretts mysterious ways, Howell says, especially her discovery of patterns in the timing of brett fermentations, which were picking up after wines had already been in barrel for almost a year. Mandy really helped us look at brett as an organism, not a malady, says Howell. We dont know everything about brett, but I know that if it were gone Id miss it. We want to know how to work with it, not kill it. Thats precisely what Donovan has been devoting herself to ever since while, of course, also making plenty of non-bretty wines. (For the record, the rest of the Merisi wines are made with little manipulation, starting with a native-yeast fermentation.) She sees a potential audience for Manic White in aficionados of sour beer, who may have more positive emotional responses to the flavors and aromas of brett than longtime wine drinkers. Ive never minded a small amount of brett in a wine Cain, for instance, has long produced some of my favorite Cabernets in Napa but I admit that I find a total brett takeover in a wine or a beer hard to swallow, literally. When that sour funk overpowers everything else, I miss the taste of fruit. Then again, I spent years training my palate to identify brett as a flaw. The strength of the wine industry is tradition, but its also the weakness, Donovan continues. Were very reticent to change. As recently as the 1980s, she points out, California wineries were reluctant to embrace malolactic fermentation in white wines, now a standard practice. Ultimately, though, what drives Donovan to work with brett is not the intellectual exercise. She just thinks that brett, if we can understand it and to some degree control it, can be beautiful. I know not everyone agrees, she says, but I just dont think the flavor of brett is that out of reach. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob | Mandy Heldt Donovan inoculated a wine with brettanomyces, a spoilage yeast. In Napa Valley, brett is regarded as an uncontrollable agent of destruction. | bart | 1 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/Did-Mandy-Heldt-Donovan-just-ruin-her-wine-13595160.php | 0.290644 |
Did Mandy Heldt Donovan just ruin her wine? | Your typical California winemaker would be in despair if her efforts had resulted in the kind of wine that Mandy Heldt Donovan just made. But Donovan did it on purpose. Donovan inoculated a wine with brettanomyces, a spoilage yeast that most winemakers here spend their careers desperately trying to avoid. Brettanomyces or brett, to winemakers can live in winery environments and can imbue wines, if it gets into them, with a spectrum of off-putting flavors: manure, Band-Aid, horse sweat. Challenge accepted. I was just curious, says Donovan, whose wine label is called Merisi. Is this a tool we could use? Thats a sacrilegious notion in some circles, especially Napa Valley, where Donovan lives. Here, brett is regarded as an uncontrollable agent of destruction. Often called the junkyard dog of wine yeasts, brett will feast on anything from sugars to acids, making it not just unpleasant to taste but also prone to proliferation, capable of overpowering all of a wines native fruity flavors with that smear of manure. Everybodys scared of brett, says Donovan. The prevailing wisdom, she believes: This is why you dont have a gorilla as a pet. Its a wild animal. Brewers like Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Co. and Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey have been making bretty beers on purpose since the late nineties sometimes even letting brett perform the primary fermentation, leaving out the typical beer and wine yeast, saccharomyces cerevisiae, altogether. In recent years the bretty beer category has exploded, with local breweries like Southpaw, Pedro Point, Almanac, Sante Adairius and the Rare Barrel getting in on the action. And craft beer drinkers, including Donovan herself, seem to love it. So in 2017, Donovan siphoned off a little bit of Carneros Pinot Gris shed made, took it to her home basement she was careful to keep this experiment separate from the winery where she makes her normal wines, which taste clean and not at all funky and inoculated it with a strain of brett she had purchased from a craft beer supplier. I chose a fruity strain of brett, she adds, one that the yeast supplier promised would not taste like Band-Aid. (Brett has many hues, as well learn later.) In that first year, Donovan made just 30 cases; in 2018, she made 50. The resulting wine, called the Merisi Manic White, has something in common with a saison beer: It smells fruity, gingery, bright. The barnyard character, bretts hallmark, appears most strongly on the finish, but before you get there you taste soy, green herbs, some smokiness. Donovan left a little bit of residual sugar to balance the wines sourness. It is strange, undoubtedly an acquired taste, and you may be more likely to enjoy it if you stop thinking about it as a Pinot Gris. Its true that natural wine fanatics, who tend not to mind when wines arent squeaky-clean and flawless, might be the most receptive audience to the Manic Whites funky characteristics. Yet the Manic White is far from a natural wine, not least because it relies on commercial yeast rather than ambient strains. In fact, if part of natural wines imperative is relinquishing control over the winemaking process, Donovan is doing the opposite: attempting to harness the unharnessable. The Manic White is a science experiment one that engages with a crucial question posed by our current culinary moment. To be clear: Brett has always had a fan club. For centuries, before the modern era ushered in antiseptic hygiene regimens, European wine cellars and breweries teemed with brett (many still do), and the yeast was considered an integral part of the beverages made there. That je ne sais quoi in old vintages of Mourvedre of Domaine Tempier, or Chateauneuf du Pape of Chateau Beaucastel; the Flanders red ale of Rodenbach or the lambic of Cantillon yep, thats brett. Donovan became fascinated with brett during graduate school at UC Davis, while working in the lab of Dr. Linda Bisson, a yeast microbiologist. There, she got a crash course in wine sensory analysis, and began to see brett as a multifaceted, even potentially beautiful, component of wine. How you process smells is totally tied to the emotion center, Bisson explains. What were calling the putrid character, which can take on a rotten, almost vomit-like flavor for a lot of people, that just tastes like cheese. It all depends on whether your brain links that taste sensation to a positive memory. If you accept that premise, the idea that any aroma or flavor is intrinsically good or bad feels as wrong as assigning a value judgment to, say, a color. In 2013, Bisson created the brettanomyces aroma wheel, a diagram that categorizes the different sensory qualities that 83 different brett strains can express. They range from the familiar barnyard and horse sweat to burnt beans and sour milk, and even to pleasant aromas like lilac, maple syrup and tamarind. Donovans education in brett continued and intensified after graduate school, when she went to work at Cain, a Napa Valley estate where brett occasionally makes its way into the wines. Most people are too afraid to experiment with brett in a winery, Donovan says. But as she stuck around with Cain winemaker Chris Howell, she saw that brett didnt make the Cain wines taste like manure or Band-Aid. Instead, the yeast contributed floral, earthy characteristics that she liked. Howell is probably California wines most masterful brett whisperer, but even after 30 years at Cain he still doesnt understand how the yeast works. Everybody thinks that once your cellars infected with brett, everything goes, Howell says. But its just not true. Wine from certain Cain vineyard sections tends to go through a brett fermentation more often than others, suggesting that the winery building itself isnt the only vector. Is the