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Can a nice guy like Ben Ray Lujn elbow his way to the top? | As assistant speaker, Rep. Ben Ray Lujn (D-N.M.) is tasked with managing a large, historically diverse and at times unwieldy class of more than 60 freshmen. The fourth-ranking House Democrat has built strong ties throughout the caucus, positioning him to rise in leadership. As the 2018 campaign stretched on, House Democrats who did their part to boost the party found themselves getting chile-infused chocolates and pork rinds from Rep. Ben Ray Lujn. They were little gifts from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairmans home state of New Mexico for hosting fundraisers or paying their dues the type of gestures that have made him beloved by colleagues and vaulted him into the partys leadership. Story Continued Below Lujn ranks fourth in a sprawling hierarchy helmed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and is seen as a future contender for one of the caucus top jobs maybe even speaker. But whether a lawmaker known for his congenial, easygoing personality can ascend even higher at a moment when Democrats are burning with anger at President Donald Trump is unclear. And the competition would be fierce. Lujn would square off against an ever-growing roster of seasoned Democrats, some with more name recognition and sharper elbows. In a caucus brimming with egos and a raft of lawmakers eager to move up after years under the same leadership, being the nice guy might not be good enough. Its easy to box a guy like that in, said freshman Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.). [But] he is strategic. He thinks long term. So hes definitely not to be written off. Sign up here for POLITICO Huddle A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. As assistant speaker, Lujn is tasked with managing a large, historically diverse and at times unwieldy class of more than 60 freshmen. But its no secret the six-term lawmaker from Santa Fe is already eyeing his next move. Before the election, Lujn reached out to colleagues to gauge their support for a run at the whip post if it opened up, according to multiple sources. When Democrats won the House and it became clear the top three planned to stay, Lujn aimed for the next highest job in the ranks, and won. Pelosi could serve four more years as caucus leader under self-imposed term limits. But with the top Democrats Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn all near 80 years old, Lujn, 46, is viewed by his peers as a potential successor to one of them in the next few years. Other lawmakers frequently mentioned as potential party leaders include Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the No. 5 Democrat, and Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois. Jeffries holds a weekly news conference as caucus chairman and Bustos is likely to have an outsize spotlight as she leads Democratic efforts to hold on to the House majority as the new chair of the DCCC. Lujn brushed off questions about his future in a half-hour interview in his office recently, instead returning the focus to his new role as a leadership liaison to the freshmen. Theres plenty of time to have conversations about whatever the future may hold, Lujn told POLITICO. In every way that I can support our colleagues, our caucus in delivering with what I think makes a positive difference in peoples lives, thats where my focus is. After helping deliver Democrats the majority and the partys biggest freshman class since the Watergate era, Lujn was easily elected assistant leader after Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island dropped out of the race. Pelosi later changed the title to assistant speaker, raising eyebrows from some members who privately wondered whether she was trying to help position a close ally for a promotion down the road. Although the position has a new title, Lujn occupies the job held by Clyburn during the eight years House Democrats were in the minority. But he has big plans to expand his new role, which had largely been a behind-the-scenes strategy operation under Clyburn. Lujn describes his primary focus as working with the dozens of newly elected Democrats helping to navigate everything from the politics of tough floor votes to the nitty-gritty of setting up IT and signing leases for district offices. Ben Ray Lujan flips through his political strategy playbook as he talks to reporters on Election Day 2018 at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo Democrats say Lujns work to help the new class is particularly crucial for the 40 freshmen who won in red districts, most of whom are already top targets for GOP operatives in 2020. He knows what it took for them to win those seats, said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who watched Lujn crisscross the country for two years ahead of the November elections. Wherever I went, Ben either was there, was going to be there the next day, or had just left. One of those freshmen, Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas, said she's repeatedly leaned on Lujn since arriving in January, especially since she's still building up her own policy team. Ahead of the vote on the bipartisan bill to fund the government, Davids said Lujn sat with her for 15 minutes on the floor going over details in the 1,100-page bill. Lujn is rare in the caucus in that he is close to Pelosi but has also maintained strong ties to Hoyer, Pelosis longtime No. 2, after serving as one of his top whips. Pelosi handpicked Lujn to run the DCCC in 2014, surprising most House Democrats who didnt think the little-known lawmaker was even on the shortlist. Lujn was unanimously picked by his peers to helm the DCCC again in 2016 after the caucus decided to make the position an elected one. Lujns relationships with the freshman class could also lay the foundation for any future leadership run. The group represents a quarter of the Democratic Caucus and will likely play an outsize role in choosing the next slate of party leaders. Lujns current task is made more difficult, however, by how many strong-willed freshmen are eager to upend the status quo on Capitol Hill, even if it means undermining their own leadership. Several new members, including Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, are quick to dispute the idea that they need a middleman to Democratic leadership. Underwood even suggested she would call up Pelosi directly if she had an issue an unthinkable action for most freshman classes in years past. I dont think we need a liaison. I think that Mr. Lujn can be a partner, and a source of advice, Underwood said. Many of the freshmen feel no need to hew to the unwritten rules of seniority that have long governed the caucus, especially those who can harness social media in a way more veteran politicians only dream of doing. Lujn acknowledged that this years freshman class feels different, and said he has no plans to rein them in. What I have seen and what I believe is that you embrace that expertise and that passion, Lujn said. The freshness of their perspective of what is happening across America, and you unleash it. You dont contain it. Democratic leaders, led by Lujn, have made an attempt to keep tabs on the new members, through regular meetings, including sit-downs with Pelosi, as well as a slew of texts, phone calls and emails. Lujn said he makes time to huddle with freshmen every time hes on the floor. He has that rare skill of being a very good listener, said Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, vice chair of the Democratic Caucus, who said shes seen Lujn quickly go from troubleshooting a new members IT issues to pushing major legislation like Democrats anti-corruption bill HR 1. Sometimes good guys finish first, said Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a friend of Lujns. Everyone likes Ben Ray and respects him he brought us to the majority, Pocan added. Thats the bottom line. Lujns charm extends beyond the halls of Congress. Rep. Derek Kilmer of Washington, co-chair of the New Democrat Coalition, said he once stumbled across a small shrine to the New Mexico Democrat at a Star Wars novelty shop in Aberdeen, Wash. Kilmer remembers being stunned when he saw a photograph of Lujn holding a toy Yoda at a place that hed once recommended his colleague visit. When Kilmer asked the storekeeper why hed kept the picture of Lujn who is far from a household name he was told, Because he was the nicest guy ever! | Lujn is seen as a future contender for one of the caucus top jobs maybe even speaker. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/25/ben-ray-lujan-house-democrats-leadership-1179295 | 0.123173 |
Can a nice guy like Ben Ray Lujn elbow his way to the top? | As assistant speaker, Rep. Ben Ray Lujn (D-N.M.) is tasked with managing a large, historically diverse and at times unwieldy class of more than 60 freshmen. The fourth-ranking House Democrat has built strong ties throughout the caucus, positioning him to rise in leadership. As the 2018 campaign stretched on, House Democrats who did their part to boost the party found themselves getting chile-infused chocolates and pork rinds from Rep. Ben Ray Lujn. They were little gifts from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairmans home state of New Mexico for hosting fundraisers or paying their dues the type of gestures that have made him beloved by colleagues and vaulted him into the partys leadership. Story Continued Below Lujn ranks fourth in a sprawling hierarchy helmed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and is seen as a future contender for one of the caucus top jobs maybe even speaker. But whether a lawmaker known for his congenial, easygoing personality can ascend even higher at a moment when Democrats are burning with anger at President Donald Trump is unclear. And the competition would be fierce. Lujn would square off against an ever-growing roster of seasoned Democrats, some with more name recognition and sharper elbows. In a caucus brimming with egos and a raft of lawmakers eager to move up after years under the same leadership, being the nice guy might not be good enough. Its easy to box a guy like that in, said freshman Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.). [But] he is strategic. He thinks long term. So hes definitely not to be written off. Sign up here for POLITICO Huddle A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. As assistant speaker, Lujn is tasked with managing a large, historically diverse and at times unwieldy class of more than 60 freshmen. But its no secret the six-term lawmaker from Santa Fe is already eyeing his next move. Before the election, Lujn reached out to colleagues to gauge their support for a run at the whip post if it opened up, according to multiple sources. When Democrats won the House and it became clear the top three planned to stay, Lujn aimed for the next highest job in the ranks, and won. Pelosi could serve four more years as caucus leader under self-imposed term limits. But with the top Democrats Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn all near 80 years old, Lujn, 46, is viewed by his peers as a potential successor to one of them in the next few years. Other lawmakers frequently mentioned as potential party leaders include Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the No. 5 Democrat, and Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois. Jeffries holds a weekly news conference as caucus chairman and Bustos is likely to have an outsize spotlight as she leads Democratic efforts to hold on to the House majority as the new chair of the DCCC. Lujn brushed off questions about his future in a half-hour interview in his office recently, instead returning the focus to his new role as a leadership liaison to the freshmen. Theres plenty of time to have conversations about whatever the future may hold, Lujn told POLITICO. In every way that I can support our colleagues, our caucus in delivering with what I think makes a positive difference in peoples lives, thats where my focus is. After helping deliver Democrats the majority and the partys biggest freshman class since the Watergate era, Lujn was easily elected assistant leader after Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island dropped out of the race. Pelosi later changed the title to assistant speaker, raising eyebrows from some members who privately wondered whether she was trying to help position a close ally for a promotion down the road. Although the position has a new title, Lujn occupies the job held by Clyburn during the eight years House Democrats were in the minority. But he has big plans to expand his new role, which had largely been a behind-the-scenes strategy operation under Clyburn. Lujn describes his primary focus as working with the dozens of newly elected Democrats helping to navigate everything from the politics of tough floor votes to the nitty-gritty of setting up IT and signing leases for district offices. Ben Ray Lujan flips through his political strategy playbook as he talks to reporters on Election Day 2018 at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo Democrats say Lujns work to help the new class is particularly crucial for the 40 freshmen who won in red districts, most of whom are already top targets for GOP operatives in 2020. He knows what it took for them to win those seats, said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who watched Lujn crisscross the country for two years ahead of the November elections. Wherever I went, Ben either was there, was going to be there the next day, or had just left. One of those freshmen, Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas, said she's repeatedly leaned on Lujn since arriving in January, especially since she's still building up her own policy team. Ahead of the vote on the bipartisan bill to fund the government, Davids said Lujn sat with her for 15 minutes on the floor going over details in the 1,100-page bill. Lujn is rare in the caucus in that he is close to Pelosi but has also maintained strong ties to Hoyer, Pelosis longtime No. 2, after serving as one of his top whips. Pelosi handpicked Lujn to run the DCCC in 2014, surprising most House Democrats who didnt think the little-known lawmaker was even on the shortlist. Lujn was unanimously picked by his peers to helm the DCCC again in 2016 after the caucus decided to make the position an elected one. Lujns relationships with the freshman class could also lay the foundation for any future leadership run. The group represents a quarter of the Democratic Caucus and will likely play an outsize role in choosing the next slate of party leaders. Lujns current task is made more difficult, however, by how many strong-willed freshmen are eager to upend the status quo on Capitol Hill, even if it means undermining their own leadership. Several new members, including Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, are quick to dispute the idea that they need a middleman to Democratic leadership. Underwood even suggested she would call up Pelosi directly if she had an issue an unthinkable action for most freshman classes in years past. I dont think we need a liaison. I think that Mr. Lujn can be a partner, and a source of advice, Underwood said. Many of the freshmen feel no need to hew to the unwritten rules of seniority that have long governed the caucus, especially those who can harness social media in a way more veteran politicians only dream of doing. Lujn acknowledged that this years freshman class feels different, and said he has no plans to rein them in. What I have seen and what I believe is that you embrace that expertise and that passion, Lujn said. The freshness of their perspective of what is happening across America, and you unleash it. You dont contain it. Democratic leaders, led by Lujn, have made an attempt to keep tabs on the new members, through regular meetings, including sit-downs with Pelosi, as well as a slew of texts, phone calls and emails. Lujn said he makes time to huddle with freshmen every time hes on the floor. He has that rare skill of being a very good listener, said Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, vice chair of the Democratic Caucus, who said shes seen Lujn quickly go from troubleshooting a new members IT issues to pushing major legislation like Democrats anti-corruption bill HR 1. Sometimes good guys finish first, said Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a friend of Lujns. Everyone likes Ben Ray and respects him he brought us to the majority, Pocan added. Thats the bottom line. Lujns charm extends beyond the halls of Congress. Rep. Derek Kilmer of Washington, co-chair of the New Democrat Coalition, said he once stumbled across a small shrine to the New Mexico Democrat at a Star Wars novelty shop in Aberdeen, Wash. Kilmer remembers being stunned when he saw a photograph of Lujn holding a toy Yoda at a place that hed once recommended his colleague visit. When Kilmer asked the storekeeper why hed kept the picture of Lujn who is far from a household name he was told, Because he was the nicest guy ever! | Rep. Ben Ray Lujn (D-N.M.) is seen as a future contender for one of the caucus' top jobs. The fourth-ranking House Democrat has built strong ties throughout the caucus, positioning him to rise in leadership. | bart | 1 | https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/25/ben-ray-lujan-house-democrats-leadership-1179295 | 0.18237 |
Can a nice guy like Ben Ray Lujn elbow his way to the top? | As assistant speaker, Rep. Ben Ray Lujn (D-N.M.) is tasked with managing a large, historically diverse and at times unwieldy class of more than 60 freshmen. The fourth-ranking House Democrat has built strong ties throughout the caucus, positioning him to rise in leadership. As the 2018 campaign stretched on, House Democrats who did their part to boost the party found themselves getting chile-infused chocolates and pork rinds from Rep. Ben Ray Lujn. They were little gifts from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairmans home state of New Mexico for hosting fundraisers or paying their dues the type of gestures that have made him beloved by colleagues and vaulted him into the partys leadership. Story Continued Below Lujn ranks fourth in a sprawling hierarchy helmed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and is seen as a future contender for one of the caucus top jobs maybe even speaker. But whether a lawmaker known for his congenial, easygoing personality can ascend even higher at a moment when Democrats are burning with anger at President Donald Trump is unclear. And the competition would be fierce. Lujn would square off against an ever-growing roster of seasoned Democrats, some with more name recognition and sharper elbows. In a caucus brimming with egos and a raft of lawmakers eager to move up after years under the same leadership, being the nice guy might not be good enough. Its easy to box a guy like that in, said freshman Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.). [But] he is strategic. He thinks long term. So hes definitely not to be written off. Sign up here for POLITICO Huddle A daily play-by-play of congressional news in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. As assistant speaker, Lujn is tasked with managing a large, historically diverse and at times unwieldy class of more than 60 freshmen. But its no secret the six-term lawmaker from Santa Fe is already eyeing his next move. Before the election, Lujn reached out to colleagues to gauge their support for a run at the whip post if it opened up, according to multiple sources. When Democrats won the House and it became clear the top three planned to stay, Lujn aimed for the next highest job in the ranks, and won. Pelosi could serve four more years as caucus leader under self-imposed term limits. But with the top Democrats Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn all near 80 years old, Lujn, 46, is viewed by his peers as a potential successor to one of them in the next few years. Other lawmakers frequently mentioned as potential party leaders include Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the No. 5 Democrat, and Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois. Jeffries holds a weekly news conference as caucus chairman and Bustos is likely to have an outsize spotlight as she leads Democratic efforts to hold on to the House majority as the new chair of the DCCC. Lujn brushed off questions about his future in a half-hour interview in his office recently, instead returning the focus to his new role as a leadership liaison to the freshmen. Theres plenty of time to have conversations about whatever the future may hold, Lujn told POLITICO. In every way that I can support our colleagues, our caucus in delivering with what I think makes a positive difference in peoples lives, thats where my focus is. After helping deliver Democrats the majority and the partys biggest freshman class since the Watergate era, Lujn was easily elected assistant leader after Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island dropped out of the race. Pelosi later changed the title to assistant speaker, raising eyebrows from some members who privately wondered whether she was trying to help position a close ally for a promotion down the road. Although the position has a new title, Lujn occupies the job held by Clyburn during the eight years House Democrats were in the minority. But he has big plans to expand his new role, which had largely been a behind-the-scenes strategy operation under Clyburn. Lujn describes his primary focus as working with the dozens of newly elected Democrats helping to navigate everything from the politics of tough floor votes to the nitty-gritty of setting up IT and signing leases for district offices. Ben Ray Lujan flips through his political strategy playbook as he talks to reporters on Election Day 2018 at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo Democrats say Lujns work to help the new class is particularly crucial for the 40 freshmen who won in red districts, most of whom are already top targets for GOP operatives in 2020. He knows what it took for them to win those seats, said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who watched Lujn crisscross the country for two years ahead of the November elections. Wherever I went, Ben either was there, was going to be there the next day, or had just left. One of those freshmen, Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas, said she's repeatedly leaned on Lujn since arriving in January, especially since she's still building up her own policy team. Ahead of the vote on the bipartisan bill to fund the government, Davids said Lujn sat with her for 15 minutes on the floor going over details in the 1,100-page bill. Lujn is rare in the caucus in that he is close to Pelosi but has also maintained strong ties to Hoyer, Pelosis longtime No. 2, after serving as one of his top whips. Pelosi handpicked Lujn to run the DCCC in 2014, surprising most House Democrats who didnt think the little-known lawmaker was even on the shortlist. Lujn was unanimously picked by his peers to helm the DCCC again in 2016 after the caucus decided to make the position an elected one. Lujns relationships with the freshman class could also lay the foundation for any future leadership run. The group represents a quarter of the Democratic Caucus and will likely play an outsize role in choosing the next slate of party leaders. Lujns current task is made more difficult, however, by how many strong-willed freshmen are eager to upend the status quo on Capitol Hill, even if it means undermining their own leadership. Several new members, including Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, are quick to dispute the idea that they need a middleman to Democratic leadership. Underwood even suggested she would call up Pelosi directly if she had an issue an unthinkable action for most freshman classes in years past. I dont think we need a liaison. I think that Mr. Lujn can be a partner, and a source of advice, Underwood said. Many of the freshmen feel no need to hew to the unwritten rules of seniority that have long governed the caucus, especially those who can harness social media in a way more veteran politicians only dream of doing. Lujn acknowledged that this years freshman class feels different, and said he has no plans to rein them in. What I have seen and what I believe is that you embrace that expertise and that passion, Lujn said. The freshness of their perspective of what is happening across America, and you unleash it. You dont contain it. Democratic leaders, led by Lujn, have made an attempt to keep tabs on the new members, through regular meetings, including sit-downs with Pelosi, as well as a slew of texts, phone calls and emails. Lujn said he makes time to huddle with freshmen every time hes on the floor. He has that rare skill of being a very good listener, said Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, vice chair of the Democratic Caucus, who said shes seen Lujn quickly go from troubleshooting a new members IT issues to pushing major legislation like Democrats anti-corruption bill HR 1. Sometimes good guys finish first, said Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a friend of Lujns. Everyone likes Ben Ray and respects him he brought us to the majority, Pocan added. Thats the bottom line. Lujns charm extends beyond the halls of Congress. Rep. Derek Kilmer of Washington, co-chair of the New Democrat Coalition, said he once stumbled across a small shrine to the New Mexico Democrat at a Star Wars novelty shop in Aberdeen, Wash. Kilmer remembers being stunned when he saw a photograph of Lujn holding a toy Yoda at a place that hed once recommended his colleague visit. When Kilmer asked the storekeeper why hed kept the picture of Lujn who is far from a household name he was told, Because he was the nicest guy ever! | New Mexico Rep. Ben Ray Lujn is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman. Lujn is seen as a future contender for one of the caucus top jobs maybe even speaker. Other lawmakers frequently mentioned as potential party leaders include Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Cheri Bustos of Illinois. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/25/ben-ray-lujan-house-democrats-leadership-1179295 | 0.207932 |
Why are the BBC and ITV creating BritBox? | Image copyright BritBox/PA Two inescapable trends are driving the TV business around the world today - one in consumer behaviour, the other in business strategy. The first is exponential growth in streaming, with an accompanied decline in scheduled TV. The second is consolidation among content providers who are desperately seeking scale. BritBox is a marriage of the two. For the BBC, the iPlayer is still a small part of overall viewing, but the key growth area, especially among the younger audiences who much prefer other digital platforms, particularly YouTube. BritBox will sit alongside the BBC's iPlayer growth strategy. This makes sense, because digital delivery of content is not a zero-sum game: BritBox growth will not be at the cost of iPlayer growth, and vice versa. ITV faces a hugely different set of challenges. It is a mostly ad-funded, linear channel - the opposite of Netflix, a subscriber-driven, streaming service. Carolyn McCall, its CEO, says TV advertising is holding up reasonably, despite the uncertainty caused by Brexit. Clubbing together It is an imperative for her, and ITV, that the broadcaster develops a digital offering that reduces reliance on advertising and gathers data on the viewing habits of consumers. ITV Player has done a bit of this. BritBox will supercharge it. Clubbing together to offer the maximum amount of content allows the BBC and ITV to provide a better service than they could alone, at a time when other media giants, such as Disney, are pulling out of Netflix to launch their own direct-to-consumer offerings. The sticking point in negotiations until now has always been how to build technology that reconciles the commercial imperatives of ad-funded ITV with the licence fee-funded BBC - and how the BBC's vast ambitions for the iPlayer sit alongside this new venture. Given the urgency of the BBC and ITV's need to capture the eyeballs of a distracted generation, BritBox is a small but significant new entrant to the video-on-demand business. | BritBox will sit alongside the BBC's iPlayer growth strategy. It makes sense, because digital delivery of content is not a zero-sum game. | bart | 0 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47388140 | 0.139944 |
Why are the BBC and ITV creating BritBox? | Image copyright BritBox/PA Two inescapable trends are driving the TV business around the world today - one in consumer behaviour, the other in business strategy. The first is exponential growth in streaming, with an accompanied decline in scheduled TV. The second is consolidation among content providers who are desperately seeking scale. BritBox is a marriage of the two. For the BBC, the iPlayer is still a small part of overall viewing, but the key growth area, especially among the younger audiences who much prefer other digital platforms, particularly YouTube. BritBox will sit alongside the BBC's iPlayer growth strategy. This makes sense, because digital delivery of content is not a zero-sum game: BritBox growth will not be at the cost of iPlayer growth, and vice versa. ITV faces a hugely different set of challenges. It is a mostly ad-funded, linear channel - the opposite of Netflix, a subscriber-driven, streaming service. Carolyn McCall, its CEO, says TV advertising is holding up reasonably, despite the uncertainty caused by Brexit. Clubbing together It is an imperative for her, and ITV, that the broadcaster develops a digital offering that reduces reliance on advertising and gathers data on the viewing habits of consumers. ITV Player has done a bit of this. BritBox will supercharge it. Clubbing together to offer the maximum amount of content allows the BBC and ITV to provide a better service than they could alone, at a time when other media giants, such as Disney, are pulling out of Netflix to launch their own direct-to-consumer offerings. The sticking point in negotiations until now has always been how to build technology that reconciles the commercial imperatives of ad-funded ITV with the licence fee-funded BBC - and how the BBC's vast ambitions for the iPlayer sit alongside this new venture. Given the urgency of the BBC and ITV's need to capture the eyeballs of a distracted generation, BritBox is a small but significant new entrant to the video-on-demand business. | BritBox will sit alongside the BBC's iPlayer growth strategy. ITV faces a hugely different set of challenges. It is a mostly ad-funded, linear channel - the opposite of Netflix. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47388140 | 0.139789 |
Why are the BBC and ITV creating BritBox? | Image copyright BritBox/PA Two inescapable trends are driving the TV business around the world today - one in consumer behaviour, the other in business strategy. The first is exponential growth in streaming, with an accompanied decline in scheduled TV. The second is consolidation among content providers who are desperately seeking scale. BritBox is a marriage of the two. For the BBC, the iPlayer is still a small part of overall viewing, but the key growth area, especially among the younger audiences who much prefer other digital platforms, particularly YouTube. BritBox will sit alongside the BBC's iPlayer growth strategy. This makes sense, because digital delivery of content is not a zero-sum game: BritBox growth will not be at the cost of iPlayer growth, and vice versa. ITV faces a hugely different set of challenges. It is a mostly ad-funded, linear channel - the opposite of Netflix, a subscriber-driven, streaming service. Carolyn McCall, its CEO, says TV advertising is holding up reasonably, despite the uncertainty caused by Brexit. Clubbing together It is an imperative for her, and ITV, that the broadcaster develops a digital offering that reduces reliance on advertising and gathers data on the viewing habits of consumers. ITV Player has done a bit of this. BritBox will supercharge it. Clubbing together to offer the maximum amount of content allows the BBC and ITV to provide a better service than they could alone, at a time when other media giants, such as Disney, are pulling out of Netflix to launch their own direct-to-consumer offerings. The sticking point in negotiations until now has always been how to build technology that reconciles the commercial imperatives of ad-funded ITV with the licence fee-funded BBC - and how the BBC's vast ambitions for the iPlayer sit alongside this new venture. Given the urgency of the BBC and ITV's need to capture the eyeballs of a distracted generation, BritBox is a small but significant new entrant to the video-on-demand business. | BritBox is a marriage of the two - BBC iPlayer and BritBox. The two channels will offer the same amount of content, but on different platforms. BritBox will sit alongside the BBC's iPlayer growth strategy, and vice versa. It is an imperative for the BBC and ITV, that the broadcaster develops a digital offering that reduces reliance on advertising. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47388140 | 0.358818 |
Is Bernie Sanders a Leftist or a Moderate? | Now consider a third framework for analyzing U.S. politics: a spectrum that runs from most establishment on one end to most anti-establishment on the other. For some Democrats, it will seem obvious that Sanders inhabits the latter pole, back on the left flank of the Democratic field, where he is seeking to rein in billionaires, corporations, and a hawkish military-industrial complex, via a mass movement funded by small donations from a big donor pool. Some of his supporters perceive him as the only credible reformist outsider. But other Democrats more prone to judging individuals based on their immutable traits see Sanders as yet another old, straight, cisgendered white man seeking an office held by similarly privileged sorts for most of U.S. history. That renders him more establishment in their view than a black woman like Kamala Harris, who represents progress in terms of diversity and representation, even if she substantively exacerbated the injustices that the carceral state inflicts on the wrongly accused, arguably harming people at the bottom of socioeconomic and racial hierarchies more than any other candidate. In sum, one cannot draw any easy conclusions about how Democrats will understand Sanderss candidacyor assess his chances of beating President Donald Trumpmerely by knowing whether they want a more centrist or leftist party. While Im an independent, not a Democrat, I dont know where I personally stand on Sanders. Perhaps my uncertainty can further illuminate relevant complications. I value Sanderss opposition to corporate rent-seeking, his anti-war credentials, and his universalist approach to our wonderfully diverse democracy, while I dislike the ideological socialism that caused a younger, hopefully more naive Sanders to praise murderous regimes in Cuba and Nicaragua and to spin Sandinista bread lines as a sign of economic health, as Michael Moynihan documents. (Vermont could set an example to the rest of the nation similar to the type of example Nicaragua is setting for the rest of Latin America, Sanders once declared.) The most indefensible of his bygone comments didnt stop me from preferring an older, hopefully wiser Sanders to Hillary Clinton in 2016the least defensible parts of her record included support for catastrophic wars in Iraq and Libya. While the next president will be unnervingly free to start wars of choice abroad without securing the lawfully required permission from Congress, he or she has no chance of imposing anything close to democratic socialism. Still, I want to see Sanders grapple with the occasions when he has prioritized his commitment to socialism above his commitment to civil liberties. And I want him pressed on what Kmele Foster smartly flagged as the most interesting line in the speech when he announced his 2020 candidacy: We are the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, Sanders declared in order to highlight the unacceptability of U.S. failures to provide for the least well-off. | John Avlon: Some Democrats see Bernie Sanders as an outsider, while others see him as an establishment candidate. Avlon says it's too early to tell whether Sanders is a leftist or a moderate. He says Sanders' record on foreign policy has been questionable. Avlin: Sanders should be pressed on his record on civil liberties. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/02/sanders-democrats/583519/?utm_source=feed | 0.188853 |
Could Carolina emerge as an Antonio Brown suitor? | Its known that the Steelers dont want to send receiver Antonio Brown to a division rival or the Patriots. Its been speculated that Brown could land with the 49ers or the Cardinals. Peter King has thrown a few darts in a different direction as part of Mondays Football Morning in America column. Scroll to continue with content Ad New owner David Tepper, a Pittsburgh guy, went to Pitt and then Carnegie Mellon, and donated $55 million to CMU, which now has a Tepper School of Business in his honor, King writes. He bought a 5 percent stake in the Steelers in 2009, preceding his purchase of the Panthers last year. So hell know the holes in Browns persona, but hell also know the difference Brown could make in a passing game that needs a downfield threat. Brown has averaged 114 catches and 1,524 yards a year for the past six years with the deep-armed Ben Roethlisberger, and hell be motivated to keep the distractions to a minimum so he can earn a new deal. Tepper is motivated to inject new life into a 24-25 team since Carolinas Super Bowl appearance three years ago. Though G.M. Marty Hurney is a conservative type by nature, I think he could be convinced to take a shot on this get-rich-quick scheme. Itd thrill Cam Newton too. The Tepper connection bears watching, given that he either knows or should be in position to find out what he needs to know about Brown. And thats the flip side to this one; if the Panthers dont make a move for Brown, maybe other teams without that inside information should take heed of Teppers tepid reaction to Brown being available. King also suggests Washington, the Raiders, the Bucs, and the Jets as possible Brown destinations. Story continues The Steelers claim they want significant compensation, Brown claims he wants a new deal, and it will not be easy for a new team to thread the needle on this. If the Panthers dont even try, maybe no one else should, either. | Peter King says the Panthers could be interested in signing Antonio Brown. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-carolina-emerge-antonio-brown-150048924.html?src=rss | 0.125554 |
Could Carolina emerge as an Antonio Brown suitor? | Its known that the Steelers dont want to send receiver Antonio Brown to a division rival or the Patriots. Its been speculated that Brown could land with the 49ers or the Cardinals. Peter King has thrown a few darts in a different direction as part of Mondays Football Morning in America column. Scroll to continue with content Ad New owner David Tepper, a Pittsburgh guy, went to Pitt and then Carnegie Mellon, and donated $55 million to CMU, which now has a Tepper School of Business in his honor, King writes. He bought a 5 percent stake in the Steelers in 2009, preceding his purchase of the Panthers last year. So hell know the holes in Browns persona, but hell also know the difference Brown could make in a passing game that needs a downfield threat. Brown has averaged 114 catches and 1,524 yards a year for the past six years with the deep-armed Ben Roethlisberger, and hell be motivated to keep the distractions to a minimum so he can earn a new deal. Tepper is motivated to inject new life into a 24-25 team since Carolinas Super Bowl appearance three years ago. Though G.M. Marty Hurney is a conservative type by nature, I think he could be convinced to take a shot on this get-rich-quick scheme. Itd thrill Cam Newton too. The Tepper connection bears watching, given that he either knows or should be in position to find out what he needs to know about Brown. And thats the flip side to this one; if the Panthers dont make a move for Brown, maybe other teams without that inside information should take heed of Teppers tepid reaction to Brown being available. King also suggests Washington, the Raiders, the Bucs, and the Jets as possible Brown destinations. Story continues The Steelers claim they want significant compensation, Brown claims he wants a new deal, and it will not be easy for a new team to thread the needle on this. If the Panthers dont even try, maybe no one else should, either. | Peter King says the Panthers could be interested in signing Antonio Brown. The Panthers' new owner, David Tepper, owns a 5 percent stake in the Steelers. King also suggests Washington, the Raiders, the Bucs, and the Jets as possible Brown destinations. Click here for more NFL news. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-carolina-emerge-antonio-brown-150048924.html?src=rss | 0.212954 |
Is YouTube safe for kids? | Every minute, 400 hours of content is uploaded to YouTube. With this kind of volume, some parents question whether or not the site can ever be truly safe for kids. In early 2019, one parent found a video on YouTube Kids with hidden instructions on how to commit suicide. Many parents feel that no matter how many parental controls the site rolls out, YouTube can never be completely safe. Others trust that YouTube does everything in its power to purge problematic material around the clock. In early 2019, one mother in Florida was horrified to find instructions on how to commit suicide spliced into a video on YouTube Kids, a section of YouTube dedicated to "family-friendly" content. The Daily Mail's Tim Stickings reported that the so-called "instructions" were hidden four minutes and 45 seconds into a seven-minute video. In the clip a man signals with his hand on his wrist, giving specific advice on how to slit them to 'get results'. CNN's Doug Criss added that the mother, Free Hess, first saw this video in July of 2018. YouTube promptly took the video down, only for Hess to find it again in February. Upon further investigation, Hess was shocked to find more dangerous content on YouTube Kids: When Hess went to YouTube Kids and started exploring the site, what she saw there shocked her. She said she found videos glorifying not only suicide but sexual exploitation and abuse, human trafficking, gun violence and domestic violence. One video, inspired by the popular Minecraft video game, even depicted a school shooting. Florida mother finds horrific suicide clip on YouTube Kids But according to YouTube, the site does everything within its power to prevent content like this from appearing on YouTube Kids and to take it down immediately if it does. YouTube tells parents: We use a mix of filters, user feedback and human reviewers to keep the videos in YouTube Kids family friendly. But no system is perfect and inappropriate videos can slip through, so were constantly working to improve our safeguards and offer more features to help parents create the right experience for their families. CNN reported on YouTube's statement following the controversy with the "instructional" video. The YouTube team understands that there are improvements to be made, and it is ready and willing to do the work to make sure parents feel totally secure. We appreciate people drawing problematic content to our attention, and make it possible for anyone to flag a video, the statement said. "Flagged videos are manually reviewed 24/7 and any videos that dont belong in the app are removed. YouTube Kids Some say that YouTube's algorithm is also to blame. The Verge's Julia Alexander reported on comments from Matt Watson, a former YouTube content creator, on the subject. According to Watson, it is incredibly easy for predators to both sexualize innocent content via video comments and to assist other predators in finding explicit content. Watson explains: Youtubes recommended algorithm is facilitating pedophiles ability to connect with each-other, trade contact info, and link to actual child pornography in the comments, Watson wrote on Reddit. I can consistently get access to it from vanilla, never-before-used YouTube accounts via innocuous videos in less than ten minutes, in sometimes less than five clicks. 400 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and 1.3 billion people use the site. In other words, YouTube remains a never-ending maze of content, making it almost impossible to expect zero foul-play on the site. From Elsagate in 2017 to the life-threatening instructions found in 2019, YouTube cannot guarantee safe content for kids. YouTube still cant stop child predators in its comments Given the depth of content on the site, part of YouTube's strategy for monitoring is leaning on parents to report the questionable content they find. According to The Conversation: YouTube largely regulates itself...YouTube also uses computer programs to try to identify and classify problematic content, and complaints by users themselves...This last ideaof user complaintsdepends on parents to be vigilant or to teach children to make these complaints themselves. Although this might seem like a daunting task, there are a number of simple steps parents can take to help monitor the content their kids consume. CNET recommends things like turning off the search function for kids to counteract YouTube's algorithm, setting a custom passcode, and whitelisting certain channels and videos. In 2017, YouTubes global head of family and learning content, Malik Ducard, maintained that in the past 30 days, less than .005 percent of the millions of videos" on YouTube Kids contained inappropriate content. YouTube might have unlimited videos to sift through, but parents need only approve of the content they want their kids to see, rather than feeling the pressure of searching through it all to find the bad. If and when something inappropriate comes up, parents can report it immediately. As Ducard puts it, parents are in the drivers seat. How to make YouTube Kids safer for your children | Florida mother finds horrific suicide clip on YouTube Kids. 400 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and 1.3 billion people use the site. From Elsagate in 2017 to the life-threatening instructions found in 2019, YouTube cannot guarantee safe content for kids. | bart | 2 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/02/is-youtube-safe-for-kids.html | 0.124705 |
Why are there UK wildfires in February? | Image copyright PA Scorched Earth images of Marsden Moor - close to Saddleworth - look horribly familiar. In June 2018, a fire on moorland in that area took hold and burned for weeks; the army was called in, carbon-storing peatland and entire ecosystems were incinerated. But that was during a memorably hot, dry summer. We are now witnessing the strange spectacle of large winter wildfires. Separate, smaller fires broke out on Tuesday, too - two in Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, the woodland made famous in AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh stories. And in Scotland, fire-fighters battled through the night to extinguish a large gorse fire on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. Image copyright PA Image caption Fires were seen elsewhere in the country, such as this one at Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh Woodland fires in the UK are unusual, but fires on moorland - even at this time of year - are actually fairly typical. "This is the 'muirburn' season," Dr Thomas Smith, an environmental geography researcher from the London School of Economics, explained. "That's when Natural England permit fires on moorlands, before a ban on burning around mid-April. Those burns are part of the management of moorland - particularly when it is used for grouse shooting. Grouse prefer a habitat where heather is not overgrown. Burning small areas removes older growth and allows plants to regenerate and new shoots to come through. Image copyright PA Image caption This time of year marks "muirburn" season when fires are permitted on moors before a ban around mid-April Land managers and fire services often work closely together to ensure conditions are right for these controlled burns. "Looking at the satellite image for Tuesday (26 February), there were plenty of well managed fires burning across Northumberland and Highland moor sites," said Dr Smith. The scale of the West Yorkshire fire, the cause of which is not yet known, has been driven in part by a favourite British talking point - the weather. Sunny, dry conditions created a tinderbox effect that we usually see in the spring. Prof David Demeritt from Kings College London explained: "It's unseasonable. "Landscape fires in Britain happen disproportionately in the Spring, because on the moors and in the forest, you have no leaf cover. "Sticks and leaf litter dry out. And because this has been a relatively dry winter, there's more of that fuel on the ground - everything has dried out early." Image copyright JOSH EDELSONg Image caption Climate change is forecast to increase the risk of wildfires, like those in California in 2018 Commenting on the high February temperatures, Dr Friedericke Otto, acting director of the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University, said: "I am very confident to say that there's an element of climate change in these warm temperatures," she said. "But climate change alone is not causing it. You have to have the right weather systems too." Prof Demeritt agreed. "This is consistent with what we might expect in the future, but attributing one particular warm weather event to climate change is tricky. "Weather patterns are noisy, but the general trend is earlier springs, so this is consistent with that trend." The good news about the fires, according to Dr Smith, is that they will probably not cause significant ecological damage, because deeper wetter soil will limit their spread. "The fires could even be doing us a favour - burning off overgrowth that may have become fuel for worse fires later in the season." Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption On board the flying lab testing UK wildfire smoke We are you are unlikely to see big causalities from wildland fires in the UK, like you do see in Australia, California, and Mediterranean. "Here, the fires are smaller in extent and intensity," explained Dr Demeritt. "But what they will cause is lots of smoke and other atmospheric emissions and this is likely to make our air quality problems, particularly if the fires occur upwind of urban areas that are already struggling with poor air quality." Follow Victoria on Twitter | Large wildfires broke out across the UK on Tuesday, sparking fears of a repeat of last year's devastation. Experts say the fires are caused by a combination of dry weather and warm temperatures. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47389480 | 0.103895 |
Can Scottsdale get a bond passed to address its infrastructure needs? | A giant crane moves the "LOVE" sculpture to its new location in front of the Scottsdale Center for the Arts on the Civic Center Mall Oct. 12, 2018. The city hopes to renovate the mall if a bond measure moves forward. (Photo: Tom Tingle/The Republic) Scottsdale is asking residents which city construction projects they want to see addressed before calling for a potential bond election in November. The City Council nixed a bond proposal last year as controversy and mistrust swirled amid the Desert Edge debate, which voters settled last fall. The city's Capital Improvement Program Subcommittee met earlier this month to discuss projects which need approximately $438 million to begin construction. A list of 67 potential city construction projects is available for public review online and at open houses scheduled through March. City staff will compile feedback and potentially eliminate projects that aren't considered a priority. "We have to consider what we can actually explain to the voters are critical for the city of Scottsdale," Councilwoman Suzanne Klapp said. "Somewhere around the $300 million range is a better list of projects to potentially send to the voters." Bonds have been a tough sell in the city. Scottsdale voters passed two of six requests in 2015 but rejected all bond requests in 2010 and 2013. The Capital Improvement Program lists city projects that need to be built, repaired, expanded or maintained. Several projects at WestWorld the city's multi-use events center that hosts the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show to the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction carries the highest pricetag at $58 million. Improvements would include building more shaded areas, expanding horse barns, expanding restrooms and adding more parking. Councilman Guy Phillips expressed concern at the inclusion of WestWorld projects in a bond package. "I'm not sure that that's really the public's main focus," Phillips said. "I guess if we bring it to the public they'll tell us one way or the other." Another project is a massive overhaul of Civic Center Plaza, with a price tag of $27 million. The project would update aging infrastructure and turn the mall into an event venue to attract large-scale events, including Super Bowl Live, according to the city. Some of the other pricier proposed projects include: NEWSLETTERS Get the AZ Memo newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Get the pulse of Arizona -- Local news, in-depth state coverage and what it all means for you Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for AZ Memo Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters $31 million : Building new swimming pools and replacing a building at Cactus Pool. : Building new swimming pools and replacing a building at Cactus Pool. $27 million : Building flood control structures to protect homes and businesses in the Reata Wash Flood Plain. : Building flood control structures to protect homes and businesses in the Reata Wash Flood Plain. $23 million: Repairing lakes and irrigation at Vista del Camino Park in the Indian Bend Wash. Other projects include community centers and parks, solar panels and underground power lines. The only transportation project on the proposed bond list is the Thompson Peak Parkway Bridge at Reata Wash, to build a northern bridge over the wash. The project will cost approximately $6.3 million. Voters approved a temporary increase in the city sales tax in November to raise an estimated $100 million for road and other transportation infrastructure. It will also allow Scottsdale to access $140 million in matching regional transportation funds. Public weighs in Scottsdale will host three more open house meetings for the public to ask questions and learn more about the projects: Wednesday, Feb. 27 : 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St. : 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St. Tuesday, March 5 : 11 a.m. to 1p.m. at Scottsdale Airport ,15000 N. Airport Drive, Scottsdale. : 11 a.m. to 1p.m. at Scottsdale Airport ,15000 N. Airport Drive, Scottsdale. Thursday, March 7: 4:30 6:30 p.m. at Granite Reef Senior Center, 1700 N. Granite Reef Road. Residents can also view, rank and provide feedback on the projects online. City staff will compile the feedback and rank the projects by priority. The council hopes to call a bond election at their April 16 bond meeting. Reach the reporter Lorraine Longhi at llonghi@gannett.com or 480-243-4086. Follow her on Twitter @lolonghi. Subscribe to azcentral.com. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale/2019/02/27/can-scottsdale-get-bond-passed-address-its-infrastructure-needs/2984782002/ | Scottsdale is asking residents which city construction projects they want to see addressed before calling for a potential bond election in November. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale/2019/02/27/can-scottsdale-get-bond-passed-address-its-infrastructure-needs/2984782002/ | 0.143923 |