microflora part of the terroir? Howell asks. Donovans work in the Cain lab was crucial to deepening the winerys understanding of bretts mysterious ways, Howell says, especially her discovery of patterns in the timing of brett fermentations, which were picking up after wines had already been in barrel for almost a year. Mandy really helped us look at brett as an organism, not a malady, says Howell. We dont know everything about brett, but I know that if it were gone Id miss it. We want to know how to work with it, not kill it. Thats precisely what Donovan has been devoting herself to ever since while, of course, also making plenty of non-bretty wines. (For the record, the rest of the Merisi wines are made with little manipulation, starting with a native-yeast fermentation.) She sees a potential audience for Manic White in aficionados of sour beer, who may have more positive emotional responses to the flavors and aromas of brett than longtime wine drinkers. Ive never minded a small amount of brett in a wine Cain, for instance, has long produced some of my favorite Cabernets in Napa but I admit that I find a total brett takeover in a wine or a beer hard to swallow, literally. When that sour funk overpowers everything else, I miss the taste of fruit. Then again, I spent years training my palate to identify brett as a flaw. The strength of the wine industry is tradition, but its also the weakness, Donovan continues. Were very reticent to change. As recently as the 1980s, she points out, California wineries were reluctant to embrace malolactic fermentation in white wines, now a standard practice. Ultimately, though, what drives Donovan to work with brett is not the intellectual exercise. She just thinks that brett, if we can understand it and to some degree control it, can be beautiful. I know not everyone agrees, she says, but I just dont think the flavor of brett is that out of reach. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob | Mandy Heldt Donovan inoculated a wine with brettanomyces, a spoilage yeast that most winemakers here spend their careers desperately trying to avoid. The resulting wine, called the Merisi Manic White, has something in common with a saison beer: It smells fruity, gingery, bright. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/Did-Mandy-Heldt-Donovan-just-ruin-her-wine-13595160.php | 0.368124 |
Whats behind Kevin Durants mysterious silence? | When doors opened to media Wednesday morning for Warriors shoot-around, Kevin Durant wasnt on his usual practice court. For a few moments, he lingered in the adjacent weight room, only to disappear through an exit. This is the ninth straight day that Durant hasnt spoken publicly, a media drought that coincides with the Knicks trading a package that featured Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas last week to free up two max-salary slots. Its well-chronicled that Durant tends to grow sullen when put under intense media scrutiny. The only other time Durant shirked his press responsibilities this season was in mid-November, when his on-court spat with Draymond Green was a national talking point. As Durant continues to avoid news conferences or media scrums, Klay Thompson an All-Star who claims to abhor interviews has emerged as somewhat of a team spokesman. Twice in the past four days, Thompson, who will also be an unrestricted free agent in July, has vowed that the chatter surrounding free agency hasnt affected the locker room. I think were handling it great, Thompson said Wednesday. You can only control what you can control. You cant listen to media coverage or speculation. There always will be speculation in anything that you do. Thats what we signed up for. Nearly two-thirds of the way through his 12th NBA season, Durant surely recognizes as much. In 2015-16, his final season with Oklahoma City, he seldom went a day without hearing chatter about his upcoming free agency. However, Durant is highly emotional. His history of tweeting under a burner account, juicy sound bites and regrettable Instagram comments has shown that he sometimes makes decisions that only fuel the narrative hed like silenced. By simply reiterating a six-word statement he offered earlier this season (Im not talking about free agency), Durant could at least help quell questions about his mental state. Instead, a player who has been honored for his cooperation with media has gone mysteriously silent. Durant left Oracle Arena after recent games against the Lakers and 76ers without sitting down for his typical news conference. After practice Tuesday, he barely broke stride as he shook off team PR staffers. The only interviews hes done in the past nine days were exclusive sit-downs with TNT last Thursday, CCTV last Friday and 60 Minutes on Monday. Durants next opportunity to speak publicly will be after Wednesday nights Warriors-Spurs game. Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Con_Chron | Kevin Durant hasn't spoken publicly since the Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas. Klay Thompson has emerged as somewhat of a team spokesman. Durant tends to grow sullen when put under intense media scrutiny. | bart | 1 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/warriors/article/What-s-behind-Kevin-Durant-s-mysterious-13595352.php | 0.108727 |
Whats behind Kevin Durants mysterious silence? | When doors opened to media Wednesday morning for Warriors shoot-around, Kevin Durant wasnt on his usual practice court. For a few moments, he lingered in the adjacent weight room, only to disappear through an exit. This is the ninth straight day that Durant hasnt spoken publicly, a media drought that coincides with the Knicks trading a package that featured Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas last week to free up two max-salary slots. Its well-chronicled that Durant tends to grow sullen when put under intense media scrutiny. The only other time Durant shirked his press responsibilities this season was in mid-November, when his on-court spat with Draymond Green was a national talking point. As Durant continues to avoid news conferences or media scrums, Klay Thompson an All-Star who claims to abhor interviews has emerged as somewhat of a team spokesman. Twice in the past four days, Thompson, who will also be an unrestricted free agent in July, has vowed that the chatter surrounding free agency hasnt affected the locker room. I think were handling it great, Thompson said Wednesday. You can only control what you can control. You cant listen to media coverage or speculation. There always will be speculation in anything that you do. Thats what we signed up for. Nearly two-thirds of the way through his 12th NBA season, Durant surely recognizes as much. In 2015-16, his final season with Oklahoma City, he seldom went a day without hearing chatter about his upcoming free agency. However, Durant is highly emotional. His history of tweeting under a burner account, juicy sound bites and regrettable Instagram comments has shown that he sometimes makes decisions that only fuel the narrative hed like silenced. By simply reiterating a six-word statement he offered earlier this season (Im not talking about free agency), Durant could at least help quell questions about his mental state. Instead, a player who has been honored for his cooperation with media has gone mysteriously silent. Durant left Oracle Arena after recent games against the Lakers and 76ers without sitting down for his typical news conference. After practice Tuesday, he barely broke stride as he shook off team PR staffers. The only interviews hes done in the past nine days were exclusive sit-downs with TNT last Thursday, CCTV last Friday and 60 Minutes on Monday. Durants next opportunity to speak publicly will be after Wednesday nights Warriors-Spurs game. Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Con_Chron | Kevin Durant hasn't spoken publicly since the Knicks traded Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas. Klay Thompson has emerged as somewhat of a team spokesman. Durant tends to grow sullen when put under intense media scrutiny. The only other time Durant shirked his press responsibilities was in mid-November. | bart | 2 | https://www.sfchronicle.com/warriors/article/What-s-behind-Kevin-Durant-s-mysterious-13595352.php | 0.151523 |
Who Is Matt Duss, and Can He Take On Washingtons Blob? | 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. Forty-five years after Congress passed the War Powers Resolution over Richard Nixons veto, the Senate finally invoked its power to end a war. This past December, 56 senators voted to cut off all US support for Saudi Arabias horrific military campaign in Yemen, which began in the final years of the Obama administration, sharply escalated under Donald Trump, and has led to the deaths of an estimated 85,000 children due to starvation.1 Ad Policy The morning of the vote, Bernie Sanders addressed his Senate colleagues next to a photo of an emaciated Yemeni child and urged them to pass the resolution, which hed introduced along with co-sponsors Mike Lee, a Republican, and Chris Murphy, a Democrat. We have been providing the bombs the Saudi-led coalition is using, refueling their planes before they drop those bombs, and assisting with intelligence, Sanders said. In too many cases, our weapons are being used to kill civilians.2 As the Vermont senator spoke, a 6-foot-5, bespectacled bear of a man sat quietly beside him. Matt Duss, 46, has recently become one of the most significant figures reshaping progressive foreign policy in the Trump era. Since February 2017, when Sanders hired him as his foreign-policy adviser, Duss has played a key role in advancing the Yemen resolution and has deeply informed Sanderss growing emphasis on international affairs.3 I give Matt an extraordinary amount of credit on Yemen, says Representative Ro Khanna, who introduced the joint resolution in the House. Hes the principal reason that Sanders took this huge risk in introducing the War Powers Resolution in the Senate and agreeing to [support] what we had introduced in the House.4 Related Article The American Empires History of Amnesia Tom Engelhardt Sanders is reportedly about to announce a second presidential run, and attention is already turning to his foreign-policy views. In his 2016 campaign, Sanderss primary focus was on domestic economic issues, and many critics regarded him as a lightweight on foreign policy. This time around, Sanders has won over skeptics in the foreign-policy establishment with substantive speeches in 2017 and 2018, laying out a comprehensive vision for Americas role in the world. Beyond wanting to end or prevent wars in the Middle East, Sanders has also linked the global rise of authoritarian populism to wealth inequality, and has called for an international progressive movement to combat authoritarian leaders and kleptocrats from Russia to Brazil. And while Duss doesnt want to take credit for what he says are his bosss deeply held views, he has had a hand in all of this.5 To the extent that Sanders is raising new ideas and challenging the interventionist consensus that has long dominated Washington, it makes sense that hes relying on the advice of a relative outsider. The nations capital is infamously a town of straight-A students who hustled their way through the most elite schools and prestigious internships in pursuit of power. Duss took a more meandering path, playing in bands and working odd jobs for years before finishing college in his early 30s. He then spent the next decade influencing the public debate, mainly as a blogger, before finally emerging as a Senate staffer.6 Duss is now gaining prominence at a pivotal moment for progressive foreign policy. Since the end of the Cold War, leading Democrats have broadly subscribed to the liberal-internationalist doctrine, with its emphasis on free-trade pacts, military coalitions to overthrow dictators and prevent atrocities, and, since 9/11, ruthless prosecution of the War on Terror; any differences with their Republican colleagues have often been more of degree than kind. Foreign-policy critics on the left, meanwhile, have generally been relegated to academia and the alternative media, and have focused mainly on challenging the excesses of empire, not on articulating a more positive and ambitious global vision.7 Current Issue View our current issue More than most policy-makers, Duss is a product of that left-leaning tradition. His ascension was in many ways made possible by the political earthquake of 2016not just Trumps election, but the defeat of Hillary Clinton, the enduring influence of Sanders, and the emergence of a new generation of progressives who have grown up amid endless wars. The open question is whether Duss and others like him are capable of taking on the foreign-policy worlds entrenched status quo.8 Duss was born in 1972 in the Hudson Valley town of Nyack, an hour north of Manhattan. His mother, a nurse, came from a family of truck drivers in rural western Pennsylvania; his father, a journalist and aid worker, was born in a displaced-persons camp in Germany after his family, some of whom had been kulaks in Ukraine, survived famine under Stalin and some of the worst carnage of World War II. When Dusss father was 2, his family emigrated to the United States and settled in Brooklyn. Despite their very different origins, Dusss father and mother shared an evangelical faith; they met while attending a missionary-training college in Nyack, where they eventually settled.9 Were a family of refugees, Duss tells me over brunch near his home in northern Virginia. Thats always been part of my understanding of where we came from. Because of his family history, Duss says, he never had any illusions about Soviet communism, but he does identify as a man of the left, a strong social democrat perfectly at home with Sanderss political program.10 Duss himself grew up in a tight-knit community of evangelical Christians. While he wrestled with his faith throughout his teens and early adulthoodhe describes himself as pro-choice, proLGBTQ rights, and very liberalthe communitarian and humanitarian aspects of Christianity remain central to his life.11 In 1983, his family relocated for a year to a refugee-processing center in the Philippines to work with a Christian NGO there. From age 10 to 11, Duss attended a Christian boarding school while helping refugees from Southeast Asia prepare for life in North America. He was in Manila at the time of the assassination of opposition politician Benigno Aquino, a critic of the US-aligned dictator Ferdinand Marcos. It was an interesting vantage point for how the US was perceived elsewhere, he says. Obviously, I couldnt fully understand or engage with the political conversation therebut still, it made an impression.12 Exposure to the wider world left Duss feeling more isolated from his peers back home. Once a promising student, in junior high he became disengaged from school, grappling with his religious upbringing and preferring music to homework. At 15, he took up guitar, his influences ranging from Van Halen to indie groups like the Replacements, the Pixies, and Dinosaur Jr. It was through playing in bands that he found his peer group, which included an Iraqi-American singer who helped personalize the first Gulf War for him. I just was uncomfortable with America sending troops around the world, Duss says.13 After two and a half years at a small Christian college in Massachusetts, Duss found himself unmotivated and returned home to Nyack, where he worked in a variety of menial jobs while pursuing his true passions: playing guitar and writing fiction. In 1994, he moved to Seattle, where he met his wife, and where he first became involved in politics via anti-globalization activism and Ralph Naders 2000 presidential campaign.14 Duss became fascinated with the Muslim world on a trip to Istanbul for a friends wedding in 2000. He