Can Scottsdale get a bond passed to address its infrastructure needs? | A giant crane moves the "LOVE" sculpture to its new location in front of the Scottsdale Center for the Arts on the Civic Center Mall Oct. 12, 2018. The city hopes to renovate the mall if a bond measure moves forward. (Photo: Tom Tingle/The Republic) Scottsdale is asking residents which city construction projects they want to see addressed before calling for a potential bond election in November. The City Council nixed a bond proposal last year as controversy and mistrust swirled amid the Desert Edge debate, which voters settled last fall. The city's Capital Improvement Program Subcommittee met earlier this month to discuss projects which need approximately $438 million to begin construction. A list of 67 potential city construction projects is available for public review online and at open houses scheduled through March. City staff will compile feedback and potentially eliminate projects that aren't considered a priority. "We have to consider what we can actually explain to the voters are critical for the city of Scottsdale," Councilwoman Suzanne Klapp said. "Somewhere around the $300 million range is a better list of projects to potentially send to the voters." Bonds have been a tough sell in the city. Scottsdale voters passed two of six requests in 2015 but rejected all bond requests in 2010 and 2013. The Capital Improvement Program lists city projects that need to be built, repaired, expanded or maintained. Several projects at WestWorld the city's multi-use events center that hosts the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show to the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction carries the highest pricetag at $58 million. Improvements would include building more shaded areas, expanding horse barns, expanding restrooms and adding more parking. Councilman Guy Phillips expressed concern at the inclusion of WestWorld projects in a bond package. "I'm not sure that that's really the public's main focus," Phillips said. "I guess if we bring it to the public they'll tell us one way or the other." Another project is a massive overhaul of Civic Center Plaza, with a price tag of $27 million. The project would update aging infrastructure and turn the mall into an event venue to attract large-scale events, including Super Bowl Live, according to the city. Some of the other pricier proposed projects include: NEWSLETTERS Get the AZ Memo newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Get the pulse of Arizona -- Local news, in-depth state coverage and what it all means for you Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for AZ Memo Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters $31 million : Building new swimming pools and replacing a building at Cactus Pool. : Building new swimming pools and replacing a building at Cactus Pool. $27 million : Building flood control structures to protect homes and businesses in the Reata Wash Flood Plain. : Building flood control structures to protect homes and businesses in the Reata Wash Flood Plain. $23 million: Repairing lakes and irrigation at Vista del Camino Park in the Indian Bend Wash. Other projects include community centers and parks, solar panels and underground power lines. The only transportation project on the proposed bond list is the Thompson Peak Parkway Bridge at Reata Wash, to build a northern bridge over the wash. The project will cost approximately $6.3 million. Voters approved a temporary increase in the city sales tax in November to raise an estimated $100 million for road and other transportation infrastructure. It will also allow Scottsdale to access $140 million in matching regional transportation funds. Public weighs in Scottsdale will host three more open house meetings for the public to ask questions and learn more about the projects: Wednesday, Feb. 27 : 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St. : 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St. Tuesday, March 5 : 11 a.m. to 1p.m. at Scottsdale Airport ,15000 N. Airport Drive, Scottsdale. : 11 a.m. to 1p.m. at Scottsdale Airport ,15000 N. Airport Drive, Scottsdale. Thursday, March 7: 4:30 6:30 p.m. at Granite Reef Senior Center, 1700 N. Granite Reef Road. Residents can also view, rank and provide feedback on the projects online. City staff will compile the feedback and rank the projects by priority. The council hopes to call a bond election at their April 16 bond meeting. Reach the reporter Lorraine Longhi at llonghi@gannett.com or 480-243-4086. Follow her on Twitter @lolonghi. Subscribe to azcentral.com. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale/2019/02/27/can-scottsdale-get-bond-passed-address-its-infrastructure-needs/2984782002/ | Scottsdale is asking residents which city construction projects they want to see addressed. A list of 67 potential city projects is available for public review online and at open houses. The City Council nixed a bond proposal last year as controversy and mistrust swirled. Bonds have been a tough sell in the city. | bart | 2 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale/2019/02/27/can-scottsdale-get-bond-passed-address-its-infrastructure-needs/2984782002/ | 0.241111 |
Are the New Orleans Pelicans better without Anthony Davis? | Thats a complicated question. The stats say one thing, but the eye test certainly says another. When Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was asked point blank after Mondays game against Philadelphia if the team plays harder when Davis is out, he said, I think we play hard all the time. We were in scramble mode (at the end). I dont know how you answer that, and I dont know if thats a fair question to ask. Guard ETwaun Moore said he doesnt notice any uptick in energy when Davis is out or done for the night. I dont know about that part, Moore said Monday. I just know we go out there and try to play, whoever is on the court just tries to get it done. But fans and media alike have seen a difference in what happens when Davis is on the court compared to what happens whens on the court since he requested a trade in late January. Nobody benefits from Anthony Davis charade The NBA has created an untenable situation in New Orleans and needs to solve it. To answer that, we took a dive into the numbers to figure things out. Theres a variety of ways you can break down Davis impact on the game and how the Pelicans perform when hes on or off the floor. The first is plus/minus. Since Davis has returned from his finger injury after the trade deadline passed, he is a plus-16, signifying the Pelicans are better when Davis is on the court. Breaking that down further, one game stands out above the rest the first game Davis played against Minnesota on Feb. 8. It was Davis first game since suffering a finger injury on Jan. 18. In just 25 minutes, Davis put up 32 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 shots from the free-throw line. He also had nine rebounds and three blocks. He finished with a plus-22 that night. Davis vs. Minnesota: plus-22 Pelicans without Davis: minus-17 Since then, the numbers fluctuated. He played the next night in a back-to-back, and while the Pelicans lost 99-90 to Memphis, Davis was a plus-2. Davis vs. Minnesota: plus-2 Pelicans without Davis: minus-11 On Feb. 12 against Orlando, Davis and the Pelicans played one of their worst games of the season, losing 118-88. Davis was a minus-16. Davis vs. Orlando: minus-16 Pelicans without Davis: minus-14 In New Orleans Valentines Day showdown with Oklahoma City prior to the All-Star Break, Davis only played the first half after injuring his shoulder just before the halftime buzzer. He ended up leaving the arena during the fourth quarter to get an MRI, which the Pelicans confirmed was ordered by the team, and it only showed a contusion. He played in the All-Star Game three days later. The Pelicans took a 66-63 lead into halftime and pushed the lead to 17 in the third quarter before holding on for a 131-122 win. Davis, who played 14 minutes, was plus-10. Davis vs. Oklahoma City: plus-10 Pelicans without Davis: minus-1 When New Orleans returned from the All-Star break with a more concrete plan in place for Davis and how to control his minutes, it started in a game against the Indiana Pacers. The Pelicans jumped out to a 13-point lead in the first quarter with Davis on the court and finished with a plus-10 in his nine and a half first-quarter minutes. New Orleans pushed the lead to 20 before halftime, but Indiana stormed back in the second half, and the Pelicans ultimately lost by 15. Davis played in the third quarter and finished the game at a minus-1. Davis vs. Indiana: minus-1 Pelicans without Davis: minus-14 Davis didnt play against the Los Angeles Lakers last Saturday and the Pelicans took home a convincing 128-115 win over the team that tried to pry Davis away before the Feb. 7 deadline. The latest example and perhaps the one that sticks out most to Pelicans fans came on Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both teams looked sluggish in the first half, but Philadelphia eventually got things goings and took a 13-point lead. Davis, who still finished with a minus-1, checked out for good in the middle of the third quarter, Philadelphia was up 84-69. But the rest of the Pelicans managed to fight back, and New Orleans had a chance to win before Jimmy Butler blocked Moores last-second shot attempt. The Sixers escaped with a 111-110 win. Davis vs. Philadelphia: minus-1 Pelicans without Davis: even The numbers vary from game to game on if the Pelicans are better. As Jrue Holiday pointed out, the Pelicans got off to a quick start with Davis on the floor against Indiana. If plus-minus isnt your thing, we can look at the Pelicans offensive and defensive ratings with Davis on the court. Offensive rating is team points scored per 100 possessions while a player is on court while defensive rating is team points allowed per 100 possessions. Offensive rating with Davis on court: 111.2 Defensive rating with Davis on court: 103.6 On court: +7.6 rating Offensive rating with Davis off court: 99.8 Defensive rating with Davis off court: 112.0 Off court: -12.1 rating No surprise, but the Pelicans are a better team when an MVP-level player is on the floor, even in limited minutes. But that includes the monster game against the Timberwolves. Offensive rating with Davis on court: 104.5 Defensive rating with Davis on court: 104.2 On court: .2 rating Offensive rating with Davis off court: 101.8 Defensive rating with Davis off court: 110.9 Off court: -9.2 rating Davis still maintains a positive net rating and the team is worse with him off the court. Davis didnt play against the Lakers, but it still includes the team numbers. Offensive rating with Davis on court: 108.8 Defensive rating with Davis on court: 109.4 On court: -.6 rating Offensive rating with Davis off court: 101.9 Defensive rating with Davis off court: 105.4 Off court: -3.5 rating The defensive rating is better with Davis on the sidelines, but the offensive rating takes a huge hit. Davis has a negative rating when hes on the court in the last two games hes played but the rating is even worse when hes on the bench. To compare these numbers to the entire season, the team has a 112.1 offensive rating and a 108.1 defensive rating when Davis is on the court. When Davis has been off the court, the offensive rating falls to 107.3 while the defensive rating jumps to 112.1. Well, statistically, the Pelicans are better when Davis is on the floor compared to when hes not. The players taking Davis spot on the court are playing as hard as they can given the opportunities theyve been granted. Forward Cheick Diallo, the Pelicans Energizer Bunny, is averaging 14.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in the last three games, shooting an absurd 89.5 percent from the floor (17-of-19) while averaging 20.9 minutes. Guard Frank Jackson and forward Kenrich Williams are rookies fighting to prove they should be receiving the minutes they are getting. Holiday is never going to turn off the switch. The Pelicans may not be better when Davis is off the floor, but the eye test says they play harder. And to many fans who are already looking toward whatever haul the team can get for Davis and into the 2019-20 season, top-notch effort might be better than anything else. | New Orleans Pelicans are better when Anthony Davis is on the court. The stats say one thing, but the eye test says another. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.nola.com/pelicans/2019/02/are-the-new-orleans-pelicans-better-without-anthony-davis.html | 0.474816 |
Are the New Orleans Pelicans better without Anthony Davis? | Thats a complicated question. The stats say one thing, but the eye test certainly says another. When Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was asked point blank after Mondays game against Philadelphia if the team plays harder when Davis is out, he said, I think we play hard all the time. We were in scramble mode (at the end). I dont know how you answer that, and I dont know if thats a fair question to ask. Guard ETwaun Moore said he doesnt notice any uptick in energy when Davis is out or done for the night. I dont know about that part, Moore said Monday. I just know we go out there and try to play, whoever is on the court just tries to get it done. But fans and media alike have seen a difference in what happens when Davis is on the court compared to what happens whens on the court since he requested a trade in late January. Nobody benefits from Anthony Davis charade The NBA has created an untenable situation in New Orleans and needs to solve it. To answer that, we took a dive into the numbers to figure things out. Theres a variety of ways you can break down Davis impact on the game and how the Pelicans perform when hes on or off the floor. The first is plus/minus. Since Davis has returned from his finger injury after the trade deadline passed, he is a plus-16, signifying the Pelicans are better when Davis is on the court. Breaking that down further, one game stands out above the rest the first game Davis played against Minnesota on Feb. 8. It was Davis first game since suffering a finger injury on Jan. 18. In just 25 minutes, Davis put up 32 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 shots from the free-throw line. He also had nine rebounds and three blocks. He finished with a plus-22 that night. Davis vs. Minnesota: plus-22 Pelicans without Davis: minus-17 Since then, the numbers fluctuated. He played the next night in a back-to-back, and while the Pelicans lost 99-90 to Memphis, Davis was a plus-2. Davis vs. Minnesota: plus-2 Pelicans without Davis: minus-11 On Feb. 12 against Orlando, Davis and the Pelicans played one of their worst games of the season, losing 118-88. Davis was a minus-16. Davis vs. Orlando: minus-16 Pelicans without Davis: minus-14 In New Orleans Valentines Day showdown with Oklahoma City prior to the All-Star Break, Davis only played the first half after injuring his shoulder just before the halftime buzzer. He ended up leaving the arena during the fourth quarter to get an MRI, which the Pelicans confirmed was ordered by the team, and it only showed a contusion. He played in the All-Star Game three days later. The Pelicans took a 66-63 lead into halftime and pushed the lead to 17 in the third quarter before holding on for a 131-122 win. Davis, who played 14 minutes, was plus-10. Davis vs. Oklahoma City: plus-10 Pelicans without Davis: minus-1 When New Orleans returned from the All-Star break with a more concrete plan in place for Davis and how to control his minutes, it started in a game against the Indiana Pacers. The Pelicans jumped out to a 13-point lead in the first quarter with Davis on the court and finished with a plus-10 in his nine and a half first-quarter minutes. New Orleans pushed the lead to 20 before halftime, but Indiana stormed back in the second half, and the Pelicans ultimately lost by 15. Davis played in the third quarter and finished the game at a minus-1. Davis vs. Indiana: minus-1 Pelicans without Davis: minus-14 Davis didnt play against the Los Angeles Lakers last Saturday and the Pelicans took home a convincing 128-115 win over the team that tried to pry Davis away before the Feb. 7 deadline. The latest example and perhaps the one that sticks out most to Pelicans fans came on Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both teams looked sluggish in the first half, but Philadelphia eventually got things goings and took a 13-point lead. Davis, who still finished with a minus-1, checked out for good in the middle of the third quarter, Philadelphia was up 84-69. But the rest of the Pelicans managed to fight back, and New Orleans had a chance to win before Jimmy Butler blocked Moores last-second shot attempt. The Sixers escaped with a 111-110 win. Davis vs. Philadelphia: minus-1 Pelicans without Davis: even The numbers vary from game to game on if the Pelicans are better. As Jrue Holiday pointed out, the Pelicans got off to a quick start with Davis on the floor against Indiana. If plus-minus isnt your thing, we can look at the Pelicans offensive and defensive ratings with Davis on the court. Offensive rating is team points scored per 100 possessions while a player is on court while defensive rating is team points allowed per 100 possessions. Offensive rating with Davis on court: 111.2 Defensive rating with Davis on court: 103.6 On court: +7.6 rating Offensive rating with Davis off court: 99.8 Defensive rating with Davis off court: 112.0 Off court: -12.1 rating No surprise, but the Pelicans are a better team when an MVP-level player is on the floor, even in limited minutes. But that includes the monster game against the Timberwolves. Offensive rating with Davis on court: 104.5 Defensive rating with Davis on court: 104.2 On court: .2 rating Offensive rating with Davis off court: 101.8 Defensive rating with Davis off court: 110.9 Off court: -9.2 rating Davis still maintains a positive net rating and the team is worse with him off the court. Davis didnt play against the Lakers, but it still includes the team numbers. Offensive rating with Davis on court: 108.8 Defensive rating with Davis on court: 109.4 On court: -.6 rating Offensive rating with Davis off court: 101.9 Defensive rating with Davis off court: 105.4 Off court: -3.5 rating The defensive rating is better with Davis on the sidelines, but the offensive rating takes a huge hit. Davis has a negative rating when hes on the court in the last two games hes played but the rating is even worse when hes on the bench. To compare these numbers to the entire season, the team has a 112.1 offensive rating and a 108.1 defensive rating when Davis is on the court. When Davis has been off the court, the offensive rating falls to 107.3 while the defensive rating jumps to 112.1. Well, statistically, the Pelicans are better when Davis is on the floor compared to when hes not. The players taking Davis spot on the court are playing as hard as they can given the opportunities theyve been granted. Forward Cheick Diallo, the Pelicans Energizer Bunny, is averaging 14.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in the last three games, shooting an absurd 89.5 percent from the floor (17-of-19) while averaging 20.9 minutes. Guard Frank Jackson and forward Kenrich Williams are rookies fighting to prove they should be receiving the minutes they are getting. Holiday is never going to turn off the switch. The Pelicans may not be better when Davis is off the floor, but the eye test says they play harder. And to many fans who are already looking toward whatever haul the team can get for Davis and into the 2019-20 season, top-notch effort might be better than anything else. | New Orleans Pelicans are better when Anthony Davis is on the court. The stats say one thing, but the eye test certainly says another. Davis is a plus/minus of plus-16 since returning from finger injury. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.nola.com/pelicans/2019/02/are-the-new-orleans-pelicans-better-without-anthony-davis.html | 0.466356 |
Are the New Orleans Pelicans better without Anthony Davis? | Thats a complicated question. The stats say one thing, but the eye test certainly says another. When Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry was asked point blank after Mondays game against Philadelphia if the team plays harder when Davis is out, he said, I think we play hard all the time. We were in scramble mode (at the end). I dont know how you answer that, and I dont know if thats a fair question to ask. Guard ETwaun Moore said he doesnt notice any uptick in energy when Davis is out or done for the night. I dont know about that part, Moore said Monday. I just know we go out there and try to play, whoever is on the court just tries to get it done. But fans and media alike have seen a difference in what happens when Davis is on the court compared to what happens whens on the court since he requested a trade in late January. Nobody benefits from Anthony Davis charade The NBA has created an untenable situation in New Orleans and needs to solve it. To answer that, we took a dive into the numbers to figure things out. Theres a variety of ways you can break down Davis impact on the game and how the Pelicans perform when hes on or off the floor. The first is plus/minus. Since Davis has returned from his finger injury after the trade deadline passed, he is a plus-16, signifying the Pelicans are better when Davis is on the court. Breaking that down further, one game stands out above the rest the first game Davis played against Minnesota on Feb. 8. It was Davis first game since suffering a finger injury on Jan. 18. In just 25 minutes, Davis put up 32 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 shots from the free-throw line. He also had nine rebounds and three blocks. He finished with a plus-22 that night. Davis vs. Minnesota: plus-22 Pelicans without Davis: minus-17 Since then, the numbers fluctuated. He played the next night in a back-to-back, and while the Pelicans lost 99-90 to Memphis, Davis was a plus-2. Davis vs. Minnesota: plus-2 Pelicans without Davis: minus-11 On Feb. 12 against Orlando, Davis and the Pelicans played one of their worst games of the season, losing 118-88. Davis was a minus-16. Davis vs. Orlando: minus-16 Pelicans without Davis: minus-14 In New Orleans Valentines Day showdown with Oklahoma City prior to the All-Star Break, Davis only played the first half after injuring his shoulder just before the halftime buzzer. He ended up leaving the arena during the fourth quarter to get an MRI, which the Pelicans confirmed was ordered by the team, and it only showed a contusion. He played in the All-Star Game three days later. The Pelicans took a 66-63 lead into halftime and pushed the lead to 17 in the third quarter before holding on for a 131-122 win. Davis, who played 14 minutes, was plus-10. Davis vs. Oklahoma City: plus-10 Pelicans without Davis: minus-1 When New Orleans returned from the All-Star break with a more concrete plan in place for Davis and how to control his minutes, it started in a game against the Indiana Pacers. The Pelicans jumped out to a 13-point lead in the first quarter with Davis on the court and finished with a plus-10 in his nine and a half first-quarter minutes. New Orleans pushed the lead to 20 before halftime, but Indiana stormed back in the second half, and the Pelicans ultimately lost by 15. Davis played in the third quarter and finished the game at a minus-1. Davis vs. Indiana: minus-1 Pelicans without Davis: minus-14 Davis didnt play against the Los Angeles Lakers last Saturday and the Pelicans took home a convincing 128-115 win over the team that tried to pry Davis away before the Feb. 7 deadline. The latest example and perhaps the one that sticks out most to Pelicans fans came on Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both teams looked sluggish in the first half, but Philadelphia eventually got things goings and took a 13-point lead. Davis, who still finished with a minus-1, checked out for good in the middle of the third quarter, Philadelphia was up 84-69. But the rest of the Pelicans managed to fight back, and New Orleans had a chance to win before Jimmy Butler blocked Moores last-second shot attempt. The Sixers escaped with a 111-110 win. Davis vs. Philadelphia: minus-1 Pelicans without Davis: even The numbers vary from game to game on if the Pelicans are better. As Jrue Holiday pointed out, the Pelicans got off to a quick start with Davis on the floor against Indiana. If plus-minus isnt your thing, we can look at the Pelicans offensive and defensive ratings with Davis on the court. Offensive rating is team points scored per 100 possessions while a player is on court while defensive rating is team points allowed per 100 possessions. Offensive rating with Davis on court: 111.2 Defensive rating with Davis on court: 103.6 On court: +7.6 rating Offensive rating with Davis off court: 99.8 Defensive rating with Davis off court: 112.0 Off court: -12.1 rating No surprise, but the Pelicans are a better team when an MVP-level player is on the floor, even in limited minutes. But that includes the monster game against the Timberwolves. Offensive rating with Davis on court: 104.5 Defensive rating with Davis on court: 104.2 On court: .2 rating Offensive rating with Davis off court: 101.8 Defensive rating with Davis off court: 110.9 Off court: -9.2 rating Davis still maintains a positive net rating and the team is worse with him off the court. Davis didnt play against the Lakers, but it still includes the team numbers. Offensive rating with Davis on court: 108.8 Defensive rating with Davis on court: 109.4 On court: -.6 rating Offensive rating with Davis off court: 101.9 Defensive rating with Davis off court: 105.4 Off court: -3.5 rating The defensive rating is better with Davis on the sidelines, but the offensive rating takes a huge hit. Davis has a negative rating when hes on the court in the last two games hes played but the rating is even worse when hes on the bench. To compare these numbers to the entire season, the team has a 112.1 offensive rating and a 108.1 defensive rating when Davis is on the court. When Davis has been off the court, the offensive rating falls to 107.3 while the defensive rating jumps to 112.1. Well, statistically, the Pelicans are better when Davis is on the floor compared to when hes not. The players taking Davis spot on the court are playing as hard as they can given the opportunities theyve been granted. Forward Cheick Diallo, the Pelicans Energizer Bunny, is averaging 14.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in the last three games, shooting an absurd 89.5 percent from the floor (17-of-19) while averaging 20.9 minutes. Guard Frank Jackson and forward Kenrich Williams are rookies fighting to prove they should be receiving the minutes they are getting. Holiday is never going to turn off the switch. The Pelicans may not be better when Davis is off the floor, but the eye test says they play harder. And to many fans who are already looking toward whatever haul the team can get for Davis and into the 2019-20 season, top-notch effort might be better than anything else. | New Orleans Pelicans are better when Anthony Davis is on the court. The stats say one thing, but the eye test certainly says another. Davis is a plus/minus of plus-16 since returning from a finger injury. The numbers fluctuate from game-to-game. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.nola.com/pelicans/2019/02/are-the-new-orleans-pelicans-better-without-anthony-davis.html | 0.473802 |
Will Red Sox follow through on trading catcher before Opening Day? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Dave Dombrowski has been transparent about the Boston Red Sox's catcher situation. He'd prefer to have two on the Opening Day roster, and the Red Sox currently have three with major league experience. Scroll to continue with content Ad But Boston's season opener is just over a month away, and it doesn't sound like Dombrowski is planning to trade any of Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart in the immediate future. "I would've even thought we would have made a move before we came to spring training, in a lot of cases," Dombrowski said Monday in Bradenton, Fla., before a spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, per MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo. "There are some catchers who aren't even signed yet, who are still out there. It's one of those where, I learned a long time ago, don't worry about what you can't control." Vazquez, who started 10 of the Red Sox's 14 postseason games last season, appears to have the edge over Leon and Swihart for the starting job. He's the best defensive catcher of the trio and at least provides serviceable offense, as Leon (.177) and Swihart (.229) both struggled mightily at the plate in 2018. Swihart's agent also requested a trade for his client last season, so Boston likely will explore the possibility of moving the 26-year-old over the next few weeks. But the catcher market, like the rest of the free agent market, has been slow-moving. Some veterans like Martin Maldonado still haven't signed, and there's been virtually no trade buzz at the position since J.T. Realmuto landed with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this month. Story continues That means Dombrowski may have to wait until the end of spring training to find a suitor for one of his catchers or risk releasing a player like Leon or Swihart, who both are out of minor league options. "None of them have options left, but we're also not going to just give them away to give them away," Dombrowski said back in December. "We'll see where that takes us." In the two-plus months since Dombrowski made that comment, the answer is "nowhere." And we may have to wait another month for closure. 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. | Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart are Boston Red Sox catchers. Dombrowski said he'd like to have two catchers on Opening Day roster. The catcher market has been slow-moving since J.T. Realmuto signed with the Phillies. | bart | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/red-sox-trading-catcher-opening-191618424.html?src=rss | 0.134756 |
Could Durham take Duke land for light rail? | Duke faculty, on the eve of a critical decision, called Tuesday night on university leaders to support the $3.3 billion Durham-Orange Light-Rail project. A Durham City Council member also floated the idea of taking Duke land needed for the light-rail project by eminent domain. Duke is the last local partner that needs to sign a cooperative agreement with GoTriangle for the 17.7-mile light-rail line between Chapel Hill and Durham. The plan also depends on Duke donating land for the light-rail corridor on Erwin Road. Without Dukes participation, the light-rail project is unlikely to advance to a federal funding application. Is this consistent with the moniker of being the most progressive city in the South? Durham City Council member Mark-Anthony Middleton told The News & Observer. If light rail is truly all it is billed to be then how can we allow it not to happen? Middleton wrote in a statement he sent to The News & Observer on Tuesday night. I dont want to hear any more bellyaching from GoTriangle, nor prompting or cajoling from public officials about black folk going hat in hand to Duke begging for our economic future while not boldly and redemptively using the power that made us beggars in the first place. Weve heard the case, now show us how serious you really are. Welcome to the unsexy part of the actual work of racial equity, Middleton said. The Duke Faculty Union, in an urgently considered vote, overwhelmingly supported the statement urging Duke to back the project and help improve transportation for the most marginalized members of society. Union President Christopher Shreve released the statement in an email Tuesday. In it, Duke faculty noted the years of hard work planning the 17.7-mile light-rail system and the need to bring federal dollars home to meet the Triangles goals of green infrastructure and improved access to medical facilities, schools, and shopping centers. The economic and social benefits that a reliable, affordable, and convenient transit system will make are undisputed, the statement said. The vast majority of local organizations, businesses, and academic institutions have enthusiastically put their support behind this well-researched, carefully planned project. As the largest employer in Durham, Duke University and its affiliated Health Systems stand to gain tremendously from the increased access to and from campuses, hospitals, downtown, and neighboring universities. The Faculty Union represents instructors and lecturing fellows in Dukes Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School and Center for Documentary Studies. Middleton called on the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, Durham CAN, the Peoples Alliance, N.C. Central University, Coalition for Affordable Housing and Transit and the Durham Housing Authority to make their case not just to Duke, but to ask those of us entrusted with immense power where our land grabbing, tunnel digging resolve has gone. How dare we look the heirs of Hayti in the face after a decade of raising expectations only to once again dash hopes by mortgaging our citys future off to a powerful private institution. Duke has been and will continue to be a beloved partner in Durhams future. They should not, however, determine our future, he said. If light rail dies it wont be because Duke killed it. It will be because Duke was allowed to kill it, Middleton said. Earlier this week, leaders at NCCU, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, Durham Technical Community College and the Durham Housing Authority held a press conference touting their support for light rail. Henry McKoy, an instructor in the NCCU School of Business and a representative of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People said on Monday that light rail could bring back economic development thats been missing for so long in the Hayti area. Middleton said when he and the rest of the City Council approved the rail operations maintenance facility rezoning in South Durham, parcels of that rezoned land were acquired through eminent domain. What makes Duke University so different? Middleton asked. Neighbors of the rail yard have filed a lawsuit over the rezoning. The Duke Faculty statement was issued just one day after GoTriangle released a 20-page report outlining six years of talks with Duke leaders about the light-rail project and how it might affect Dukes medical and research facilities. The report and documents submitted to the Federal Transit Administration during that time show Duke did not raise objections to the proposed light-rail route. Duke officials did ask that GoTriangle move a station from the front of the Duke and Durham VA medical centers to a site closer to Trent Drive. Duke President Vincent Price, in a November letter to Durham and GoTriangle officials, said the university has been trying to work with GoTriangle for years. He cited several lingering concerns, including maintaining emergency access to the hospital, how noise and vibrations from the light rail might affect medical and research facilities, and how road closures could affect traffic around the medical center. The projects risks to Durhams health, safety and economy are too great to move forward, Price said. The GoTriangle report paints a different picture, noting the conversation with Duke was productive until the project advanced to the planning stage in 2016. After that, GoTriangle officials said Duke staff rarely attended planning meetings, delayed critical information about Dukes needs and only in recent months raised concerns about how electromagnetic radiation from the light-rail system might affect sensitive medical and research equipment. The conversation began to reveal bizarre contradictions, complications, and a general dissatisfaction, the GoTriangle report said. Duke officials have not responded to questions about the GoTriangle report. Michael Schoenfeld, Dukes vice president for public affairs and community relations, said in an email Friday that Duke officials still are reviewing data about possible electromagnetic interference from the light-rail system. GoTriangle must meet an April 30 deadline for submitting the project to the Federal Transit Administration for $1.23 billion in funding half the projects $2.47 billion construction cost. A federal decision has to be in hand by Nov. 30 to meet a deadline for getting $190 million in state funding. That puts the project on a tight timeline and makes it unclear if Durham has time to pursue an eminent domain taking of Duke land. Eminent domain would require a third-party appraisal and potentially could end up in court. | Duke faculty call on university leaders to support the $3.3 billion Durham-Orange Light-Rail project. | bart | 0 | https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article226856199.html | 0.130287 |
Could Durham take Duke land for light rail? | Duke faculty, on the eve of a critical decision, called Tuesday night on university leaders to support the $3.3 billion Durham-Orange Light-Rail project. A Durham City Council member also floated the idea of taking Duke land needed for the light-rail project by eminent domain. Duke is the last local partner that needs to sign a cooperative agreement with GoTriangle for the 17.7-mile light-rail line between Chapel Hill and Durham. The plan also depends on Duke donating land for the light-rail corridor on Erwin Road. Without Dukes participation, the light-rail project is unlikely to advance to a federal funding application. Is this consistent with the moniker of being the most progressive city in the South? Durham City Council member Mark-Anthony Middleton told The News & Observer. If light rail is truly all it is billed to be then how can we allow it not to happen? Middleton wrote in a statement he sent to The News & Observer on Tuesday night. I dont want to hear any more bellyaching from GoTriangle, nor prompting or cajoling from public officials about black folk going hat in hand to Duke begging for our economic future while not boldly and redemptively using the power that made us beggars in the first place. Weve heard the case, now show us how serious you really are. Welcome to the unsexy part of the actual work of racial equity, Middleton said. The Duke Faculty Union, in an urgently considered vote, overwhelmingly supported the statement urging Duke to back the project and help improve transportation for the most marginalized members of society. Union President Christopher Shreve released the statement in an email Tuesday. In it, Duke faculty noted the years of hard work planning the 17.7-mile light-rail system and the need to bring federal dollars home to meet the Triangles goals of green infrastructure and improved access to medical facilities, schools, and shopping centers. The economic and social benefits that a reliable, affordable, and convenient transit system will make are undisputed, the statement said. The vast majority of local organizations, businesses, and academic institutions have enthusiastically put their support behind this well-researched, carefully planned project. As the largest employer in Durham, Duke University and its affiliated Health Systems stand to gain tremendously from the increased access to and from campuses, hospitals, downtown, and neighboring universities. The Faculty Union represents instructors and lecturing fellows in Dukes Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School and Center for Documentary Studies. Middleton called on the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, Durham CAN, the Peoples Alliance, N.C. Central University, Coalition for Affordable Housing and Transit and the Durham Housing Authority to make their case not just to Duke, but to ask those of us entrusted with immense power where our land grabbing, tunnel digging resolve has gone. How dare we look the heirs of Hayti in the face after a decade of raising expectations only to once again dash hopes by mortgaging our citys future off to a powerful private institution. Duke has been and will continue to be a beloved partner in Durhams future. They should not, however, determine our future, he said. If light rail dies it wont be because Duke killed it. It will be because Duke was allowed to kill it, Middleton said. Earlier this week, leaders at NCCU, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, Durham Technical Community College and the Durham Housing Authority held a press conference touting their support for light rail. Henry McKoy, an instructor in the NCCU School of Business and a representative of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People said on Monday that light rail could bring back economic development thats been missing for so long in the Hayti area. Middleton said when he and the rest of the City Council approved the rail operations maintenance facility rezoning in South Durham, parcels of that rezoned land were acquired through eminent domain. What makes Duke University so different? Middleton asked. Neighbors of the rail yard have filed a lawsuit over the rezoning. The Duke Faculty statement was issued just one day after GoTriangle released a 20-page report outlining six years of talks with Duke leaders about the light-rail project and how it might affect Dukes medical and research facilities. The report and documents submitted to the Federal Transit Administration during that time show Duke did not raise objections to the proposed light-rail route. Duke officials did ask that GoTriangle move a station from the front of the Duke and Durham VA medical centers to a site closer to Trent Drive. Duke President Vincent Price, in a November letter to Durham and GoTriangle officials, said the university has been trying to work with GoTriangle for years. He cited several lingering concerns, including maintaining emergency access to the hospital, how noise and vibrations from the light rail might affect medical and research facilities, and how road closures could affect traffic around the medical center. The projects risks to Durhams health, safety and economy are too great to move forward, Price said. The GoTriangle report paints a different picture, noting the conversation with Duke was productive until the project advanced to the planning stage in 2016. After that, GoTriangle officials said Duke staff rarely attended planning meetings, delayed critical information about Dukes needs and only in recent months raised concerns about how electromagnetic radiation from the light-rail system might affect sensitive medical and research equipment. The conversation began to reveal bizarre contradictions, complications, and a general dissatisfaction, the GoTriangle report said. Duke officials have not responded to questions about the GoTriangle report. Michael Schoenfeld, Dukes vice president for public affairs and community relations, said in an email Friday that Duke officials still are reviewing data about possible electromagnetic interference from the light-rail system. GoTriangle must meet an April 30 deadline for submitting the project to the Federal Transit Administration for $1.23 billion in funding half the projects $2.47 billion construction cost. A federal decision has to be in hand by Nov. 30 to meet a deadline for getting $190 million in state funding. That puts the project on a tight timeline and makes it unclear if Durham has time to pursue an eminent domain taking of Duke land. Eminent domain would require a third-party appraisal and potentially could end up in court. | Duke faculty call on university leaders to support the $3.3 billion Durham-Orange Light-Rail project. A Durham City Council member also floated the idea of taking Duke land needed for the light-rail project by eminent domain. | bart | 1 | https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article226856199.html | 0.419047 |
Could Durham take Duke land for light rail? | Duke faculty, on the eve of a critical decision, called Tuesday night on university leaders to support the $3.3 billion Durham-Orange Light-Rail project. A Durham City Council member also floated the idea of taking Duke land needed for the light-rail project by eminent domain. Duke is the last local partner that needs to sign a cooperative agreement with GoTriangle for the 17.7-mile light-rail line between Chapel Hill and Durham. The plan also depends on Duke donating land for the light-rail corridor on Erwin Road. Without Dukes participation, the light-rail project is unlikely to advance to a federal funding application. Is this consistent with the moniker of being the most progressive city in the South? Durham City Council member Mark-Anthony Middleton told The News & Observer. If light rail is truly all it is billed to be then how can we allow it not to happen? Middleton wrote in a statement he sent to The News & Observer on Tuesday night. I dont want to hear any more bellyaching from GoTriangle, nor prompting or cajoling from public officials about black folk going hat in hand to Duke begging for our economic future while not boldly and redemptively using the power that made us beggars in the first place. Weve heard the case, now show us how serious you really are. Welcome to the unsexy part of the actual work of racial equity, Middleton said. The Duke Faculty Union, in an urgently considered vote, overwhelmingly supported the statement urging Duke to back the project and help improve transportation for the most marginalized members of society. Union President Christopher Shreve released the statement in an email Tuesday. In it, Duke faculty noted the years of hard work planning the 17.7-mile light-rail system and the need to bring federal dollars home to meet the Triangles goals of green infrastructure and improved access to medical facilities, schools, and shopping centers. The economic and social benefits that a reliable, affordable, and convenient transit system will make are undisputed, the statement said. The vast majority of local organizations, businesses, and academic institutions have enthusiastically put their support behind this well-researched, carefully planned project. As the largest employer in Durham, Duke University and its affiliated Health Systems stand to gain tremendously from the increased access to and from campuses, hospitals, downtown, and neighboring universities. The Faculty Union represents instructors and lecturing fellows in Dukes Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School and Center for Documentary Studies. Middleton called on the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, Durham CAN, the Peoples Alliance, N.C. Central University, Coalition for Affordable Housing and Transit and the Durham Housing Authority to make their case not just to Duke, but to ask those of us entrusted with immense power where our land grabbing, tunnel digging resolve has gone. How dare we look the heirs of Hayti in the face after a decade of raising expectations only to once again dash hopes by mortgaging our citys future off to a powerful private institution. Duke has been and will continue to be a beloved partner in Durhams future. They should not, however, determine our future, he said. If light rail dies it wont be because Duke killed it. It will be because Duke was allowed to kill it, Middleton said. Earlier this week, leaders at NCCU, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, Durham Technical Community College and the Durham Housing Authority held a press conference touting their support for light rail. Henry McKoy, an instructor in the NCCU School of Business and a representative of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People said on Monday that light rail could bring back economic development thats been missing for so long in the Hayti area. Middleton said when he and the rest of the City Council approved the rail operations maintenance facility rezoning in South Durham, parcels of that rezoned land were acquired through eminent domain. What makes Duke University so different? Middleton asked. Neighbors of the rail yard have filed a lawsuit over the rezoning. The Duke Faculty statement was issued just one day after GoTriangle released a 20-page report outlining six years of talks with Duke leaders about the light-rail project and how it might affect Dukes medical and research facilities. The report and documents submitted to the Federal Transit Administration during that time show Duke did not raise objections to the proposed light-rail route. Duke officials did ask that GoTriangle move a station from the front of the Duke and Durham VA medical centers to a site closer to Trent Drive. Duke President Vincent Price, in a November letter to Durham and GoTriangle officials, said the university has been trying to work with GoTriangle for years. He cited several lingering concerns, including maintaining emergency access to the hospital, how noise and vibrations from the light rail might affect medical and research facilities, and how road closures could affect traffic around the medical center. The projects risks to Durhams health, safety and economy are too great to move forward, Price said. The GoTriangle report paints a different picture, noting the conversation with Duke was productive until the project advanced to the planning stage in 2016. After that, GoTriangle officials said Duke staff rarely attended planning meetings, delayed critical information about Dukes needs and only in recent months raised concerns about how electromagnetic radiation from the light-rail system might affect sensitive medical and research equipment. The conversation began to reveal bizarre contradictions, complications, and a general dissatisfaction, the GoTriangle report said. Duke officials have not responded to questions about the GoTriangle report. Michael Schoenfeld, Dukes vice president for public affairs and community relations, said in an email Friday that Duke officials still are reviewing data about possible electromagnetic interference from the light-rail system. GoTriangle must meet an April 30 deadline for submitting the project to the Federal Transit Administration for $1.23 billion in funding half the projects $2.47 billion construction cost. A federal decision has to be in hand by Nov. 30 to meet a deadline for getting $190 million in state funding. That puts the project on a tight timeline and makes it unclear if Durham has time to pursue an eminent domain taking of Duke land. Eminent domain would require a third-party appraisal and potentially could end up in court. | Without Dukes participation, the light-rail project is unlikely to advance to a federal funding application. Without Dukes participation, the light-rail project is unlikely to advance to a federal funding application. A Durham City Council member also floated the idea of taking Duke land needed for the light-rail project by eminent domain. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article226856199.html | 0.464967 |