found the experience of being awakened by the morning call to prayer transformative, and began reading obsessively about Islamic history and politics. The 9/11 attacks the following year left him frustrated and concerned about the way the US media portrayed Muslims and the Middle East, and for the first time in his life he felt a sense of political mission. At a time when many US policy-makers were encouraging open-ended war across the Muslim world, Duss dedicated himself to understanding the societies that would bear the brunt of such a policy.15 In 2002, Duss transferred from community college to the University of Washington, where he finally earned his bachelors degree at 31 and his masters at 34 while studying Arabic and raising a newborn. He wrote his thesis on Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric who had become the political and spiritual leader of the insurgency against the US-led coalition occupying Iraq.16 After finishing his academic work, Duss and his family moved back east and settled in Alexandria, Virginia. Duss quickly took to the Beltway blogosphere and started several websites, including one dedicated to monitoring the Islamophobic writings of Marty Peretz, then publisher of The New Republic. He began receiving wider recognition writing about the Middle East for The American Prospect. That eventually earned him a staff job at the Center for American Progress, where in early 2008 he became editor of the national-security team for the liberal think tanks affiliated blog, ThinkProgress. If TAP was like getting signed to Sub Pop, says Duss, referring to the indie label that launched bands like Nirvana and Sleater-Kinney, going to CAP was like a major label.17 His success is an argument for all kinds of diversity in the foreign-policy community, says Heather Hurlburt, a former State Department official during Bill Clintons presidency. Perhaps ironically, its also a vindication of [CAP founder] John Podesta, of all people, whose early vision for the Center for American Progress was that it would hire and pay talented young people who didnt come from super-privileged traditional backgrounds.18 At the same time that Duss was starting at CAP, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were engaged in a heated presidential primary. During a January 2008 debate, Obama contrasted his opposition to the Iraq War with Clintons initial support for it. I dont want to just end the war, Obama said. I want to end the mind-set that got us into war in the first place. For Duss, this line was like hearing [Jimi Hendrixs] Voodoo Child (Slight Return) for the first time. Its like, That is rock and roll.19 Matt has always been willing to challenge underlying assumptions about the conduct of American foreign policy, says Ben Rhodes, one of Obamas closest national-security advisers. He rightly seized on President Obamas statementand he held us to that standard for eight years.20 The Obama administration often struggled to hold itself to that same standard. The idealism that appealed to Duss and many others produced some significant achievements, notably the Iran nuclear deal, the reestablishment of relations with Cuba, and the Paris climate accord. But Obama didnt end US military operations in Iraq or Afghanistan, and he launched new, undeclared wars in several other countries in the Muslim world. He authorized record sums of military aid to Israel and Saudi Arabia despite the atrocities they committed in the Gaza Strip and Yemen. He championed the Arab Spring, then stood by the Gulf monarchies and the Egyptian military junta as they snuffed it out.21 Obamas foreign-policy record disappointed many activists and writers on the left. But inside the Beltway and among key Democratic institutions, it had plenty of defenders, including some who would clash directly with Duss once hed entered the think-tank world.22 Duss worked at CAP until 2014 and blogged prolifically for ThinkProgress, where he was an outspoken voice against military interventionism, a critic of Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories, and an advocate of diplomacy with Iran. He co-authored a report on Islamophobia in the world of conservative donor networks and think tanks, making his share of enemies in the process. He also helped identify and recruit like-minded writers to the site, including Ali Gharib (now an editor at The Intercept) and Eli Clifton (now a fellow at Type Media Center).23 Initially, Duss had a significant degree of freedom to express his opinions at ThinkProgress, which he attributes to Podestas hands-off approach. Asked whether that approach continued for the entirety of his time at CAP, Duss says simply, No, it didnt.24 In 2011, the year that CAPs current president, Neera Tanden, took over from Podesta, Dusss team drew the ire of pro-Israel organizations and media outlets in Washington. Following an article in Politico by Ben Smith (now editor in chief of BuzzFeed News) spotlighting ThinkProgresss critical coverage of Israel, Duss and several other CAP writers felt targeted. The goal of that piece was definitely to start a campaign against us, says Duss, who adds that he has no personal resentment toward Smith and respects much of his work. It was clear he was working off of an opposition document that had been shopped to him that was later leaked. Duss specifically calls out the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), The Washington Free Beacon, and some members of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies for coordinating a campaign against him and his colleagues.25 Reporters get information from all sorts of places, and from people with all sorts of motives, Ben Smith says in response. That was an accurate story about the differences on Israel inside a Democratic institutiona story that is obviously still playing out in the party. In any case, Gharib and Clifton would voluntarily leave CAP after what Duss says was significant internal pressure that interfered with their work. Duss remained at the organization for three more years, essentially daring the higher-ups to fire him.26 Faiz Shakir, who ran ThinkProgress at the time and hired all of the writers targeted by AIPAC, still speaks warmly of Duss. Matt was advocating for the Iranian deal long before it was mainstreamed; he was also warning of the consequences of [Israels] settlement expansion long before the Obama administration tried to take a hard line on the issue, says Shakir, now the ACLUs national political director. For his work, he obviously engendered opposition from powerful groups who didnt want to see ideological movement on those issues.27 Tandens only comment for this profile was delivered via her communications director: While at CAP, Matt Duss made important contributions to our national-security team, and he has done critical work since.28 While its clearly a sensitive subject for all parties involved, the tensions from the CAP incident presaged deeper divides within progressive policy circles. Tanden was an outspoken critic of Dusss future boss Sanders during the 2016 Democratic primaries and remains so today. CAPs acceptance of funds from the United Arab Emirates, which started during her tenure, was recently a source of significant internal turmoil, as was Tandens 2015 event with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whereas Duss has vociferously criticized both the UAE and Israeli governments for years. His experience at CAP speaks to the limits of trying to challenge donors and policy-makers within powerful Democratic Partyaligned organizationslimits that Sanders will likely run into again if he seeks to reform foreign policy in a progressive direction.29 In 2014, Duss left CAP to become president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, a small nonprofit that provides grants to Israeli, Palestinian, and American civil-society groups. While at FMEP, Duss participated in working groups in coordination with Ben Rhodes to support the Obama administrations nuclear deal with Iran, which faced significant opposition from hawks and pro-Israel groups in Congress.30 Several times during Dusss tenure at both CAP and FMEP, some neoconservative and pro-Israel critics accused him of anti-Semitism, a charge that he finds hurtful and absurd. A 2013 article in The Washington Free Beacon insinuated that Duss, his brother, and his father are all hostile to Jews, largely relying on their persistent criticism of the Israeli occupation as evidence. In 2015, a Republican congressman issued a press release accusing Duss and his family of anti-Sematic [sic] ties, again citing as evidence their criticism of the Israeli government. Any fair reading of my workand, frankly, my liferefutes that plainly, Duss says.31 Dusss deep interest in the Israel-Palestine conflict is rooted in both his Christian upbringing and his humanitarian instincts. The first of his many visits to Israel and the occupied territories was in 2003, in the middle of the second intifada, while his brother was doing relief work there. A bus had blown up in Jerusalem a week before, so the reality of terrorism is there; you have to recognize it, Duss says. But at the same time, watching the daily indignity and humiliation and violence that is visited on Palestinian civilians in multiple ways theres no justification for that.32 The public conversation about Israel has shifted in the past few years. Younger Jews on college campuses and elsewhere have become disenchanted with Israel and more critical of the occupation, and this has created more space in the media and in politics for views like Dusss. The new Congress includes several Democrats who have endorsed the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, a position that many other Democrats not only oppose but are trying to make illegal. Neither Duss nor Sanders has endorsed boycotting Israel, but both have defended the right to engage in such boycotts, and in 2015 Duss testified before Congress that it is a mistake to focus on the BDS movement while ignoring the main reason for its continued growth, which is the failure to end the occupation. While some BDS activists may consider that a moderate position, no one has ever voiced it in the context of a presidential campaign.33 During the 2016 Democratic primary contest between Clinton and Sanders, Duss bemoaned the absence of a real foreign-policy debate. At the time, many progressives were frustrated with Clintons reflexive hawkishness, on the one hand, and Sanderss perceived lack of a serious interest in international affairs, on the other.34 Had Clinton defeated Trump that fall, Duss expected to remain at FMEP and attempt to push the new administration toward a more progressive approach to the Middle East. Instead, mere weeks after Trumps shocking victory, Duss met with Sanders in person and soon found himself working for the Vermont senator, taking a pay cut in order to directly shape policy on Capitol Hill. Hes very much like he is in public, except funnier, Duss says of Sanders, and thats how I immediately knew we could work together.35 While they come from very different backgrounds, Sanders and Duss share something important in common: At least by Washington standards, they both spent their 20s adrift. After graduating from the University of Chicago, where he was more interested in activism than in grades, Sanders moved to Vermont and worked as a carpenter while making radical film strips and writing for alternative publications. He didnt win an election until he was 39, didnt go to Washington for another decade after that, and has only emerged as a leading national figure in the past few years. Like Duss, Sanders has stubbornly held onto a set of core ideals and waited, at whatever cost to his career, for the national debate to shift his way. As Duss puts it, both mens identities were fully formed outside the Beltway.36 People with Matts views dont always work within the US government, so I was glad he took on his current role as an adviser for Bernie, Ben Rhodes says. Its good for the Senate to have a progressive activist in that role, and its good for someone like Matt to learn how to navigate the complexity of being a Senate staffer. Rhodes, who rocketed to international influence at 29 on the basis of his mind meld with Obama, is the most obvious example of the kind of role that Duss might be expected to play in a Sanders administration. Rhodes was also a critic of the US foreign-policy establishment, which he dubbed the Blob, and its interventionist consensusand during his time in the White House, he made many of the same enemies that Duss has.37 Related Article Washington Trained Guatemalas Killers for Decades Greg Grandin and Elizabeth Oglesby In the lead-up to the 2020 Democratic primaries, a number of the expected major contenders have tacked left on the domestic-policy issues that Sanders staked out in 2016. But no one has indicated as clearly as Sanders that there needs to be a break with the foreign-policy consensus that Clinton embodied and would have reinforced. No one besides Sanders has hired an adviser with such a clear track record of defying the Blob. But while foreign policy could be an issue that attracts activists to Sanders, it will also likely inspire attacks, especially with regard to Israel. In fact, Ann Lewis, a pro-Israel Democratic operative who pressured CAP over Duss and his cohort in 2012, now co-chairs a well-funded new organization, the Democratic Majority for Israel, dedicated to countering the growing criticism of Israel among progressives.38 Then again, the world has changed a lot in the past decade, and some Democrats are optimistic about ending the status quo. Matt represents a real break from interventionist thinking, says Ro Khanna, and its why foreign policy is going to be an advantage for Bernie Sanders if he runs. Last time, they said he was naive on foreign policy. This time, hes responsible for the biggest foreign-policy success of the past few years, with the Yemen vote. And I would give a lot of credit to Matt Duss.39 Duss himself is insistently modest, refusing to claim any special credit for Sanderss perceived new outspokenness. He compares his boss to the legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. One of Miless real geniuses was as a band leader, assembling the best players of the moment and getting them to play better than they ever had beforeand in many cases than they ever would again, Duss says. This is the best band Ive ever played in.40 | Matt Duss, 46, has recently become one of the most significant figures reshaping progressive foreign policy in the Trump era. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.thenation.com/article/matt-duss-bernie-sanders-foreign-policy-blob/ | 0.220078 |