Will the BBC and ITV's BritBox be a hit or a flop? | Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Living The Dream, made by ITV Studios but shown on Sky in the UK, airs on BritBox in the US The BBC and ITV's partnership on the BritBox streaming service is a move born of necessity. Both have long been aware that they are losing ground to Netflix and other rival TV services - but previous attempts to compete in that arena have been stymied by regulators. Back in 2008, they had plans to launch a joint service along with Channel 4, called Project Kangaroo. But the Competition Commission blocked it after lobbying by commercial rivals. During the inquiry, Sky and Virgin Media gave evidence complaining that Project Kangaroo would concentrate too much power over content and harm their own video-on-demand efforts. Naturally, both the Competition and Markets Authority and media regulator Ofcom are being consulted on this latest venture. But more than a decade later, new entrants to the market and new ways of watching TV have radically transformed the landscape. Now the BBC and ITV look less like the big beasts and more like the Johnny-come-latelies. Cost and content Most of the details of the service, due to become available in the second half of 2019, are yet to be announced. The price, for instance. But Tom Harrington, senior researcher at Enders Analysis, said it was unlikely to be more than 5.99 a month. "Anything more and people are going to start comparing it to Netflix," he told the BBC. "It's not going to be anything like Netflix in terms of scale or size." Another issue that has yet to be resolved is the kind of content that will be available. Mr Harrington said he expected to see ITV dramas such as Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders and Endeavour in the line-up. "Excellent programmes, but these are the sort of things that people expect to get for free as part of their licence fee," he said. Judging by the responses from people contacted by BBC News on Twitter, that does seem to be the biggest sticking point. "We have paid for the BBC content already," said Martin Holme. "Why should we pay more to see the same old stuff?" replied Ian Gatward. "Must have new and exclusive content not on the networks," said Peter Jones. "If it does not, then no thanks, we don't need another streaming service with the same old stuff." The BritBox streaming service already operates in North America, where it has 500,000 subscribers. By contrast, Netflix has 139 million subscribers globally. Aside from Netflix, there is also Amazon Prime, YouTube and Sky's Now TV, with other entrants likely to emerge soon. Television industry analysts are sceptical. The competition is high for subscription video on demand services and Britbox UK is launching just as major studios and tech players, from Apple to Disney, are also set to launch their own services," says Kaltrina Bylykbashi, managing editor at Television Business International. "The BBC and ITV have to remain competitive and British content is held in high regard, so they should own that, but there are many worried that the broadcasters may have joined forces a little too late. "With so many offerings, consumers may tire of shelling out money for each new venture." Commercial firepower And Netflix has the power to outspend all its rivals. It lavished $12bn (9bn) on programme-making last year, while ITV has said it will spend 25m on BritBox this year and 40m in 2020. The BBC has not given any comparable figures. As Mr Harrington of Enders Analysis says, referring to one of Netflix's biggest successes, "25m - that's three episodes of The Crown." Enders Analysis says UK households that consume streaming video on demand have an average of 1.4 services each. These are generally Netflix and Amazon, the latter bundled with the online retail giant's 79-a-year Prime membership that offers free one-day delivery on orders. "People usually get Amazon because of the shipping and they don't really use it for video," says Mr Harrington. So if you already have a streaming service that you don't actually watch, there seems little point in signing up for something else, he adds. | BBC and ITV to launch BritBox streaming service in the second half of 2019. But will it be a hit or a flop? Analysts say it is unlikely to be more than 5.99 a month. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47389420 | 0.13236 |
Will the BBC and ITV's BritBox be a hit or a flop? | Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Living The Dream, made by ITV Studios but shown on Sky in the UK, airs on BritBox in the US The BBC and ITV's partnership on the BritBox streaming service is a move born of necessity. Both have long been aware that they are losing ground to Netflix and other rival TV services - but previous attempts to compete in that arena have been stymied by regulators. Back in 2008, they had plans to launch a joint service along with Channel 4, called Project Kangaroo. But the Competition Commission blocked it after lobbying by commercial rivals. During the inquiry, Sky and Virgin Media gave evidence complaining that Project Kangaroo would concentrate too much power over content and harm their own video-on-demand efforts. Naturally, both the Competition and Markets Authority and media regulator Ofcom are being consulted on this latest venture. But more than a decade later, new entrants to the market and new ways of watching TV have radically transformed the landscape. Now the BBC and ITV look less like the big beasts and more like the Johnny-come-latelies. Cost and content Most of the details of the service, due to become available in the second half of 2019, are yet to be announced. The price, for instance. But Tom Harrington, senior researcher at Enders Analysis, said it was unlikely to be more than 5.99 a month. "Anything more and people are going to start comparing it to Netflix," he told the BBC. "It's not going to be anything like Netflix in terms of scale or size." Another issue that has yet to be resolved is the kind of content that will be available. Mr Harrington said he expected to see ITV dramas such as Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders and Endeavour in the line-up. "Excellent programmes, but these are the sort of things that people expect to get for free as part of their licence fee," he said. Judging by the responses from people contacted by BBC News on Twitter, that does seem to be the biggest sticking point. "We have paid for the BBC content already," said Martin Holme. "Why should we pay more to see the same old stuff?" replied Ian Gatward. "Must have new and exclusive content not on the networks," said Peter Jones. "If it does not, then no thanks, we don't need another streaming service with the same old stuff." The BritBox streaming service already operates in North America, where it has 500,000 subscribers. By contrast, Netflix has 139 million subscribers globally. Aside from Netflix, there is also Amazon Prime, YouTube and Sky's Now TV, with other entrants likely to emerge soon. Television industry analysts are sceptical. The competition is high for subscription video on demand services and Britbox UK is launching just as major studios and tech players, from Apple to Disney, are also set to launch their own services," says Kaltrina Bylykbashi, managing editor at Television Business International. "The BBC and ITV have to remain competitive and British content is held in high regard, so they should own that, but there are many worried that the broadcasters may have joined forces a little too late. "With so many offerings, consumers may tire of shelling out money for each new venture." Commercial firepower And Netflix has the power to outspend all its rivals. It lavished $12bn (9bn) on programme-making last year, while ITV has said it will spend 25m on BritBox this year and 40m in 2020. The BBC has not given any comparable figures. As Mr Harrington of Enders Analysis says, referring to one of Netflix's biggest successes, "25m - that's three episodes of The Crown." Enders Analysis says UK households that consume streaming video on demand have an average of 1.4 services each. These are generally Netflix and Amazon, the latter bundled with the online retail giant's 79-a-year Prime membership that offers free one-day delivery on orders. "People usually get Amazon because of the shipping and they don't really use it for video," says Mr Harrington. So if you already have a streaming service that you don't actually watch, there seems little point in signing up for something else, he adds. | BBC and ITV to launch BritBox streaming service in the second half of 2019. But will it be a hit or a flop? Analysts say it is unlikely to be more than 5.99 a month. But some viewers are sceptical about the move. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47389420 | 0.157792 |
Why Are Air France-KLM Shareholders So Scared Of The Dutch Government? | Shares in Air France-KLM plummeted by as much as 15% today after the Dutch governments surprise decision to buy a sizable chunk of the Franco-Dutch airline group. The move is intended to bring Amsterdam on equal footing with Paris when it comes to shaping strategy at the holding company, which was formed in 2004 by a merger of the flag-carriers of France and the Netherlands. "With this share purchase, the Dutch cabinet wants to be able to directly influence the future development of Air France-KLM in order to optimally ensure the Dutch public interest," Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra said of the 12.68% stock acquisition, which cost Amsterdam approximately 680 million ($774 million). The Dutch state already held a 5.9% stake in KLM, but lagged behind France for control at group level. Amsterdam is planning to lift its stake further over the coming weeks to match Pariss 14.3% shareholding. Shedding further light on the thinking behind the transaction, Hoekstra noted: In recent years it has become apparent that important decisions about KLMs strategy were increasingly taken at the level of the Air France-KLM holding company. His remarks underline longstanding tensions that reached boiling point this month amid a public row over the fate of Pieter Elbers, KLMs chief executive, whom the holding companys French-dominated board has reportedly been seeking to push aside. Air France-KLM chief executive Benjamin Smith sees Elbers as an obstacle to his plans for closer integration of the two airlines. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire responded to the news by complaining that neither his government nor Air France-KLMs board were given advance notice. He warned Amsterdam somewhat ironically to avoid state interference in the group. A tougher line was taken by an anonymous source at the ministry, who subsequently told Reuters: Its an unfriendly, surprising move that is extremely detrimental to Air France-KLM financially The Dutch authorities have already lost 70 million on their investment. Its their problem Investors are completely confused about the move. Analysts say that Amsterdams willingness to take a large financial hit underscores the peculiar logic behind the transaction. Far from signaling confidence in Air France-KLMs business prospects, the Dutch government seems to be positioning itself for a more adversarial relationship that could one day render the alliance untenable. Investors are right to be concerned. | Shares in Air France-KLM plummeted by as much as 15% today after the Dutch government bought a sizable chunk of the Franco-Dutch airline group. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/martinrivers/2019/02/27/why-are-air-france-klm-shareholders-so-scared-of-the-dutch-government/ | 0.107006 |
Why Are Air France-KLM Shareholders So Scared Of The Dutch Government? | Shares in Air France-KLM plummeted by as much as 15% today after the Dutch governments surprise decision to buy a sizable chunk of the Franco-Dutch airline group. The move is intended to bring Amsterdam on equal footing with Paris when it comes to shaping strategy at the holding company, which was formed in 2004 by a merger of the flag-carriers of France and the Netherlands. "With this share purchase, the Dutch cabinet wants to be able to directly influence the future development of Air France-KLM in order to optimally ensure the Dutch public interest," Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra said of the 12.68% stock acquisition, which cost Amsterdam approximately 680 million ($774 million). The Dutch state already held a 5.9% stake in KLM, but lagged behind France for control at group level. Amsterdam is planning to lift its stake further over the coming weeks to match Pariss 14.3% shareholding. Shedding further light on the thinking behind the transaction, Hoekstra noted: In recent years it has become apparent that important decisions about KLMs strategy were increasingly taken at the level of the Air France-KLM holding company. His remarks underline longstanding tensions that reached boiling point this month amid a public row over the fate of Pieter Elbers, KLMs chief executive, whom the holding companys French-dominated board has reportedly been seeking to push aside. Air France-KLM chief executive Benjamin Smith sees Elbers as an obstacle to his plans for closer integration of the two airlines. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire responded to the news by complaining that neither his government nor Air France-KLMs board were given advance notice. He warned Amsterdam somewhat ironically to avoid state interference in the group. A tougher line was taken by an anonymous source at the ministry, who subsequently told Reuters: Its an unfriendly, surprising move that is extremely detrimental to Air France-KLM financially The Dutch authorities have already lost 70 million on their investment. Its their problem Investors are completely confused about the move. Analysts say that Amsterdams willingness to take a large financial hit underscores the peculiar logic behind the transaction. Far from signaling confidence in Air France-KLMs business prospects, the Dutch government seems to be positioning itself for a more adversarial relationship that could one day render the alliance untenable. Investors are right to be concerned. | Shares in Air France-KLM plummeted by as much as 15% today after the Dutch government bought a sizable chunk of the Franco-Dutch airline group. The move is intended to bring Amsterdam on equal footing with Paris when it comes to shaping strategy at the holding company. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/martinrivers/2019/02/27/why-are-air-france-klm-shareholders-so-scared-of-the-dutch-government/ | 0.239814 |
Will China's EV Leadership Bring Global Automotive Dominance? | In the first half of 2018 Chinese automakers built 400,000 electric cars, over half the global total and twice as many EVs as the year before. So quickly has China grown to become the worlds dominant EV manufacturer that it appears destined to become a leading player in the global car market overall, particularly as EVs expand beyond their niche status to the mainstream. A recent article in MIT Energy Review laid out a solid argument for the emergence of a globally competitive Chinese auto industry, while noting that Chinese have faced a huge challenge in overcoming the technology advantage enjoyed by established Western, Japanese and Korean automakers, particularly in complex systems such as engines. For the Chinese government, it has been really disappointing that domestic car manufacturers have not become export giants, says John Paul MacDuffie, Director of the Program on Vehicle and Mobility Innovation, a global automotive research consortium headquartered at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton Business School. EVs, the theory goes, could change all of that. Electric cars are reliant upon technologies where China bears no handicap. The technologies it already produces in abundance, notably those that underpin iPhones and other complex electronics, are related to the systems that make EVs work. China, which grants certain EV subsidies only to cars with batteries produced domestically, is the worlds largest manufacturer of automotive lithium-ion batteries and home to seven of the 13 biggest battery makers. To boot, Chinas leading carmakers, including BAIC and Geely (Volvos owner), aim to go almost wholly electric by the middle of the coming decade. Its easy to imagine Chinese marques pushing their EV capacity onto the global market, and their automobiles flooding the highways of Europe and North America. Yet a Chinese automotive juggernaut may not be foreordained . Any future Chinese EV hegemony assumes that global auto incumbents have been asleep at the wheel. They most decidedly havent. One notable example is Volkswagen, which has both stated its intention to essentially abandon efforts to further develop automotive gasoline and diesel engines after 2026, and to turn its focus to electrics. Other German brands are thinking the same. And Volkswagen, as part of its Diesel Gate settlement, will invest $2 billion in the development of EV charging infrastructure in the US. In the US, GM and Ford are abandoning the market for fuel efficient sedans, and using the money they save (and profits from SUV sales) to develop electrics. Chevys Bolt plug-in EV, which has been widely praised, offers proof that the incumbents can get EVs right. Which brings up a major barrier for the Chinese carmakers looking abroad: the brand equity of the established global competition. We already know that Chinese consumers often prefer the foreign brand to the domestic brand, says MacDuffie. Many people thought that certainly by now, and maybe even by five years ago, the world would be flooded with inexpensive Chinese exports because thats how the Japanese and Koreans entered the market in the past. It hasnt happened. Even Chinas dominance in electric vehicle batteries comes with a caveat. While domestic Chinese battery makers are aggressively growing capacity, established automotive marques from Japan and Korea arent necessarily buying. Toyota sells cars in the Chinese market with Panasonic batteries, while the Koreans use batteries from LG Chem and Samsung SDI , made in China to comply with local content requirements. The introduction of solid state lithium-ion batteries, with much improved energy density, could within a decade create new opportunity for technology leaders to differentiate themselves at the high end, leaving production of commodity Li-Ion cells to Chinas mega manufacturers. And Chinas lock on natural reserves of rare earth metals, normally a key ingredient in EV motors, loses relevance when a company like BMW announces that future designs will be rare-earths free. None of this means that Chinas impact on the global car industry wont be substantial. Quite the opposite, Chinas EV presence could upend the hierarchies of the automotive industry. As the focus of value in a given car shifts from gasoline engines to batteries, some of that value will migrate away from the OEMs, who make engines themselves, to third-party battery producers. In July, 2018 the United Auto Workers union testified to the U.S. Commerce Department that by 2021 56% of Li-Ion batteries used in electric cars would be made in China. And a study funded by German automakers says 75,000 Germans could lose their jobs as a result of falling ICE demand. Whether these predictions will play out depends in part on the spread elsewhere of policies to support EV market growth, and the scale economies that would follow. What looks more certain is that China will be a major player in a future global car market dominated by EVs, regardless of the success of its automotive brands. | China has grown to become the worlds dominant EV manufacturer. Yet a Chinese automotive juggernaut may not be foreordained. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/andystone/2019/02/27/will-chinas-ev-leadership-bring-global-automotive-dominance/ | 0.197595 |
Will China's EV Leadership Bring Global Automotive Dominance? | In the first half of 2018 Chinese automakers built 400,000 electric cars, over half the global total and twice as many EVs as the year before. So quickly has China grown to become the worlds dominant EV manufacturer that it appears destined to become a leading player in the global car market overall, particularly as EVs expand beyond their niche status to the mainstream. A recent article in MIT Energy Review laid out a solid argument for the emergence of a globally competitive Chinese auto industry, while noting that Chinese have faced a huge challenge in overcoming the technology advantage enjoyed by established Western, Japanese and Korean automakers, particularly in complex systems such as engines. For the Chinese government, it has been really disappointing that domestic car manufacturers have not become export giants, says John Paul MacDuffie, Director of the Program on Vehicle and Mobility Innovation, a global automotive research consortium headquartered at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton Business School. EVs, the theory goes, could change all of that. Electric cars are reliant upon technologies where China bears no handicap. The technologies it already produces in abundance, notably those that underpin iPhones and other complex electronics, are related to the systems that make EVs work. China, which grants certain EV subsidies only to cars with batteries produced domestically, is the worlds largest manufacturer of automotive lithium-ion batteries and home to seven of the 13 biggest battery makers. To boot, Chinas leading carmakers, including BAIC and Geely (Volvos owner), aim to go almost wholly electric by the middle of the coming decade. Its easy to imagine Chinese marques pushing their EV capacity onto the global market, and their automobiles flooding the highways of Europe and North America. Yet a Chinese automotive juggernaut may not be foreordained . Any future Chinese EV hegemony assumes that global auto incumbents have been asleep at the wheel. They most decidedly havent. One notable example is Volkswagen, which has both stated its intention to essentially abandon efforts to further develop automotive gasoline and diesel engines after 2026, and to turn its focus to electrics. Other German brands are thinking the same. And Volkswagen, as part of its Diesel Gate settlement, will invest $2 billion in the development of EV charging infrastructure in the US. In the US, GM and Ford are abandoning the market for fuel efficient sedans, and using the money they save (and profits from SUV sales) to develop electrics. Chevys Bolt plug-in EV, which has been widely praised, offers proof that the incumbents can get EVs right. Which brings up a major barrier for the Chinese carmakers looking abroad: the brand equity of the established global competition. We already know that Chinese consumers often prefer the foreign brand to the domestic brand, says MacDuffie. Many people thought that certainly by now, and maybe even by five years ago, the world would be flooded with inexpensive Chinese exports because thats how the Japanese and Koreans entered the market in the past. It hasnt happened. Even Chinas dominance in electric vehicle batteries comes with a caveat. While domestic Chinese battery makers are aggressively growing capacity, established automotive marques from Japan and Korea arent necessarily buying. Toyota sells cars in the Chinese market with Panasonic batteries, while the Koreans use batteries from LG Chem and Samsung SDI , made in China to comply with local content requirements. The introduction of solid state lithium-ion batteries, with much improved energy density, could within a decade create new opportunity for technology leaders to differentiate themselves at the high end, leaving production of commodity Li-Ion cells to Chinas mega manufacturers. And Chinas lock on natural reserves of rare earth metals, normally a key ingredient in EV motors, loses relevance when a company like BMW announces that future designs will be rare-earths free. None of this means that Chinas impact on the global car industry wont be substantial. Quite the opposite, Chinas EV presence could upend the hierarchies of the automotive industry. As the focus of value in a given car shifts from gasoline engines to batteries, some of that value will migrate away from the OEMs, who make engines themselves, to third-party battery producers. In July, 2018 the United Auto Workers union testified to the U.S. Commerce Department that by 2021 56% of Li-Ion batteries used in electric cars would be made in China. And a study funded by German automakers says 75,000 Germans could lose their jobs as a result of falling ICE demand. Whether these predictions will play out depends in part on the spread elsewhere of policies to support EV market growth, and the scale economies that would follow. What looks more certain is that China will be a major player in a future global car market dominated by EVs, regardless of the success of its automotive brands. | In the first half of 2018 Chinese automakers built 400,000 electric cars. China appears destined to become a leading player in the global car market. Yet a Chinese automotive juggernaut may not be foreordained. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/andystone/2019/02/27/will-chinas-ev-leadership-bring-global-automotive-dominance/ | 0.16319 |
Will China's EV Leadership Bring Global Automotive Dominance? | In the first half of 2018 Chinese automakers built 400,000 electric cars, over half the global total and twice as many EVs as the year before. So quickly has China grown to become the worlds dominant EV manufacturer that it appears destined to become a leading player in the global car market overall, particularly as EVs expand beyond their niche status to the mainstream. A recent article in MIT Energy Review laid out a solid argument for the emergence of a globally competitive Chinese auto industry, while noting that Chinese have faced a huge challenge in overcoming the technology advantage enjoyed by established Western, Japanese and Korean automakers, particularly in complex systems such as engines. For the Chinese government, it has been really disappointing that domestic car manufacturers have not become export giants, says John Paul MacDuffie, Director of the Program on Vehicle and Mobility Innovation, a global automotive research consortium headquartered at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton Business School. EVs, the theory goes, could change all of that. Electric cars are reliant upon technologies where China bears no handicap. The technologies it already produces in abundance, notably those that underpin iPhones and other complex electronics, are related to the systems that make EVs work. China, which grants certain EV subsidies only to cars with batteries produced domestically, is the worlds largest manufacturer of automotive lithium-ion batteries and home to seven of the 13 biggest battery makers. To boot, Chinas leading carmakers, including BAIC and Geely (Volvos owner), aim to go almost wholly electric by the middle of the coming decade. Its easy to imagine Chinese marques pushing their EV capacity onto the global market, and their automobiles flooding the highways of Europe and North America. Yet a Chinese automotive juggernaut may not be foreordained . Any future Chinese EV hegemony assumes that global auto incumbents have been asleep at the wheel. They most decidedly havent. One notable example is Volkswagen, which has both stated its intention to essentially abandon efforts to further develop automotive gasoline and diesel engines after 2026, and to turn its focus to electrics. Other German brands are thinking the same. And Volkswagen, as part of its Diesel Gate settlement, will invest $2 billion in the development of EV charging infrastructure in the US. In the US, GM and Ford are abandoning the market for fuel efficient sedans, and using the money they save (and profits from SUV sales) to develop electrics. Chevys Bolt plug-in EV, which has been widely praised, offers proof that the incumbents can get EVs right. Which brings up a major barrier for the Chinese carmakers looking abroad: the brand equity of the established global competition. We already know that Chinese consumers often prefer the foreign brand to the domestic brand, says MacDuffie. Many people thought that certainly by now, and maybe even by five years ago, the world would be flooded with inexpensive Chinese exports because thats how the Japanese and Koreans entered the market in the past. It hasnt happened. Even Chinas dominance in electric vehicle batteries comes with a caveat. While domestic Chinese battery makers are aggressively growing capacity, established automotive marques from Japan and Korea arent necessarily buying. Toyota sells cars in the Chinese market with Panasonic batteries, while the Koreans use batteries from LG Chem and Samsung SDI , made in China to comply with local content requirements. The introduction of solid state lithium-ion batteries, with much improved energy density, could within a decade create new opportunity for technology leaders to differentiate themselves at the high end, leaving production of commodity Li-Ion cells to Chinas mega manufacturers. And Chinas lock on natural reserves of rare earth metals, normally a key ingredient in EV motors, loses relevance when a company like BMW announces that future designs will be rare-earths free. None of this means that Chinas impact on the global car industry wont be substantial. Quite the opposite, Chinas EV presence could upend the hierarchies of the automotive industry. As the focus of value in a given car shifts from gasoline engines to batteries, some of that value will migrate away from the OEMs, who make engines themselves, to third-party battery producers. In July, 2018 the United Auto Workers union testified to the U.S. Commerce Department that by 2021 56% of Li-Ion batteries used in electric cars would be made in China. And a study funded by German automakers says 75,000 Germans could lose their jobs as a result of falling ICE demand. Whether these predictions will play out depends in part on the spread elsewhere of policies to support EV market growth, and the scale economies that would follow. What looks more certain is that China will be a major player in a future global car market dominated by EVs, regardless of the success of its automotive brands. | In the first half of 2018 Chinese automakers built 400,000 electric cars. China appears destined to become a leading player in the global car market. Yet a Chinese automotive juggernaut may not be foreordained. Existing global auto incumbents have not been asleep at the wheel. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/andystone/2019/02/27/will-chinas-ev-leadership-bring-global-automotive-dominance/ | 0.18604 |
Is National Debt As Scary As It Seems? | If youve been keeping up on the status of our national debt, youve likely read that its about $22 trillionand rising. Looking back, we have added approximately $16 trillion since 2000 (about $900 million per year), $11 trillion since 2008 (about $1.1 trillion per year), and $2 trillion since the end of 2016. And it is only expected to get worse. In fact, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reports that with about $1 trillion or more per year added to the debt over the next decade, it could be more than $30 trillion by 2030. Well, it depends on how you look at it. Viewing the national debt through a different lens As the economy grows, so does the countrys ability to support a higher debt load. So, a good way to analyze the debt is as a proportion of the economy as a whole. Here, there has been a significant rise in recent decades, with the largest increase coming in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the great recession. But even as the debt rose in the 1990s and 2000s, the debt-to-economy ratio did not. Economic growthas the economy grew, often faster than the debt, the ability to pay actually stabilized or improved. We could borrow as much as we wanted as long as the economy grew faster than the debt. The economy certainly did not grow faster than debt during the crisis. But in recent years, as growth improved, we saw the debt-to-economy ratio stabilizing at around 1.1. This is still well above the levels of the 1990s and 2000s, but at least it hasnt gotten much worse. If the economy continues to grow at a higher rate than the deficit, we can run the projected deficits indefinitely. Another way to look at the situation is to consider interest rates. For example, if rates are low, you can afford a bigger mortgage, as the payment will be lower. The same rationale applies to government debt. Rates have been declining since the early 1980s. Even as the debt has risen, it has become more affordable; however, rates have risen recently, which suggests that trend may be played out. In other words, even as the total debt level has risen dramatically, the actual payments have been declining as a percentage of the economy, due to a perfect mix of lower interest rates and economic growth over the past couple of decades. Even as we borrowed more, it actually became more affordable. This scenario is at the core of the laissez-faire attitude toward the deficit and the debt in recent years by much of the investment and economics community. Although debt was high, it had stabilized as a percentage of the economy and, in any case, was relatively affordable. This supports the argument that there is no problem. The problem with no problem The real problem is that the no problem conclusion relies on a continuation of two things: economic growth and low interest rates. As noted earlier, rates have recently ticked up. Even if they dont move up much more, there simply is not much room for a further decline. This tailwind has likely faded and may well turn into a headwind. The other assumption, of continued economic growth, is also likely to fail at some point. A recession is not likely this year but is certainly possible. If not this year, though, we will almost certainly see one in the next couple of years. At that point, with interest rates stabilizing or even higher and the economy not growing, we may well see another spike in the debt-to-economy ratio, as well as a meaningful increase in the debt service expense. Then, the economic risks will start to rise materially. Things could get scary We are not at that danger point yet, but the trend is in the wrong direction. The larger the deficit and the higher the accrued debt, the greater the chance of an economic accident. This is a big problem, but not an immediate one. It is, but the solution will be painful. | The U.S. national debt is about $22 trillion, and rising, says Julian Zelizer. Zelizer: With about $1 trillion or more per year added to the debt over the next decade, it could be more than $30 trillion by 2030. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradmcmillan/2019/02/27/national-debt-as-scary-as-it-seems/ | 0.107775 |
Does Roman Reigns deserve a shot at the WWE Universal Championship title? | Former WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has returned to the company after his leukemia went into remission. Reigns was one of the biggest WWE stars before he left to treat his illness and many are expecting him to get a shot at the title he was fighting for. Still, he has been away from the sport for a while and rushing him back to such a high level would be a mistake. Roman Reigns laid the smackdown on cancer and now he has his sights set on Wrestlemania. The Big Dog was so close to dethroning Lesnar and it's only appropriate that he gets the chance to depose the Beast Incarnate on the company's biggest stage. Yes, Lesnar has a match against Seth Rollins scheduled for Wrestlemania but making this a triple threat match should be no problem for the WWE. If anyone has earned the right to wrestle for the Universal Championship at Wrestlemania, its Reigns. I knew I made the right call to go to Mania now put Roman in the Universal Title match skuba steve (@JakesBadTweets) February 21, 2019 Everyone is happy Reigns is healthy and able to wrestle. Still, throwing him into a rushed title shot at Wrestlemania would be a mistake. Cancer is no joke. It destroys your body in ways you can't imagine and the treatment does some damage as well. Pushing the Big Dog too quickly will only have disastrous results if he takes himself to the limit and his body breaks down. He might have been one of the top wrestlers before he took his break, but fans werent exactly in love with the WWE pushing him in into that top tier anyway. Reigns and company need to build his return slowly; an immediate title shot at Wrestlemania would not be the right choice. I'm very happy for Roman. However, him coming back so soon makes me personally feel a tad unsettled. After seeing a close friend suffer through the same illness with so many ups and downs I'd rather the guy just take care of himself than rush back for freaking Wrestlemania plans Joe Numbas (@JoeNumbas) February 26, 2019 | Roman Reigns has returned to the WWE after his leukemia went into remission. Reigns was one of the biggest WWE stars before he left to treat his illness. Many are expecting him to get a shot at the Universal Championship at Wrestlemania. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.nola.com/tylt/2019/02/does-roman-reigns-deserve-a-shot-at-the-wwe-universal-championship-title.html | 0.153684 |
Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez right to ask if the climate means we should have fewer children? | On Instagram, the congresswoman said millennials are choosing to be childless because of the climate crisis. During a recent Q&A live-streamed on Instagram, apparently shot while she was pottering in her kitchen, the rising star of the Democratic party and one of the few frontline politicians to get the scale of the environmental emergency pulled no punches in telling viewers that unless we take urgent, radical action on emissions, there is no hope for the future. It is basically a scientific consensus that the lives of our children are going to be very different, and it does lead young people to have a legitimate question: is it OK to still have children? With this one question put to her 2.5 million Instagram followers, Ocasio-Cortez has stumbled into a highly contentious area. Population has long been a controversial factor in the climate change debate; one recent study said the most effective thing individuals can do to address the crisis was to have one less child. However, critics insist we should focus instead on overconsumption, and that putting the onus on individuals to address climate change obscures the systematic nature of the crisis. Crucially, they say, it lets the real culprits fossil fuel corporations and successive global governments inaction off the hook. And even if you accept the premise that having fewer children will tackle climate change, there is also the thorny question of exactly who should be having fewer kids: an American is responsible for 40 times the emissions produced by a Bangladeshi, but often those who advocate population reduction focus on women in the developing world. Ocasio-Cortez is not encouraging people stop having children. And as the leading advocate of the Green New Deal plan which aims to radically transform the US economy by 2030 she is one of the few politicians to be working on a plan that might just offer a way to avoid the worst impacts of this crisis. But perhaps she is raising a more profound issue. The answer is one we must all grapple with. But it is worth remembering that throughout history even in the most horrific circumstances people have continued to have children. It is a profoundly human act. And the thousands of young people who took to the streets to voice their concern around the climate crisis in recent months are a reminder that often far from being the problem children embody a profound hope for the future. | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said millennials are choosing to be childless because of the climate crisis. But critics say putting the onus on individuals to address climate change obscures the systematic nature of the crisis. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/shortcuts/2019/feb/27/is-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-right-to-ask-if-the-climate-means-we-should-have-fewer-children | 0.448375 |
Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez right to ask if the climate means we should have fewer children? | On Instagram, the congresswoman said millennials are choosing to be childless because of the climate crisis. During a recent Q&A live-streamed on Instagram, apparently shot while she was pottering in her kitchen, the rising star of the Democratic party and one of the few frontline politicians to get the scale of the environmental emergency pulled no punches in telling viewers that unless we take urgent, radical action on emissions, there is no hope for the future. It is basically a scientific consensus that the lives of our children are going to be very different, and it does lead young people to have a legitimate question: is it OK to still have children? With this one question put to her 2.5 million Instagram followers, Ocasio-Cortez has stumbled into a highly contentious area. Population has long been a controversial factor in the climate change debate; one recent study said the most effective thing individuals can do to address the crisis was to have one less child. However, critics insist we should focus instead on overconsumption, and that putting the onus on individuals to address climate change obscures the systematic nature of the crisis. Crucially, they say, it lets the real culprits fossil fuel corporations and successive global governments inaction off the hook. And even if you accept the premise that having fewer children will tackle climate change, there is also the thorny question of exactly who should be having fewer kids: an American is responsible for 40 times the emissions produced by a Bangladeshi, but often those who advocate population reduction focus on women in the developing world. Ocasio-Cortez is not encouraging people stop having children. And as the leading advocate of the Green New Deal plan which aims to radically transform the US economy by 2030 she is one of the few politicians to be working on a plan that might just offer a way to avoid the worst impacts of this crisis. But perhaps she is raising a more profound issue. The answer is one we must all grapple with. But it is worth remembering that throughout history even in the most horrific circumstances people have continued to have children. It is a profoundly human act. And the thousands of young people who took to the streets to voice their concern around the climate crisis in recent months are a reminder that often far from being the problem children embody a profound hope for the future. | Congresswoman said millennials are choosing to be childless because of the climate crisis. Ocasio-Cortez is not encouraging people stop having children. But it is worth remembering that throughout history even in the most horrific circumstances people have continued to have children. It is a profoundly human act. | bart | 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/shortcuts/2019/feb/27/is-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-right-to-ask-if-the-climate-means-we-should-have-fewer-children | 0.254318 |
Do Compassionate Leaders Have To Present As Compassionate? | One of the most common misunderstandings about compassionate leadership is that it looks like being nice or soft or loving everyone. It turns out that most leaders arent sure what compassion actually looks like in action. In a survey of over 1,000 leaders, 91% said that compassion was very important for their leadership, but 80% of them did not know how to apply compassion (source). In interviews, leaders often say that its difficult to know how to be nice when things need to get done or someone needs to be held accountable. Compassionate leadership is understanding where you and others are coming from, feeling for yourself and others in a genuine way, and helping you and others to be successful. This means that compassion can look fierce or gentle as long as theres a genuine understanding of and caring for whats needed, an intention to be of benefit, and it results in better outcomes. This isnt easy. Lets say you want to provide honest feedback to a coworker who isnt pulling her or his weight on the team. Being brutally honest can be direct and clear, but your coworker may not be able to receive that feedback without being defensive or hurt. Skirting around the issue with vague questions (How do you feel about your performance lately?) or piling on praise while sneaking in some criticism can be confusing and unhelpful. The compassionate response requires having a sense of what your coworker needs to hear, what youre able to give in that moment, and what he or she is able to receive. This becomes easier with training. Research shows that cultivating compassion in addition to competencies such as mindfulness and emotional intelligence can help you better understand whats happening in your own mind and generate a sense of genuine caring and concern for others. When you combine these with communication skills, you can deliver the feedback in a way that is true and kind, as well as more effective. And this works both ways. When you are given the gift of caring and honest feedback, it may not feel good in the moment -- but if it results in you being more effective, this may be an example of compassionate leadership. While compassionate leadership may now be easier to recognize when you apply it or receive it, it can be more difficult to assess when it involves other people. For example, compassionate leadership does not necessarily have to look empathetic. Empathy is defined as sharing what others are feeling, while compassion involves feeling for what others are feeling. In other words, acting with compassion does not require having to share the same suffering. This isnt just a semantic difference -- recent neuroscience research shows that compassion lights up a specific part of the brain (the medial orbitofrontal cortex and ventral striatum) that is distinct from the neural circuit for empathy (source). In the study conducted by Tania Singer at the Max Planck Institute, empathy training led to self-reported distress or negative affect, while compassion training resulted in decreased distress and increased positive affect (source). To be sure, if someone is acting extremely harshly then the likelihood that they are being compassionate is probably low. Yet compassionate leadership can sometimes require a firm stance, such as when standing up for injustice or holding someone accountable. Even the Dalai Lama, one of the worlds most powerful advocates of compassion, states that Nothing in the principle of compassion involves surrendering to the misdeeds of others. Far from promoting weakness or passivity, compassion requires great fortitude and strength of character (source). Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, speaks frequently about managing compassionately and often recounts that one of the toughest and most compassionate decisions you can make as a leader is to let someone go. Keeping someone in their role while they are struggling hurts them and others. He says, True compassion requires superhuman strength. (source) Thankfully, were seeing more demand for compassionate leadership. Compassion has the power not only to create safety so that the truth can be told but also gives us the ability to act with strength when its needed. Raising awareness about what compassionate leadership can look like in your organization can help break the being nice myth and lead to more authentic and effective ways of working together. | A survey of over 1,000 leaders found that 80% did not know how to apply compassion. Compassionate leadership is understanding where you and others are coming from, feeling for yourself and others in a genuine way. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/laureldonnellan/2019/02/27/do-compassionate-leaders-have-to-present-as-compassionate/ | 0.110293 |
Do Compassionate Leaders Have To Present As Compassionate? | One of the most common misunderstandings about compassionate leadership is that it looks like being nice or soft or loving everyone. It turns out that most leaders arent sure what compassion actually looks like in action. In a survey of over 1,000 leaders, 91% said that compassion was very important for their leadership, but 80% of them did not know how to apply compassion (source). In interviews, leaders often say that its difficult to know how to be nice when things need to get done or someone needs to be held accountable. Compassionate leadership is understanding where you and others are coming from, feeling for yourself and others in a genuine way, and helping you and others to be successful. This means that compassion can look fierce or gentle as long as theres a genuine understanding of and caring for whats needed, an intention to be of benefit, and it results in better outcomes. This isnt easy. Lets say you want to provide honest feedback to a coworker who isnt pulling her or his weight on the team. Being brutally honest can be direct and clear, but your coworker may not be able to receive that feedback without being defensive or hurt. Skirting around the issue with vague questions (How do you feel about your performance lately?) or piling on praise while sneaking in some criticism can be confusing and unhelpful. The compassionate response requires having a sense of what your coworker needs to hear, what youre able to give in that moment, and what he or she is able to receive. This becomes easier with training. Research shows that cultivating compassion in addition to competencies such as mindfulness and emotional intelligence can help you better understand whats happening in your own mind and generate a sense of genuine caring and concern for others. When you combine these with communication skills, you can deliver the feedback in a way that is true and kind, as well as more effective. And this works both ways. When you are given the gift of caring and honest feedback, it may not feel good in the moment -- but if it results in you being more effective, this may be an example of compassionate leadership. While compassionate leadership may now be easier to recognize when you apply it or receive it, it can be more difficult to assess when it involves other people. For example, compassionate leadership does not necessarily have to look empathetic. Empathy is defined as sharing what others are feeling, while compassion involves feeling for what others are feeling. In other words, acting with compassion does not require having to share the same suffering. This isnt just a semantic difference -- recent neuroscience research shows that compassion lights up a specific part of the brain (the medial orbitofrontal cortex and ventral striatum) that is distinct from the neural circuit for empathy (source). In the study conducted by Tania Singer at the Max Planck Institute, empathy training led to self-reported distress or negative affect, while compassion training resulted in decreased distress and increased positive affect (source). To be sure, if someone is acting extremely harshly then the likelihood that they are being compassionate is probably low. Yet compassionate leadership can sometimes require a firm stance, such as when standing up for injustice or holding someone accountable. Even the Dalai Lama, one of the worlds most powerful advocates of compassion, states that Nothing in the principle of compassion involves surrendering to the misdeeds of others. Far from promoting weakness or passivity, compassion requires great fortitude and strength of character (source). Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, speaks frequently about managing compassionately and often recounts that one of the toughest and most compassionate decisions you can make as a leader is to let someone go. Keeping someone in their role while they are struggling hurts them and others. He says, True compassion requires superhuman strength. (source) Thankfully, were seeing more demand for compassionate leadership. Compassion has the power not only to create safety so that the truth can be told but also gives us the ability to act with strength when its needed. Raising awareness about what compassionate leadership can look like in your organization can help break the being nice myth and lead to more authentic and effective ways of working together. | A survey of over 1,000 leaders found that 80% did not know how to apply compassion. Compassionate leadership is understanding where you and others are coming from, feeling for yourself and others in a genuine way, and helping you and other people to be successful. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/laureldonnellan/2019/02/27/do-compassionate-leaders-have-to-present-as-compassionate/ | 0.134955 |
Will The Galaxy S10 Lineup Move The Needle For Samsung? | Samsung Electronics unveiled multiple premium handsets at an event held last week, including its flagship Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus, as well as a slightly cheaper device called the S10e alongside a variant of the S10 that works with upcoming 5G networks. While the devices offer an impressive design, upgraded software, and cutting-edge specifications, they come at a time when the global smartphone market has saturated, with mobile phones sales expected to remain flat over the year. In this note, we take a look at what the S10 launch could mean for Samsung. Our interactive dashboard analysis outlines our expectations for Samsung in 2019. You can modify any of our key drivers or forecasts to gauge the impact of changes on Samsungs revenues and earnings, and see all of our data for Technology Companies here. Impressive Hardware, Much-Needed Software Refresh Samsung is offering a lot of choice with this years flagship handsets. The S10 and S10 Plus (starting at $900 and $1000, respectively) are positioned as the mainstream flagship devices, offering ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensors, three rear cameras and a relatively novel hole-punch display cutout for the front cameras. The Galaxy S10e, priced at $750, is a more affordable version of the S10 that has a smaller display and misses a few of the more advanced features of the flagships. Samsung is also looking to capture early demand from the launch of 5G networks, unveiling a 5G version of the S10 that it expects to go on sale in the first half of this year. That said, its unlikely that this device will drive meaningful volumes, as the first mobile 5G deployments in North America are only expected by the end of this year and ubiquitous coverage is still multiple years away. Samsung appears to have made some progress on the software side, with its new One UI software, built on top of Android 9 Pie, which has been well-received by reviewers who have called it a big improvement from the TouchWiz interface built on top of its earlier devices. This is an important step for the company, as the basis of product differentiation in the premium end of the market has been shifting away from hardware to software and services, which have traditionally been a weak link for Samsung. While we still believe that rival devices such as Apples iPhone and Googles Pixel may be better positioned to capitalize on this shift in the long run due to their vast experience, the new software is a positive step forward for Samsung. Many Challenges Remain The broader smartphone market is slowing down, with global shipments posting a 4% year-over-year decline in 2018, falling to 1,498 million units, per Counterpoint Research. This is being driven by increasing smartphone penetration, coupled with lengthening upgrade cycles for existing smartphone users (U.S. users are replacing their phones every 32 months on average, up from 25 months previously, per NPD). Samsung saw the biggest decline of the major vendors last year, with shipments falling 8% as it faced pressure from Chinese players such as Huawei and Xiaomi, who have been gaining market share by offering compelling products at low price points. While these value devices are also based on Googles Android software, much like Samsungs offerings, players such as Huawei have also taken significant strides in terms of hardware which has traditionally been Samsungs forte. To mitigate this impact, Samsung has had to spruce up its low- and mid-range devices. For instance, the company launched a new line of entry-level devices called the Galaxy M in India earlier this month, offering premium design and features such as edge-to-edge displays, wide-angle cameras, and large batteries, at price points starting at just about $130. While its unlikely that these handsets will cannibalize sales of devices like the S10, which brings in much of Samsung mobile margins, the trend of well-specced low- and mid-range devices could eventually hurt Samsung. | Samsung unveiled its flagship Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus at an event last week. The company also unveiled a slightly cheaper device called the S10e. The devices offer an impressive design, upgraded software, and cutting-edge specifications. But they come at a time when the global smartphone market has saturated, with mobile phones sales expected to remain flat. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/27/will-the-galaxy-s10-lineup-move-the-needle-for-samsung/ | 0.112955 |
Are these the checks Donald Trump gave Michael Cohen for the Stormy Daniels payment? | Michael Cohen says this check was an installment of a reimbursement from President Donald Trump to Cohen for Cohen's hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. Michael Cohen says this check was an installment of a reimbursement from President Donald Trump to Cohen for Cohen's hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. 1 / 40 Back to Gallery Among the many bombshells presented by Michael Cohen in his Wednesday testimony to Congress, there is an exhibit that points directly to possible criminal conduct by President Donald Trump. Trump's former personal lawyer presented to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform a copy of two checks addressed to him for $35,000. It appears to be signed by Trump; Cohen said the check came directly from the president's personal bank account and was a partial reimbursement for hush-money payments to "cover up" an alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. "I am providing a copy of a $35,000 check that President Trump personally signed from his personal bank account on August 1, 2017 when he was President of the United States pursuant to the cover-up, which was the basis of my guilty plea, to reimburse me the word used by Mr. Trump's TV lawyer for the illegal hush money I paid on his behalf," Cohen testified. "This $35,000 check was one of 11 check installments that was paid throughout the year while he was President. "The President of the United States thus wrote a personal check for the payment of hush money as part of a criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws. You can find the details of that scheme, directed by Mr. Trump, in the pleadings in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York." Cohen also presented a similar check dated March 17, 2017. MORE: Michael Cohen's testimony includes three remarkable allegations against Trump Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006 while Trump was married to current wife and First Lady Melania Trump. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Cohen says he was instructed by candidate Trump to pay Daniels for her silence. Cohen says he subsequently paid Daniels $130,000; a copy of the wire transfer was also included among Cohen's exhibits Wednesday. Both Daniels and Cohen signed non-disclosure agreements, but the story broke in Jan. 2018 with a Wall Street Journal expos. "Cohen's public testimony directly implicates Trump in serious campaign finance violations," former FEC general counsel Lawrence Noble told the Washington Post. "Assuming Cohen is telling the truth about the purpose of the checks, the checks are documentary evidence supporting the allegation that Trump had Cohen pay Daniels $135,000 in hush money and then reimbursed Cohen." "Cohen's advance of the hush money was an illegal excessive campaign contribution and should have been reported by the campaign," Noble added. "Trump's reimbursement of Cohen was a campaign expenditure which should have also been reported." Both of those actions would constitute a violation of campaign finance law by the president. The president's story regarding the payment has changed over time. He initially denied the affair and the existence of the $130,000 payment. In May 2018, Trump's new personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said on Fox News that the president was aware of the payment and had repaid Cohen. "Nobody got killed, nobody got robbed ... This was not a big crime," Giuliani told The Daily Beast in Dec. 2018. Cohen worked as Trump's fixer for a decade. He was sentenced to three years in prison last year after pleading guilty to bank fraud, tax fraud, campaign finance law violations and lying to Congress. | Michael Cohen says this check was an installment of a reimbursement from President Donald Trump to Cohen for Cohen's hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. | bart | 0 | https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/cohen-testimony-campaign-finance-violation-check-13649011.php | 0.173333 |
Are these the checks Donald Trump gave Michael Cohen for the Stormy Daniels payment? | Michael Cohen says this check was an installment of a reimbursement from President Donald Trump to Cohen for Cohen's hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. Michael Cohen says this check was an installment of a reimbursement from President Donald Trump to Cohen for Cohen's hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. 1 / 40 Back to Gallery Among the many bombshells presented by Michael Cohen in his Wednesday testimony to Congress, there is an exhibit that points directly to possible criminal conduct by President Donald Trump. Trump's former personal lawyer presented to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform a copy of two checks addressed to him for $35,000. It appears to be signed by Trump; Cohen said the check came directly from the president's personal bank account and was a partial reimbursement for hush-money payments to "cover up" an alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. "I am providing a copy of a $35,000 check that President Trump personally signed from his personal bank account on August 1, 2017 when he was President of the United States pursuant to the cover-up, which was the basis of my guilty plea, to reimburse me the word used by Mr. Trump's TV lawyer for the illegal hush money I paid on his behalf," Cohen testified. "This $35,000 check was one of 11 check installments that was paid throughout the year while he was President. "The President of the United States thus wrote a personal check for the payment of hush money as part of a criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws. You can find the details of that scheme, directed by Mr. Trump, in the pleadings in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York." Cohen also presented a similar check dated March 17, 2017. MORE: Michael Cohen's testimony includes three remarkable allegations against Trump Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006 while Trump was married to current wife and First Lady Melania Trump. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Cohen says he was instructed by candidate Trump to pay Daniels for her silence. Cohen says he subsequently paid Daniels $130,000; a copy of the wire transfer was also included among Cohen's exhibits Wednesday. Both Daniels and Cohen signed non-disclosure agreements, but the story broke in Jan. 2018 with a Wall Street Journal expos. "Cohen's public testimony directly implicates Trump in serious campaign finance violations," former FEC general counsel Lawrence Noble told the Washington Post. "Assuming Cohen is telling the truth about the purpose of the checks, the checks are documentary evidence supporting the allegation that Trump had Cohen pay Daniels $135,000 in hush money and then reimbursed Cohen." "Cohen's advance of the hush money was an illegal excessive campaign contribution and should have been reported by the campaign," Noble added. "Trump's reimbursement of Cohen was a campaign expenditure which should have also been reported." Both of those actions would constitute a violation of campaign finance law by the president. The president's story regarding the payment has changed over time. He initially denied the affair and the existence of the $130,000 payment. In May 2018, Trump's new personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said on Fox News that the president was aware of the payment and had repaid Cohen. "Nobody got killed, nobody got robbed ... This was not a big crime," Giuliani told The Daily Beast in Dec. 2018. Cohen worked as Trump's fixer for a decade. He was sentenced to three years in prison last year after pleading guilty to bank fraud, tax fraud, campaign finance law violations and lying to Congress. | Michael Cohen presented a copy of two checks addressed to him for $35,000. It appears to be signed by President Donald Trump. Cohen says the check was a partial reimbursement for hush-money payments to "cover up" an alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/cohen-testimony-campaign-finance-violation-check-13649011.php | 0.298654 |
Whats Sherrod Brown thinking about as he decides whether to run for president? | WASHINGTON, D. C. - Potential 2020 presidential candidate Sherrod Brown told reporters on Wednesday that he still hasnt decided whether he will run for president, but would reveal his decision by the end of March. He said people shouldnt mistake his deliberativeness and reflectiveness on the issue with a lack of passion for my country. Brown said hes taking longer than other candidates to reach a decision because many of those already in the race have planned to run for president for as long as theyve been in the U.S. Senate, and some have planned to do it even before that. Reasons he might not want to run include the the year and a half he would have to campaign around the country, and all the time hed have to spend away from home. It is disruptive, said Brown. It is an earthquake to a family. That is the biggest drawback. | Sen. Sherrod Brown says he still hasn't decided whether he will run for president. Brown said he's taking longer than other candidates to reach a decision because many already in the race. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.cleveland.com/open/2019/02/whats-sherrod-brown-thinking-about-as-he-decides-whether-to-run-for-president.html | 0.115304 |
Whats Sherrod Brown thinking about as he decides whether to run for president? | WASHINGTON, D. C. - Potential 2020 presidential candidate Sherrod Brown told reporters on Wednesday that he still hasnt decided whether he will run for president, but would reveal his decision by the end of March. He said people shouldnt mistake his deliberativeness and reflectiveness on the issue with a lack of passion for my country. Brown said hes taking longer than other candidates to reach a decision because many of those already in the race have planned to run for president for as long as theyve been in the U.S. Senate, and some have planned to do it even before that. Reasons he might not want to run include the the year and a half he would have to campaign around the country, and all the time hed have to spend away from home. It is disruptive, said Brown. It is an earthquake to a family. That is the biggest drawback. | Sen. Sherrod Brown says he still hasn't decided whether he will run for president. Brown said he's taking longer than other candidates to reach a decision. Reasons he might not want to run include the the year and a half he would have to campaign around the country, and all the time hed have to spend away from home. | bart | 2 | https://www.cleveland.com/open/2019/02/whats-sherrod-brown-thinking-about-as-he-decides-whether-to-run-for-president.html | 0.425763 |
Will QB Derek Carr be the Oakland Raiders franchise player? | Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock is a believer in Derek Carr. Mayock, who was named the Raiders general manager in late December, gave an endorsement to the former Fresno State star who has been with the franchise five seasons. Weve got a young quarterback who we think is a franchise quarterback thats going to be 28 in March, Mayock told reporters Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Were pretty happy with where we are, especially with our backup quarterback who we signed last year in (A.J.) McCarron. We feel like were pretty good at the quarterback position. Carr surpassed 4,000 passing yards for the first time in his career (and becoming the third QB to do it in Raiders history). His 4,049 ranked 12th in the league. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee He set a career season-best in completions with 381 and broke Peyton Mannings record for most completions through a players first five seasons with 1,750. Carr has started 78 games over his career, completing 1,759 of 2,800 passes for 18,739 yards, second on the all-time franchise list behind Ken Stabler. Carr set a franchise record during the season with 332 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. Derek Carr is a franchise quarterback, Mayock said. I truly believe that. Sure, but I think its really difficult to try to improve over a franchise quarterback like the one we have in our building right now. What does it mean to be a Raiders star? Mayock described what a Raiders star is. When we talk about a Raiders star, were not talking about a star in a sense of a star in the NFL, he said. Were talking about somebody we think fits what were looking for ideally as an Oakland Raider. Every team has it. Every team has the same philosophy and simply what were looking for is big, fast guys that can run and love the freaking game of football. Theyre professional and love to show up everyday and they give you a full day of work and cant wait to compete on Sunday. Thats what for us a Raiders star is. Importance of draft Mayock said its important for the team to hit on draft picks after going 4-12 in 2018. The Raiders head into the NFL draft with three first-round draft picks two acquired in trades with the Chicago Bears for Khalil Mack and the Dallas Cowboys for Amari Cooper. Those two seventh-round picks are just as important as the three first-round picks, he said.. And the college free agents we sign after that are just as important. Were trying to build a culture and accountability and talent and were trying to do all these different things. We have 10 picks that could be more or less at the end of the day, but we have 10 picks and we value all of them. We need to hit on a high percentage and we have more needs than I can even tell you about right now, which means we have to hit everywhere: free agency, draft and college free agency. | Derek Carr has been with the Oakland Raiders for five seasons. Raiders general manager Mike Mayock believes Carr is a franchise quarterback. | bart | 0 | https://www.sacbee.com/sports/article226866549.html | 0.356073 |
Will QB Derek Carr be the Oakland Raiders franchise player? | Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock is a believer in Derek Carr. Mayock, who was named the Raiders general manager in late December, gave an endorsement to the former Fresno State star who has been with the franchise five seasons. Weve got a young quarterback who we think is a franchise quarterback thats going to be 28 in March, Mayock told reporters Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Were pretty happy with where we are, especially with our backup quarterback who we signed last year in (A.J.) McCarron. We feel like were pretty good at the quarterback position. Carr surpassed 4,000 passing yards for the first time in his career (and becoming the third QB to do it in Raiders history). His 4,049 ranked 12th in the league. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee He set a career season-best in completions with 381 and broke Peyton Mannings record for most completions through a players first five seasons with 1,750. Carr has started 78 games over his career, completing 1,759 of 2,800 passes for 18,739 yards, second on the all-time franchise list behind Ken Stabler. Carr set a franchise record during the season with 332 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. Derek Carr is a franchise quarterback, Mayock said. I truly believe that. Sure, but I think its really difficult to try to improve over a franchise quarterback like the one we have in our building right now. What does it mean to be a Raiders star? Mayock described what a Raiders star is. When we talk about a Raiders star, were not talking about a star in a sense of a star in the NFL, he said. Were talking about somebody we think fits what were looking for ideally as an Oakland Raider. Every team has it. Every team has the same philosophy and simply what were looking for is big, fast guys that can run and love the freaking game of football. Theyre professional and love to show up everyday and they give you a full day of work and cant wait to compete on Sunday. Thats what for us a Raiders star is. Importance of draft Mayock said its important for the team to hit on draft picks after going 4-12 in 2018. The Raiders head into the NFL draft with three first-round draft picks two acquired in trades with the Chicago Bears for Khalil Mack and the Dallas Cowboys for Amari Cooper. Those two seventh-round picks are just as important as the three first-round picks, he said.. And the college free agents we sign after that are just as important. Were trying to build a culture and accountability and talent and were trying to do all these different things. We have 10 picks that could be more or less at the end of the day, but we have 10 picks and we value all of them. We need to hit on a high percentage and we have more needs than I can even tell you about right now, which means we have to hit everywhere: free agency, draft and college free agency. | Mike Mayock says Derek Carr is a franchise quarterback for the Oakland Raiders. Mayock: Were pretty happy with where we are, especially with our backup quarterback who we signed last year in (A.J.) McCarron. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.sacbee.com/sports/article226866549.html | 0.445493 |
Will New York Giants pick QB in 2019 NFL Draft or wait for Oregons Justin Herbert, others in 2020? | INDIANAPOLIS The New York Giants were among several teams to scout Justin Herbert multiple times during the 2018 season only to watch the Oregon quarterback return to school for his senior season. The Giants, who have the No. 6 pick in this years NFL Draft, are weighing their long-term plans at the quarterback position. Eli Manning, 38, is entering the final year of his contract, which carries a $23.2 million cap number, and the expectation is the club will drafting its next franchise quarterback either this year or next year. Asked how he goes about weighing whether to draft a quarterback this year or wait until next year, when Herbert will be in the draft along with several other highly-touted players, Giants general manager Dave Gettleman, who personally attended Oregons game at Utah last season, said you cant worry about the future in making such a draft decision. Its an interesting question I think at the end of the day you cant say to yourself Im going to get him next year, Gettleman said at the NFL Combine on Wednesday. "You have to take you evaluate the Qs and you take the guy when the time is when you believe hes the guy and its at the right spot. Its like I say to myself, I look a the NBA, OK, and everybody says you got to tank, were going to tank, were going to get this great player. What NBA team has tanked and its worked because they think theyre going to get when (the Philadelphia 76ers) win a championship we can have a discussion, but until that happens it hasnt worked OK. So at the end of the day if the right guy is there at the right time, who we think is the right guy, well put the plug. Gettleman has been supportive of Manning and stated the plan remains for the two-time Super Bowl MVP to remain with the franchise, which could bring in more competition at the position via free agency or the draft, or both. He said the narrative has been negative and unfair to Manning, who has spent his entire career with the franchise. Ironically, Herbert said he spoke with Peyton Manning before choosing to return to Oregon for his senior season. Gettleman said he is still in the early stages of evaluating the quarterbacks in this years draft, which most analysts have as thin behind Oklahomas Kyler Murray and Ohio States Dwayne Haskins, and he speaks with former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, who traded for Eli Manning during the 2004 draft. What Ernie did for the Giants, Gettleman said, it would be a dream for me to do the same thing. Well know on April 25 whether Gettleman plans to begin his dream scenario this year or wait for Herbert, Tua Tagovailoa and Jake Fromm. | The New York Giants have the No. 6 pick in this year's NFL Draft. They are weighing their long-term plans at the quarterback position. The expectation is the club will drafting its next franchise quarterback either this year or next year. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.oregonlive.com/nfl/2019/02/will-new-york-giants-pick-qb-in-2019-nfl-draft-or-wait-for-oregons-justin-herbert-others-in-2020.html | 0.127121 |
How Did AMD Fare In 2018, And How Much Can Its Earnings Grow In 2019? | AMDs (NYSE:AMD) revenue grew in the mid-twenties percent to $6.5 billion in 2018. This can be attributed to strong demand for the companys Ryzen processors, which led to a double-digit pricing and volume growth for the Computing & Graphics segment. Enterprise, Embedded & Semi Conductor segment saw low single-digit revenue growth, primarily led by higher EPYC processor sales. Adjusted EBITDA more than doubled to $803 million, led by margin expansion of over 500 basis points. Better pricing, low expense growth, and higher revenues fueled the surge in EBITDA. Looking forward, the company will likely see high single-digit revenue growth in 2019, led by continued growth in Ryzen, Radeon and EPYC products, along with its new 7nm chips. You can adjust various drivers to see the impact on the companys adjusted earnings and share price estimate. In addition, here is more Information Technology data. Revenues Will Likely Grow In High Single-Digits In 2019 AMDs revenue growth in 2019 will likely be led by a continued ramp up in Ryzen, Radeon, and EPYC products sales. The company of late has seen strong market share gains in desktops, notebooks, and server markets. This can be attributed to the performance of these products at a relatively cheaper price point, when compared to Intels offerings. In terms of features, Ryzen offers 8 cores with 16 threads, while Intels Core i7 9700K does not offer thread doubling. Several reviews, including that for gaming, have placed AMDs Ryzen over Intel, primarily for cost-effectiveness. In GPUs Intel has performed better in the recent quarters. However, the overall GPU market is also impacted by a decline in crypto mining, and the foreign tariffs. In server market, AMDs market share gains have been strong. In fact, it grew from less than 1% toward the end of 2017 to over 3% in 2018. The company expects to gain further market share with its EPYC processors. AMDs EPYC processors are single socket design processors, which can deliver better performance than many dual processor servers, and it costs less when compared to the offerings from Intel. Note that performance and reviews vary from individual product to product. AMD will also ramp up its 7nm chips in 2019, and it will bolster the overall sales growth. However, the contribution from 7nm chips is expected to be much higher in 2020. 7nm chips are AMDs next generation chips, and the company last month unveiled its first 7nm Radeon GPU. It will further expand the 7nm offerings to Ryzen and EPYC products as well. Looking at margins, gross margins improved 440 basis points, while adjusted EBITDA margins were up over 500 basis points in 2018. This can be attributed to better pricing, and controlled expenses. The company expects its adjusted gross margins to improve by another 200 basis points in 2019, led by the mix of its Ryzen, Radeon and EPYC products. We currently forecast a 250 basis points improvement in adjusted EBITDA margins, which will translate into EBITDA of a little over $1 billion. The bottom line will likely grow in high forties percent to $0.65 per share on an adjusted basis. Our price estimate of $22 for AMD is based on a 33x forward price to earnings multiple. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | AMD's revenue grew in the mid-twenties percent to $6.5 billion in 2018. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/27/how-did-amd-fare-in-2018-and-how-much-can-its-earnings-grow-in-2019/ | 0.353257 |
How Did AMD Fare In 2018, And How Much Can Its Earnings Grow In 2019? | AMDs (NYSE:AMD) revenue grew in the mid-twenties percent to $6.5 billion in 2018. This can be attributed to strong demand for the companys Ryzen processors, which led to a double-digit pricing and volume growth for the Computing & Graphics segment. Enterprise, Embedded & Semi Conductor segment saw low single-digit revenue growth, primarily led by higher EPYC processor sales. Adjusted EBITDA more than doubled to $803 million, led by margin expansion of over 500 basis points. Better pricing, low expense growth, and higher revenues fueled the surge in EBITDA. Looking forward, the company will likely see high single-digit revenue growth in 2019, led by continued growth in Ryzen, Radeon and EPYC products, along with its new 7nm chips. You can adjust various drivers to see the impact on the companys adjusted earnings and share price estimate. In addition, here is more Information Technology data. Revenues Will Likely Grow In High Single-Digits In 2019 AMDs revenue growth in 2019 will likely be led by a continued ramp up in Ryzen, Radeon, and EPYC products sales. The company of late has seen strong market share gains in desktops, notebooks, and server markets. This can be attributed to the performance of these products at a relatively cheaper price point, when compared to Intels offerings. In terms of features, Ryzen offers 8 cores with 16 threads, while Intels Core i7 9700K does not offer thread doubling. Several reviews, including that for gaming, have placed AMDs Ryzen over Intel, primarily for cost-effectiveness. In GPUs Intel has performed better in the recent quarters. However, the overall GPU market is also impacted by a decline in crypto mining, and the foreign tariffs. In server market, AMDs market share gains have been strong. In fact, it grew from less than 1% toward the end of 2017 to over 3% in 2018. The company expects to gain further market share with its EPYC processors. AMDs EPYC processors are single socket design processors, which can deliver better performance than many dual processor servers, and it costs less when compared to the offerings from Intel. Note that performance and reviews vary from individual product to product. AMD will also ramp up its 7nm chips in 2019, and it will bolster the overall sales growth. However, the contribution from 7nm chips is expected to be much higher in 2020. 7nm chips are AMDs next generation chips, and the company last month unveiled its first 7nm Radeon GPU. It will further expand the 7nm offerings to Ryzen and EPYC products as well. Looking at margins, gross margins improved 440 basis points, while adjusted EBITDA margins were up over 500 basis points in 2018. This can be attributed to better pricing, and controlled expenses. The company expects its adjusted gross margins to improve by another 200 basis points in 2019, led by the mix of its Ryzen, Radeon and EPYC products. We currently forecast a 250 basis points improvement in adjusted EBITDA margins, which will translate into EBITDA of a little over $1 billion. The bottom line will likely grow in high forties percent to $0.65 per share on an adjusted basis. Our price estimate of $22 for AMD is based on a 33x forward price to earnings multiple. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | AMDs revenue grew in the mid-twenties percent to $6.5 billion in 2018. The company will likely see high single-digit revenue growth in 2019. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/27/how-did-amd-fare-in-2018-and-how-much-can-its-earnings-grow-in-2019/ | 0.570238 |
How Did AMD Fare In 2018, And How Much Can Its Earnings Grow In 2019? | AMDs (NYSE:AMD) revenue grew in the mid-twenties percent to $6.5 billion in 2018. This can be attributed to strong demand for the companys Ryzen processors, which led to a double-digit pricing and volume growth for the Computing & Graphics segment. Enterprise, Embedded & Semi Conductor segment saw low single-digit revenue growth, primarily led by higher EPYC processor sales. Adjusted EBITDA more than doubled to $803 million, led by margin expansion of over 500 basis points. Better pricing, low expense growth, and higher revenues fueled the surge in EBITDA. Looking forward, the company will likely see high single-digit revenue growth in 2019, led by continued growth in Ryzen, Radeon and EPYC products, along with its new 7nm chips. You can adjust various drivers to see the impact on the companys adjusted earnings and share price estimate. In addition, here is more Information Technology data. Revenues Will Likely Grow In High Single-Digits In 2019 AMDs revenue growth in 2019 will likely be led by a continued ramp up in Ryzen, Radeon, and EPYC products sales. The company of late has seen strong market share gains in desktops, notebooks, and server markets. This can be attributed to the performance of these products at a relatively cheaper price point, when compared to Intels offerings. In terms of features, Ryzen offers 8 cores with 16 threads, while Intels Core i7 9700K does not offer thread doubling. Several reviews, including that for gaming, have placed AMDs Ryzen over Intel, primarily for cost-effectiveness. In GPUs Intel has performed better in the recent quarters. However, the overall GPU market is also impacted by a decline in crypto mining, and the foreign tariffs. In server market, AMDs market share gains have been strong. In fact, it grew from less than 1% toward the end of 2017 to over 3% in 2018. The company expects to gain further market share with its EPYC processors. AMDs EPYC processors are single socket design processors, which can deliver better performance than many dual processor servers, and it costs less when compared to the offerings from Intel. Note that performance and reviews vary from individual product to product. AMD will also ramp up its 7nm chips in 2019, and it will bolster the overall sales growth. However, the contribution from 7nm chips is expected to be much higher in 2020. 7nm chips are AMDs next generation chips, and the company last month unveiled its first 7nm Radeon GPU. It will further expand the 7nm offerings to Ryzen and EPYC products as well. Looking at margins, gross margins improved 440 basis points, while adjusted EBITDA margins were up over 500 basis points in 2018. This can be attributed to better pricing, and controlled expenses. The company expects its adjusted gross margins to improve by another 200 basis points in 2019, led by the mix of its Ryzen, Radeon and EPYC products. We currently forecast a 250 basis points improvement in adjusted EBITDA margins, which will translate into EBITDA of a little over $1 billion. The bottom line will likely grow in high forties percent to $0.65 per share on an adjusted basis. Our price estimate of $22 for AMD is based on a 33x forward price to earnings multiple. Explore example interactive dashboards and create your own. | AMDs revenue grew in the mid-twenties percent to $6.5 billion in 2018. The company will likely see high single-digit revenue growth in 2019, led by continued growth in Ryzen, Radeon and EPYC products, along with its new 7nm chips. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/02/27/how-did-amd-fare-in-2018-and-how-much-can-its-earnings-grow-in-2019/ | 0.626515 |
Is BP Boss Bob Dudley Right About U.S. Shale Market? | Few would disagree there is distress in U.S. shale oil sector, many would vouch for the tenacity of the independents, and almost everyone would agree that the uptick in crude production stateside courtesy shale has visibly altered the market dynamic at least over the short term. But exaggerated rhetoric often awards shale players the status of swing producers, something they do not merit. For in a classic sense, the world's only swing producer is Saudi Arabia, and it remains so, given that its state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco can alter conventional production levels almost at will. On the other hand, U.S. shale exploration is driven by the spirit of private enterprise and ingenuity, which means production cannot be altered at will, not just operationally but also due to its unconventional exploration dynamic. Given that context, BP (LON:BP) Chief Executive Bob Dudley ruffled a few industry feathers by describing the U.S. shale oil sector as a "market without a brain" that quite unlike Saudi Arabia, responds only to market sentiment. Speaking at the International Petroleum Week (IPWeek) in London, Dudley said: "The U.S. is the only country that completely responds to market signals, like a market without a brain. It just responds to price signals. "Unlike Saudi Arabia and Russia, which adjust their output in response to gluts or shortages in oil supplies, the U.S. shale market responds purely to oil prices." The comments came as U.S. production surged to a record high of 12 million barrels per day (bpd), according to latest Energy Information Administration data, and less than a year after Dudley's own company bought shale assets stateside from BHP (LON:BHP) in a mammoth $10.5 billion deal. While BP's deep pockets protect that investment and the oil and gas major is expected to make a better fist of it than BHP by many commentators, problems in the wider U.S. shale industry cannot be masked. According to Rystad Energy's examination of the 33 largest public shale exploration and production (E&P) companies in the U.S. representing 39% of US shale production, most are struggling to please equity investors and reduce debt simultaneously. The Oslo, Norway-headquartered research firm's senior analyst Alisa Lukash says pleasing equity investors and reducing leverage ratios simultaneously is a delicate task. "Despite a significant deleverage last year, estimated 2019 free cash flow barely covers operator obligations, putting E&Ps on thin ice as future dividend payments remain in question." In fact, indebted shale E&Ps spent the second half of 2018 reducing their leverage ratios rather than focusing on dividends. While investor returns are lacking, increases in the Permian and Bakken shale plays have kept crude prices in check, and forced OPEC to tie-up with Russia in its bid to support prices and avert a glut. So in other words Dudley is right in implying that U.S. shale operators are price sensitive buffer producers of the global supply pool. Furthermore, the BP boss added that a $50-70 oil price range can work for consumers and producers alike, and that an oil supply gap is not imminent. That's because investor returns or not, high distress or low level pain, $35-plus crude prices can keep many, especially those with viable U.S. shale acreages, in the game. That game is likely to continue till natural rates of decline pegged in a 5 to 7 year-range kick-in. | BP CEO Bob Dudley said the U.S. shale oil sector is a "market without a brain" that responds only to market sentiment. | bart | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/gauravsharma/2019/02/27/is-bp-boss-bob-dudley-right-about-u-s-shale-market/ | 0.480655 |
Is BP Boss Bob Dudley Right About U.S. Shale Market? | Few would disagree there is distress in U.S. shale oil sector, many would vouch for the tenacity of the independents, and almost everyone would agree that the uptick in crude production stateside courtesy shale has visibly altered the market dynamic at least over the short term. But exaggerated rhetoric often awards shale players the status of swing producers, something they do not merit. For in a classic sense, the world's only swing producer is Saudi Arabia, and it remains so, given that its state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco can alter conventional production levels almost at will. On the other hand, U.S. shale exploration is driven by the spirit of private enterprise and ingenuity, which means production cannot be altered at will, not just operationally but also due to its unconventional exploration dynamic. Given that context, BP (LON:BP) Chief Executive Bob Dudley ruffled a few industry feathers by describing the U.S. shale oil sector as a "market without a brain" that quite unlike Saudi Arabia, responds only to market sentiment. Speaking at the International Petroleum Week (IPWeek) in London, Dudley said: "The U.S. is the only country that completely responds to market signals, like a market without a brain. It just responds to price signals. "Unlike Saudi Arabia and Russia, which adjust their output in response to gluts or shortages in oil supplies, the U.S. shale market responds purely to oil prices." The comments came as U.S. production surged to a record high of 12 million barrels per day (bpd), according to latest Energy Information Administration data, and less than a year after Dudley's own company bought shale assets stateside from BHP (LON:BHP) in a mammoth $10.5 billion deal. While BP's deep pockets protect that investment and the oil and gas major is expected to make a better fist of it than BHP by many commentators, problems in the wider U.S. shale industry cannot be masked. According to Rystad Energy's examination of the 33 largest public shale exploration and production (E&P) companies in the U.S. representing 39% of US shale production, most are struggling to please equity investors and reduce debt simultaneously. The Oslo, Norway-headquartered research firm's senior analyst Alisa Lukash says pleasing equity investors and reducing leverage ratios simultaneously is a delicate task. "Despite a significant deleverage last year, estimated 2019 free cash flow barely covers operator obligations, putting E&Ps on thin ice as future dividend payments remain in question." In fact, indebted shale E&Ps spent the second half of 2018 reducing their leverage ratios rather than focusing on dividends. While investor returns are lacking, increases in the Permian and Bakken shale plays have kept crude prices in check, and forced OPEC to tie-up with Russia in its bid to support prices and avert a glut. So in other words Dudley is right in implying that U.S. shale operators are price sensitive buffer producers of the global supply pool. Furthermore, the BP boss added that a $50-70 oil price range can work for consumers and producers alike, and that an oil supply gap is not imminent. That's because investor returns or not, high distress or low level pain, $35-plus crude prices can keep many, especially those with viable U.S. shale acreages, in the game. That game is likely to continue till natural rates of decline pegged in a 5 to 7 year-range kick-in. | BP CEO Bob Dudley said the U.S. shale oil sector is a "market without a brain" that responds only to market sentiment. Dudley's own company bought shale assets stateside from BHP in a mammoth $10.5 billion deal. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/gauravsharma/2019/02/27/is-bp-boss-bob-dudley-right-about-u-s-shale-market/ | 0.529594 |
What Does It Take To Run A Cyber-Security Startup? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Joshua Motta, CEO + Co-founder of Coalition, Inc., on Quora: Running a cyber security startup isnt all that different from running any startup: you need customers, and in order to get them you need to understand and solve their problems. This is far easier said than done, but one device that has helped me greatly is to think about the job to be done, a concept propagated by Clay Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School, which posits that people hire products to do things for them. That is to say that when someone buys your product, they are essentially hiring it to get a job done. If your product does the job well, when someone is confronted with the same job, they will hire that same product again. And if your product does a bad job, they will fire it and look around for something else they might hire to solve the problem. If you understand the job to be done, how to build and improve upon your product should become obvious. This is very different than asking customers what they want. Overwhelmingly, they will answer based on how a market exists today. As Henry Ford reputedly said of the automobile industry, If I asked customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse. Said differently, you cant figure out how to solve a problem by looking at how people currently solve that problem. Correlation does not reveal the one thing that matters most in innovationthe causality behind why someone might make a particular decision or purchase a particular solution. That path to causality is to understand the job to be done. And yet you see entrepreneurs that fall into this trap all the time: we make these products and we sell them to these customers with these attributes. They end up completely losing connection with what causes customers to buy their products in the first place! This tells you what you need to integrate and how you have to integrate it in order to provide experiences to get the job done. Delivering experiences is done by having a process that delivers those results. You have to organize your company around processes that get the job done, that provide customers the experiences they need. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | Running a cyber security startup isn't all that different from running any startup: you need customers, and in order to get them you need to understand and solve their problems. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/02/27/what-does-it-take-to-run-a-cyber-security-startup/ | 0.294253 |
What Does It Take To Run A Cyber-Security Startup? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Joshua Motta, CEO + Co-founder of Coalition, Inc., on Quora: Running a cyber security startup isnt all that different from running any startup: you need customers, and in order to get them you need to understand and solve their problems. This is far easier said than done, but one device that has helped me greatly is to think about the job to be done, a concept propagated by Clay Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School, which posits that people hire products to do things for them. That is to say that when someone buys your product, they are essentially hiring it to get a job done. If your product does the job well, when someone is confronted with the same job, they will hire that same product again. And if your product does a bad job, they will fire it and look around for something else they might hire to solve the problem. If you understand the job to be done, how to build and improve upon your product should become obvious. This is very different than asking customers what they want. Overwhelmingly, they will answer based on how a market exists today. As Henry Ford reputedly said of the automobile industry, If I asked customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse. Said differently, you cant figure out how to solve a problem by looking at how people currently solve that problem. Correlation does not reveal the one thing that matters most in innovationthe causality behind why someone might make a particular decision or purchase a particular solution. That path to causality is to understand the job to be done. And yet you see entrepreneurs that fall into this trap all the time: we make these products and we sell them to these customers with these attributes. They end up completely losing connection with what causes customers to buy their products in the first place! This tells you what you need to integrate and how you have to integrate it in order to provide experiences to get the job done. Delivering experiences is done by having a process that delivers those results. You have to organize your company around processes that get the job done, that provide customers the experiences they need. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | Running a cyber security startup isn't all that different from running any startup: you need customers, and in order to get them you need to understand and solve their problems. One device that has helped me greatly is to think about the job to be done, a concept propagated by Clay Christensen. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/02/27/what-does-it-take-to-run-a-cyber-security-startup/ | 0.402324 |
Is it too late to reconsider Ontarios new health care super agency? | In the last few days, we have learned a lot about what the new government has in store for our health system. Having heard the minister of healths remarks on Tuesday, followed by technical briefings provided by the ministry, I am increasingly confused and concerned about the proposed changes. This is the most massive change proposed for health care since medicare was introduced 50 years ago. Given the extent of the change, one would expect the purpose behind the transformation, as well as the desired future state, would be worked out well in advance. Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, chats with patients at Bridgepoint Active Healthcare before announcing health care reforms in Toronto on Tuesday. ( Tijana Martin / THE CANADIAN PRESS ) Instead, the change seems to rely on a well figure it out as we go along attitude, which is out of keeping with the extent of this transformation. Lets consider the governments campaign promises for health during the election. Three commitments were made: to solve hallway medicine, to open 15,000 long-term care beds and to increase mental illness services. None of these commitments to enhance capacity required destroying the current system organized around Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). However, the new government insisted that LHINs had failed their role of integrating care around the patient. The LHINs therefore would be eliminated and replaced by two new structures. This is when the concept of radical overhaul of the structure of the system first became apparent, accelerated by leaked draft legislation. Article Continued Below In legislation tabled Tuesday, the government will create a super agency called Health Ontario, which will become the single point of accountability for all health services in the province. Unfortunately, Health Ontario will terminate two outstanding independent agencies, Cancer Care Ontario and Trillium Gift of Life. They will be unlikely to deliver world-leading cancer and transplant care when they become one of many health verticals within the massive super agency. But we have learned from technical briefings that the LHINs will not actually disappear. Because the LHINs co-ordinate home-care services for 750,000 vulnerable Ontarians, the LHINs will stay for at least three years after Health Ontario begins. And the new Health Ontario will actually keep five Legacy LHINs in the super agency forever. So rather than eliminating LHIN administrative costs, the super agency will keep all LHINs intact for several years and then morph our current 14 LHINs into five regional agencies. The super agency will be a net new bureaucratic cost, without any savings from closing LHINs. The super agency is likely to damage cancer care and transplant care, and it is now revealed as a new bureaucratic cost that will require five Legacy LHINs in perpetuity. And then we learn about the low rules environment that will give rise to Ontario Health Teams: 30 to 50 teams will be selected through an iterative process with guidance not from the super agency, but from the ministry. We learned on Tuesday that these teams would be voluntary groupings of hospitals and community providers, who would integrate care locally mainly it seems by improving IT systems and providing navigators to patients transferring across the health system. Again, improving information systems and providing navigation does not require radical change in the system. Article Continued Below Also worrisome is that the ministry also says this transformation will not be completed for several years. In other provinces, the record of super agencies is that they stall all health progress for five or more years while everyone focuses on achieving the structural changes the transformation demands. It seems our ministry is forecasting several years of turgid inertia while Ontario Health and Ontario Health Teams organize their new structures. This feels like the worst of all worlds. Massive new bureaucracy, maintenance of old bureaucracy and a low rules environment where we will design the future of Ontario health systems on the fly. Meanwhile some of the best parts of our system are left to wither on the new transformation vine. Bob Bell worked in Ontario health care for more than 40 years as a GP, surgeon, hospital CEO and Deputy Minister of Health. Follow him on Twitter: @drbobbell | Ontario's new health care super agency is likely to damage cancer care and transplant care, says Andrew Hammond. Hammond: The new agency will be a net new bureaucratic cost, without any savings from closing LHINs. He says it's too late to reconsider the new super agency. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2019/02/27/is-it-too-late-to-reconsider-ontarios-new-health-care-super-agency.html | 0.4025 |
Is Michael Cohen Channeling John Dean? | That is a question that is bandied about newsrooms and workplaces as viewers tuned in to watch Michael Cohen testify before the House Oversight Committee. Before I answer, let me provide some context. John Dean, who viewers of CNN will know as the slightly gnomish figure with a twinkling smile who appears periodically to comment on the Trump presidency. The reason is that once upon a time, he was the boyish-looking White House counsel to President Richard Nixon. In that role, which is designed not as a personal attorney for the President, but for the White House, he went along with the coverup of the Watergate burglary and other misdeeds. When details of the Watergate coverup became more publicly known in early 1973, led by reporting in the Washington Post and the New York Times, Nixon fired Dean, along with his top aides, Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman. Dean, who had been cooperating with Senate investigators before leaving the White House, was called to testify in public to the Senate Select Committee, chaired by the courtly and witty Senator Sam Irvin of North Carolina. Deans written testimony was 60,000 words, which he was asked to read aloud. (Dean said recently that had he known he would have to read aloud he would have kept it shorter.) His memory for detail was photographic and framed as he was by his wife Maureen, a radiant blonde, seated behind him his testimony was riveting. A true made for television moment. Later that summer, when it was revealed that Nixon had recorded himself and the tapes were released in the summer of 1974, Dean was proven to be telling the truth. Dean did face trial and was sentenced to prison where he served a four-month sentence. Michael Cohen, by contrast, has a New York brashness about him, which served him well in the decade he served as Donald Trumps private attorney and self-described fixer, doing in that role whatever needed doing, legal or otherwise. Cohen never served in the White House. Tough and pugnacious, Cohen thrived in his role as Donald Trumps protector, once saying he would take a bullet for the man. No longer. A much-chastened Cohen has pled guilty to six felonies and is a cooperating witness for investigations led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and separately, the Southern District of New York. Yes, in a way. John Dean testified about actions Richard Nixon and the White House took to protect himself from prosecution for crimes committed as president. Michael Cohen is a cooperating witness is investigations into the Trump Organization and the Trump Presidency. The most courageous act, Coco Chanel quipped, is still to think for yourself. Aloud. And that is something both Dean and Cohen have done. But no, in a bigger way. The greatest difference between then and now is our political climate. Before Deans testimony, most voters were willing to give Nixon the benefit of the doubt about Watergate. In fact, until the Watergate hearings, it was not a major issue outside of Washington. Remember Nixon had been re-elected in a landslide in November 1972, a mere five months after the burglary. Deans testimony was devastating to Nixons credibility, but it was not until the following summer that he resigned because the tapes proved he had been lying. Today with 24/7 cable news and torrents of online media coverage, people already know a great deal about Cohen as well as President Trump. Trumps supporters know that he is a flawed man, but they like what he represents and so whatever Cohen is not likely to alter their opinion of him. It will fall to the Justice Department and Congress to determine the Presidents immediate fate. In 2020 voters will have the opportunity to decide on Trumps re-election, but by then Michael Cohen will be in prison and in all likelihood his testimony will not be a factor in the presidents chances for reelection. There may be one additional parallel. Deans book about his role in Watergate, Blind Ambition, was turned into a TV mini-series. Martin Sheen played him. Let the guessing game begin. | Dean Obeidallah: Is Michael Cohen Channeling John Dean? He says Dean testified about actions Richard Nixon took to protect himself from prosecution for crimes committed as president. Dean's testimony was devastating to Nixon's credibility, but it was not until the following summer that he resigned. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbaldoni/2019/02/27/is-michael-cohen-channeling-john-dean/ | 0.11247 |