Who Is Matt Duss, and Can He Take On Washingtons Blob? | 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. Forty-five years after Congress passed the War Powers Resolution over Richard Nixons veto, the Senate finally invoked its power to end a war. This past December, 56 senators voted to cut off all US support for Saudi Arabias horrific military campaign in Yemen, which began in the final years of the Obama administration, sharply escalated under Donald Trump, and has led to the deaths of an estimated 85,000 children due to starvation.1 Ad Policy The morning of the vote, Bernie Sanders addressed his Senate colleagues next to a photo of an emaciated Yemeni child and urged them to pass the resolution, which hed introduced along with co-sponsors Mike Lee, a Republican, and Chris Murphy, a Democrat. We have been providing the bombs the Saudi-led coalition is using, refueling their planes before they drop those bombs, and assisting with intelligence, Sanders said. In too many cases, our weapons are being used to kill civilians.2 As the Vermont senator spoke, a 6-foot-5, bespectacled bear of a man sat quietly beside him. Matt Duss, 46, has recently become one of the most significant figures reshaping progressive foreign policy in the Trump era. Since February 2017, when Sanders hired him as his foreign-policy adviser, Duss has played a key role in advancing the Yemen resolution and has deeply informed Sanderss growing emphasis on international affairs.3 I give Matt an extraordinary amount of credit on Yemen, says Representative Ro Khanna, who introduced the joint resolution in the House. Hes the principal reason that Sanders took this huge risk in introducing the War Powers Resolution in the Senate and agreeing to [support] what we had introduced in the House.4 Related Article The American Empires History of Amnesia Tom Engelhardt Sanders is reportedly about to announce a second presidential run, and attention is already turning to his foreign-policy views. In his 2016 campaign, Sanderss primary focus was on domestic economic issues, and many critics regarded him as a lightweight on foreign policy. This time around, Sanders has won over skeptics in the foreign-policy establishment with substantive speeches in 2017 and 2018, laying out a comprehensive vision for Americas role in the world. Beyond wanting to end or prevent wars in the Middle East, Sanders has also linked the global rise of authoritarian populism to wealth inequality, and has called for an international progressive movement to combat authoritarian leaders and kleptocrats from Russia to Brazil. And while Duss doesnt want to take credit for what he says are his bosss deeply held views, he has had a hand in all of this.5 To the extent that Sanders is raising new ideas and challenging the interventionist consensus that has long dominated Washington, it makes sense that hes relying on the advice of a relative outsider. The nations capital is infamously a town of straight-A students who hustled their way through the most elite schools and prestigious internships in pursuit of power. Duss took a more meandering path, playing in bands and working odd jobs for years before finishing college in his early 30s. He then spent the next decade influencing the public debate, mainly as a blogger, before finally emerging as a Senate staffer.6 Duss is now gaining prominence at a pivotal moment for progressive foreign policy. Since the end of the Cold War, leading Democrats have broadly subscribed to the liberal-internationalist doctrine, with its emphasis on free-trade pacts, military coalitions to overthrow dictators and prevent atrocities, and, since 9/11, ruthless prosecution of the War on Terror; any differences with their Republican colleagues have often been more of degree than kind. Foreign-policy critics on the left, meanwhile, have generally been relegated to academia and the alternative media, and have focused mainly on challenging the excesses of empire, not on articulating a more positive and ambitious global vision.7 Current Issue View our current issue More than most policy-makers, Duss is a product of that left-leaning tradition. His ascension was in many ways made possible by the political earthquake of 2016not just Trumps election, but the defeat of Hillary Clinton, the enduring influence of Sanders, and the emergence of a new generation of progressives who have grown up amid endless wars. The open question is whether Duss and others like him are capable of taking on the foreign-policy worlds entrenched status quo.8 Duss was born in 1972 in the Hudson Valley town of Nyack, an hour north of Manhattan. His mother, a nurse, came from a family of truck drivers in rural western Pennsylvania; his father, a journalist and aid worker, was born in a displaced-persons camp in Germany after his family, some of whom had been kulaks in Ukraine, survived famine under Stalin and some of the worst carnage of World War II. When Dusss father was 2, his family emigrated to the United States and settled in Brooklyn. Despite their very different origins, Dusss father and mother shared an evangelical faith; they met while attending a missionary-training college in Nyack, where they eventually settled.9 Were a family of refugees, Duss tells me over brunch near his home in northern Virginia. Thats always been part of my understanding of where we came from. Because of his family history, Duss says, he never had any illusions about Soviet communism, but he does identify as a man of the left, a strong social democrat perfectly at home with Sanderss political program.10 Duss himself grew up in a tight-knit community of evangelical Christians. While he wrestled with his faith throughout his teens and early adulthoodhe describes himself as pro-choice, proLGBTQ rights, and very liberalthe communitarian and humanitarian aspects of Christianity remain central to his life.11 In 1983, his family relocated for a year to a refugee-processing center in the Philippines to work with a Christian NGO there. From age 10 to 11, Duss attended a Christian boarding school while helping refugees from Southeast Asia prepare for life in North America. He was in Manila at the time of the assassination of opposition politician Benigno Aquino, a critic of the US-aligned dictator Ferdinand Marcos. It was an interesting vantage point for how the US was perceived elsewhere, he says. Obviously, I couldnt fully understand or engage with the political conversation therebut still, it made an impression.12 Exposure to the wider world left Duss feeling more isolated from his peers back home. Once a promising student, in junior high he became disengaged from school, grappling with his religious upbringing and preferring music to homework. At 15, he took up guitar, his influences ranging from Van Halen to indie groups like the Replacements, the Pixies, and Dinosaur Jr. It was through playing in bands that he found his peer group, which included an Iraqi-American singer who helped personalize the first Gulf War for him. I just was uncomfortable with America sending troops around the world, Duss says.13 After two and a half years at a small Christian college in Massachusetts, Duss found himself unmotivated and returned home to Nyack, where he worked in a variety of menial jobs while pursuing his true passions: playing guitar and writing fiction. In 1994, he moved to Seattle, where he met his wife, and where he first became involved in politics via anti-globalization activism and Ralph Naders 2000 presidential campaign.14 Duss became fascinated with the Muslim world on a trip to Istanbul for a friends wedding in 2000. He found the experience of being awakened by the morning call to prayer transformative, and began reading obsessively about Islamic history and politics. The 9/11 attacks the following year left him frustrated and concerned about the way the US media portrayed Muslims and the Middle East, and for the first time in his life he felt a sense of political mission. At a time when many US policy-makers were encouraging open-ended war across the Muslim world, Duss dedicated himself to understanding the societies that would bear the brunt of such a policy.15 In 2002, Duss transferred from community college to the University of Washington, where he finally earned his bachelors degree at 31 and his masters at 34 while studying Arabic and raising a newborn. He wrote his thesis on Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric who had become the political and spiritual leader of the insurgency against the US-led coalition occupying Iraq.16 After finishing his academic work, Duss and his family moved back east and settled in Alexandria, Virginia. Duss quickly took to the Beltway blogosphere and started several websites, including one dedicated to monitoring the Islamophobic writings of Marty Peretz, then publisher of The New Republic. He began receiving wider recognition writing about the Middle East for The American Prospect. That eventually earned him a staff job at the Center for American Progress, where in early 2008 he became editor of the national-security team for the liberal