What legal risks does Cohen's testimony pose to Trump? | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Testimony by Michael Cohen, President Donald Trumps former lawyer and fixer, to a U.S. congressional committee on Wednesday highlighted several legal risks Trump may face. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a healthcare roundtable in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Among his claims, Cohen said the Republican president reimbursed him for making hush money payments to two women ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election and that Trump knew in advance that the Wikileaks website planned to release hacked emails damaging to his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. The U.S. Justice Department for decades has held the position that a sitting president cannot face criminal charges, though some lawyers disagree with that conclusion. Under the U.S. Constitution, a president can be impeached by Congress for high crimes and misdemeanors and removed from office. Trump also could face criminal charges after leaving office. Trump and his supporters have called Cohen a liar trying to reduce his prison time after pleading guilty to a series of federal criminal charges. Here is a look at some of Cohens statements and whether they may implicate Trump in criminal conduct. HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS Cohens testimony and a check he provided to the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform that he said was personally signed by Trump potentially could be used by prosecutors to build a campaign finance law violation case against the president, legal experts said. Cohen said Trump directed him to make a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels days before the election to cover up what she has called a sexual encounter with Trump. Trump has denied the relationship and said the payment was made to stop her false and extortionist accusations. Cohen gave the committee a copy of two $35,000 checks issued in 2017, one that Cohen said was signed by Trump and the other signed by his son Donald Trump Jr. to reimburse Cohen for paying off Daniels. Cohen pleaded guilty in August to campaign finance law violations for his role in orchestrating the secret hush money payments to Daniels and a second woman who also said she had a sexual relationship with Trump. Under federal law, individual campaign contributions cannot exceed $2,700 per election and must be disclosed. Contributions are defined as payments intended to influence the election. Trumps lawyers have said the payment was not a campaign contribution because it was made to protect Trumps reputation, not to influence the election. MOSCOW TRUMP TOWER David Sklansky, a former federal prosecutor, said prosecutors potentially could use Cohens testimony to build a criminal conspiracy case against Trump regarding false testimony to Congress concerning a Moscow real estate deal that was long discussed but never actually materialized. Cohen testified that, during the 2016 campaign, Trump made clear to him that Cohen should lie and say negotiations to build a Trump tower in Moscow ended before the state-by-state Republican primaries began when actually the talks continued for months after that. Cohen pleaded guilty in August to lying to Congress in a 2017 statement in which he had said the talks ended in January 2016 instead of June 2016. Cohen said Trump did not explicitly direct him to lie but looked him in the eye and relayed the false version of events. In his way, he was telling me to lie, Cohen said, adding that Trumps personal lawyers reviewed and edited my statement to Congress. It is a federal crime to knowingly and willfully give false statements to Congress. It is also illegal to conspire with someone to provide false testimony. He is saying Trump made clear you should lie, and this is the story you should tell - not in as many words, but in a manner that was clear to both of them, Sklansky said. HACKED DEMOCRATIC EMAILS If Trump knew about and endorsed Russian efforts to hack Democratic National Committee emails embarrassing to Clinton that later were released by the Wikileaks website, this could be used by prosecutors to build a conspiracy case against the president, legal experts said. Trump could also face liability under election laws if he solicited help from a foreign power, they said. Cohen said Trump knew from his longtime adviser Roger Stone there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clintons campaign ahead of the election. U.S. intelligence agencies have said the emails were stolen as part of Russias campaign of hacking and propaganda aimed at sowing discord in the United States and boosting Trumps candidacy. Russia has denied it. Trump has denied collusion. Stone has pleaded not guilty to charges brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller that Stone lied to Congress about his knowledge of plans by Wikileaks to release the hacked emails. TRUMP TOWER MEETING Prosecutors could look at whether Trump violated federal election laws by soliciting a campaign contribution from a foreign national in relation to a June 2016 meeting between senior members of his campaign including his son Donald Trump Jr. and a Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer. Cohen said he witnessed Trumps son tell his father in a low voice, The meeting is all set. Cohen said he suspected this was in reference to the meeting with a group of Russians who had offered dirt about Clinton. Trump has denied knowing about the meeting in advance but has defended it as a totally legal effort to gain a campaign edge. Under U.S. election law, presidential campaigns cannot accept or even solicit campaign contributions from foreign nationals. Opposition research on Clinton would qualify as a contribution, said Jessica Levinson, an election law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. If he said, Take that meeting, I want dirt on Hillary, I think that could give rise to a federal election law violation, Levinson said of the president. WEALTH AND TAX CLAIMS Trump potentially could face tax fraud charges related to deflating assets to lower his taxes - depending on the steps taken, legal experts said. Cohen testified Trump inflated his assets when it served him, including to the magazine Forbes, which tracks the wealth of the richest people in the United States and the world, and deflated his assets to lower his real estate taxes. It is not a crime to lie to Forbes or the general public. Cohen said Trump inflated his assets to obtain a loan from Deutsche Bank. If true, this could violate federal law that bars lying on loan applications. THE TRUMP FOUNDATION Prosecutors could look into whether Trumps charitable foundation committed fraud related to the auctioning of a portrait of him. Slideshow (2 Images) Cohen accused Trump of directing the Donald J. Trump Foundation to reimburse $60,000 paid by a straw bidder to acquire the portrait. Trump kept it for himself, Cohen said. The New York Attorney Generals office has said the foundations use of funds for non-charitable purposes violates a number of state laws. The office sued Trump and his adult children last June alleging mismanagement of the foundation and misuse of its funds for political and personal purposes. The foundation agreed in December to dissolve in a partial settlement of the state lawsuit. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has left the door open to eventual criminal charges. | Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, testifies to a U.S. congressional committee. He says Trump reimbursed him for making "hush money" payments to two women ahead of the 2016 election. Cohen's testimony could be used by prosecutors to build a campaign finance law violation case against the president. | bart | 2 | https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-cohen-explainer/what-legal-risks-does-cohens-testimony-pose-to-trump-idUSKCN1QG2V6?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews | 0.390696 |
Why is it so hard to guard James Harden? | CLOSE What I'm Hearing: USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt has been talking with people across the league to see if the NBA will reduce its age limit. USA TODAY Sports The opponent: Houston. The defensive assignment for the game: James Harden. The outcome: Usually the same. Limiting Harden's prodigious offensive output is the biggest defensive challenge in the NBA today. He is a gifted scorer, outstanding passer, creative shot-maker and playmaker, master of the stepback 3-pointer and a great finisher at the rim. He also is unorthodox with his moves and adept at maximizing the rules to his benefit, especially drawing fouls. Well, its not very fun, Golden States Klay Thompson said of the challenge. Youre in a lose, lose, lose situation with him, Washingtons Bradley Beal said. Houston Rockets guard James Harden. (Photo: Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports) At 36.3 points per game in 2018-19, Harden has the seventh-best single-season scoring average in NBA history. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have averaged more. Hes doing things Jordan and Kobe Bryant never did and rivaling what Chamberlain did. Hardens streak of 32 consecutive games with at least 30 points, which ended Monday, is second to Chamberlain. He leads the league with 42 30-point games and 22 40-point games. He has a 50-point triple-double this season and three more triple-doubles with at least 40 points. For Paul George, who is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, it is a paradox. The very thing necessary to defend him is the very thing you cant do. The difficulty is guarding him without fouling. He gets a lot of foul calls," George said. "Its hard to bring physicality and be a defender in this league when hes so good at drawing those fouls. Try to be physical and guard him without fouling. Which is hard. The same reason its tough to guard him is the same reason how you have to guard him. Houston Rockets guard James Harden handles the ball while Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George defends. (Photo: Erik Williams, USA TODAY Sports) Be physical. And dont, under any circumstance, put him on the foul line. If you foul him, hes going to make his free throws, Beal said. Those are the difficult keys to defending Harden, who is physical himself and can absorb and initiate contact and shoots 11.5 free throws per game, making 87.1 percent. You have to guard him differently because of how hes officiated and how talented a player he is, Los Angeles Laker Kyle Kuzma said. Its really unorthodox defending him. In a Lakers-Rockets game earlier this season, the Lakers used unorthodox methods to defend Harden. Josh Hart held his hands behind his back while guarding Harden to show referees he wasnt using his hands. Josh Hart putting his hands behind his back when defending James Harden pic.twitter.com/uLsgqdFEJ0 Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 20, 2019 For us, we went to the extreme, putting our hands behind our backs like they were tied, but hes a tough guard, Kuzma said. Not only is guarding Harden difficult, so is officiating him. He has a penchant for putting defenders in compromising positions and has tricks up his sleeve to draw fouls. It requires a discerning whistle to officiate Harden. Playing in the Eastern Conference, Beal has to face Harden just twice a season. As many tough shots as hes going to make, sometimes you just have to pat him on the butt and keep moving, Beal said. Be physical, but not too physical. Dont give him too much space, but dont crowd him either. Its beneficial to have strong help defense from a big man at the rim and to be able to double-team and get the ball out of his hands. You really cant get close to him because hes quick enough and strong enough to get by you, Washingtons Trevor Ariza said. You cant give him too much space because he can shoot. Theres no secret. You just have to do what you can and live (with) the results. Earlier this season, the Milwaukee Bucks tried to force Harden to his right as much as possible, sometimes giving Harden an easy drive to the basket but cutting off some of his passing lanes. You decide. Harden scored 42 points on 13-for-30 shooting, including 6-for-16 on 3-pointers, and 10-for-11 on foul shots. The Bucks won 116-109. "You have to stay disciplined from the start of the game to the end of the game, from the start of the possession to the end of the possession. Its an incredible discipline, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Its like whatever your favorite dessert is, youve just got to stay away from it. You cant have it. I think, also, just the technique of showing your hands, constantly letting the referees and everybody know that youre not reaching, youre not grabbing, youre not holding. Much harder to do than to just talk about it. Houston Rockets guard James Harden dribbles the ball as Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill defends. (Photo: Troy Taormina, USA TODAY Sports) Perhaps Ariza is the best player to ask. He has played with and against Harden. When they were teammates in Houston for four seasons, Ariza laughed to himself watching opponents try to defend him. They often played one-on-one before or after practice. I understand his game a little bit, Ariza said. I wouldnt call it an advantage, Ariza said. I would say that I understand whats coming. Whether I can stop him, you never know. But I do understand his game. Understanding his game is one thing. Stopping it is another. Contributing: Matt Velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt | Limiting Houston Rockets guard James Harden's prodigious offensive output is the biggest defensive challenge in the NBA today. At 36.3 points per game in 2018-19, Harden has the seventh-best single-season scoring average in NBA history. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2019/02/27/how-to-defend-houston-rockets-star-james-harden/3002687002/ | 0.213159 |
Why is it so hard to guard James Harden? | CLOSE What I'm Hearing: USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt has been talking with people across the league to see if the NBA will reduce its age limit. USA TODAY Sports The opponent: Houston. The defensive assignment for the game: James Harden. The outcome: Usually the same. Limiting Harden's prodigious offensive output is the biggest defensive challenge in the NBA today. He is a gifted scorer, outstanding passer, creative shot-maker and playmaker, master of the stepback 3-pointer and a great finisher at the rim. He also is unorthodox with his moves and adept at maximizing the rules to his benefit, especially drawing fouls. Well, its not very fun, Golden States Klay Thompson said of the challenge. Youre in a lose, lose, lose situation with him, Washingtons Bradley Beal said. Houston Rockets guard James Harden. (Photo: Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports) At 36.3 points per game in 2018-19, Harden has the seventh-best single-season scoring average in NBA history. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have averaged more. Hes doing things Jordan and Kobe Bryant never did and rivaling what Chamberlain did. Hardens streak of 32 consecutive games with at least 30 points, which ended Monday, is second to Chamberlain. He leads the league with 42 30-point games and 22 40-point games. He has a 50-point triple-double this season and three more triple-doubles with at least 40 points. For Paul George, who is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, it is a paradox. The very thing necessary to defend him is the very thing you cant do. The difficulty is guarding him without fouling. He gets a lot of foul calls," George said. "Its hard to bring physicality and be a defender in this league when hes so good at drawing those fouls. Try to be physical and guard him without fouling. Which is hard. The same reason its tough to guard him is the same reason how you have to guard him. Houston Rockets guard James Harden handles the ball while Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George defends. (Photo: Erik Williams, USA TODAY Sports) Be physical. And dont, under any circumstance, put him on the foul line. If you foul him, hes going to make his free throws, Beal said. Those are the difficult keys to defending Harden, who is physical himself and can absorb and initiate contact and shoots 11.5 free throws per game, making 87.1 percent. You have to guard him differently because of how hes officiated and how talented a player he is, Los Angeles Laker Kyle Kuzma said. Its really unorthodox defending him. In a Lakers-Rockets game earlier this season, the Lakers used unorthodox methods to defend Harden. Josh Hart held his hands behind his back while guarding Harden to show referees he wasnt using his hands. Josh Hart putting his hands behind his back when defending James Harden pic.twitter.com/uLsgqdFEJ0 Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 20, 2019 For us, we went to the extreme, putting our hands behind our backs like they were tied, but hes a tough guard, Kuzma said. Not only is guarding Harden difficult, so is officiating him. He has a penchant for putting defenders in compromising positions and has tricks up his sleeve to draw fouls. It requires a discerning whistle to officiate Harden. Playing in the Eastern Conference, Beal has to face Harden just twice a season. As many tough shots as hes going to make, sometimes you just have to pat him on the butt and keep moving, Beal said. Be physical, but not too physical. Dont give him too much space, but dont crowd him either. Its beneficial to have strong help defense from a big man at the rim and to be able to double-team and get the ball out of his hands. You really cant get close to him because hes quick enough and strong enough to get by you, Washingtons Trevor Ariza said. You cant give him too much space because he can shoot. Theres no secret. You just have to do what you can and live (with) the results. Earlier this season, the Milwaukee Bucks tried to force Harden to his right as much as possible, sometimes giving Harden an easy drive to the basket but cutting off some of his passing lanes. You decide. Harden scored 42 points on 13-for-30 shooting, including 6-for-16 on 3-pointers, and 10-for-11 on foul shots. The Bucks won 116-109. "You have to stay disciplined from the start of the game to the end of the game, from the start of the possession to the end of the possession. Its an incredible discipline, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Its like whatever your favorite dessert is, youve just got to stay away from it. You cant have it. I think, also, just the technique of showing your hands, constantly letting the referees and everybody know that youre not reaching, youre not grabbing, youre not holding. Much harder to do than to just talk about it. Houston Rockets guard James Harden dribbles the ball as Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill defends. (Photo: Troy Taormina, USA TODAY Sports) Perhaps Ariza is the best player to ask. He has played with and against Harden. When they were teammates in Houston for four seasons, Ariza laughed to himself watching opponents try to defend him. They often played one-on-one before or after practice. I understand his game a little bit, Ariza said. I wouldnt call it an advantage, Ariza said. I would say that I understand whats coming. Whether I can stop him, you never know. But I do understand his game. Understanding his game is one thing. Stopping it is another. Contributing: Matt Velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt | Limiting Houston Rockets guard James Harden's prodigious offensive output is the biggest defensive challenge in the NBA today. At 36.3 points per game in 2018-19, Harden has the seventh-best single-season scoring average in NBA history. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have averaged more. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2019/02/27/how-to-defend-houston-rockets-star-james-harden/3002687002/ | 0.218579 |
What will cut through media noise with Cohen testimony? | NEW YORK (AP) To a nation watching on television, Michael Cohens congressional testimony on Wednesday was less about the goods he has on former client Donald Trump than it was a question of who to believe. Cohen bluntly described the president as a racist, con man and a cheat in his opening statement. Yet since it was surrounded by hours of congressional Republicans and allies in the media denigrating Cohens character, the question is whether that testimony will resonate or be lost in the noise. It was treated with importance by the nations media. Broadcast television networks broke away from regular programming to show the testimony, along with the news networks, even as Trump was in Vietnam for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Im not sure how many minds its going to change, said Fox News Chris Wallace after a break in Cohens testimony. Trump loyalists are not likely to take seriously the words of a man soon headed for three years in prison for crimes committed during his role as the presidents fixer, paying two women to keep quiet about their charges of an affair. Trump has denied the allegations. If you dont like Donald Trump, this is catnip, Wallace said. Congressional Republicans sought to undermine the hearing from its outset, with Cohen sitting silent as they fruitlessly argued for an adjournment because they didnt get a copy of his testimony far enough in advance. Then, during questioning that alternated Democratic and GOP members, the Republicans suggested he was a disgruntled job-seeker who wanted to work in the White House and that his criminal acts made him a worthless witness. They picked apart financial forms to suggest improper actions and questioned him on whether hed profit from his association with a future book deal. All the Republicans want to do is impeach and dirty up Michael Cohen, whos dirtied himself up just fine, journalist David Cay Johnston said on MSNBC. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican and Trump supporter who was working as an ABC News analyst on Wednesday, suggested the presidents supporters in Congress hadnt done well in coordinating their message with the White House. In their zeal to denigrate Cohen, they were doing little to address the substance of Cohens testimony. Hes sitting in Vietnam right now fuming that no one is defending him, Christie said. In one memorable moment, Cohen himself exhibited frustration at GOP cross-examination, saying they were doing what he did for 10 years as a lawyer protect Donald Trump. People who follow Trump, as I did blindly, are going to suffer the same consequences that I suffered, he said. CNN brought John Dean in as a commentator with a unique viewpoint that viewers of an older generation could appreciate. Dean was a White House lawyer whose congressional testimony about the Watergate scandal was particularly damaging to President Richard Nixon. Dean said he felt Cohen was an effective witness who was damaging Trump. People can judge for themselves, Dean said. He regrets having lied, hes telling the truth now and the truth hurts. The cable news networks showed different judgment in their importance of the hearing in the hours leading up to it. In the five hours leading up to Cohens testimony, CNN spent three and a half of them discussing that story and 37 minutes on Trumps summit in Vietnam, according to the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America. MSNBC spent two and a half hours on Cohen. Fox News Channel devoted 56 minutes to the Cohen story and one hour, 46 minutes on the presidents meeting with North Koreas leader, Media Matters said. In the hour before Cohen appeared, Fox News anchor Bill Hammer described the former lawyers upcoming testimony as highly defamatory and wondered why the hearing was being held on the same day as an important international event. During Cohens testimony, at the time he was calling Trump a con man, a chyron on the side of Foxs screen listed the specific criminal counts to which he had plead guilty. Cohens testimony is an effort to humiliate the president at a time when he needs to be totally focused on developing a relationship with Kim and coming to some agreement on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin said on Fox. I think this is scandalous, quite frankly. ___ AP Television Writer Lynn Elber in Los Angeles contributed to this report. | The question is whether Michael Cohen's testimony will resonate or be lost in the noise. Cohen bluntly described the president as a racist, con man and a cheat in his opening statement. Trump loyalists are not likely to take seriously the words of a man soon headed for prison. | bart | 2 | https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/what-will-cut-through-media-noise-with-cohen-testimony/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 0.111539 |
What If They Subscribed To A Cloud Service, And Nobody Used It? | One of the beauties of the cloud computing movement is that it opens up options and choices for consumers and businesses. A typical enterprise may draw resources that are most cost-effective and provide the most pertinent features -- whether they be within its own data center or provided by a cloud service. The average enterprise, in fact, now taps into five clouds, and 84 percent of companies now have a multi-cloud strategy. These are some of the takeaways from a survey of 786 technology professionals, reported in the eight annual RightScale State of the Cloud Report, released by Flexera, which acquired RightScale in September 2018. The survey finds organizations leverage almost five clouds on average: Respondents are already running applications in a combination of 3.4 public and private clouds, and experimenting with 1.5 more. In addition, companies run a majority of workloads in cloud. Respondents overall run 38 percent of workloads in public cloud and 41 percent in private cloud (which may include cloud-enabled virtual environments). Of course, all this cloud activity has a downside -- unexpected runaway costs and sticker shock. The monthly bill may seem reasonable at first, but as adoption grows, and more data moves through cloud services, the size of the monthly bill balloons. And services are underused, or people lose track of what services are being used. That's part of the reason so much money is pouring into Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure -- these two companies alone are hauling in $50 billion a year. The challenge: many cloud services are being purchased, often from within the business, and then not even used. Cloud users are not doing all they can to optimize these costs, and underestimate the amount of wasted cloud spend. Respondents estimate 27 percent waste in 2019, while the survey authors measured actual waste at 35 percent. That's why cloud cost optimization has been the top initiative for the past three years, increasing to 64 percent from 58 percent in 2018. Nevertheless, the survey also shows enterprise cloud spend continues to skyrocket. Enterprises plan to spend 24 percent more on public cloud in 2019 vs. 2018. Thirteen percent spend more than $12 million a year on public clouds, while 50 percent spend more than $1.2 million annually. Managing software licenses in the public cloud is also a part of this equation, of course. Understanding the cost implications of licensed software running in the cloud is also a key challenge (52 percent). Other challenges include understanding the complexity of license rules in public cloud (42 percent), and ensuring that they are following the rules (41 percent). Astute governance needs to prevail; and there needs to be more centralized methods of tracking cloud service adoption to avoid duplication and overlap. Only a minority of companies, 35 percent, have implemented automated policies to help address this issue, such as shutting down unused workloads or rightsizing instances, the survey's authors report. In addition, cloud users are not fully leveraging the various cloud provider discounting options. Among AWS users, for instance, only 47 percent use AWS Reserved Instances, while Microsoft Azure users leverage Reserved Instances only 23 percent of the time. There are steps being taken to gain an enterprise view of what services are being used, and which are being wasted. Two-thirds of respondents, for example, report they have a central cloud team or cloud center of excellence, with another 21 percent planning one. Among small to medium-size businesses, however, only 31 percent have a central cloud team. In enterprises, the top responsibilities of central IT are managing and optimizing cloud services costs (68 percent), deciding or advising on which applications to run in which clouds (62 percent), and setting policies for cloud use (59 percent). "Most of the responsibility for governing and optimizing cloud costs is falling on the central cloud team and the infrastructure and operations team, while business units frequently own the cloud budget," the survey's authors report. | Survey: Average enterprise now taps into five clouds, 84 percent have multi-cloud strategy. Many cloud services are being purchased, often from within the business, and then not even used. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2019/02/27/what-if-they-subscribed-to-a-cloud-service-and-nobody-used-it/ | 0.137784 |
What If They Subscribed To A Cloud Service, And Nobody Used It? | One of the beauties of the cloud computing movement is that it opens up options and choices for consumers and businesses. A typical enterprise may draw resources that are most cost-effective and provide the most pertinent features -- whether they be within its own data center or provided by a cloud service. The average enterprise, in fact, now taps into five clouds, and 84 percent of companies now have a multi-cloud strategy. These are some of the takeaways from a survey of 786 technology professionals, reported in the eight annual RightScale State of the Cloud Report, released by Flexera, which acquired RightScale in September 2018. The survey finds organizations leverage almost five clouds on average: Respondents are already running applications in a combination of 3.4 public and private clouds, and experimenting with 1.5 more. In addition, companies run a majority of workloads in cloud. Respondents overall run 38 percent of workloads in public cloud and 41 percent in private cloud (which may include cloud-enabled virtual environments). Of course, all this cloud activity has a downside -- unexpected runaway costs and sticker shock. The monthly bill may seem reasonable at first, but as adoption grows, and more data moves through cloud services, the size of the monthly bill balloons. And services are underused, or people lose track of what services are being used. That's part of the reason so much money is pouring into Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure -- these two companies alone are hauling in $50 billion a year. The challenge: many cloud services are being purchased, often from within the business, and then not even used. Cloud users are not doing all they can to optimize these costs, and underestimate the amount of wasted cloud spend. Respondents estimate 27 percent waste in 2019, while the survey authors measured actual waste at 35 percent. That's why cloud cost optimization has been the top initiative for the past three years, increasing to 64 percent from 58 percent in 2018. Nevertheless, the survey also shows enterprise cloud spend continues to skyrocket. Enterprises plan to spend 24 percent more on public cloud in 2019 vs. 2018. Thirteen percent spend more than $12 million a year on public clouds, while 50 percent spend more than $1.2 million annually. Managing software licenses in the public cloud is also a part of this equation, of course. Understanding the cost implications of licensed software running in the cloud is also a key challenge (52 percent). Other challenges include understanding the complexity of license rules in public cloud (42 percent), and ensuring that they are following the rules (41 percent). Astute governance needs to prevail; and there needs to be more centralized methods of tracking cloud service adoption to avoid duplication and overlap. Only a minority of companies, 35 percent, have implemented automated policies to help address this issue, such as shutting down unused workloads or rightsizing instances, the survey's authors report. In addition, cloud users are not fully leveraging the various cloud provider discounting options. Among AWS users, for instance, only 47 percent use AWS Reserved Instances, while Microsoft Azure users leverage Reserved Instances only 23 percent of the time. There are steps being taken to gain an enterprise view of what services are being used, and which are being wasted. Two-thirds of respondents, for example, report they have a central cloud team or cloud center of excellence, with another 21 percent planning one. Among small to medium-size businesses, however, only 31 percent have a central cloud team. In enterprises, the top responsibilities of central IT are managing and optimizing cloud services costs (68 percent), deciding or advising on which applications to run in which clouds (62 percent), and setting policies for cloud use (59 percent). "Most of the responsibility for governing and optimizing cloud costs is falling on the central cloud team and the infrastructure and operations team, while business units frequently own the cloud budget," the survey's authors report. | Survey: 84 percent of companies now have a multi-cloud strategy. Many cloud services are being purchased, often from within the business, and then not even used. Cloud users are not doing all they can to optimize these costs, and underestimate the amount of wasted cloud spend. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2019/02/27/what-if-they-subscribed-to-a-cloud-service-and-nobody-used-it/ | 0.24424 |
Was 'The Favourite' Overlooked At The Oscars For Being Too Female? | The 91st Academy Awards is being praised for its diversity, and rightfully so the show had more women than ever taking home statues, and African-American women won in Oscars in two different categories (production design and costume design) for the first time in history. Still, as the Women's Media Center points out, it wasn't a completely banner year for women, who are still extremely underrepresented in both the industry and in the nominations, especially regarding non-acting categories. Aside from the gender imbalance that exist when it comes to nominated directors, editors, and cinematographers, it was hard to ignore that the female-dominated The Favourite was passed over repeatedly throughout the night. The film was up for ten Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, but snagged just one. Women nominees are down from 2018 for Best Picture, Best Director, Original Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, and Animated Feature. No changes for Adapted Screenplay, Documentary Short, Original Score, and Original Song. #Oscars2019 https://t.co/NgBiFE3pi1 pic.twitter.com/gBhklkrTuc Women's Media Center (@womensmediacntr) February 24, 2019 While the competition was tough in every category, and The Favourite certainly didn't deserve to sweep, the snub was especially painful when Favourite writers Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara lost to the three-man team of Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly that wrote Green Book. The comparison between the writing of the two films seems objectively stark: The Favourite's sharp, creative, hilarious, novel, and slightly fantastical story and dialogue up against Green Book's uninspired and almost offensively instructive writing seemed unfair. And yet Green Book took the Oscar, not only for that, but for Best Picture. There are tons of theories about why Green Book fared so well on the biggest night for Hollywood, even when it wasn't celebrated either by critics or by audiences as much as some of the other choices (worthy among them, just to name two others: Roma and BlacKkKlansman). But we should also talk about why The Favourite didn't win instead, despite its merits. First and foremost: you have to reach pretty far back in history to find a Best Picture winner that's primarily also a female narrative, and even farther to find one that doesn't center on male-female romance, and even farther to find one that takes place in a female sphere. The Shape of Water from 2017 had a female lead, though it was centered on a romance (and also let's note that the main character, played by Sally Hawkins, was mute and literally didn't have a voice). Before that, we have 2004's Million Dollar Baby, which places a woman in a traditional boxing story: a world understood and respected by men. Stories that do have a female lead and, more importantly, a female narrative, sometimes get nominated, but don't ultimately get picked see Lady Bird, Hidden Figures, and Mad Max: Fury Road, just from the last three years. Well, maybe. As Lili Loofbourow writes in her excellent Virginia Quarterly Review essay, "The Male Glance," we have, for hundreds of years, been trivializing female narratives and dismissing them as fluff and junk not serious, not interesting, and not experimental. She writes: "Generations of forgetting to zoom into female experience arent easily shrugged off, however noble our intentions, and the upshot is that we still dont expect female texts to have universal things to say. We imagine them as small and careful, or petty and domestic, or vain, or sassy, or confessional. We might expect them to be sentimental or melodramatic, or evenin the days of Transparent and I Love Dick and Girlsprovocative, unflattering, and exhibitionist. But we dont expect them to be experimental, and we dont expect them to be great. We have not yet learned to see within female ugliness the possibility of transcendent art the way we do its male counterpart." It's a strong point and if you don't believe it, perhaps it's time to wonder how in 1991 Thelma and Louise was nominated for six of the biggest Oscars of the night, including Best Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing, but not for Best Picture. But let's return to The Favourite. It's the story of a queer love triangle between three women who also happen to be vying for power, both personal and political. Besides being brilliantly acted, directed, and written, it's funny, sad, thoughtful, dramatic, smart, weird, and experimental. They are in the background, wearing heels and covered in makeup, at the mercy of the queen and her strategist lovers. They are, for once, almost completely removed from the mechanisms of the story and the care of the main characters (and therefore, the care of the audience). It's hard to wonder if that also removed the movie from having a fair chance at being chosen as the best film (or even original screenplay) of the year. Of course, The Favourite did win one award at the Oscars: Olivia Colman won Best Actress for her stellar portrayal of Queen Anne. It's one of two categories along with, you guessed it, Best Supporting Actress where the Academy consistently lets brilliant women and women's narratives shine. Because they're the only ones who are allowed to be nominated. | The Favourite was up for ten Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahaswell/2019/02/27/was-the-favourite-overlooked-at-the-oscars-for-being-too-female/ | 0.100252 |
Was 'The Favourite' Overlooked At The Oscars For Being Too Female? | The 91st Academy Awards is being praised for its diversity, and rightfully so the show had more women than ever taking home statues, and African-American women won in Oscars in two different categories (production design and costume design) for the first time in history. Still, as the Women's Media Center points out, it wasn't a completely banner year for women, who are still extremely underrepresented in both the industry and in the nominations, especially regarding non-acting categories. Aside from the gender imbalance that exist when it comes to nominated directors, editors, and cinematographers, it was hard to ignore that the female-dominated The Favourite was passed over repeatedly throughout the night. The film was up for ten Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, but snagged just one. Women nominees are down from 2018 for Best Picture, Best Director, Original Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, and Animated Feature. No changes for Adapted Screenplay, Documentary Short, Original Score, and Original Song. #Oscars2019 https://t.co/NgBiFE3pi1 pic.twitter.com/gBhklkrTuc Women's Media Center (@womensmediacntr) February 24, 2019 While the competition was tough in every category, and The Favourite certainly didn't deserve to sweep, the snub was especially painful when Favourite writers Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara lost to the three-man team of Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly that wrote Green Book. The comparison between the writing of the two films seems objectively stark: The Favourite's sharp, creative, hilarious, novel, and slightly fantastical story and dialogue up against Green Book's uninspired and almost offensively instructive writing seemed unfair. And yet Green Book took the Oscar, not only for that, but for Best Picture. There are tons of theories about why Green Book fared so well on the biggest night for Hollywood, even when it wasn't celebrated either by critics or by audiences as much as some of the other choices (worthy among them, just to name two others: Roma and BlacKkKlansman). But we should also talk about why The Favourite didn't win instead, despite its merits. First and foremost: you have to reach pretty far back in history to find a Best Picture winner that's primarily also a female narrative, and even farther to find one that doesn't center on male-female romance, and even farther to find one that takes place in a female sphere. The Shape of Water from 2017 had a female lead, though it was centered on a romance (and also let's note that the main character, played by Sally Hawkins, was mute and literally didn't have a voice). Before that, we have 2004's Million Dollar Baby, which places a woman in a traditional boxing story: a world understood and respected by men. Stories that do have a female lead and, more importantly, a female narrative, sometimes get nominated, but don't ultimately get picked see Lady Bird, Hidden Figures, and Mad Max: Fury Road, just from the last three years. Well, maybe. As Lili Loofbourow writes in her excellent Virginia Quarterly Review essay, "The Male Glance," we have, for hundreds of years, been trivializing female narratives and dismissing them as fluff and junk not serious, not interesting, and not experimental. She writes: "Generations of forgetting to zoom into female experience arent easily shrugged off, however noble our intentions, and the upshot is that we still dont expect female texts to have universal things to say. We imagine them as small and careful, or petty and domestic, or vain, or sassy, or confessional. We might expect them to be sentimental or melodramatic, or evenin the days of Transparent and I Love Dick and Girlsprovocative, unflattering, and exhibitionist. But we dont expect them to be experimental, and we dont expect them to be great. We have not yet learned to see within female ugliness the possibility of transcendent art the way we do its male counterpart." It's a strong point and if you don't believe it, perhaps it's time to wonder how in 1991 Thelma and Louise was nominated for six of the biggest Oscars of the night, including Best Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing, but not for Best Picture. But let's return to The Favourite. It's the story of a queer love triangle between three women who also happen to be vying for power, both personal and political. Besides being brilliantly acted, directed, and written, it's funny, sad, thoughtful, dramatic, smart, weird, and experimental. They are in the background, wearing heels and covered in makeup, at the mercy of the queen and her strategist lovers. They are, for once, almost completely removed from the mechanisms of the story and the care of the main characters (and therefore, the care of the audience). It's hard to wonder if that also removed the movie from having a fair chance at being chosen as the best film (or even original screenplay) of the year. Of course, The Favourite did win one award at the Oscars: Olivia Colman won Best Actress for her stellar portrayal of Queen Anne. It's one of two categories along with, you guessed it, Best Supporting Actress where the Academy consistently lets brilliant women and women's narratives shine. Because they're the only ones who are allowed to be nominated. | The Favourite was up for ten Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, but snagged just one. Women nominees are down from 2018 for Best Picture, Best director, Original Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, and Animated Feature. The film was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Green Book. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahaswell/2019/02/27/was-the-favourite-overlooked-at-the-oscars-for-being-too-female/ | 0.228184 |
Are the early states still special? | Sign up here. The best argument for Americas odd presidential primary election system is that it forces candidates to interact with voters in a handful of states and pass the test under intense scrutiny. This advantage is tied to the other good argument for our four February contests: By starting small and then scaling up into Super Tuesday in March, dark horse or insurgent candidates have a chance to compete without the need for prohibitively large advertising and staff budgets. Part of this thinking is also about diversity. Iowa caucus goers are looking for one thing, New Hampshire voters are looking for another while South Carolinians and Nevadans want different things still. The interests, demographics and hyper-local issues dont allow candidates to retreat into gauzy platitudes the way they do in general elections or multi-state primary days. Theres something wholesome about forcing those who seek the most powerful office in the world to contend with ranch-loving Iowa college students, sleepy New Hampshireites, crusty kingmakers in South Carolina and union bosses in Nevada. We acknowledge, though, that theres another side to the argument. But we still think that while it sounds more fair to let voters all jump in the pool at once, its still better to let the campaigns evolve over time, even if it means giving outsized influence to the peculiar considerations of voters in four small-to-medium-sized states. Weve watched over the past decade as local politics is increasingly washed away by a loud, angry, vapid nationalized version. The old axiom of former House Speaker Tip ONeill that all politics is local no longer applies. In the era of social media, weak local news outlets and strong national narratives, local issues and personalities often end up getting steamrolled. Its not unreasonable to think thats whats happening in the February primary states as well. Neither partys 2016 nominees did the kind of state-specific campaigning their predecessors had done. Both were super-famous national figures and both relied on essentially the same message throughout. The Democrat ran mostly on gender and the Republican mostly ran on the pitch that he could reverse national decline. But they didnt hang out in many Iowa coffee shops or New Hampshire living rooms. They didnt sit through dozens of town halls as picky voters looked them over. Its still far too early to say whether this time around will be different. Theres no prohibitive frontrunner on the Democratic side and, other than a former vice president and the 2016 runner up, no candidates with the universal name identification that would allow for the same high-altitude bombing approach. But theres also no guarantee that the early states will revert to form and fulfill their special role in our system of taking the full measure of the candidates before they become celebrities. THE RULEBOOK: WITHOUT TRUST, THERES NOTHING The delicacy and magnitude of a trust which so deeply concerns the political reputation and existence of every man engaged in the administration of public affairs, speak for themselves. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 65 TIME OUT: DISCO FEVER NO MORE History: The first and final Grammy for Best Disco Recording was awarded on this day in 1980, to Gloria Gaynors I Will Survive. On a fundamental business level, there was growing disillusion within the record industry by early 1980 regarding discos profit potential. As popular as the music was on the radio and in the clubs, disco had failed to produce many of the kind of dependable, multi-platinum acts that the industry depended on for its biggest profits. It was also hard to ignore the obvious signs of the backlash in the popular culture of the time. At a Chicago White Sox game the previous July, tens of thousands of marauding disco-haters forced the cancellation and forfeit of a game at Comiskey Park on Disco Sucks promotion night. - Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM with your tips, comments or questions. SCOREBOARD Trump job performance Average approval: 41.8 percent Average disapproval: 54.4 percent Net Score: -12.6 points Change from one week ago: no change [Average includes: Fox News: 46% approve - 52% disapprove; Gallup: 44% approve - 52% unapproved; CNN: 42% approve - 54% disapproval; IBD: 39% approve - 57% disapprove; Quinnipiac University: 38% approve - 57% disapprove.] ILL TELL YOU WHAT: BIDEN HIS TIME This week Dana Perino and Chris Stirewalt discuss former Vice President Joe Biden, electability, pot, scooters, The Electoral College, queso on the moon, Michael Cohen and summit based trivia. Nothing is off the table in an action packed I'll Tell You What. LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE HERE BETO KEEPS OPTIONS OPEN, RULES OUT SENATE RUN Dallas Morning News: Beto O'Rourke has decided not to run for Senate next year against Republican incumbent John Cornyn and likely will announce a campaign for president soon, people close to the former El Paso congressman told The Dallas Morning News Wednesday. Numerous people close to O'Rourke said they expect him to announce his presidential campaign within weeks. For his own part, O'Rourke on Wednesday wouldn't reveal his future political plans except to say he has made up his mind. Amy and I have made a decision about how we can best serve our country, he said in an exclusive statement to The Dallas Morning News. We are excited to share it with everyone soon. Should he join the presidential race, O'Rourke would join a large Democratic Party primary field. He's behind much of the field in fundraising, developing an organization and getting in front of voters. Harris tries to captivate California donors - Politico: Donor-rich California has long been known as the ATM of the Democratic Party. Kamala Harris wants to turn it into her personal armored truck. The California senator and 2020 presidential candidate has nursed connections with the states biggest donors during three campaigns for statewide office and two more for district attorney in San Francisco. Now, Harris is working aggressively to turn those connections into commitments securing those donors before out-of-state presidential rivals have a chance. Before the presidential race even started, Harris spent hundreds of thousands of dollars through her leadership PAC to prospect the California donor scene. She has already held more California fundraisers than any other candidate for president, seeking out the bundlers who raised massive sums for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Early state Dem leaders want non-aggression pact - Politico: Democratic Party chairs in the four early presidential states are working to convince the 2020 presidential candidates to avoid waging social media disinformation warfare against each other. The effort began this week with a letter to state party chairs across the country broadly laying out the issue with an ultimate goal of establishing what amounts to a non-aggression pact We would like your support in recommending the ASDC [Association of State Democratic Committees] work towards developing a collaborative approach to battling disinformation, illicit campaign tactics, bots, trollfarms, fake accounts, altered text, audio, and video, any and all inauthentic speech in our Presidential Primary process, wrote the four chairs, including New Hampshire's Ray Buckley, Iowas Troy Price, South Carolina's Trav Robertson and Nevada's William McCurdy. SENATE GOP CHILLY TO PENCE PITCH FOR TRUMP EMERGENCY Politico: Vice President Mike Pence faced a wall of resistance from Senate Republicans on Tuesday as he tried to sell President Donald Trumps national emergency declaration on the southern border, according to multiple GOP sources. The pointed reception at the GOP lunch raised further doubts among Senate Republicans that the administration will be able to hold down defections on a crucial vote to block the president in the coming weeks. Pence told Republicans that Trumps plan to unilaterally shift billions in military funding to border wall construction was not like President Barack Obamas executive actions on immigration, according to four attendees. He argued Trump is using an existing law and money approved by Congress, unlike Obamas efforts to shield some immigrants from deportation. NORTHAMS WIFE GAVE BLACK STUDENTS COTTON WaPo: A Virginia state employee has complained that her eighth-grade daughter was upset during a tour of the historic governors residence when first lady Pam Northam handed raw cotton to her and another African American child and asked them to imagine being enslaved and having to pick the crop. The Governor and Mrs. Northam have asked the residents of the Commonwealth to forgive them for their racially insensitive past actions, Leah Dozier Walker, who oversees the Office of Equity and Community Engagement at the state Education Department, wrote Feb. 25 to lawmakers and the office of Gov. Ralph Northam (D). Northams office and one other parent of a child who was present said the first lady did not single out the African American students and simply handed out the cotton to a group. But the incident highlights the scrutiny and doubt that envelop the governor as he tries to push past racist incidents from his past and ignore continued calls for his resignation. COHEN LOBS BOMBS AT TRUMP DURING FIERY HEARING Fox News: Michael Cohen, the former fixer about to begin a three-year prison term, completed his renunciation of President Trump during an explosive congressional hearing Wednesday that left no room for reconciliation calling his former boss a racist, testifying he was aware of an adviser's talks with WikiLeaks about stolen Democratic emails during the 2016 campaign and alleging he oversaw an array of illicit schemes during the 10 years they worked together. He is a racist. He is a conman. And he is a cheat, Cohen testified, setting the tone for the hearing. Yet Cohen stopped short of saying he had evidence that Trump's presidential campaign colluded with Russia in 2016, asserting he had only suspicions. And Republicans on the House Oversight Committee repeatedly struck at Cohen's credibility, pointing out that he is a convicted liar and suggesting he only turned on Trump after not landing a White House job. Florida congressman may face consequences for nasty tweet - CBS News: Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, is facing some potentially serious fallout after he tweeted a message many perceived as threatening Michael Cohen, prior to Cohen's public testimony this afternoon before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Gaetz, an attorney, is now being investigated by the Florida Bar for a potential violation the organization's conduct rules, and Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) suggested that he should be referred for possible criminal prosecution for witness intimidation or tampering. The account has since deleted the tweet, and Gaetz apologized after being chastised by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. It was NOT my intent to threaten, as some believe I did. I'm deleting the tweet & I should have chosen words that better showed my intent. I'm sorry, he wrote. PLAY-BY-PLAY GOP operative indicted for election fraud in N.C. House race - WSOC Pergram: Politicians show their cards in Las Vegas - Fox News House Dems skip their own climate change panel - Politico 9th Circuit gets another Trump-picked judge - Fox News House Dems push forward on election law changes - Politico Ohio Democratic lawmaker introduces bill to push back state primary - The Hill AUDIBLE: OR AT LEAST GIVE AN ANSWER Oh my God, just say yes! Someone in the audience at a University of Delaware panel yelled, interrupting Joe Biden while he was answering a question about his 2020 decision. FROM THE BLEACHERS You said in reply to a correspondent questioning the new use of the word woke that, The key, Ms. Peterson, is that in this sense its a noun rather than the traditional sense of I woke the dog when I got up early for work, where it is a verb. You then use the example Dont judge so-and-so because he used offensive terms in the past because he is now woke and acting in a socially conscious way. You dont mean noun, you mean adjective. I know our two countries are said to be divided by a common language, but I trust we are still united by a common grammar. Dr. Evan Harris, London, U.K. [Ed. note: Quite so, Dr. Harris! Woke in that case would certainly be a descriptive word. Good catch!] Did I read that right, at the bottom of your February 22nd report, that, (Republicans, when) Asked if the Mueller report would make them reconsider their vote for Trump, just 22 percent said it would affect their support for Trump if the report concludes that Trump conspired with the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 election. Please tell me I read that wrong. I can see the average Republican reserving judgment til all the facts are known, but I was hoping that conspiring with an foreign adversary to undermine our election would cause about 98% of Republicans to withdraw support for the man. I wish I'd quit reading your report a paragraph sooner and not seen that. How depressing. Brett Nichols, Bellingham, Wash. [Ed. note: I would salt liberally any such surveys. Anytime youre asking voters to imagine what they would do if, youre in difficult country as a pollster. Voters are prone to fill in the blanks according to their own biases. Thats why I tend to avoid polls on hypotheticals. This one was worth including because its a reflection more of how Republicans see matters now more than how they might really feel. Their current expectation seems pretty clearly that the president will beat the rap.] Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown. CRABBY AND HANGRY AP: Alabama police say a dispute over crab legs at a dinner buffet ended in a brawl that left two people facing misdemeanor charges. Huntsville police officer Gerald Johnson says he was eating at the Meteor Buffet restaurant when a fight broke out. Johnson tells WHNT-TV that diners were using service tongs like fencing swords and plates were shattering, and a woman was beating a man. Johnson says diners had been waiting in line for crab legs for more than 10 minutes, and they lost their tempers once the food came out. The station reports Chequita Jenkins is charged with assaulting John Chapman, who suffered a cut on his head. Chapman is charged with disorderly conduct. Court records arent available to show whether either person has a lawyer. AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES For all the gnashing of teeth over the lack of comity and civility in Washington, the real problem is not etiquette but the breakdown of political norms, legislative and constitutional. Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in the Washington Post on Nov. 28, 2013. Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Sign up here. | John Avlon: The early states are a good way for candidates to get to know voters in their home states. He says there's something wholesome about dealing with voters in four small-to-medium-sized states. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/politics/are-the-early-states-still-special?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29 | 0.104008 |
Do we know how many children are in gangs? | Image copyright Getty Images A report by the Children's Commissioner for England has estimated that there are 27,000 children in gangs. Anne Longfield has called on professionals to "learn from the mistakes of child sexual exploitation" and treat children as victims not perpetrators. The 27,000 figure, which covers England, has been calculated using figures from the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) annual crime survey, which asks a representative sample of households about their experience of crime. For the past three years, it has asked children aged 10 to 15 whether they considered themselves to be a member of a street gang. Last year, of a sample of about 4,000 children, 0.7% (about 30 children) said they did. This figure was scaled up to give the estimated 27,000 figure for the whole population for a single year. That is an estimate, but the report gives another much lower figure of 6,560 children actually known by youth offending teams or children's services to be involved in gangs. Ms Longfield's report concludes that the difference between the higher and lower figure is down to the fact that most gang members are not known to authorities. We do not know that for sure though - it is certainly likely that there is a group of young people involved with gangs who are not known to the authorities, but we cannot be sure that 27,000 children gang members is an accurate number. Since these figures come from a bespoke analysis, comparable individual figures for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not available. Image copyright PA Image caption Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has pledged to "relentlessly" target gangs It is notoriously difficult to arrive at definitive figures on gang membership and related violence. That is not only because some gang activity is likely to take place under the radar of authorities - even defining what counts as a gang is not always straightforward. Gang matrix When it comes to gang violence and criminal activity, there is no national data. But in London, the Metropolitan Police holds a database known as the Gangs Matrix, containing names of between 3-4,000 "persons of interest" at any one time. The database has been criticised for disproportionately targeting young black men who might not have links to violent crime. Last year the Met said that all its officers were "highly-trained and experienced in working with, and recognising the signs of, gang affiliation and gang membership". "By identifying high-harm gang members and targeting them through intelligence-led enforcement, the number of violent offences committed by gang members has been reduced," a Met spokesman said. The Met also "tags" violent crimes as gang-related if it believes it has enough intelligence to do so. In 2017, the last time it published estimates, one in every 500 violent crimes recorded by the Met Police was tagged as gang-related. Since 2010, 15% of homicides in the capital have been linked to gangs. Knife crime While information of gang membership is difficult to capture, we do know that knife carrying among children is increasing. Knife offences resulting in caution or conviction Knife offences by age group, England and Wales, year ending September Almost 21% of 21,380 knife possession offences last year were committed by 10 to 17-year-olds. Since 2014, the number of knife possession offences committed by 10 to 17-year-olds has increased by 70%. Hospital admissions for assault with a sharp object for 18-year-olds and under have also increased by 70% since the year to March 2014, reaching 813 last year. Hospital admissions for assault by sharp instrument England, year ending March This data shows the problem is increasing, but it does not tell how many children are carrying knives in total. Last year, 0.6% of 10 to 15-year-olds said they had personally carried a knife and and 5.7% knew someone who had, according to the ONS's crime survey. This does not tell us whether they are carrying weapons for gang-related reasons, though. In schools Knife carrying also appears to be increasing in schools. Data from 21 police forces in England and Wales obtained through a Freedom of Information request showed 363 sharp instruments were found on school property in 2017-18. This is an increase from 94 in 2013-14. Number of knives found at schools Number of knife or sharp instrument possession offences on school premises, England and Wales The report said children who say they are involved in street gangs were more likely to have been excluded from school. Research by centre-left think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) also suggests that children who have been excluded from school are more likely to enter the criminal justice system. The Children's Commissioner's report points out there are multiple risk factors associated with children becoming involved with gangs. The report says that children in gangs who are known to children's services are more likely than others in the system (already a vulnerable group) to have mental health problems, special educational needs and to come from homes where there is domestic violence or substance misuse. Children who have been in gangs and are now in the criminal justice system are 76% more likely than other young offenders to have not been having their basic care needs met at home, according to professional assessments. Drugs The rise of County Lines has also increased concerns of children being pulled into, and exploited by, drug gangs. County Lines involve city-based drug gangs expanding their drug dealing into smaller towns and rural areas, with violence often being involved to protect the routes. The National Crime Agency estimates that the number of dedicated phone lines dedicated to taking orders from users increased from about 720 to 2,000 between 2017 and 2018. Individuals, often vulnerable people susceptible to exploitation, will then take the drugs from the base to consumers. Two-thirds of police forces link County Lines to child exploitation by gangs. Given the illicit nature of the operations, total involvement is difficult to capture but the majority of referrals received by the National Crime Agency concern 15 to 17-year-olds. Get in touch Read more from Reality Check Follow us on Twitter | A report by the Children's Commissioner for England estimates there are 27,000 children in gangs. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47388890 | 0.368082 |
Do we know how many children are in gangs? | Image copyright Getty Images A report by the Children's Commissioner for England has estimated that there are 27,000 children in gangs. Anne Longfield has called on professionals to "learn from the mistakes of child sexual exploitation" and treat children as victims not perpetrators. The 27,000 figure, which covers England, has been calculated using figures from the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) annual crime survey, which asks a representative sample of households about their experience of crime. For the past three years, it has asked children aged 10 to 15 whether they considered themselves to be a member of a street gang. Last year, of a sample of about 4,000 children, 0.7% (about 30 children) said they did. This figure was scaled up to give the estimated 27,000 figure for the whole population for a single year. That is an estimate, but the report gives another much lower figure of 6,560 children actually known by youth offending teams or children's services to be involved in gangs. Ms Longfield's report concludes that the difference between the higher and lower figure is down to the fact that most gang members are not known to authorities. We do not know that for sure though - it is certainly likely that there is a group of young people involved with gangs who are not known to the authorities, but we cannot be sure that 27,000 children gang members is an accurate number. Since these figures come from a bespoke analysis, comparable individual figures for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not available. Image copyright PA Image caption Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has pledged to "relentlessly" target gangs It is notoriously difficult to arrive at definitive figures on gang membership and related violence. That is not only because some gang activity is likely to take place under the radar of authorities - even defining what counts as a gang is not always straightforward. Gang matrix When it comes to gang violence and criminal activity, there is no national data. But in London, the Metropolitan Police holds a database known as the Gangs Matrix, containing names of between 3-4,000 "persons of interest" at any one time. The database has been criticised for disproportionately targeting young black men who might not have links to violent crime. Last year the Met said that all its officers were "highly-trained and experienced in working with, and recognising the signs of, gang affiliation and gang membership". "By identifying high-harm gang members and targeting them through intelligence-led enforcement, the number of violent offences committed by gang members has been reduced," a Met spokesman said. The Met also "tags" violent crimes as gang-related if it believes it has enough intelligence to do so. In 2017, the last time it published estimates, one in every 500 violent crimes recorded by the Met Police was tagged as gang-related. Since 2010, 15% of homicides in the capital have been linked to gangs. Knife crime While information of gang membership is difficult to capture, we do know that knife carrying among children is increasing. Knife offences resulting in caution or conviction Knife offences by age group, England and Wales, year ending September Almost 21% of 21,380 knife possession offences last year were committed by 10 to 17-year-olds. Since 2014, the number of knife possession offences committed by 10 to 17-year-olds has increased by 70%. Hospital admissions for assault with a sharp object for 18-year-olds and under have also increased by 70% since the year to March 2014, reaching 813 last year. Hospital admissions for assault by sharp instrument England, year ending March This data shows the problem is increasing, but it does not tell how many children are carrying knives in total. Last year, 0.6% of 10 to 15-year-olds said they had personally carried a knife and and 5.7% knew someone who had, according to the ONS's crime survey. This does not tell us whether they are carrying weapons for gang-related reasons, though. In schools Knife carrying also appears to be increasing in schools. Data from 21 police forces in England and Wales obtained through a Freedom of Information request showed 363 sharp instruments were found on school property in 2017-18. This is an increase from 94 in 2013-14. Number of knives found at schools Number of knife or sharp instrument possession offences on school premises, England and Wales The report said children who say they are involved in street gangs were more likely to have been excluded from school. Research by centre-left think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) also suggests that children who have been excluded from school are more likely to enter the criminal justice system. The Children's Commissioner's report points out there are multiple risk factors associated with children becoming involved with gangs. The report says that children in gangs who are known to children's services are more likely than others in the system (already a vulnerable group) to have mental health problems, special educational needs and to come from homes where there is domestic violence or substance misuse. Children who have been in gangs and are now in the criminal justice system are 76% more likely than other young offenders to have not been having their basic care needs met at home, according to professional assessments. Drugs The rise of County Lines has also increased concerns of children being pulled into, and exploited by, drug gangs. County Lines involve city-based drug gangs expanding their drug dealing into smaller towns and rural areas, with violence often being involved to protect the routes. The National Crime Agency estimates that the number of dedicated phone lines dedicated to taking orders from users increased from about 720 to 2,000 between 2017 and 2018. Individuals, often vulnerable people susceptible to exploitation, will then take the drugs from the base to consumers. Two-thirds of police forces link County Lines to child exploitation by gangs. Given the illicit nature of the operations, total involvement is difficult to capture but the majority of referrals received by the National Crime Agency concern 15 to 17-year-olds. Get in touch Read more from Reality Check Follow us on Twitter | A report by the Children's Commissioner for England estimates there are 27,000 children in gangs. The figure has been calculated using figures from the Office for National Statistics' annual crime survey. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47388890 | 0.378063 |
Do we know how many children are in gangs? | Image copyright Getty Images A report by the Children's Commissioner for England has estimated that there are 27,000 children in gangs. Anne Longfield has called on professionals to "learn from the mistakes of child sexual exploitation" and treat children as victims not perpetrators. The 27,000 figure, which covers England, has been calculated using figures from the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) annual crime survey, which asks a representative sample of households about their experience of crime. For the past three years, it has asked children aged 10 to 15 whether they considered themselves to be a member of a street gang. Last year, of a sample of about 4,000 children, 0.7% (about 30 children) said they did. This figure was scaled up to give the estimated 27,000 figure for the whole population for a single year. That is an estimate, but the report gives another much lower figure of 6,560 children actually known by youth offending teams or children's services to be involved in gangs. Ms Longfield's report concludes that the difference between the higher and lower figure is down to the fact that most gang members are not known to authorities. We do not know that for sure though - it is certainly likely that there is a group of young people involved with gangs who are not known to the authorities, but we cannot be sure that 27,000 children gang members is an accurate number. Since these figures come from a bespoke analysis, comparable individual figures for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not available. Image copyright PA Image caption Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has pledged to "relentlessly" target gangs It is notoriously difficult to arrive at definitive figures on gang membership and related violence. That is not only because some gang activity is likely to take place under the radar of authorities - even defining what counts as a gang is not always straightforward. Gang matrix When it comes to gang violence and criminal activity, there is no national data. But in London, the Metropolitan Police holds a database known as the Gangs Matrix, containing names of between 3-4,000 "persons of interest" at any one time. The database has been criticised for disproportionately targeting young black men who might not have links to violent crime. Last year the Met said that all its officers were "highly-trained and experienced in working with, and recognising the signs of, gang affiliation and gang membership". "By identifying high-harm gang members and targeting them through intelligence-led enforcement, the number of violent offences committed by gang members has been reduced," a Met spokesman said. The Met also "tags" violent crimes as gang-related if it believes it has enough intelligence to do so. In 2017, the last time it published estimates, one in every 500 violent crimes recorded by the Met Police was tagged as gang-related. Since 2010, 15% of homicides in the capital have been linked to gangs. Knife crime While information of gang membership is difficult to capture, we do know that knife carrying among children is increasing. Knife offences resulting in caution or conviction Knife offences by age group, England and Wales, year ending September Almost 21% of 21,380 knife possession offences last year were committed by 10 to 17-year-olds. Since 2014, the number of knife possession offences committed by 10 to 17-year-olds has increased by 70%. Hospital admissions for assault with a sharp object for 18-year-olds and under have also increased by 70% since the year to March 2014, reaching 813 last year. Hospital admissions for assault by sharp instrument England, year ending March This data shows the problem is increasing, but it does not tell how many children are carrying knives in total. Last year, 0.6% of 10 to 15-year-olds said they had personally carried a knife and and 5.7% knew someone who had, according to the ONS's crime survey. This does not tell us whether they are carrying weapons for gang-related reasons, though. In schools Knife carrying also appears to be increasing in schools. Data from 21 police forces in England and Wales obtained through a Freedom of Information request showed 363 sharp instruments were found on school property in 2017-18. This is an increase from 94 in 2013-14. Number of knives found at schools Number of knife or sharp instrument possession offences on school premises, England and Wales The report said children who say they are involved in street gangs were more likely to have been excluded from school. Research by centre-left think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) also suggests that children who have been excluded from school are more likely to enter the criminal justice system. The Children's Commissioner's report points out there are multiple risk factors associated with children becoming involved with gangs. The report says that children in gangs who are known to children's services are more likely than others in the system (already a vulnerable group) to have mental health problems, special educational needs and to come from homes where there is domestic violence or substance misuse. Children who have been in gangs and are now in the criminal justice system are 76% more likely than other young offenders to have not been having their basic care needs met at home, according to professional assessments. Drugs The rise of County Lines has also increased concerns of children being pulled into, and exploited by, drug gangs. County Lines involve city-based drug gangs expanding their drug dealing into smaller towns and rural areas, with violence often being involved to protect the routes. The National Crime Agency estimates that the number of dedicated phone lines dedicated to taking orders from users increased from about 720 to 2,000 between 2017 and 2018. Individuals, often vulnerable people susceptible to exploitation, will then take the drugs from the base to consumers. Two-thirds of police forces link County Lines to child exploitation by gangs. Given the illicit nature of the operations, total involvement is difficult to capture but the majority of referrals received by the National Crime Agency concern 15 to 17-year-olds. Get in touch Read more from Reality Check Follow us on Twitter | A report by the Children's Commissioner for England estimates there are 27,000 children in gangs. The figure has been calculated using figures from the Office for National Statistics' annual crime survey. But the report gives another much lower figure of 6,560 children actually known by youth offending teams or children's services to be involved in gangs. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47388890 | 0.438361 |
Why are more and more car companies teaming up? | Image caption The luxury car makers will work together on areas like ride-hailing When BMW and Daimler announced a 1bn (880m) partnership last week to develop a suite of "mobility services" together, it was a clear sign of how the auto industry had changed. For one thing, the German giants - who plan to work on driverless vehicles, ride-hailing, and pay-per-use cars together - are normally fierce rivals who would never dream of teaming up. For another, their pact was just the latest in a growing line of partnerships between traditional carmakers who are preparing for an uncertain future, in which next-generation technology could upend the industry and Silicon Valley could hold more sway than Detroit or Wolfsburg. Just recently Ford and Volkswagen agreed to "investigate" ways of working on electric and autonomous vehicles together, while Honda invested $2.75bn (2.1bn) in rival General Motors' driverless unit with a view to launching a fleet of unmanned taxis. There have been similar tie-ups between Tesla and Daimler, and Volvo and PSA, as well as a host of pacts between carmakers and tech firms. "Nobody knows what the future of mobility is going to be exactly, so people are getting together to lower the risk," says Prof Peter Wells, director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff Business School. He expects electric cars, ride sharing and autonomous driving to radically change how we use cars, eventually prompting a fall in car ownership. So traditional carmakers are having to fight to remain relevant, particularly as tech companies like ride-hailing firm Uber and Google's driverless car business Waymo overtake them. "The research and development to develop these new technologies also costs billions, so it makes sense to share the burden rather than duplicating," he says. "The problem for the industry is that it is struggling to afford its own future." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Tesla has become the top manufacturer of plug-in passenger cars in the world Electric dreams Some of the partnerships between carmakers have included commitments to working on electric vehicle technology - although sharing in this area still proves difficult for many given the competitive nature of the industry. Electric cars still account for only a fraction of vehicles on our roads but that is expected to change over the next five years as regulators crack down on vehicle emissions levels from petrol and diesel cars. The problem, says David Leggett, editor of Just-Auto magazine, is that traditional carmakers "haven't really changed the way they make cars for 100 years" and are having to overhaul their production processes fast. "The main challenge is that the technology is costly. It's a tall order to make batteries that are cheap enough and perform well enough to compete with petrol engines," he says. The danger, he says, is new players coming in who can be radically different in how they make and sell cars or transport services. Image copyright Zipcar Image caption Car-sharing services like Zipcar could transform our relationship with cars, say analysts Perhaps the best example is US firm Tesla, led by Elon Musk, which in little over 15 years has become the world's number one manufacturer of plug-in passenger cars. The Chinese are also making huge strides in developing electrics, backed by generous subsidies from the Chinese government. Perhaps the bigger threat driving carmakers to team up is that car ownership could fall, as driverless vehicles take off and we increasingly opt to rent or borrow cars rather than buy them. The Boston Consulting Group estimates that nearly a third of the miles that Americans will rack up on roads by 2030 will be in electrified, autonomous vehicles operated by ride-sharing services. "Even now it's not that financially sensible to own a car - it's stationary 95% of the time and quickly loses its value," says Prof Wells. "But once car sharing takes off it will take the cost out of travel per mile and ownership will seem less appealing." To prepare themselves, most major carmakers have launched some form of mobility services programme while ploughing cash into driverless cars - either independently or in partnership. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Urban mobility services are increasingly branching out beyond cars For example, Daimler will merge its Car2Go car-sharing service with a range of mobility services operations at BMW - including an Uber-style ride-sharing service and a route management app that lets you plan and book entire trips using cars, public transport and even scooters. It's aimed at challenging the likes of Uber and Waymo, although many car firms have sought to partner with the tech challengers too. Toyota, for instance, invested $500m in Uber last year and chipmaker Nvidia is working with VW among others on areas such as artificial intelligence in cars. "There were lots of fears about tech firms taking over the industry, but this has receded a bit as tech firms see how difficult it is to make cars," says Prof Wells. "Look at Tesla - it's only just started to make a profit after 15 years in operation. It's not an easy industry to make money in." While more and more car firms are teaming up, their agreements are rarely exclusive or involve cross ownership. They also tend to collaborate only in certain areas, while remaining competitors in others. Mr Leggett doubts we will see any full-blown mergers between car brands in the coming years, even if there is the temptation to do so. "The car industry is littered with failed takeovers. The costs of aligning the production processes and marketing are simply too big." He instead expects to see more "rationalisation", with carmakers pulling out of unprofitable markets and forging more strategic pacts in the vein of Daimler and BMW. Car firms that fail to adapt will face an uncertain future, however. "At the end of the day, if a company is losing a lot of money it is difficult to carry on as it is," Mr Leggett says. "Traditional carmakers will get left behind if they haven't grasped the nettle of new technology." | More and more car companies are teaming up to develop new technologies. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47376677 | 0.612904 |
Why are more and more car companies teaming up? | Image caption The luxury car makers will work together on areas like ride-hailing When BMW and Daimler announced a 1bn (880m) partnership last week to develop a suite of "mobility services" together, it was a clear sign of how the auto industry had changed. For one thing, the German giants - who plan to work on driverless vehicles, ride-hailing, and pay-per-use cars together - are normally fierce rivals who would never dream of teaming up. For another, their pact was just the latest in a growing line of partnerships between traditional carmakers who are preparing for an uncertain future, in which next-generation technology could upend the industry and Silicon Valley could hold more sway than Detroit or Wolfsburg. Just recently Ford and Volkswagen agreed to "investigate" ways of working on electric and autonomous vehicles together, while Honda invested $2.75bn (2.1bn) in rival General Motors' driverless unit with a view to launching a fleet of unmanned taxis. There have been similar tie-ups between Tesla and Daimler, and Volvo and PSA, as well as a host of pacts between carmakers and tech firms. "Nobody knows what the future of mobility is going to be exactly, so people are getting together to lower the risk," says Prof Peter Wells, director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff Business School. He expects electric cars, ride sharing and autonomous driving to radically change how we use cars, eventually prompting a fall in car ownership. So traditional carmakers are having to fight to remain relevant, particularly as tech companies like ride-hailing firm Uber and Google's driverless car business Waymo overtake them. "The research and development to develop these new technologies also costs billions, so it makes sense to share the burden rather than duplicating," he says. "The problem for the industry is that it is struggling to afford its own future." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Tesla has become the top manufacturer of plug-in passenger cars in the world Electric dreams Some of the partnerships between carmakers have included commitments to working on electric vehicle technology - although sharing in this area still proves difficult for many given the competitive nature of the industry. Electric cars still account for only a fraction of vehicles on our roads but that is expected to change over the next five years as regulators crack down on vehicle emissions levels from petrol and diesel cars. The problem, says David Leggett, editor of Just-Auto magazine, is that traditional carmakers "haven't really changed the way they make cars for 100 years" and are having to overhaul their production processes fast. "The main challenge is that the technology is costly. It's a tall order to make batteries that are cheap enough and perform well enough to compete with petrol engines," he says. The danger, he says, is new players coming in who can be radically different in how they make and sell cars or transport services. Image copyright Zipcar Image caption Car-sharing services like Zipcar could transform our relationship with cars, say analysts Perhaps the best example is US firm Tesla, led by Elon Musk, which in little over 15 years has become the world's number one manufacturer of plug-in passenger cars. The Chinese are also making huge strides in developing electrics, backed by generous subsidies from the Chinese government. Perhaps the bigger threat driving carmakers to team up is that car ownership could fall, as driverless vehicles take off and we increasingly opt to rent or borrow cars rather than buy them. The Boston Consulting Group estimates that nearly a third of the miles that Americans will rack up on roads by 2030 will be in electrified, autonomous vehicles operated by ride-sharing services. "Even now it's not that financially sensible to own a car - it's stationary 95% of the time and quickly loses its value," says Prof Wells. "But once car sharing takes off it will take the cost out of travel per mile and ownership will seem less appealing." To prepare themselves, most major carmakers have launched some form of mobility services programme while ploughing cash into driverless cars - either independently or in partnership. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Urban mobility services are increasingly branching out beyond cars For example, Daimler will merge its Car2Go car-sharing service with a range of mobility services operations at BMW - including an Uber-style ride-sharing service and a route management app that lets you plan and book entire trips using cars, public transport and even scooters. It's aimed at challenging the likes of Uber and Waymo, although many car firms have sought to partner with the tech challengers too. Toyota, for instance, invested $500m in Uber last year and chipmaker Nvidia is working with VW among others on areas such as artificial intelligence in cars. "There were lots of fears about tech firms taking over the industry, but this has receded a bit as tech firms see how difficult it is to make cars," says Prof Wells. "Look at Tesla - it's only just started to make a profit after 15 years in operation. It's not an easy industry to make money in." While more and more car firms are teaming up, their agreements are rarely exclusive or involve cross ownership. They also tend to collaborate only in certain areas, while remaining competitors in others. Mr Leggett doubts we will see any full-blown mergers between car brands in the coming years, even if there is the temptation to do so. "The car industry is littered with failed takeovers. The costs of aligning the production processes and marketing are simply too big." He instead expects to see more "rationalisation", with carmakers pulling out of unprofitable markets and forging more strategic pacts in the vein of Daimler and BMW. Car firms that fail to adapt will face an uncertain future, however. "At the end of the day, if a company is losing a lot of money it is difficult to carry on as it is," Mr Leggett says. "Traditional carmakers will get left behind if they haven't grasped the nettle of new technology." | More and more car companies are teaming up to develop new technologies. Traditional carmakers are struggling to keep pace with the rise of tech companies like Uber and Google's Waymo. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47376677 | 0.766335 |
Why are more and more car companies teaming up? | Image caption The luxury car makers will work together on areas like ride-hailing When BMW and Daimler announced a 1bn (880m) partnership last week to develop a suite of "mobility services" together, it was a clear sign of how the auto industry had changed. For one thing, the German giants - who plan to work on driverless vehicles, ride-hailing, and pay-per-use cars together - are normally fierce rivals who would never dream of teaming up. For another, their pact was just the latest in a growing line of partnerships between traditional carmakers who are preparing for an uncertain future, in which next-generation technology could upend the industry and Silicon Valley could hold more sway than Detroit or Wolfsburg. Just recently Ford and Volkswagen agreed to "investigate" ways of working on electric and autonomous vehicles together, while Honda invested $2.75bn (2.1bn) in rival General Motors' driverless unit with a view to launching a fleet of unmanned taxis. There have been similar tie-ups between Tesla and Daimler, and Volvo and PSA, as well as a host of pacts between carmakers and tech firms. "Nobody knows what the future of mobility is going to be exactly, so people are getting together to lower the risk," says Prof Peter Wells, director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff Business School. He expects electric cars, ride sharing and autonomous driving to radically change how we use cars, eventually prompting a fall in car ownership. So traditional carmakers are having to fight to remain relevant, particularly as tech companies like ride-hailing firm Uber and Google's driverless car business Waymo overtake them. "The research and development to develop these new technologies also costs billions, so it makes sense to share the burden rather than duplicating," he says. "The problem for the industry is that it is struggling to afford its own future." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Tesla has become the top manufacturer of plug-in passenger cars in the world Electric dreams Some of the partnerships between carmakers have included commitments to working on electric vehicle technology - although sharing in this area still proves difficult for many given the competitive nature of the industry. Electric cars still account for only a fraction of vehicles on our roads but that is expected to change over the next five years as regulators crack down on vehicle emissions levels from petrol and diesel cars. The problem, says David Leggett, editor of Just-Auto magazine, is that traditional carmakers "haven't really changed the way they make cars for 100 years" and are having to overhaul their production processes fast. "The main challenge is that the technology is costly. It's a tall order to make batteries that are cheap enough and perform well enough to compete with petrol engines," he says. The danger, he says, is new players coming in who can be radically different in how they make and sell cars or transport services. Image copyright Zipcar Image caption Car-sharing services like Zipcar could transform our relationship with cars, say analysts Perhaps the best example is US firm Tesla, led by Elon Musk, which in little over 15 years has become the world's number one manufacturer of plug-in passenger cars. The Chinese are also making huge strides in developing electrics, backed by generous subsidies from the Chinese government. Perhaps the bigger threat driving carmakers to team up is that car ownership could fall, as driverless vehicles take off and we increasingly opt to rent or borrow cars rather than buy them. The Boston Consulting Group estimates that nearly a third of the miles that Americans will rack up on roads by 2030 will be in electrified, autonomous vehicles operated by ride-sharing services. "Even now it's not that financially sensible to own a car - it's stationary 95% of the time and quickly loses its value," says Prof Wells. "But once car sharing takes off it will take the cost out of travel per mile and ownership will seem less appealing." To prepare themselves, most major carmakers have launched some form of mobility services programme while ploughing cash into driverless cars - either independently or in partnership. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Urban mobility services are increasingly branching out beyond cars For example, Daimler will merge its Car2Go car-sharing service with a range of mobility services operations at BMW - including an Uber-style ride-sharing service and a route management app that lets you plan and book entire trips using cars, public transport and even scooters. It's aimed at challenging the likes of Uber and Waymo, although many car firms have sought to partner with the tech challengers too. Toyota, for instance, invested $500m in Uber last year and chipmaker Nvidia is working with VW among others on areas such as artificial intelligence in cars. "There were lots of fears about tech firms taking over the industry, but this has receded a bit as tech firms see how difficult it is to make cars," says Prof Wells. "Look at Tesla - it's only just started to make a profit after 15 years in operation. It's not an easy industry to make money in." While more and more car firms are teaming up, their agreements are rarely exclusive or involve cross ownership. They also tend to collaborate only in certain areas, while remaining competitors in others. Mr Leggett doubts we will see any full-blown mergers between car brands in the coming years, even if there is the temptation to do so. "The car industry is littered with failed takeovers. The costs of aligning the production processes and marketing are simply too big." He instead expects to see more "rationalisation", with carmakers pulling out of unprofitable markets and forging more strategic pacts in the vein of Daimler and BMW. Car firms that fail to adapt will face an uncertain future, however. "At the end of the day, if a company is losing a lot of money it is difficult to carry on as it is," Mr Leggett says. "Traditional carmakers will get left behind if they haven't grasped the nettle of new technology." | More and more car companies are teaming up to develop new technologies. Traditional carmakers are struggling to keep pace with the rise of tech companies like Uber and Google's driverless car business Waymo. Analysts say electric cars, ride-hailing services and driverless cars could transform our relationship with cars. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47376677 | 0.793013 |
Can Georgian wine win over global drinkers? | Image copyright NAnka Dolidze Image caption Many Georgian winemakers such as Koka Achvadze still make their wine in traditional clay pots called qvevri that are buried underground The former Soviet state of Georgia is considered to be the birthplace of winemaking. I am following two men into a dark cellar that feels more like a tomb than part of a winery. Buried underground are a number of qvevri - large lemon-shaped clay pots full of grape juice slowly fermenting into wine. Each of the containers holds 2,000 litres of juice, which is added together with the grape skin and seeds, and left for six months. It is an ancient form of winemaking that historians say was first used in Georgia in at least 5,980 BC. This makes the former Soviet state, located in the Caucasus region south of Russia, the world's oldest wine producing country. The amber-coloured liquid is poured into my glass, and looks like brandy. It tastes a bit meaty, and my taste buds revolt. My head gets fuzzy, almost straight away. "It's a challenge for the newcomer, but when you get through the initial shock, it is rewarding," says Koka Archvadze, deputy director of the Tsinandali estate, some 100km (62 miles) east of Georgia's capital Tbilisi. For centuries winemaking has been been a key part of the Georgian economy, with most exports going to Russia. The relationship has, however, not always worked in Georgia's favour. While Georgia has always prided itself on its large number of indigenous grape varieties, when part of the USSR from 1922 to 1991 the Communists dug up many of the treasured old, but low-yielding red and white vines. They did this so as to replace them with high volume vines so they could make mass-produced wines. Image copyright NAnka Dolidze Image caption The country's main wine region, Kakheti, is located in the east of the country When Georgia gained its independence there was a big effort to increase propagation of the older varieties. Then in 2006, with Russia buying 95% of Georgia's wine exports, Moscow banned their importation. Georgians believed the ban was a political attack in retaliation to the pro-Western policies of the then Georgian President Mikheil Saakaskvili. The move crippled the Georgian wine industry, and it started to look for export sales in countries other than Russia. Although Russia repealed the embargo in 2013, Georgia now exports its wine to 55 countries. And while Russia is still its largest export market, its share has fallen to 62%. It is followed by Ukraine at 12%, China 8% and Kazakhstan 4%. Overall exports last year were 18% higher than in 2017. Irakli Cholobargia, from the Georgian National Wine Agency, says they are now increasingly focusing on western Europe and North America. "In volume we are not the big country," he says. "Our maximum capacity now is 300 million bottles [or production] a year, which is the size of one big Australian winery. "We cannot compete with France, Spain, Chile and South Africa [in size], but what we offer is our uniqueness, our grape varieties, and qvevri wine, our history. "Our strategy now is to be established in the Western and Asian markets, and to diversify the whole export market." One Georgian winemaker who is increasing his exports is Gia Piradashvili, founder of Winiveria. His wines are now available in countries including Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, and the US. Image copyright NAnka Dolidze Image caption Gia Piradashvili has seen some of his wines stocked by Michelin starred restaurants in Italy and France "We do not want to mass produce commercial wines, and we don't work with large chains and supermarket," he says. "Instead we work with niche wine boutiques and high quality restaurants. "I never thought that my wine would be offered in very good restaurants in Italy or France, Michelin starred restaurants. But now we do, and we are not alone." Back at the Tsinandali estate it now exports to counties including Switzerland and Monaco. First established in the 17th Century, Tsinandali is said to be the first winery in Georgia to produce its wine in glass bottles. Global Trade More from the BBC's series taking an international perspective on trade: With qvevri wines accounting for up to 10% of Georgian production, many of the rest are made by modern methods. But with the grape varieties being so unique, the flavours can be different to what many people in western Europe or the US expect. "The flavour profile for many people is not attractive quite frankly," says Lisa Granik, a New York-based expert on Georgian wine, who has the top Master of Wine qualification. "Or it is so unusual that they have difficulty understanding it." She adds that the Georgian names can also be hard to pronounce, and that many Americans "don't even know where Georgia is, they confuse it with the American state [of the same name]". Image copyright NAnka Dolidze Image caption While some Georgian wines are old-fashioned, others are made in a modern way Consistency is another challenge, says Ms Granik, because many Georgian wineries do not add any sulphur dioxide to their bottles to act as a preservative. "It is difficult for them to withstand the travelling [as a result]," she says. "The hygiene and consistency has to be ramped up." However, Ms Granik concludes that as more wine drinkers in the West want to try something new and different, Georgian wines could grow in popularity. "There are a lot of millennials who don't want a Bordeaux... they are looking for something that is weird and wild. "And they like this notion of natural, anti-corporate or something wine that's old and ancient, and they are open to this." | Former Soviet state of Georgia is considered to be the birthplace of winemaking. It is the world's oldest wine producing country, with most exports going to Russia. Georgian winemakers are increasingly focusing on western Europe and North America. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47363702 | 0.121749 |