think tanks affiliated blog, ThinkProgress. If TAP was like getting signed to Sub Pop, says Duss, referring to the indie label that launched bands like Nirvana and Sleater-Kinney, going to CAP was like a major label.17 His success is an argument for all kinds of diversity in the foreign-policy community, says Heather Hurlburt, a former State Department official during Bill Clintons presidency. Perhaps ironically, its also a vindication of [CAP founder] John Podesta, of all people, whose early vision for the Center for American Progress was that it would hire and pay talented young people who didnt come from super-privileged traditional backgrounds.18 At the same time that Duss was starting at CAP, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were engaged in a heated presidential primary. During a January 2008 debate, Obama contrasted his opposition to the Iraq War with Clintons initial support for it. I dont want to just end the war, Obama said. I want to end the mind-set that got us into war in the first place. For Duss, this line was like hearing [Jimi Hendrixs] Voodoo Child (Slight Return) for the first time. Its like, That is rock and roll.19 Matt has always been willing to challenge underlying assumptions about the conduct of American foreign policy, says Ben Rhodes, one of Obamas closest national-security advisers. He rightly seized on President Obamas statementand he held us to that standard for eight years.20 The Obama administration often struggled to hold itself to that same standard. The idealism that appealed to Duss and many others produced some significant achievements, notably the Iran nuclear deal, the reestablishment of relations with Cuba, and the Paris climate accord. But Obama didnt end US military operations in Iraq or Afghanistan, and he launched new, undeclared wars in several other countries in the Muslim world. He authorized record sums of military aid to Israel and Saudi Arabia despite the atrocities they committed in the Gaza Strip and Yemen. He championed the Arab Spring, then stood by the Gulf monarchies and the Egyptian military junta as they snuffed it out.21 Obamas foreign-policy record disappointed many activists and writers on the left. But inside the Beltway and among key Democratic institutions, it had plenty of defenders, including some who would clash directly with Duss once hed entered the think-tank world.22 Duss worked at CAP until 2014 and blogged prolifically for ThinkProgress, where he was an outspoken voice against military interventionism, a critic of Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories, and an advocate of diplomacy with Iran. He co-authored a report on Islamophobia in the world of conservative donor networks and think tanks, making his share of enemies in the process. He also helped identify and recruit like-minded writers to the site, including Ali Gharib (now an editor at The Intercept) and Eli Clifton (now a fellow at Type Media Center).23 Initially, Duss had a significant degree of freedom to express his opinions at ThinkProgress, which he attributes to Podestas hands-off approach. Asked whether that approach continued for the entirety of his time at CAP, Duss says simply, No, it didnt.24 In 2011, the year that CAPs current president, Neera Tanden, took over from Podesta, Dusss team drew the ire of pro-Israel organizations and media outlets in Washington. Following an article in Politico by Ben Smith (now editor in chief of BuzzFeed News) spotlighting ThinkProgresss critical coverage of Israel, Duss and several other CAP writers felt targeted. The goal of that piece was definitely to start a campaign against us, says Duss, who adds that he has no personal resentment toward Smith and respects much of his work. It was clear he was working off of an opposition document that had been shopped to him that was later leaked. Duss specifically calls out the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), The Washington Free Beacon, and some members of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies for coordinating a campaign against him and his colleagues.25 Reporters get information from all sorts of places, and from people with all sorts of motives, Ben Smith says in response. That was an accurate story about the differences on Israel inside a Democratic institutiona story that is obviously still playing out in the party. In any case, Gharib and Clifton would voluntarily leave CAP after what Duss says was significant internal pressure that interfered with their work. Duss remained at the organization for three more years, essentially daring the higher-ups to fire him.26 Faiz Shakir, who ran ThinkProgress at the time and hired all of the writers targeted by AIPAC, still speaks warmly of Duss. Matt was advocating for the Iranian deal long before it was mainstreamed; he was also warning of the consequences of [Israels] settlement expansion long before the Obama administration tried to take a hard line on the issue, says Shakir, now the ACLUs national political director. For his work, he obviously engendered opposition from powerful groups who didnt want to see ideological movement on those issues.27 Tandens only comment for this profile was delivered via her communications director: While at CAP, Matt Duss made important contributions to our national-security team, and he has done critical work since.28 While its clearly a sensitive subject for all parties involved, the tensions from the CAP incident presaged deeper divides within progressive policy circles. Tanden was an outspoken critic of Dusss future boss Sanders during the 2016 Democratic primaries and remains so today. CAPs acceptance of funds from the United Arab Emirates, which started during her tenure, was recently a source of significant internal turmoil, as was Tandens 2015 event with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whereas Duss has vociferously criticized both the UAE and Israeli governments for years. His experience at CAP speaks to the limits of trying to challenge donors and policy-makers within powerful Democratic Partyaligned organizationslimits that Sanders will likely run into again if he seeks to reform foreign policy in a progressive direction.29 In 2014, Duss left CAP to become president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, a small nonprofit that provides grants to Israeli, Palestinian, and American civil-society groups. While at FMEP, Duss participated in working groups in coordination with Ben Rhodes to support the Obama administrations nuclear deal with Iran, which faced significant opposition from hawks and pro-Israel groups in Congress.30 Several times during Dusss tenure at both CAP and FMEP, some neoconservative and pro-Israel critics accused him of anti-Semitism, a charge that he finds hurtful and absurd. A 2013 article in The Washington Free Beacon insinuated that Duss, his brother, and his father are all hostile to Jews, largely relying on their persistent criticism of the Israeli occupation as evidence. In 2015, a Republican congressman issued a press release accusing Duss and his family of anti-Sematic [sic] ties, again citing as evidence their criticism of the Israeli government. Any fair reading of my workand, frankly, my liferefutes that plainly, Duss says.31 Dusss deep interest in the Israel-Palestine conflict is rooted in both his Christian upbringing and his humanitarian instincts. The first of his many visits to Israel and the occupied territories was in 2003, in the middle of the second intifada, while his brother was doing relief work there. A bus had blown up in Jerusalem a week before, so the reality of terrorism is there; you have to recognize it, Duss says. But at the same time, watching the daily indignity and humiliation and violence that is visited on Palestinian civilians in multiple ways theres no justification for that.32 The public conversation about Israel has shifted in the past few years. Younger Jews on college campuses and