Who Won The Masked Singer ? | Then, Nick Cannon revealed that the Monster had won, and we found out that the winner actually got to sit on a throne we had never noticed before while he waited for the Peacock to be unmasked as...Donny Osmond! Exactly who we thought it was, in the best way! First to be eliminated was the Bee, who turned out to be none other than the legendary Gladys Knight. No big deal, or anything, just one of the most important singers ever, it's fine. Tonight's two-hour finale finally unmasked the last of the masked singers, with everybody's favorite redemption story, the Monster, ending up with the Golden Mask Trophy in the end. Quite a trio of singers, that's who. "I didn't have a chance to come to the game with my natural voice," T-Pain said upon being unmasked. "A lot of peers did, and they get accepted. This helped me get my voice out there even more." The panel didn't even come close to guessing who it was, after they managed to guess Donny and Gladys, so their reactions were pretty damn good. Finally, it was time to reveal the true identity of the Monster, and it turned out to be...T-Pain! T-Pain, chilling in the funniest costume yet due to its barrel shape. Michael Becker/FOX; Charles Sykes/Bravo The Monster The Songs: "Don't Stop Me Now," "I Don't Want to Be," "American Woman," "I Love Rock & Roll," "Stay With Me" The Clues: He's a monster because that's what the world labeled him Here to rewrite his mixtape to prove he's more than "puff and fluff" At the top of his game, but the game turned on him Retreated into his cave to take a break from the public eye Here to set the record straight Not a professional singer "to everyone" Took a drive up from the south in his Cadillac New York and the desert in the background Back in the "swing" of things to get his mind right Has a deep wound to heal Like everyone else, I've had my share of dark days I'm a fighter I've discovered the teddy bear I am at heart Don't think about swinging your negativity his way, he'll just swing back Brought out a special headset: "I make my best calls on this headset" Nick thinks it might be someone he knows Had his own leather jacket that said "American Monster" Grew up in the south, had to stay inside Won awards, but out of nowhere people said he wasn't the real deal Couldn't let people make him a bad boy for life Came out from under the bed to step into the ring Says he was not on In Living Color and his shoe size is 12 Villified and persecuted for sounding like a ringtone Putting on a front made him angry Hiding behind faster tracks Away for over a decade "I'm a father, a husband, a son, a brother, and more than anything, I'm a person." Our Best Guess: It's probably T-Pain, but who knows?! The Reveal: T-Pain! Very Las Vegas Part of a magic act Said, "it's been a while since your mom had a poster of me on her wall" = Many versions of his career Started as a teenybop But there's more than meets the eye Cast in some dramatic roles Terrified of heights "I have performed in Las Vegas" Sad and lonely under mask It's like his entire career "disappeared into thin air" Everyone recognizes him Rainbow cape Weight 176 pounds "At night, I ride into the competition" Has to step up his game Brought out a curly wig: "Because of this wig, I was thrown in jail." Started as a showbiz prodigy, got fanmail very young Hosted award shows Performed for knights, kings, and queens "My face has been tattooed on a person's body." Hates to let his "little soldiers" down "I have dedicated my life to showbusiness. This mask transforms me into another character. It's funny because at home my partner would look at me and I'd be walking through the house [like a peacock]. And my partner would say, let it go, you're not a peacock at home....I've done this before." Our Best Guess: Donny Osmond. The Reveal: Donny Osmond! Michael Becker/FOX; VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images The Bee The Songs: "Chandelier," "Locked Out of Heaven," "Wrecking Ball," "What's Love Got to Do With It," "Natural Woman" The Clues: Long career, started in the 50s flown to soaring heights being a "worker bee" keeps her young call her "Queen bee" or "Empress" Wants to sing to new generation Peaches and honey references Faces lift her up Not up on what's happening in the music world today Have to be willing to flip the script Says "take me to court" Mom gave her the idea to form a group at a birthday party when she was 8 "It was always in the cards" Got a record deal and "All peaches and marmalade ever since" It's a trip singing songs other people have written "it's all in me" Never thought she'd be singing a modern power ballad Brought out bakeware: "This is my second favorite thing to do." "Going back to what I know best" "A few of us queen bees got our groove on back then, so which one am I?" Tina Turner is a close friend Has 10 Grammys Loves baking peach cobblers Santa Fe, Grammys Aretha Franklin is a good friend "I'm a people person. Behind this mask, it's difficult because I'm cut off in a way from you. I need to see you, I need to touch you, I need to feel you, and that's the way it is for me" Our Best Guess: Gladys Knight, also known as the "Empress of Soul" The Reveal: Gladys Knight! Article continues below Getty Images; FOX The Rabbit Songs performed: "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Wake Me Up," "Poison," "Isn't She Lovely," "My Girl" The Clues: Lots of twitching Was never alone on stage "Pops" up here and there Known for synchronized singing Has performed in a mask before Said the last mask standing "is gonna be me" Said "Yes, in a band" Amusement park/Coney Island themes Food references - likes to "cook up something new" Has felt "boxed in" in a group Could not say if he had toured with Nicole (Eden's Crush and NSYNC toured together) Wanted to confuse the panel with R&B Calls himself a trickster "I bounce here, I hop there, and then I'm gone" Busted out some old school moves, hoped he didn't pass out Brought a tiny magician kit: "It's another way I like to impress an audience." Marionette strings and puppets "Hanging tough in the sunshine state" "Break my achey heart" Circus theme on stage "I have 17 tattoos on my body" Loves camping and hiking "Chicken of the sea" "Trashin' the camp" (AKA the song NSYNC sang on the Tarzan soundtrack) Has done some work in a costume before, but not singing Our Best Guess: Joey Fatone feels really right. The NSYNC member used to have a cooking show and had a Coney Island-themed hot dog stand in Orlando, and this week, the Rabbit really sounded like Joey for the first time. The Reveal: Joey Fatone! Getty Images; FOX The Lion The Songs: "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody," "Feeling Good," "California Dreamin,'" "Diamond Heart," "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" The Clues: Hollywood royalty Stepping away from her pride Lots of women in her pride Feels like she's on cloud nine Could be a "frontrunner" Mask makes her feel courageous Important to use her voice Lots of protest imagery Newspaper called "Hailey Times" Wanted to prove being onstage is her destiny Wants to be a "model of courage" Loves The Wizard of Oz Time to stop being "sugar and spice" "Tick-tock, the twister is coming." Brought out a scrunchie: "It's a family heirloom." "Down in the cabaret bars of old Chicago" "Say my name" whispers and gossip (or rumors) The bluegrass state (Kentucky) "I have a subscription to a monthly mystery game" Born into an empire "I'm an advocate, not a victim, even though I've been bullied for a lot of my life. A daughter, a sister, I have moments of insecurity but to sing in a mask, it completely changes everything that you thought you know." Our Best Guess: Rumer Willis denied that it's her, but it definitely is. She's been in Chicago on Broadway. She was born in Kentucky and grew up in Hailey, Idaho. She's Hollywood royalty. The Reveal: Rumer Willis! Getty Images; FOX The Alien Songs: "Feel It Still," "Love Fools," "Happy," "Ex's & Oh's" The Clues: Grew up in public eye Anonymity is an alien concept No one will control her again Lots of snakes Has many sisters Kids toy imagery, more snakes She's a quadruple threat Has recorded many things Has been "poked and prodded" Wanted peace and quiet Always craved the simple life "That's hot" Destined for the limelight Brought out a police badge: "I've sworn to protect and serve" Badge says Indiana Knows a thing or two about the law and fashion Malibu and the Moulin Rouge Coordinates: 52 2 North, 57 66 East 1956 "I have been on the New York Times Best Seller's List twice" Best Guess: Those Simple Life/Paris Hilton references threw everything off, but La Toya Jackson is still the best guess. She even starred in a reality show called Armed and Famous about celebrities training to be reserve police officers in Muncie, Indiana. The Reveal: It's La Toya Jackson! Article continues below Getty Images; FOX The Raven The Songs: "Rainbow," "Bad Romance," "Brave" The Clues: Spent her life listening to other people's stories, now wants to share hers Always been a sunny kind of person Never had trouble getting an audience No one talks more than her Recently suffered a tragic loss Honoring "her beloved" Found beauty in the darkness "Like a phoenix from the ashes, I will rise up and find a light" "Don't cry, baby, this one's for you" Says she's a lover, not a fighter Confirmed she hosted a talk show Lots of bird imagery Once a lonely bird until a man came and recognized her beauty Cried tears of love into the Hudson River The year 1968 Did this show against all instincts Made a career of talking to people Has a bird's eye view from death to love 11:11 "My greatest joy is being a mother to my flock" Sometimes you have to look back to go forward Brought out an Emmy: "I place this where my flock can admire it" Our Best Guess: Ricki Lake. She lost her ex-husband in 2017 was born in 1968. The Reveal: It's Ricki Lake! Michael Becker / FOX; Michael Kovac/Getty Images for BCRF The Unicorn Songs: "Fight Song," "Oops I Did It Again," "I Love It" The Clues: Born in Beverly Hills Told she was tone-deaf Always told she wasn't good enough Wants to prove you just have to believe in yourself Said "they call me Bird" Recently lost her sheen (Sheen?) Wanted to exude model behavior Said she's feeling Victorious Said she's going for the gold Balloon imagery Only known as a gymnast "in the bedroom" Words like "Floated" "Heaven" Five little unicorns "Cartwheels" "Crafted" Brought out a typewriter: "This typewriter has created lots of magic" The Reveal: It's Tori Spelling! The typewriter was Aaron Spelling's actual typewriter! Paul Morigi/WireImage; FOX The Poodle Week 1: Performed "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar The Clues: Ever since she was a little girl she's loved to be on stage and to take on a character. She picked a poodle because it's sassy, smart, and best in show. She loves San Francisco and comes from a musical family, but she's known for a different talent. She loves exercising her right to free speech and rainbows are involved. She's returning to musical roots to show a side never seen before, and to figure her out we're all going to have to WORK. She says "I'm here for your honor." Week 4: Performed "Time After Time" The New Clues: Has to be flawless to do this role of the poodle justice, turns to best friends to practice new material, tells a joke so she's definitely a comedian, lots of legal references, heights are her biggest fear, says she's been fired multiple times. The Reveal: It's Margaret Cho! Article continues below Fox Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic The Deer Week 1: Performed "Thunder" The Clues: 6'3", chose the deer because they're incredibly competitive, always considered himself a singer but not sure anyone else would agree, says it's hard for people to get past who he is and what he's known for, he's been knocked down fifty times, but in the Wild Wild West you learn how to get up and get back in the saddle, likes horses, had to wrap his antlers in medical tape. He also said "Ravens beware," and had to "take the fifth" when the panel asked if he played in the NFL. Week 3: Performed "Get Your Shine On" The new clues: Being in the bottom isn't his style, used to be able to sell "salt to a slug," now seems to sell used cars but can't get his lines right, knows how to throw, really likes throwing, does a lot of throwing, throwing! Said "I have multiple world titles, started in track and field, then it went to horses." He's done car commercials... The Reveal: Terry Bradshaw Fox Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Happiest Baby The Pineapple Week 2: Performed "I Will Survive" The Clues: Decided to be a pineapple because they're "fun, tropical, and go well with ham," been through some dark times, beat a life-threatening disease, this OG decided to take things as they come, never wipe the smile off my face, been in the public eye for decades, always dreamed of being a singer, has a bumper sticker that says "pipe dream" and is clearly into smoking weed. The Reveal: Tommy Chong Fox Alberto E. Rodriguez/VMN18/Getty Images For Nickelodeon The Hippo Week 1: Performed "My Prerogative" The Clues: Male, breakfast is the most important meal of the day because he needs his strength, he's one of the most dangerous animals in the kingdom, used to performing in a mask in front of thousands of screaming fans, has to dance whenever he wins even when it gets him in trouble, drinks orange juice, has a lot of money, and his favorite past time is bowling. The Reveal: Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown | The two-hour finale finally unmasked the last of the masked singers. The winner was revealed to be T-Pain. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.eonline.com/ap/news/1019373/who-won-the-masked-singer | 0.401526 |
Who Won The Masked Singer ? | Then, Nick Cannon revealed that the Monster had won, and we found out that the winner actually got to sit on a throne we had never noticed before while he waited for the Peacock to be unmasked as...Donny Osmond! Exactly who we thought it was, in the best way! First to be eliminated was the Bee, who turned out to be none other than the legendary Gladys Knight. No big deal, or anything, just one of the most important singers ever, it's fine. Tonight's two-hour finale finally unmasked the last of the masked singers, with everybody's favorite redemption story, the Monster, ending up with the Golden Mask Trophy in the end. Quite a trio of singers, that's who. "I didn't have a chance to come to the game with my natural voice," T-Pain said upon being unmasked. "A lot of peers did, and they get accepted. This helped me get my voice out there even more." The panel didn't even come close to guessing who it was, after they managed to guess Donny and Gladys, so their reactions were pretty damn good. Finally, it was time to reveal the true identity of the Monster, and it turned out to be...T-Pain! T-Pain, chilling in the funniest costume yet due to its barrel shape. Michael Becker/FOX; Charles Sykes/Bravo The Monster The Songs: "Don't Stop Me Now," "I Don't Want to Be," "American Woman," "I Love Rock & Roll," "Stay With Me" The Clues: He's a monster because that's what the world labeled him Here to rewrite his mixtape to prove he's more than "puff and fluff" At the top of his game, but the game turned on him Retreated into his cave to take a break from the public eye Here to set the record straight Not a professional singer "to everyone" Took a drive up from the south in his Cadillac New York and the desert in the background Back in the "swing" of things to get his mind right Has a deep wound to heal Like everyone else, I've had my share of dark days I'm a fighter I've discovered the teddy bear I am at heart Don't think about swinging your negativity his way, he'll just swing back Brought out a special headset: "I make my best calls on this headset" Nick thinks it might be someone he knows Had his own leather jacket that said "American Monster" Grew up in the south, had to stay inside Won awards, but out of nowhere people said he wasn't the real deal Couldn't let people make him a bad boy for life Came out from under the bed to step into the ring Says he was not on In Living Color and his shoe size is 12 Villified and persecuted for sounding like a ringtone Putting on a front made him angry Hiding behind faster tracks Away for over a decade "I'm a father, a husband, a son, a brother, and more than anything, I'm a person." Our Best Guess: It's probably T-Pain, but who knows?! The Reveal: T-Pain! Very Las Vegas Part of a magic act Said, "it's been a while since your mom had a poster of me on her wall" = Many versions of his career Started as a teenybop But there's more than meets the eye Cast in some dramatic roles Terrified of heights "I have performed in Las Vegas" Sad and lonely under mask It's like his entire career "disappeared into thin air" Everyone recognizes him Rainbow cape Weight 176 pounds "At night, I ride into the competition" Has to step up his game Brought out a curly wig: "Because of this wig, I was thrown in jail." Started as a showbiz prodigy, got fanmail very young Hosted award shows Performed for knights, kings, and queens "My face has been tattooed on a person's body." Hates to let his "little soldiers" down "I have dedicated my life to showbusiness. This mask transforms me into another character. It's funny because at home my partner would look at me and I'd be walking through the house [like a peacock]. And my partner would say, let it go, you're not a peacock at home....I've done this before." Our Best Guess: Donny Osmond. The Reveal: Donny Osmond! Michael Becker/FOX; VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images The Bee The Songs: "Chandelier," "Locked Out of Heaven," "Wrecking Ball," "What's Love Got to Do With It," "Natural Woman" The Clues: Long career, started in the 50s flown to soaring heights being a "worker bee" keeps her young call her "Queen bee" or "Empress" Wants to sing to new generation Peaches and honey references Faces lift her up Not up on what's happening in the music world today Have to be willing to flip the script Says "take me to court" Mom gave her the idea to form a group at a birthday party when she was 8 "It was always in the cards" Got a record deal and "All peaches and marmalade ever since" It's a trip singing songs other people have written "it's all in me" Never thought she'd be singing a modern power ballad Brought out bakeware: "This is my second favorite thing to do." "Going back to what I know best" "A few of us queen bees got our groove on back then, so which one am I?" Tina Turner is a close friend Has 10 Grammys Loves baking peach cobblers Santa Fe, Grammys Aretha Franklin is a good friend "I'm a people person. Behind this mask, it's difficult because I'm cut off in a way from you. I need to see you, I need to touch you, I need to feel you, and that's the way it is for me" Our Best Guess: Gladys Knight, also known as the "Empress of Soul" The Reveal: Gladys Knight! Article continues below Getty Images; FOX The Rabbit Songs performed: "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Wake Me Up," "Poison," "Isn't She Lovely," "My Girl" The Clues: Lots of twitching Was never alone on stage "Pops" up here and there Known for synchronized singing Has performed in a mask before Said the last mask standing "is gonna be me" Said "Yes, in a band" Amusement park/Coney Island themes Food references - likes to "cook up something new" Has felt "boxed in" in a group Could not say if he had toured with Nicole (Eden's Crush and NSYNC toured together) Wanted to confuse the panel with R&B Calls himself a trickster "I bounce here, I hop there, and then I'm gone" Busted out some old school moves, hoped he didn't pass out Brought a tiny magician kit: "It's another way I like to impress an audience." Marionette strings and puppets "Hanging tough in the sunshine state" "Break my achey heart" Circus theme on stage "I have 17 tattoos on my body" Loves camping and hiking "Chicken of the sea" "Trashin' the camp" (AKA the song NSYNC sang on the Tarzan soundtrack) Has done some work in a costume before, but not singing Our Best Guess: Joey Fatone feels really right. The NSYNC member used to have a cooking show and had a Coney Island-themed hot dog stand in Orlando, and this week, the Rabbit really sounded like Joey for the first time. The Reveal: Joey Fatone! Getty Images; FOX The Lion The Songs: "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody," "Feeling Good," "California Dreamin,'" "Diamond Heart," "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" The Clues: Hollywood royalty Stepping away from her pride Lots of women in her pride Feels like she's on cloud nine Could be a "frontrunner" Mask makes her feel courageous Important to use her voice Lots of protest imagery Newspaper called "Hailey Times" Wanted to prove being onstage is her destiny Wants to be a "model of courage" Loves The Wizard of Oz Time to stop being "sugar and spice" "Tick-tock, the twister is coming." Brought out a scrunchie: "It's a family heirloom." "Down in the cabaret bars of old Chicago" "Say my name" whispers and gossip (or rumors) The bluegrass state (Kentucky) "I have a subscription to a monthly mystery game" Born into an empire "I'm an advocate, not a victim, even though I've been bullied for a lot of my life. A daughter, a sister, I have moments of insecurity but to sing in a mask, it completely changes everything that you thought you know." Our Best Guess: Rumer Willis denied that it's her, but it definitely is. She's been in Chicago on Broadway. She was born in Kentucky and grew up in Hailey, Idaho. She's Hollywood royalty. The Reveal: Rumer Willis! Getty Images; FOX The Alien Songs: "Feel It Still," "Love Fools," "Happy," "Ex's & Oh's" The Clues: Grew up in public eye Anonymity is an alien concept No one will control her again Lots of snakes Has many sisters Kids toy imagery, more snakes She's a quadruple threat Has recorded many things Has been "poked and prodded" Wanted peace and quiet Always craved the simple life "That's hot" Destined for the limelight Brought out a police badge: "I've sworn to protect and serve" Badge says Indiana Knows a thing or two about the law and fashion Malibu and the Moulin Rouge Coordinates: 52 2 North, 57 66 East 1956 "I have been on the New York Times Best Seller's List twice" Best Guess: Those Simple Life/Paris Hilton references threw everything off, but La Toya Jackson is still the best guess. She even starred in a reality show called Armed and Famous about celebrities training to be reserve police officers in Muncie, Indiana. The Reveal: It's La Toya Jackson! Article continues below Getty Images; FOX The Raven The Songs: "Rainbow," "Bad Romance," "Brave" The Clues: Spent her life listening to other people's stories, now wants to share hers Always been a sunny kind of person Never had trouble getting an audience No one talks more than her Recently suffered a tragic loss Honoring "her beloved" Found beauty in the darkness "Like a phoenix from the ashes, I will rise up and find a light" "Don't cry, baby, this one's for you" Says she's a lover, not a fighter Confirmed she hosted a talk show Lots of bird imagery Once a lonely bird until a man came and recognized her beauty Cried tears of love into the Hudson River The year 1968 Did this show against all instincts Made a career of talking to people Has a bird's eye view from death to love 11:11 "My greatest joy is being a mother to my flock" Sometimes you have to look back to go forward Brought out an Emmy: "I place this where my flock can admire it" Our Best Guess: Ricki Lake. She lost her ex-husband in 2017 was born in 1968. The Reveal: It's Ricki Lake! Michael Becker / FOX; Michael Kovac/Getty Images for BCRF The Unicorn Songs: "Fight Song," "Oops I Did It Again," "I Love It" The Clues: Born in Beverly Hills Told she was tone-deaf Always told she wasn't good enough Wants to prove you just have to believe in yourself Said "they call me Bird" Recently lost her sheen (Sheen?) Wanted to exude model behavior Said she's feeling Victorious Said she's going for the gold Balloon imagery Only known as a gymnast "in the bedroom" Words like "Floated" "Heaven" Five little unicorns "Cartwheels" "Crafted" Brought out a typewriter: "This typewriter has created lots of magic" The Reveal: It's Tori Spelling! The typewriter was Aaron Spelling's actual typewriter! Paul Morigi/WireImage; FOX The Poodle Week 1: Performed "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar The Clues: Ever since she was a little girl she's loved to be on stage and to take on a character. She picked a poodle because it's sassy, smart, and best in show. She loves San Francisco and comes from a musical family, but she's known for a different talent. She loves exercising her right to free speech and rainbows are involved. She's returning to musical roots to show a side never seen before, and to figure her out we're all going to have to WORK. She says "I'm here for your honor." Week 4: Performed "Time After Time" The New Clues: Has to be flawless to do this role of the poodle justice, turns to best friends to practice new material, tells a joke so she's definitely a comedian, lots of legal references, heights are her biggest fear, says she's been fired multiple times. The Reveal: It's Margaret Cho! Article continues below Fox Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic The Deer Week 1: Performed "Thunder" The Clues: 6'3", chose the deer because they're incredibly competitive, always considered himself a singer but not sure anyone else would agree, says it's hard for people to get past who he is and what he's known for, he's been knocked down fifty times, but in the Wild Wild West you learn how to get up and get back in the saddle, likes horses, had to wrap his antlers in medical tape. He also said "Ravens beware," and had to "take the fifth" when the panel asked if he played in the NFL. Week 3: Performed "Get Your Shine On" The new clues: Being in the bottom isn't his style, used to be able to sell "salt to a slug," now seems to sell used cars but can't get his lines right, knows how to throw, really likes throwing, does a lot of throwing, throwing! Said "I have multiple world titles, started in track and field, then it went to horses." He's done car commercials... The Reveal: Terry Bradshaw Fox Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Happiest Baby The Pineapple Week 2: Performed "I Will Survive" The Clues: Decided to be a pineapple because they're "fun, tropical, and go well with ham," been through some dark times, beat a life-threatening disease, this OG decided to take things as they come, never wipe the smile off my face, been in the public eye for decades, always dreamed of being a singer, has a bumper sticker that says "pipe dream" and is clearly into smoking weed. The Reveal: Tommy Chong Fox Alberto E. Rodriguez/VMN18/Getty Images For Nickelodeon The Hippo Week 1: Performed "My Prerogative" The Clues: Male, breakfast is the most important meal of the day because he needs his strength, he's one of the most dangerous animals in the kingdom, used to performing in a mask in front of thousands of screaming fans, has to dance whenever he wins even when it gets him in trouble, drinks orange juice, has a lot of money, and his favorite past time is bowling. The Reveal: Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown | T-Pain was unmasked as the winner of "The Masked Singer" The Monster was revealed as Donny Osmond. The Monster is a former teenybop singer. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.eonline.com/ap/news/1019373/who-won-the-masked-singer | 0.458902 |
Who Won The Masked Singer ? | Then, Nick Cannon revealed that the Monster had won, and we found out that the winner actually got to sit on a throne we had never noticed before while he waited for the Peacock to be unmasked as...Donny Osmond! Exactly who we thought it was, in the best way! First to be eliminated was the Bee, who turned out to be none other than the legendary Gladys Knight. No big deal, or anything, just one of the most important singers ever, it's fine. Tonight's two-hour finale finally unmasked the last of the masked singers, with everybody's favorite redemption story, the Monster, ending up with the Golden Mask Trophy in the end. Quite a trio of singers, that's who. "I didn't have a chance to come to the game with my natural voice," T-Pain said upon being unmasked. "A lot of peers did, and they get accepted. This helped me get my voice out there even more." The panel didn't even come close to guessing who it was, after they managed to guess Donny and Gladys, so their reactions were pretty damn good. Finally, it was time to reveal the true identity of the Monster, and it turned out to be...T-Pain! T-Pain, chilling in the funniest costume yet due to its barrel shape. Michael Becker/FOX; Charles Sykes/Bravo The Monster The Songs: "Don't Stop Me Now," "I Don't Want to Be," "American Woman," "I Love Rock & Roll," "Stay With Me" The Clues: He's a monster because that's what the world labeled him Here to rewrite his mixtape to prove he's more than "puff and fluff" At the top of his game, but the game turned on him Retreated into his cave to take a break from the public eye Here to set the record straight Not a professional singer "to everyone" Took a drive up from the south in his Cadillac New York and the desert in the background Back in the "swing" of things to get his mind right Has a deep wound to heal Like everyone else, I've had my share of dark days I'm a fighter I've discovered the teddy bear I am at heart Don't think about swinging your negativity his way, he'll just swing back Brought out a special headset: "I make my best calls on this headset" Nick thinks it might be someone he knows Had his own leather jacket that said "American Monster" Grew up in the south, had to stay inside Won awards, but out of nowhere people said he wasn't the real deal Couldn't let people make him a bad boy for life Came out from under the bed to step into the ring Says he was not on In Living Color and his shoe size is 12 Villified and persecuted for sounding like a ringtone Putting on a front made him angry Hiding behind faster tracks Away for over a decade "I'm a father, a husband, a son, a brother, and more than anything, I'm a person." Our Best Guess: It's probably T-Pain, but who knows?! The Reveal: T-Pain! Very Las Vegas Part of a magic act Said, "it's been a while since your mom had a poster of me on her wall" = Many versions of his career Started as a teenybop But there's more than meets the eye Cast in some dramatic roles Terrified of heights "I have performed in Las Vegas" Sad and lonely under mask It's like his entire career "disappeared into thin air" Everyone recognizes him Rainbow cape Weight 176 pounds "At night, I ride into the competition" Has to step up his game Brought out a curly wig: "Because of this wig, I was thrown in jail." Started as a showbiz prodigy, got fanmail very young Hosted award shows Performed for knights, kings, and queens "My face has been tattooed on a person's body." Hates to let his "little soldiers" down "I have dedicated my life to showbusiness. This mask transforms me into another character. It's funny because at home my partner would look at me and I'd be walking through the house [like a peacock]. And my partner would say, let it go, you're not a peacock at home....I've done this before." Our Best Guess: Donny Osmond. The Reveal: Donny Osmond! Michael Becker/FOX; VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images The Bee The Songs: "Chandelier," "Locked Out of Heaven," "Wrecking Ball," "What's Love Got to Do With It," "Natural Woman" The Clues: Long career, started in the 50s flown to soaring heights being a "worker bee" keeps her young call her "Queen bee" or "Empress" Wants to sing to new generation Peaches and honey references Faces lift her up Not up on what's happening in the music world today Have to be willing to flip the script Says "take me to court" Mom gave her the idea to form a group at a birthday party when she was 8 "It was always in the cards" Got a record deal and "All peaches and marmalade ever since" It's a trip singing songs other people have written "it's all in me" Never thought she'd be singing a modern power ballad Brought out bakeware: "This is my second favorite thing to do." "Going back to what I know best" "A few of us queen bees got our groove on back then, so which one am I?" Tina Turner is a close friend Has 10 Grammys Loves baking peach cobblers Santa Fe, Grammys Aretha Franklin is a good friend "I'm a people person. Behind this mask, it's difficult because I'm cut off in a way from you. I need to see you, I need to touch you, I need to feel you, and that's the way it is for me" Our Best Guess: Gladys Knight, also known as the "Empress of Soul" The Reveal: Gladys Knight! Article continues below Getty Images; FOX The Rabbit Songs performed: "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Wake Me Up," "Poison," "Isn't She Lovely," "My Girl" The Clues: Lots of twitching Was never alone on stage "Pops" up here and there Known for synchronized singing Has performed in a mask before Said the last mask standing "is gonna be me" Said "Yes, in a band" Amusement park/Coney Island themes Food references - likes to "cook up something new" Has felt "boxed in" in a group Could not say if he had toured with Nicole (Eden's Crush and NSYNC toured together) Wanted to confuse the panel with R&B Calls himself a trickster "I bounce here, I hop there, and then I'm gone" Busted out some old school moves, hoped he didn't pass out Brought a tiny magician kit: "It's another way I like to impress an audience." Marionette strings and puppets "Hanging tough in the sunshine state" "Break my achey heart" Circus theme on stage "I have 17 tattoos on my body" Loves camping and hiking "Chicken of the sea" "Trashin' the camp" (AKA the song NSYNC sang on the Tarzan soundtrack) Has done some work in a costume before, but not singing Our Best Guess: Joey Fatone feels really right. The NSYNC member used to have a cooking show and had a Coney Island-themed hot dog stand in Orlando, and this week, the Rabbit really sounded like Joey for the first time. The Reveal: Joey Fatone! Getty Images; FOX The Lion The Songs: "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody," "Feeling Good," "California Dreamin,'" "Diamond Heart," "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" The Clues: Hollywood royalty Stepping away from her pride Lots of women in her pride Feels like she's on cloud nine Could be a "frontrunner" Mask makes her feel courageous Important to use her voice Lots of protest imagery Newspaper called "Hailey Times" Wanted to prove being onstage is her destiny Wants to be a "model of courage" Loves The Wizard of Oz Time to stop being "sugar and spice" "Tick-tock, the twister is coming." Brought out a scrunchie: "It's a family heirloom." "Down in the cabaret bars of old Chicago" "Say my name" whispers and gossip (or rumors) The bluegrass state (Kentucky) "I have a subscription to a monthly mystery game" Born into an empire "I'm an advocate, not a victim, even though I've been bullied for a lot of my life. A daughter, a sister, I have moments of insecurity but to sing in a mask, it completely changes everything that you thought you know." Our Best Guess: Rumer Willis denied that it's her, but it definitely is. She's been in Chicago on Broadway. She was born in Kentucky and grew up in Hailey, Idaho. She's Hollywood royalty. The Reveal: Rumer Willis! Getty Images; FOX The Alien Songs: "Feel It Still," "Love Fools," "Happy," "Ex's & Oh's" The Clues: Grew up in public eye Anonymity is an alien concept No one will control her again Lots of snakes Has many sisters Kids toy imagery, more snakes She's a quadruple threat Has recorded many things Has been "poked and prodded" Wanted peace and quiet Always craved the simple life "That's hot" Destined for the limelight Brought out a police badge: "I've sworn to protect and serve" Badge says Indiana Knows a thing or two about the law and fashion Malibu and the Moulin Rouge Coordinates: 52 2 North, 57 66 East 1956 "I have been on the New York Times Best Seller's List twice" Best Guess: Those Simple Life/Paris Hilton references threw everything off, but La Toya Jackson is still the best guess. She even starred in a reality show called Armed and Famous about celebrities training to be reserve police officers in Muncie, Indiana. The Reveal: It's La Toya Jackson! Article continues below Getty Images; FOX The Raven The Songs: "Rainbow," "Bad Romance," "Brave" The Clues: Spent her life listening to other people's stories, now wants to share hers Always been a sunny kind of person Never had trouble getting an audience No one talks more than her Recently suffered a tragic loss Honoring "her beloved" Found beauty in the darkness "Like a phoenix from the ashes, I will rise up and find a light" "Don't cry, baby, this one's for you" Says she's a lover, not a fighter Confirmed she hosted a talk show Lots of bird imagery Once a lonely bird until a man came and recognized her beauty Cried tears of love into the Hudson River The year 1968 Did this show against all instincts Made a career of talking to people Has a bird's eye view from death to love 11:11 "My greatest joy is being a mother to my flock" Sometimes you have to look back to go forward Brought out an Emmy: "I place this where my flock can admire it" Our Best Guess: Ricki Lake. She lost her ex-husband in 2017 was born in 1968. The Reveal: It's Ricki Lake! Michael Becker / FOX; Michael Kovac/Getty Images for BCRF The Unicorn Songs: "Fight Song," "Oops I Did It Again," "I Love It" The Clues: Born in Beverly Hills Told she was tone-deaf Always told she wasn't good enough Wants to prove you just have to believe in yourself Said "they call me Bird" Recently lost her sheen (Sheen?) Wanted to exude model behavior Said she's feeling Victorious Said she's going for the gold Balloon imagery Only known as a gymnast "in the bedroom" Words like "Floated" "Heaven" Five little unicorns "Cartwheels" "Crafted" Brought out a typewriter: "This typewriter has created lots of magic" The Reveal: It's Tori Spelling! The typewriter was Aaron Spelling's actual typewriter! Paul Morigi/WireImage; FOX The Poodle Week 1: Performed "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar The Clues: Ever since she was a little girl she's loved to be on stage and to take on a character. She picked a poodle because it's sassy, smart, and best in show. She loves San Francisco and comes from a musical family, but she's known for a different talent. She loves exercising her right to free speech and rainbows are involved. She's returning to musical roots to show a side never seen before, and to figure her out we're all going to have to WORK. She says "I'm here for your honor." Week 4: Performed "Time After Time" The New Clues: Has to be flawless to do this role of the poodle justice, turns to best friends to practice new material, tells a joke so she's definitely a comedian, lots of legal references, heights are her biggest fear, says she's been fired multiple times. The Reveal: It's Margaret Cho! Article continues below Fox Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic The Deer Week 1: Performed "Thunder" The Clues: 6'3", chose the deer because they're incredibly competitive, always considered himself a singer but not sure anyone else would agree, says it's hard for people to get past who he is and what he's known for, he's been knocked down fifty times, but in the Wild Wild West you learn how to get up and get back in the saddle, likes horses, had to wrap his antlers in medical tape. He also said "Ravens beware," and had to "take the fifth" when the panel asked if he played in the NFL. Week 3: Performed "Get Your Shine On" The new clues: Being in the bottom isn't his style, used to be able to sell "salt to a slug," now seems to sell used cars but can't get his lines right, knows how to throw, really likes throwing, does a lot of throwing, throwing! Said "I have multiple world titles, started in track and field, then it went to horses." He's done car commercials... The Reveal: Terry Bradshaw Fox Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Happiest Baby The Pineapple Week 2: Performed "I Will Survive" The Clues: Decided to be a pineapple because they're "fun, tropical, and go well with ham," been through some dark times, beat a life-threatening disease, this OG decided to take things as they come, never wipe the smile off my face, been in the public eye for decades, always dreamed of being a singer, has a bumper sticker that says "pipe dream" and is clearly into smoking weed. The Reveal: Tommy Chong Fox Alberto E. Rodriguez/VMN18/Getty Images For Nickelodeon The Hippo Week 1: Performed "My Prerogative" The Clues: Male, breakfast is the most important meal of the day because he needs his strength, he's one of the most dangerous animals in the kingdom, used to performing in a mask in front of thousands of screaming fans, has to dance whenever he wins even when it gets him in trouble, drinks orange juice, has a lot of money, and his favorite past time is bowling. The Reveal: Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown | T-Pain was unmasked as the winner of "The Masked Singer" The Monster was revealed as Donny Osmond. The Monster is a former teenybop singer who went on to have a successful career. The winner was revealed to be T-pain. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.eonline.com/ap/news/1019373/who-won-the-masked-singer | 0.458895 |
Is Twitter's Spritzer Stream Really A Nearly Perfect 1% Sample Of Its Firehose? | One of the leading factors in Twitters popularity among data scientists is its JSON APIs. Among those APIs is its Spritzer or Sample stream which is a realtime stream of a random sample of 1% of all tweets. Unlike Twitters premium data offerings, the Spritzer stream is available free of charge and has become a mainstay of macro-level social media analytics and research. Previous work has thoroughly deconstructed the sampling mechanism used by Twitter to create the 1% stream and found it to be largely methodologically sound, though vulnerable to manipulation. However, there are unanswered questions about how closely the 1% stream hews to the complete Twitter firehose in practice and whether the two yield nearly identical results in practice. Using Crimson Hexagon to search Twitter for tweets mentioning climate change January 2012 to October 2018 yields a total of 83.6 million tweets, while a search for global warming over the same period yields around 26.1 million tweets and the IPCC garners around 2.1 million tweets. On an average day there were around 33,500 climate tweets, 10,500 global warming tweets and 850 IPCC tweets. This trio of topics, one medium, one small and one micro, offers a perfect testbed to determine how closely these results from the Twitter firehose match those of the free 1% stream over the same time period. Comparing the results from Crimson Hexagon against the free 1% Twitter stream over the same period, all three timelines were highly correlated. Climate change was correlated at r=0.96, global warming at r=0.94 and IPCC at r=0.94. In short, from a purely volumetric trend detection standpoint, you will get the same story whether searching the firehose or the 1% stream, even for topics that average just a few hundred tweets a day. Searching for a much rarer topic like carbon sequestration yields just 60,500 tweets over the entire period and averages just 24 tweets on a typical day, with nearly a third of the period having 0 to 10 tweets per day. Even this extremely low volume topic still offered a timeline that was correlated at r=0.79 between the 1% and firehose streams. Obviously the rarer a topic the more exclusion error there will be in the 1% stream simply due to the statistics of how likely one of that topics tweets are to be found in a 1% sample. Though, as the numbers above show, even topics with just a handful of tweets per day can still yield a representative signal. Looking at the 1% stream as a whole over the period January 2012 to October 2018, it has remained nearly perfectly steady within a close interval of 1% of the full firehose over all 7 years of the comparison. Prior to February 2015 the 1% stream averaged around 0.99%, but after an adjustment made by Twitter in February 2015 the volume dropped to around 0.98% overall. The daily tweet volume between the 1% stream and the firehose over those seven years was almost perfectly correlated at r=0.987. The total volume of non-retweets was correlated at r=0.996 and tweets with URLs were correlated at r=0.986. Verified tweets, being far rarer, were correlated at only r=0.877. In short, from the standpoint of daily volume counts, whether one uses the 1% stream or the firehose, the results here suggest that the results will be nearly identical. Rarer topics and less common attributes like verified users will exhibit more error due to the extreme sampling, but still yield almost identical trends. This tight alignment between the contents of the free 1% and commercial firehose Twitter streams is critically important in that it suggests that findings derived from the 1% stream are likely to validly reflect genuine Twitter trends. Given how much of published academic research on Twitter relies on the free 1% stream, it suggests that the body of literature on Twitter is not unduly skewed by relying on the 1% sample. In turn, this suggests that the kinds of advanced Twitter analyses that are not supported by realtime social media analytics platforms, like fine-grained linguistic analysis and even neural language modeling of topics, can be safely performed on the 1% data. For example, one could examine the linguistic evolution of commentary on a topic like climate change and compare that to the baseline of the totality of Twitter to understand which words are statistically significant to climate-related conversations. Putting this all together, we see that the Twitter Spritzer/Sample stream offers a fairly stable and robust 1% sample of the totality of Twitter and that this sample has remained stable over at least the past seven years. Volume timelines derived from this sample closely match those produced from the firehose at both the micro scale of a single query and the macro scale of Twitter as a whole. Even very low volume queries that generate just a handful of tweets per day still yield daily attention timelines highly correlated with their firehose results. In the end, it seems the Twitter 1% stream can be reliably and robustly used as a proxy for Twitter as a whole. | Twitter's Spritzer stream is a realtime stream of a random sample of 1% of all tweets. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/02/27/is-twitters-spritzer-stream-really-a-nearly-perfect-1-sample-of-its-firehose/ | 0.52575 |
Is Twitter's Spritzer Stream Really A Nearly Perfect 1% Sample Of Its Firehose? | One of the leading factors in Twitters popularity among data scientists is its JSON APIs. Among those APIs is its Spritzer or Sample stream which is a realtime stream of a random sample of 1% of all tweets. Unlike Twitters premium data offerings, the Spritzer stream is available free of charge and has become a mainstay of macro-level social media analytics and research. Previous work has thoroughly deconstructed the sampling mechanism used by Twitter to create the 1% stream and found it to be largely methodologically sound, though vulnerable to manipulation. However, there are unanswered questions about how closely the 1% stream hews to the complete Twitter firehose in practice and whether the two yield nearly identical results in practice. Using Crimson Hexagon to search Twitter for tweets mentioning climate change January 2012 to October 2018 yields a total of 83.6 million tweets, while a search for global warming over the same period yields around 26.1 million tweets and the IPCC garners around 2.1 million tweets. On an average day there were around 33,500 climate tweets, 10,500 global warming tweets and 850 IPCC tweets. This trio of topics, one medium, one small and one micro, offers a perfect testbed to determine how closely these results from the Twitter firehose match those of the free 1% stream over the same time period. Comparing the results from Crimson Hexagon against the free 1% Twitter stream over the same period, all three timelines were highly correlated. Climate change was correlated at r=0.96, global warming at r=0.94 and IPCC at r=0.94. In short, from a purely volumetric trend detection standpoint, you will get the same story whether searching the firehose or the 1% stream, even for topics that average just a few hundred tweets a day. Searching for a much rarer topic like carbon sequestration yields just 60,500 tweets over the entire period and averages just 24 tweets on a typical day, with nearly a third of the period having 0 to 10 tweets per day. Even this extremely low volume topic still offered a timeline that was correlated at r=0.79 between the 1% and firehose streams. Obviously the rarer a topic the more exclusion error there will be in the 1% stream simply due to the statistics of how likely one of that topics tweets are to be found in a 1% sample. Though, as the numbers above show, even topics with just a handful of tweets per day can still yield a representative signal. Looking at the 1% stream as a whole over the period January 2012 to October 2018, it has remained nearly perfectly steady within a close interval of 1% of the full firehose over all 7 years of the comparison. Prior to February 2015 the 1% stream averaged around 0.99%, but after an adjustment made by Twitter in February 2015 the volume dropped to around 0.98% overall. The daily tweet volume between the 1% stream and the firehose over those seven years was almost perfectly correlated at r=0.987. The total volume of non-retweets was correlated at r=0.996 and tweets with URLs were correlated at r=0.986. Verified tweets, being far rarer, were correlated at only r=0.877. In short, from the standpoint of daily volume counts, whether one uses the 1% stream or the firehose, the results here suggest that the results will be nearly identical. Rarer topics and less common attributes like verified users will exhibit more error due to the extreme sampling, but still yield almost identical trends. This tight alignment between the contents of the free 1% and commercial firehose Twitter streams is critically important in that it suggests that findings derived from the 1% stream are likely to validly reflect genuine Twitter trends. Given how much of published academic research on Twitter relies on the free 1% stream, it suggests that the body of literature on Twitter is not unduly skewed by relying on the 1% sample. In turn, this suggests that the kinds of advanced Twitter analyses that are not supported by realtime social media analytics platforms, like fine-grained linguistic analysis and even neural language modeling of topics, can be safely performed on the 1% data. For example, one could examine the linguistic evolution of commentary on a topic like climate change and compare that to the baseline of the totality of Twitter to understand which words are statistically significant to climate-related conversations. Putting this all together, we see that the Twitter Spritzer/Sample stream offers a fairly stable and robust 1% sample of the totality of Twitter and that this sample has remained stable over at least the past seven years. Volume timelines derived from this sample closely match those produced from the firehose at both the micro scale of a single query and the macro scale of Twitter as a whole. Even very low volume queries that generate just a handful of tweets per day still yield daily attention timelines highly correlated with their firehose results. In the end, it seems the Twitter 1% stream can be reliably and robustly used as a proxy for Twitter as a whole. | Twitter's Spritzer stream is a realtime stream of a random sample of 1% of all tweets. Previous work has thoroughly deconstructed the sampling mechanism used by Twitter to create the 1% stream. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/02/27/is-twitters-spritzer-stream-really-a-nearly-perfect-1-sample-of-its-firehose/ | 0.589119 |
Is Twitter's Spritzer Stream Really A Nearly Perfect 1% Sample Of Its Firehose? | One of the leading factors in Twitters popularity among data scientists is its JSON APIs. Among those APIs is its Spritzer or Sample stream which is a realtime stream of a random sample of 1% of all tweets. Unlike Twitters premium data offerings, the Spritzer stream is available free of charge and has become a mainstay of macro-level social media analytics and research. Previous work has thoroughly deconstructed the sampling mechanism used by Twitter to create the 1% stream and found it to be largely methodologically sound, though vulnerable to manipulation. However, there are unanswered questions about how closely the 1% stream hews to the complete Twitter firehose in practice and whether the two yield nearly identical results in practice. Using Crimson Hexagon to search Twitter for tweets mentioning climate change January 2012 to October 2018 yields a total of 83.6 million tweets, while a search for global warming over the same period yields around 26.1 million tweets and the IPCC garners around 2.1 million tweets. On an average day there were around 33,500 climate tweets, 10,500 global warming tweets and 850 IPCC tweets. This trio of topics, one medium, one small and one micro, offers a perfect testbed to determine how closely these results from the Twitter firehose match those of the free 1% stream over the same time period. Comparing the results from Crimson Hexagon against the free 1% Twitter stream over the same period, all three timelines were highly correlated. Climate change was correlated at r=0.96, global warming at r=0.94 and IPCC at r=0.94. In short, from a purely volumetric trend detection standpoint, you will get the same story whether searching the firehose or the 1% stream, even for topics that average just a few hundred tweets a day. Searching for a much rarer topic like carbon sequestration yields just 60,500 tweets over the entire period and averages just 24 tweets on a typical day, with nearly a third of the period having 0 to 10 tweets per day. Even this extremely low volume topic still offered a timeline that was correlated at r=0.79 between the 1% and firehose streams. Obviously the rarer a topic the more exclusion error there will be in the 1% stream simply due to the statistics of how likely one of that topics tweets are to be found in a 1% sample. Though, as the numbers above show, even topics with just a handful of tweets per day can still yield a representative signal. Looking at the 1% stream as a whole over the period January 2012 to October 2018, it has remained nearly perfectly steady within a close interval of 1% of the full firehose over all 7 years of the comparison. Prior to February 2015 the 1% stream averaged around 0.99%, but after an adjustment made by Twitter in February 2015 the volume dropped to around 0.98% overall. The daily tweet volume between the 1% stream and the firehose over those seven years was almost perfectly correlated at r=0.987. The total volume of non-retweets was correlated at r=0.996 and tweets with URLs were correlated at r=0.986. Verified tweets, being far rarer, were correlated at only r=0.877. In short, from the standpoint of daily volume counts, whether one uses the 1% stream or the firehose, the results here suggest that the results will be nearly identical. Rarer topics and less common attributes like verified users will exhibit more error due to the extreme sampling, but still yield almost identical trends. This tight alignment between the contents of the free 1% and commercial firehose Twitter streams is critically important in that it suggests that findings derived from the 1% stream are likely to validly reflect genuine Twitter trends. Given how much of published academic research on Twitter relies on the free 1% stream, it suggests that the body of literature on Twitter is not unduly skewed by relying on the 1% sample. In turn, this suggests that the kinds of advanced Twitter analyses that are not supported by realtime social media analytics platforms, like fine-grained linguistic analysis and even neural language modeling of topics, can be safely performed on the 1% data. For example, one could examine the linguistic evolution of commentary on a topic like climate change and compare that to the baseline of the totality of Twitter to understand which words are statistically significant to climate-related conversations. Putting this all together, we see that the Twitter Spritzer/Sample stream offers a fairly stable and robust 1% sample of the totality of Twitter and that this sample has remained stable over at least the past seven years. Volume timelines derived from this sample closely match those produced from the firehose at both the micro scale of a single query and the macro scale of Twitter as a whole. Even very low volume queries that generate just a handful of tweets per day still yield daily attention timelines highly correlated with their firehose results. In the end, it seems the Twitter 1% stream can be reliably and robustly used as a proxy for Twitter as a whole. | Twitter's Spritzer stream is a realtime stream of a random sample of 1% of all tweets. Previous work has thoroughly deconstructed the sampling mechanism used by Twitter to create the 1% stream and found it to be largely methodologically sound, though vulnerable to manipulation. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/02/27/is-twitters-spritzer-stream-really-a-nearly-perfect-1-sample-of-its-firehose/ | 0.614679 |