elsewhere have become disenchanted with Israel and more critical of the occupation, and this has created more space in the media and in politics for views like Dusss. The new Congress includes several Democrats who have endorsed the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, a position that many other Democrats not only oppose but are trying to make illegal. Neither Duss nor Sanders has endorsed boycotting Israel, but both have defended the right to engage in such boycotts, and in 2015 Duss testified before Congress that it is a mistake to focus on the BDS movement while ignoring the main reason for its continued growth, which is the failure to end the occupation. While some BDS activists may consider that a moderate position, no one has ever voiced it in the context of a presidential campaign.33 During the 2016 Democratic primary contest between Clinton and Sanders, Duss bemoaned the absence of a real foreign-policy debate. At the time, many progressives were frustrated with Clintons reflexive hawkishness, on the one hand, and Sanderss perceived lack of a serious interest in international affairs, on the other.34 Had Clinton defeated Trump that fall, Duss expected to remain at FMEP and attempt to push the new administration toward a more progressive approach to the Middle East. Instead, mere weeks after Trumps shocking victory, Duss met with Sanders in person and soon found himself working for the Vermont senator, taking a pay cut in order to directly shape policy on Capitol Hill. Hes very much like he is in public, except funnier, Duss says of Sanders, and thats how I immediately knew we could work together.35 While they come from very different backgrounds, Sanders and Duss share something important in common: At least by Washington standards, they both spent their 20s adrift. After graduating from the University of Chicago, where he was more interested in activism than in grades, Sanders moved to Vermont and worked as a carpenter while making radical film strips and writing for alternative publications. He didnt win an election until he was 39, didnt go to Washington for another decade after that, and has only emerged as a leading national figure in the past few years. Like Duss, Sanders has stubbornly held onto a set of core ideals and waited, at whatever cost to his career, for the national debate to shift his way. As Duss puts it, both mens identities were fully formed outside the Beltway.36 People with Matts views dont always work within the US government, so I was glad he took on his current role as an adviser for Bernie, Ben Rhodes says. Its good for the Senate to have a progressive activist in that role, and its good for someone like Matt to learn how to navigate the complexity of being a Senate staffer. Rhodes, who rocketed to international influence at 29 on the basis of his mind meld with Obama, is the most obvious example of the kind of role that Duss might be expected to play in a Sanders administration. Rhodes was also a critic of the US foreign-policy establishment, which he dubbed the Blob, and its interventionist consensusand during his time in the White House, he made many of the same enemies that Duss has.37 Related Article Washington Trained Guatemalas Killers for Decades Greg Grandin and Elizabeth Oglesby In the lead-up to the 2020 Democratic primaries, a number of the expected major contenders have tacked left on the domestic-policy issues that Sanders staked out in 2016. But no one has indicated as clearly as Sanders that there needs to be a break with the foreign-policy consensus that Clinton embodied and would have reinforced. No one besides Sanders has hired an adviser with such a clear track record of defying the Blob. But while foreign policy could be an issue that attracts activists to Sanders, it will also likely inspire attacks, especially with regard to Israel. In fact, Ann Lewis, a pro-Israel Democratic operative who pressured CAP over Duss and his cohort in 2012, now co-chairs a well-funded new organization, the Democratic Majority for Israel, dedicated to countering the growing criticism of Israel among progressives.38 Then again, the world has changed a lot in the past decade, and some Democrats are optimistic about ending the status quo. Matt represents a real break from interventionist thinking, says Ro Khanna, and its why foreign policy is going to be an advantage for Bernie Sanders if he runs. Last time, they said he was naive on foreign policy. This time, hes responsible for the biggest foreign-policy success of the past few years, with the Yemen vote. And I would give a lot of credit to Matt Duss.39 Duss himself is insistently modest, refusing to claim any special credit for Sanderss perceived new outspokenness. He compares his boss to the legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. One of Miless real geniuses was as a band leader, assembling the best players of the moment and getting them to play better than they ever had beforeand in many cases than they ever would again, Duss says. This is the best band Ive ever played in.40 | Matt Duss, 46, has recently become one of the most significant figures reshaping progressive foreign policy in the Trump era. Duss has played a key role in advancing the Yemen resolution and has deeply informed Sanderss growing emphasis on international affairs. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.thenation.com/article/matt-duss-bernie-sanders-foreign-policy-blob/ | 0.405164 |
How Is China Implementing Blockchain Technology? | From digital payments to robotics, China has been able to leverage quickly and efficiently its role as an economic leader and drive mass technology adoption. The country has built a blockchain wall, an ecosystem composed of three major layers/bricks. At the base of the blockchain-powered nation, forming the foundation of the wall, are institutional investors linked to corporate players: Chinese blockchain projects connecting with powerful CEOs and traditional venture capital firms to raise money. Less importance is placed on marketing and more on the actual technology and product design. Essentially, these projects secure institutional support, then develop real-use cases and pilots, before finally focusing on marketing. It is a top-down approach rather than a bottom-up one, with a high level of pragmatism. The second layer of the wall is composed of a diversified network of universities and incubators that facilitate the growth and development of blockchain initiatives through hackathons and blockchain labs. This solves the main challenge of sourcing talent and helps in building a community of nodes. Due to their younger age, students have higher technology adoption, which represents a key element for any projects development. For blockchains to ultimately succeed, they need the final layer of the wall: a dynamic financial environment and fast-moving regulatory implementation. Despite the gap between the regulated banking industry and the decentralized nature of many blockchain projects, some of the largest financial institutions are considering implementing the technology to improve their processes and their operational efficiency. Bank of China is also expected to increase investment in the development of blockchain technology. On the regulatory side, the fast-paced nature of the technology requires ongoing reviews and improvements. China could benefit from its political structure to move quickly and provide rapid development and approval of any rules related to the technology. China has the right credentials to make massive advancements in the blockchain world. Its not a matter of how or whether it will; its probably just a matter of time. | China has built a blockchain wall, an ecosystem composed of three major layers/bricks. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/fiorenzomanganiello/2019/02/06/how-is-china-implementing-blockchain-technology/ | 0.130511 |
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