Do Patients Need to Stay the Night After Stenting? | Some elderly patients getting a heart stent can leave the hospital the same day with no extra risk of complications, suggests a new study. Researchers said that the findings only apply to people with a low risk of complications such as bleeding or heart attack and who have family or friends to support them at home. "There are probably going to be some patients who feel comfortable staying overnight and that's fine, but I'm guessing most patients would prefer to go home," said study author Dr. Sunil Rao, from the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina. Rao and his colleagues examined data from more than 100,000 non-emergency stenting procedures, done to open up narrowed coronary arteries, in adults age 65 and older. Just over one percent of those patients went home the same day as the procedure. The rest stayed at the hospital for the night. Rao said that patients are typically kept overnight so doctors can make sure they don't have any bleeding complications or problems with their newly-inserted stent. But as it turned out, the rates of bleeding and blood vessel related complications were each less than one percent regardless of whether or not patients stayed in the hospital, the researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. And people who were sent home early weren't any more likely to have to return to the hospital, or to die, than those who were kept longer for observation. By 30 days after the procedure, 9.6 percent of patients who were discharged on the same day had died or been re-admitted to the hospital, compared to 9.7 percent who had an overnight stay. People who left the hospital on the same day as their procedure generally were at low risk of complications and future heart problems. For a same-day discharge to work, "you have to have a successful procedure with no complications," Rao told Reuters Health. Patients, he added, "also have to have a social support network at home. They have to have someone who, if they do get in trouble, can call for help." Rao said that when he sends patients home with a new stent, he tells them to watch out for chest pain, as well as swelling, bruising and bleeding. Those patients also have to make sure they take their medications, including anti-platelet therapy, to prevent stent-related complications. "If we're talking about a patient who is in relatively good health, who you do an angioplasty on and get a good result, you observe them for 8 hours... the ability to send them home is real," said Dr. Carl Tommaso, from North Shore University Health System in Skokie, Illinois, who was not involved in the new study. He told Reuters Health that while keeping patients overnight is still considered best practice, there's a trend toward more people getting sent home after 8 to 10 hours. Rao added that for the right hospitals, sending certain low-risk people home would save beds and nurses needed by other patients. The new study, Rao said, "should provide (heart doctors) with even more reassurance" that complications are rare after non-emergency stent procedures, and that it may be safe to send some patients home early with a plan and supportive caregivers. Tommaso said that patients should follow their doctor's advice after getting a stent. "Don't push a doctor to go home the same day if it's a complex procedure," he said. | Study: Some elderly patients getting a heart stent can leave the hospital the same day. The rates of bleeding and blood vessel related complications were each less than one percent regardless of whether or not patients stayed in the hospital for the night. Some experts say it may be safe to send some patients home early with a plan and supportive caregivers. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.foxnews.com/health/do-patients-need-to-stay-the-night-after-stenting | 0.155692 |
Will India's Richest Man List Reliance Retail This Summer? | India's richest man Mukesh Ambani has the country's retail industry in a tizzy. A recent news report said his Reliance Industries is planning to list its retail business this summer. And seeing how his telecom services business, Reliance Jio, dealt a massive blow to incumbents when it launched, news of a potential IPO had people wondering what that would entail for the rest of the sector. A spokesperson for Reliance said the company doesn't comment on media speculation or rumors, so it's anyone's guess as to whether there will be an IPO this summer or not. The business is already the country's largest retail behemoth, and it's not clear if it would gain much through a public listing in the coming months. "Reliance Retail is the most successful retail company in India by far," said Arvind Singhal, chairman and managing director of retail consultancy Technopak. "In a little over 10 years to reach this level of scale, without burning tons of cash, is truly remarkable." While the company's balance sheet is stretched, the business is not financially stressed, according to Singhal. "I see no reason for Reliance to list the company by June or July or anytime this year because its e-commerce play is not yet fully visible," he added. "Thatll take another year or more, and the valuation they will get by listing then will be far more in excess than now." India's retail market is being largely driven by a young and aspiring population that is turning to modern, organized trade and e-commerce over the traditional mom-and-pop stores and street markets, although both continue to coexist even in the large cities. Retail consultancy Technopak currently estimates the market's size at $750 billion, and expects it to grow to $1,300 billion in the next five years. With huge swathes of the country still under-served, the market offers plenty of opportunity for all. Yet, it's not an easy play. There's a myriad of frequently expanding rules that govern how stores can be set up and what licenses are required to sell different products, all of which can differ from one city to another. Then there's the reality of fickle customers and their rapidly evolving tastes which is also a business challenge. Ambani's fellow billionaire Kumar Birla threw in the towel last year, when he sold his food and grocery retail chain More to private equity fund Samara Capital. Reliance Retail was set up in 2006, and has a vast footprint across product categories and store formats. It has stores selling electronics, fashion, groceries and fresh produce. It has outlets in every format: standalone neighborhood stores selling everyday groceries and produce, destination supermarkets offering discounts, large-format wholesale stores selling goods in bulk, small stores (what it calls Jio points) selling mobile phones and accessories as well as larger stores selling a range of electronic goods. Many of these categories have an online channel as well. For year ending March 2018, the company's 9,907 stores generated revenue of $10.6 billion, and reported earnings before interest and tax of $317 million. (The company shared its Ebit figures, but did not disclose whether it recorded a net profit or a loss in the same period.) In comparison, Radhakishan Damani, who won the sobriquet of India's retail king after the March 2017 IPO of his DMart chain of supermarkets, has 155 stores which netted earnings of $120 million on revenues of $2 billion. Similarly retailing pioneer Kishore Biyani's Future Retail had 1,035 stores in 321 cities which netted $1.7 million on revenues of $2.8 billion. Singhal says Reliance Retail's biggest advantage is that it has such a wide network, across both categories and geography as it's present in smaller towns as well as the larger markets. "That's India's sweet spot," he said. Last month, Ambani announced that group companies Reliance Retail and Reliance Jio Infocomm would jointly launch a new e-commerce platform in the country, with an eye to taking on Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart. As part of the strategy, its wholesale unit would reportedly sell goods to neighborhood stores and have them partner with its e-commerce platform for delivery and distribution points. As it beefs up its online presence, Reliance is not constrained by recent government policies that forbid foreign-owned e-commerce firms like Amazon and Flipkart from selling goods through companies in which they have an ownership stake. That rule kicked in February 1 and imposes other restrictions on discounts and exclusive partnerships to sell various products. While these restrictions have already hurt its Western competitors, Reliance is free to adopt all of these practices, said Singhal. | Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries is planning to list its retail business this summer. | bart | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/meghabahree/2019/02/27/will-indias-richest-man-list-reliance-retail-this-summer/ | 0.27273 |
Will India's Richest Man List Reliance Retail This Summer? | India's richest man Mukesh Ambani has the country's retail industry in a tizzy. A recent news report said his Reliance Industries is planning to list its retail business this summer. And seeing how his telecom services business, Reliance Jio, dealt a massive blow to incumbents when it launched, news of a potential IPO had people wondering what that would entail for the rest of the sector. A spokesperson for Reliance said the company doesn't comment on media speculation or rumors, so it's anyone's guess as to whether there will be an IPO this summer or not. The business is already the country's largest retail behemoth, and it's not clear if it would gain much through a public listing in the coming months. "Reliance Retail is the most successful retail company in India by far," said Arvind Singhal, chairman and managing director of retail consultancy Technopak. "In a little over 10 years to reach this level of scale, without burning tons of cash, is truly remarkable." While the company's balance sheet is stretched, the business is not financially stressed, according to Singhal. "I see no reason for Reliance to list the company by June or July or anytime this year because its e-commerce play is not yet fully visible," he added. "Thatll take another year or more, and the valuation they will get by listing then will be far more in excess than now." India's retail market is being largely driven by a young and aspiring population that is turning to modern, organized trade and e-commerce over the traditional mom-and-pop stores and street markets, although both continue to coexist even in the large cities. Retail consultancy Technopak currently estimates the market's size at $750 billion, and expects it to grow to $1,300 billion in the next five years. With huge swathes of the country still under-served, the market offers plenty of opportunity for all. Yet, it's not an easy play. There's a myriad of frequently expanding rules that govern how stores can be set up and what licenses are required to sell different products, all of which can differ from one city to another. Then there's the reality of fickle customers and their rapidly evolving tastes which is also a business challenge. Ambani's fellow billionaire Kumar Birla threw in the towel last year, when he sold his food and grocery retail chain More to private equity fund Samara Capital. Reliance Retail was set up in 2006, and has a vast footprint across product categories and store formats. It has stores selling electronics, fashion, groceries and fresh produce. It has outlets in every format: standalone neighborhood stores selling everyday groceries and produce, destination supermarkets offering discounts, large-format wholesale stores selling goods in bulk, small stores (what it calls Jio points) selling mobile phones and accessories as well as larger stores selling a range of electronic goods. Many of these categories have an online channel as well. For year ending March 2018, the company's 9,907 stores generated revenue of $10.6 billion, and reported earnings before interest and tax of $317 million. (The company shared its Ebit figures, but did not disclose whether it recorded a net profit or a loss in the same period.) In comparison, Radhakishan Damani, who won the sobriquet of India's retail king after the March 2017 IPO of his DMart chain of supermarkets, has 155 stores which netted earnings of $120 million on revenues of $2 billion. Similarly retailing pioneer Kishore Biyani's Future Retail had 1,035 stores in 321 cities which netted $1.7 million on revenues of $2.8 billion. Singhal says Reliance Retail's biggest advantage is that it has such a wide network, across both categories and geography as it's present in smaller towns as well as the larger markets. "That's India's sweet spot," he said. Last month, Ambani announced that group companies Reliance Retail and Reliance Jio Infocomm would jointly launch a new e-commerce platform in the country, with an eye to taking on Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart. As part of the strategy, its wholesale unit would reportedly sell goods to neighborhood stores and have them partner with its e-commerce platform for delivery and distribution points. As it beefs up its online presence, Reliance is not constrained by recent government policies that forbid foreign-owned e-commerce firms like Amazon and Flipkart from selling goods through companies in which they have an ownership stake. That rule kicked in February 1 and imposes other restrictions on discounts and exclusive partnerships to sell various products. While these restrictions have already hurt its Western competitors, Reliance is free to adopt all of these practices, said Singhal. | Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries is planning to list its retail business this summer. The business is already the country's largest retail behemoth, and it's not clear if it would gain much through a public listing. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/meghabahree/2019/02/27/will-indias-richest-man-list-reliance-retail-this-summer/ | 0.340647 |
Will India's Richest Man List Reliance Retail This Summer? | India's richest man Mukesh Ambani has the country's retail industry in a tizzy. A recent news report said his Reliance Industries is planning to list its retail business this summer. And seeing how his telecom services business, Reliance Jio, dealt a massive blow to incumbents when it launched, news of a potential IPO had people wondering what that would entail for the rest of the sector. A spokesperson for Reliance said the company doesn't comment on media speculation or rumors, so it's anyone's guess as to whether there will be an IPO this summer or not. The business is already the country's largest retail behemoth, and it's not clear if it would gain much through a public listing in the coming months. "Reliance Retail is the most successful retail company in India by far," said Arvind Singhal, chairman and managing director of retail consultancy Technopak. "In a little over 10 years to reach this level of scale, without burning tons of cash, is truly remarkable." While the company's balance sheet is stretched, the business is not financially stressed, according to Singhal. "I see no reason for Reliance to list the company by June or July or anytime this year because its e-commerce play is not yet fully visible," he added. "Thatll take another year or more, and the valuation they will get by listing then will be far more in excess than now." India's retail market is being largely driven by a young and aspiring population that is turning to modern, organized trade and e-commerce over the traditional mom-and-pop stores and street markets, although both continue to coexist even in the large cities. Retail consultancy Technopak currently estimates the market's size at $750 billion, and expects it to grow to $1,300 billion in the next five years. With huge swathes of the country still under-served, the market offers plenty of opportunity for all. Yet, it's not an easy play. There's a myriad of frequently expanding rules that govern how stores can be set up and what licenses are required to sell different products, all of which can differ from one city to another. Then there's the reality of fickle customers and their rapidly evolving tastes which is also a business challenge. Ambani's fellow billionaire Kumar Birla threw in the towel last year, when he sold his food and grocery retail chain More to private equity fund Samara Capital. Reliance Retail was set up in 2006, and has a vast footprint across product categories and store formats. It has stores selling electronics, fashion, groceries and fresh produce. It has outlets in every format: standalone neighborhood stores selling everyday groceries and produce, destination supermarkets offering discounts, large-format wholesale stores selling goods in bulk, small stores (what it calls Jio points) selling mobile phones and accessories as well as larger stores selling a range of electronic goods. Many of these categories have an online channel as well. For year ending March 2018, the company's 9,907 stores generated revenue of $10.6 billion, and reported earnings before interest and tax of $317 million. (The company shared its Ebit figures, but did not disclose whether it recorded a net profit or a loss in the same period.) In comparison, Radhakishan Damani, who won the sobriquet of India's retail king after the March 2017 IPO of his DMart chain of supermarkets, has 155 stores which netted earnings of $120 million on revenues of $2 billion. Similarly retailing pioneer Kishore Biyani's Future Retail had 1,035 stores in 321 cities which netted $1.7 million on revenues of $2.8 billion. Singhal says Reliance Retail's biggest advantage is that it has such a wide network, across both categories and geography as it's present in smaller towns as well as the larger markets. "That's India's sweet spot," he said. Last month, Ambani announced that group companies Reliance Retail and Reliance Jio Infocomm would jointly launch a new e-commerce platform in the country, with an eye to taking on Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart. As part of the strategy, its wholesale unit would reportedly sell goods to neighborhood stores and have them partner with its e-commerce platform for delivery and distribution points. As it beefs up its online presence, Reliance is not constrained by recent government policies that forbid foreign-owned e-commerce firms like Amazon and Flipkart from selling goods through companies in which they have an ownership stake. That rule kicked in February 1 and imposes other restrictions on discounts and exclusive partnerships to sell various products. While these restrictions have already hurt its Western competitors, Reliance is free to adopt all of these practices, said Singhal. | Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries is planning to list its retail business this summer. The business is already the country's largest retail behemoth, and it's not clear if it would gain much through a public listing. India's retail market is being largely driven by a young and aspiring population that is turning to modern trade and e-commerce. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/meghabahree/2019/02/27/will-indias-richest-man-list-reliance-retail-this-summer/ | 0.448575 |
Will top seed Perham change the guard atop 2A wrestling? | Its been believed all season that the winner of Section 1 in Class 2A either 2018 state champ Kasson-Mantorville or perennial juggernaut Simley would be the odds-on favorite to take the Class 2A team title. After all, the 2A championship has bounced between those two schools for 11 consecutive seasons. While Simley ended Kasson-Mantorvilles three-year championship streak by defeating the KoMets in the section final, another team has emerged as a serious challenger. Perham has moved into the favorites role, thanks to a 29-1 record that includes a 38-23 victory over Simley on Feb. 2. As the brackets top seed, the Yellowjackets are far from unknown. They are making their seventh tournament appearance in the past eight years and 12th appearance overall. Their only loss this season was to Waverly-Shellrock (Iowa) 35-33 at the Clash Duals in January. Perham qualified eight wrestlers for the individual tournament, led by 195-pound senior Ty Moser, who finished third at that weight in 2018. Simley has 10 individual qualifiers. Individuals Toughest bracket: The finals at 113 pounds could feature a matchup of two 2018 champions at 106 pounds. Totino-Graces Joey Thompson won at 106 pounds while wrestling for Maple Grove in Class 3A last season. Byrons Maxwell Petersen is the defending champion in Class 2A at the lightest weight class. There are also two defending champs at 160 pounds: Waconias Cade Mueller, who won at 160 last year, and Kasson-Mantorvilles Bennett Berge, last years 138-pound champ. Undefeated: Mason Gehloff, Waseca, 27-0 (106); Maxwell Petersen, Byron, 29-0 (113); Ashton Clark, Park Rapids, 19-0 (119); Jake Svihel, Totino-Grace, 50-0 (126); Ryan Sokol, Simley, 44-0 (132); Kellen Schauer, Grand Rapids, 51-0 (145); Patrick Kennedy, Kasson-Mantorville, 42-0 (182); Ty Moser, Perham, 39-0 (195); Daniel Kerkvliet, Simley, 17-0; Chase Liestman, Litchfield, 39-0 (heavyweight); and Brandon Swanson, North Branch, 32-0 (heavyweight). Returning champions: Joey Thompson, Totino-Grace, 113 (won Class 3A at 106 pounds); Maxwell Petersen, Byron, 113 (106); Jaxson Rohman, Fairmont/Martin Co. West, 120 (113); Mitchel Petersen, Byron, 126 (120); Bennett Berge, Kasson-Mantorville, 160 (138); Cade Mueller, Waconia, 160 (160); Patrick Kennedy, Kasson-Mantorville, 182 (182); Daniel Kerkvliet, Simley, heavyweight (220). Worth watching: At 126 pounds, undefeated and No. 1-ranked Jake Svihel will be tested by Bryon junior Mitchel Petersen, who defeated Svihel in the 120 pounds finals a year ago. And dont overlook Scott West senior Justin Stauffacher, fifth at 120 last year. | Kasson-Mantorville and Simley have won the Class 2A team title for 11 straight years. Perham is the top seed and has qualified eight wrestlers for individual tournaments. | ctrlsum | 1 | http://www.startribune.com/will-top-seed-perham-change-the-guard-atop-2a-wrestling/506472392/ | 0.243547 |
Will top seed Perham change the guard atop 2A wrestling? | Its been believed all season that the winner of Section 1 in Class 2A either 2018 state champ Kasson-Mantorville or perennial juggernaut Simley would be the odds-on favorite to take the Class 2A team title. After all, the 2A championship has bounced between those two schools for 11 consecutive seasons. While Simley ended Kasson-Mantorvilles three-year championship streak by defeating the KoMets in the section final, another team has emerged as a serious challenger. Perham has moved into the favorites role, thanks to a 29-1 record that includes a 38-23 victory over Simley on Feb. 2. As the brackets top seed, the Yellowjackets are far from unknown. They are making their seventh tournament appearance in the past eight years and 12th appearance overall. Their only loss this season was to Waverly-Shellrock (Iowa) 35-33 at the Clash Duals in January. Perham qualified eight wrestlers for the individual tournament, led by 195-pound senior Ty Moser, who finished third at that weight in 2018. Simley has 10 individual qualifiers. Individuals Toughest bracket: The finals at 113 pounds could feature a matchup of two 2018 champions at 106 pounds. Totino-Graces Joey Thompson won at 106 pounds while wrestling for Maple Grove in Class 3A last season. Byrons Maxwell Petersen is the defending champion in Class 2A at the lightest weight class. There are also two defending champs at 160 pounds: Waconias Cade Mueller, who won at 160 last year, and Kasson-Mantorvilles Bennett Berge, last years 138-pound champ. Undefeated: Mason Gehloff, Waseca, 27-0 (106); Maxwell Petersen, Byron, 29-0 (113); Ashton Clark, Park Rapids, 19-0 (119); Jake Svihel, Totino-Grace, 50-0 (126); Ryan Sokol, Simley, 44-0 (132); Kellen Schauer, Grand Rapids, 51-0 (145); Patrick Kennedy, Kasson-Mantorville, 42-0 (182); Ty Moser, Perham, 39-0 (195); Daniel Kerkvliet, Simley, 17-0; Chase Liestman, Litchfield, 39-0 (heavyweight); and Brandon Swanson, North Branch, 32-0 (heavyweight). Returning champions: Joey Thompson, Totino-Grace, 113 (won Class 3A at 106 pounds); Maxwell Petersen, Byron, 113 (106); Jaxson Rohman, Fairmont/Martin Co. West, 120 (113); Mitchel Petersen, Byron, 126 (120); Bennett Berge, Kasson-Mantorville, 160 (138); Cade Mueller, Waconia, 160 (160); Patrick Kennedy, Kasson-Mantorville, 182 (182); Daniel Kerkvliet, Simley, heavyweight (220). Worth watching: At 126 pounds, undefeated and No. 1-ranked Jake Svihel will be tested by Bryon junior Mitchel Petersen, who defeated Svihel in the 120 pounds finals a year ago. And dont overlook Scott West senior Justin Stauffacher, fifth at 120 last year. | Kasson-Mantorville and Simley have won the Class 2A team title for 11 straight years. Perham is the top seed and has qualified eight wrestlers for the individual tournament. The Yellowjackets are making their seventh tournament appearance in the past eight years. | ctrlsum | 2 | http://www.startribune.com/will-top-seed-perham-change-the-guard-atop-2a-wrestling/506472392/ | 0.315503 |
Is Nashville spending too much on outsourcing? | CLOSE A top engineering contractor for Metro government entertained city officials inside a company suite at Bridgestone Arena and in several cases, the employees did not appear to pay for the tickets. Ayrika L Whitney, The Tennessean Story Highlights Nashville has nearly tripled its spending on streets and sidewalks. But there are fewer Public Works employees than before the 2009 recession. Contracting can be advantageous, advocates say, because the jobs are often temporary and the city isnt paying for benefits. Critics say the development boom in Nashville should have compelled the city to hire more employees for less than it is paying its contractors. One company charges the city $78 per hour for administrative assistants. Another charges $148 for engineers. A third bills the government for project managers at $195 an hour. The charges are far more than what Nashville city employees cost to do similar work. During the recession, the city outsourced an array of jobs to save taxpayer money. But as the economy roared back, the Public Works department continued outsourcing work to contractors instead of hiring its own employees. While Nashville nearly tripled its spending on streets and sidewalks, the city has fewer Public Works employees than before the 2008 recession. Now that a top contractor, Collier Engineering, is under scrutiny for ethical and billing practices, critics question if outsourcing at this level is still efficient. Since 2008, Public Works has pushed millions of dollars into just a handful of engineering firms rather than hire its own people to handle functions such as inspections, permitting and constituent services. Buy Photo Nashville has nearly tripled its spending on streets and sidewalks. Two firms have repeatedly won contracts for overseeing that work: Collier Engineering and Civic Engineering & IT. (Photo: Alan Poizner/For The Tennessean) For instance, Metro pays $78 per hour for administrative assistants at Ragan-Smith Associates, while city staffers cost $35, including benefits. Collier, which oversees the city's road paving program, bills Metro $50 per hour for administrative specialists. In some cases, contractors' administrative employees are based in the Public Works office, filing permits and doing other tasks. Government accountability experts say the practice of outsourcing is common, but officials should scrutinize such decisions to ensure the city isn't wasting money. Contracting can be advantageous, advocates say, because the jobs are often temporary and the city isnt paying for health care, retirement savings or other benefits. Critics say the development boom in Nashville for the last several years should have compelled the city to hire more employees for less than it is paying its contractors. I think its just a business question: How much more expensive is it to contract out? At-large Metro Councilman John Cooper said. "I would love it if somebody would have actually analyzed that. "Who has ever sat down and said, Was this outsourcing good for the city?' " Metro Public Works, which is led by Mark Sturtevant, has not evaluated the effectiveness of outsourcing. A department spokeswoman said, "We have not received a request from an appropriate Metro authority to initiate such an analysis." PAYMENT SCRUTINY: Metro payments to engineering firm for two 'liaisons' draw scrutiny Budget chair calls for audit of engineering firms How much engineering firms charge the city is in the spotlight after The Tennessean reported Collier Engineering hosted Public Works officials in a suite at Bridgestone Arena during a daylong college basketball tournament. City records showed Collier executives billed Metro for work that day, although they spent much of it entertaining city officials. Collier also has faced criticism for billing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars for work done by executives for "liaison services," which included attending community meetings and coordinating with other Metro departments for Public Works projects. Metro Councilwoman Tanaka Vercher, who chairs the councils Budget and Finance Committee, ordered an audit of costs from architecture and engineering firms. Although Vercher asked for eight firms initially to be audited, the citys audit committee voted to expand the scope. Metro Councilwoman Tanaka Vercher ordered an audit of costs from architecture and engineering firms. (Photo: Submitted) The scrutiny on Collier Engineering highlighted the issue of architecture and engineering contracts, but Vercher said her concern is the citys bottom line, especially for sidewalk construction. Im concerned with all of it the fees, the rates, the percentage of the overall project going to engineering, Vercher said. I have questions if we are spending too much and if were getting enough sidewalks out of it. Public Works staff by the numbers Public Works says the decision to handle projects in-house or to hire contractors is based on staffing limitations. While the city is increasing its investment in paving sidewalks, roads and bike lanes, Metro Public Works has not added staff to keep up with the demand. With 434 employees budgeted for this year, the department has fewer workers than before the 2008 recession. In 2005, the department had 481 employees. In fiscal year 2008, as the recession hit, then-Mayor Karl Dean laid off workers and froze open positions. By 2011, the number of employees budgeted for Public Works dropped to 362. Public Works spokeswoman Cortnye Stone said staffing has been a regular discussion during the budget process in recent years. Public Works has requested a significant amount of additional full-time employees in prior budget years in an effort to reduce reliance on third-party vendors and consultants, Stone said. What jobs the government should outsource is a philosophical question for policymakers. Cities want tight control over their public safety, for instance, so outsourcing the police force is rare. There are some functions that are so core to the mission to the government that they tend to not be candidates for outsourcing, said David Yarkin, president of Government Sourcing Solutions, a Washington, D.C.-based company specializing in government outsourcing. But sidewalk construction is up for debate. While the city probably wouldn't run its own concrete plant, it might choose to hire staff for some jobs common to Public Works projects: permitting, organizing community meetings, inspecting, basic engineering. In Nashville, officials contract out many of those roles. Sidewalks should be a core competency," Cooper said. "If were not up to building sidewalks, how could we run a massive transit system? I think its just a business question: How much more expensive is it to contract out? At-large Metro Councilman John Cooper said. "I would love it if somebody would have actually analyzed that. (Photo: Dipti Vaidya) In street paving, the city has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for companies to coordinate the work. Contractors have acted as coordinators between council members, police, the mayor's office, residents and businesses. Outsourcing that type of job is unusual for local governments, said Jocelyn Johnston, professor of public administration and policy at American University. How does the government want to handle its communication with its citizens? Public Works officials say they prefer to outsource sidewalk and paving-related roles because it allows them to quickly scale up and scale down, based on the availability of funds. When we have peaks that have significant (project) demands, we, like most other government agencies, will supplement our staff in times of need to provide support services," Stone said. It doesnt always make good financial sense to keep enough people on your staff to handle the high case demand time because once you get out of that time period, you have excess staff." Others say much of this work is predictable. The city's 2017 sidewalk and bike lane plan found there were 1,900 miles of streets without sidewalks enough work to last more than 400 years. Cooper calls sidewalks a "generational need." Everybody likes to be nimble, but the reality is they are going to have to have basic services they need to provide all the time, said Johnston, the public administration professor. The most sophisticated local governments attempt to measure the cost-effectiveness of outsourcing, experts say. Nashville, however, has not done that. Governments are typically bad at evaluating the cost-effectiveness of outsourcing, Johnston said. An analysis would measure how much it costs to issue bids, perform the work and monitor contractors compared with the cost of doing the same work with city staff. Some government jobs in finance, legal and human relations overlap departments and projects, so it's a complicated analysis. For many of the jobs associated with architecture and engineering, Nashville spends less for employees to do the work than it does to contract it out. Joe Griffin, the executive vice president at Ragan-Smith Associates, said his firm's $78 per hour administrative assistants are doing advanced work and that they billed for less than 44 hours in fiscal 2018. "Our administrative staff is highly experienced and typically responsible for accounting and contracting functions ... that require years of experience and training," Griffin said in a statement. One way to be sure companies are giving cities the best deal on their services is to encourage competition. In Nashville, two firms have repeatedly won contracts for overseeing street paving and sidewalks: Collier and Civic Engineering & IT. The firm that has the contract should be constantly cognizant of the fact that if it doesnt perform its going to lose it, Johnston said. Way too often the contractors dont feel that pressure. Jennifer Ogden, president of Civic, said Metro's decision to use contractors ensures the city is implementing the industries' best practices and proven methods. "The programs being implemented by MPW require a highly competent core staff to be in place which we feel they have," she said. "But by using consultants to help implement the projects, Metro is able to access a broad range of specialized expertise to aid in finding the best solutions." Chad Collier said his firm has to compete for contracts just like everyone else. I don't have any control over all of that, he said. We turn in our proposal just like everyone. I know how to run a paving program. If somebody else has never done that before, then I dont think theyd have as good of a proposal as somebody who has done it before. "I feel like I do a good job for Public Works. I truly do." CONTRACTING WORK: Metro approved $15M in more work for contractor during investigation into arena suite visits COMPTROLLER: Mayor Briley alerts state comptroller of 'potential illegal conduct' by Collier Engineering BILLING PRACTICES: Nashville contractor billed Metro thousands on day spent entertaining in arena suite DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news from The Tennessean straight to your phone. Read or Share this story: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/02/28/nashville-outsourcing-collier-engineering-investigations/2943205002/ | Nashville has nearly tripled its spending on streets and sidewalks. But there are fewer Public Works employees than before the 2009 recession. Critics question if outsourcing at this level is still efficient. | bart | 1 | https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/02/28/nashville-outsourcing-collier-engineering-investigations/2943205002/ | 0.120971 |
What do Abba, Sigrid, and Zara Larsson all have in common? | To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Sigrid: 'My siblings inspired my love of music' It's been a massive few years for Sigrid, who burst onto the world stage in 2017 with "Don't Kill My Vibe". A year later the Norwegian singer and songwriter won BBC Music Sound of 2018 and this week her first album Sucker Punch comes out. But she's far from the only Scandipop artist who's been taking the UK and world by storm in recent years. Here's all you need to know about music from this particular region in the world. Getty Images It's not strictly a particular style of music, but it basically includes any artists which come from the countries making up the region of Scandinavia - Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The UK's love for Scandipop began in 1970s when the Swedish band Abba burst onto the music scene at the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1974. Their debut single Waterloo topped the charts, and over the years the band got 9 No. 1 singles. Abba's music is still having an impact in the music world today, with the Mamma Mia! : Here We Go Again film soundtrack helping the band top the charts once again at the end of 2018. AFP/Getty Images Abba are probably the best known Scandipop act worldwide Last year the pop legends also announced that they'd be releasing their first new material in 35 years, having recorded two new songs together, and are planning a 'virtual' tour for 2019 using hologram technology. There have even been rumours that ABBA could headline at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival. With more and more Scandi bands and artists singing in English, they're increasingly popular in the UK which has made Scandinavia one of the world's top exporters of pop music. The biggest names in Scandipop Sigrid Getty Images Age: 22 From: lesund, Norway Sigrid started her musical career at 17, starting a band with her sister called Sala Says Mhyp, which was named after their cat. But before long she decided to go solo, releasing her debut single Sun in 2013, which became her breakthrough single in Norway and landed her a record contract. She since gone from strength to strength, swapping performing at music festivals in Norway for touring with Maroon 5 and George Ezra later this year. Robyn Getty Images Age: 39 From: Stockholm, Sweden Robyn first hit the charts in the late 1990s as a teen star, scoring a global hit with the song Show Me Love, and receiving three Grammy Award nominations in 2010. After taking some time out of the limelight, she released her eighth solo album Honey in last year, and has been spending 2019 on tour across the US and Europe. Many other artists have named her as their inspiration, with Katy's Perry calling Robyn "the epitome of effortless cool". Lorde has even performed with a framed photograph of Robyn on her piano, saying that Dancing On My Own inspired the tone of her second album. Zara Larsson Getty Images Age: 21 From: Solna, Sweden After winning a TV show called Talang - the Swedish version of Britain's Got Talent - when she was 10, Zara nabbed herself a record contract, released an album, and topped the singles charts in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. But she wasn't super famous in the UK or US until she signed a US record contract and began collaborating with big name artists like David Guetta on the official Euro 2016 single. Zara's star has been rising ever since, with "Symphony" helping her nail her first UK number one, her fifth number one in her home country. She's also been named on the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list which puts together the most influential people aged under 30 years old. Max Martin Getty/Sony/Republic Records Age: 47 From: Stenhamra, Sweden His name might not be one you recognise, but you'll definitely know his songs. The producer has written everything from 90s hits like Britney Spears ...Baby One More Time, and Katy's Perry's I Kissed a Girl, to Taylor Swift's Shake It Off, and The Weekend's Can't Feel My Face. In fact Martin's tally of 22 number ones makes him the third most successful songwriter in US chart history, behind only Paul McCartney, who had 32, and John Lennon with 26. He's so good at writing hits that X Factor judge Simon Cowell has even joked: "I don't think that Max Martin is human. I think he was made in Sweden to make hit records, because nobody human can have done what he's done." Aqua Aqua Age: 45-51 From: Norway and Denmark If you've heard or sung the lyrics "I'm a Barbie girl in a Barbie world", then you've heard Aqua's biggest hit, possibly without even realising it. The band began as a Danish-Norwegian dance group in 1989, and achieved huge success around the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They've cited fellow Scandi band ABBA as one of their key influences. The band's members - vocalists Lene and Ren, keyboardist Sren, and guitarist Claus - later split, and achieved chart success with their solo projects, before getting back together for a number of reunion tours. Their third album, Megalomania, was released on 3 October 2011. Lukas Graham Getty Images Age: 28-30 From: Copenhagen, Denmark The Danish band, made up of lead vocalist Lukas Forchhammer, drummer Mark Falgren, and bassist Magnus Larsson, had their biggest hit to date with the single "7 Years". The song had 10.4 million digital streams and downloads, making it into the top 10 most downloaded songs of 2016 worldwide, reaching number one in the UK, and in the US, and making the band the highest charting Danish act in 55 years. A perhaps less well know release from Lukas Graham, is "Off to See the World", which featured on the soundtrack of My Little Pony: The Movie. | Scandipop is a style of music which is popular in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Abba, Robyn, Zara Larsson and Sigrid are some of the biggest names in Scandipop. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47295288 | 0.199069 |
What do Abba, Sigrid, and Zara Larsson all have in common? | To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Sigrid: 'My siblings inspired my love of music' It's been a massive few years for Sigrid, who burst onto the world stage in 2017 with "Don't Kill My Vibe". A year later the Norwegian singer and songwriter won BBC Music Sound of 2018 and this week her first album Sucker Punch comes out. But she's far from the only Scandipop artist who's been taking the UK and world by storm in recent years. Here's all you need to know about music from this particular region in the world. Getty Images It's not strictly a particular style of music, but it basically includes any artists which come from the countries making up the region of Scandinavia - Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The UK's love for Scandipop began in 1970s when the Swedish band Abba burst onto the music scene at the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1974. Their debut single Waterloo topped the charts, and over the years the band got 9 No. 1 singles. Abba's music is still having an impact in the music world today, with the Mamma Mia! : Here We Go Again film soundtrack helping the band top the charts once again at the end of 2018. AFP/Getty Images Abba are probably the best known Scandipop act worldwide Last year the pop legends also announced that they'd be releasing their first new material in 35 years, having recorded two new songs together, and are planning a 'virtual' tour for 2019 using hologram technology. There have even been rumours that ABBA could headline at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival. With more and more Scandi bands and artists singing in English, they're increasingly popular in the UK which has made Scandinavia one of the world's top exporters of pop music. The biggest names in Scandipop Sigrid Getty Images Age: 22 From: lesund, Norway Sigrid started her musical career at 17, starting a band with her sister called Sala Says Mhyp, which was named after their cat. But before long she decided to go solo, releasing her debut single Sun in 2013, which became her breakthrough single in Norway and landed her a record contract. She since gone from strength to strength, swapping performing at music festivals in Norway for touring with Maroon 5 and George Ezra later this year. Robyn Getty Images Age: 39 From: Stockholm, Sweden Robyn first hit the charts in the late 1990s as a teen star, scoring a global hit with the song Show Me Love, and receiving three Grammy Award nominations in 2010. After taking some time out of the limelight, she released her eighth solo album Honey in last year, and has been spending 2019 on tour across the US and Europe. Many other artists have named her as their inspiration, with Katy's Perry calling Robyn "the epitome of effortless cool". Lorde has even performed with a framed photograph of Robyn on her piano, saying that Dancing On My Own inspired the tone of her second album. Zara Larsson Getty Images Age: 21 From: Solna, Sweden After winning a TV show called Talang - the Swedish version of Britain's Got Talent - when she was 10, Zara nabbed herself a record contract, released an album, and topped the singles charts in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. But she wasn't super famous in the UK or US until she signed a US record contract and began collaborating with big name artists like David Guetta on the official Euro 2016 single. Zara's star has been rising ever since, with "Symphony" helping her nail her first UK number one, her fifth number one in her home country. She's also been named on the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list which puts together the most influential people aged under 30 years old. Max Martin Getty/Sony/Republic Records Age: 47 From: Stenhamra, Sweden His name might not be one you recognise, but you'll definitely know his songs. The producer has written everything from 90s hits like Britney Spears ...Baby One More Time, and Katy's Perry's I Kissed a Girl, to Taylor Swift's Shake It Off, and The Weekend's Can't Feel My Face. In fact Martin's tally of 22 number ones makes him the third most successful songwriter in US chart history, behind only Paul McCartney, who had 32, and John Lennon with 26. He's so good at writing hits that X Factor judge Simon Cowell has even joked: "I don't think that Max Martin is human. I think he was made in Sweden to make hit records, because nobody human can have done what he's done." Aqua Aqua Age: 45-51 From: Norway and Denmark If you've heard or sung the lyrics "I'm a Barbie girl in a Barbie world", then you've heard Aqua's biggest hit, possibly without even realising it. The band began as a Danish-Norwegian dance group in 1989, and achieved huge success around the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They've cited fellow Scandi band ABBA as one of their key influences. The band's members - vocalists Lene and Ren, keyboardist Sren, and guitarist Claus - later split, and achieved chart success with their solo projects, before getting back together for a number of reunion tours. Their third album, Megalomania, was released on 3 October 2011. Lukas Graham Getty Images Age: 28-30 From: Copenhagen, Denmark The Danish band, made up of lead vocalist Lukas Forchhammer, drummer Mark Falgren, and bassist Magnus Larsson, had their biggest hit to date with the single "7 Years". The song had 10.4 million digital streams and downloads, making it into the top 10 most downloaded songs of 2016 worldwide, reaching number one in the UK, and in the US, and making the band the highest charting Danish act in 55 years. A perhaps less well know release from Lukas Graham, is "Off to See the World", which featured on the soundtrack of My Little Pony: The Movie. | Scandipop is a style of music which is popular in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Abba, Robyn, Zara Larsson and Sigrid are some of the biggest names in Scandipop. Here's all you need to know about music from this particular region in the world. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47295288 | 0.31155 |
How much election security money is enough? | With help from Eric Geller, Jordyn Hermani and Martin Matishak Editor's Note: This edition of Morning Cybersecurity is published weekdays at 10 a.m. POLITICO Pro Cybersecurity subscribers hold exclusive early access to the newsletter each morning at 6 a.m. To learn more about POLITICO Pro's comprehensive policy intelligence coverage, policy tools and services, click here. QUICK FIX Story Continued Below A key lawmaker today will spell out the case for Congress spending significantly more money on election security. His panel will also hear from election security experts who will send the same message. The Pentagon needs more people to administer a program giving it flexibility on pay and personnel structures for cyber service, a Marines leader says. Candidate demand is expected to increase dramatically. Equifax is getting more unflattering attention over its massive 2017 data breach. Its CEO found himself caught between his view of his own sensitive data and that of company lawyers toward victims. HAPPY WEDNESDAY and welcome to Morning Cybersecurity! Your regular MC host is back from a trip to Athens, Ga., where I visited with some dear longtime human friends, some new human friends and some mostly new animal friends. Send your thoughts, feedback and especially tips to tstarks@politico.com, and be sure to follow @POLITICOPro and @MorningCybersec. Full team info below. Driving the Day A WHOLE LOT OF SPENDING MONEY The chairman of a House panel that exerts control over the election security cash spigot will advocate this morning for significantly more federal funds. Rep. Mike Quigley, who chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, will say in prepared opening remarks that the $380 million he helped secure in 2018 isnt enough. It represents only a fraction of the total need across the country to replace outdated voting equipment and implement cybersecurity and other protections at the state and local level to ensure our election system can withstand future attempts of foreign interference, Quigleys remarks read. Among those in need: 18 states use, at least in part, voting machines with no paper trail; 41 have voting machines a decade old or more; and 34 use electronic poll books vulnerable to hackers. After the 2000 election debacle, Quigley will note, Congress sent almost 10 times as much money to fix problems, because we treasured the integrity of our democracy. I hope we still do. Quigleys call comes one day after The Washington Post reported that Cyber Command attacked a Russian troll farm on Election Day during the 2018 midterms. Elsewhere Tuesday, House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson said past mistakes mean Congress must include strings for any election security aid to states, and the House Administration panel approved H.R. 1, the House Democratic legislative vehicle for election security. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidates considered an anti-disinformation pact and 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton called for Congress to step up Russia probes. RSA CONFERENCE: POLITICOs Morning Cybersecurity Newsletter is heading to RSAC 2019, March 4-8 in San Francisco. From the latest trends to best practices, RSAC 2019 is the hub for cybersecurity intel. POLITICO cybersecurity reporter Tim Starks will be onsite to cover the expert-led sessions, keynote speakers and report on the latest in cybersecurity. Check in with Morning Cybersecurity each day to receive dedicated conference coverage and register here to attend RSAC. DEFENSE MORE EXCEPTED ACCEPTANCE A senior Pentagon official on Tuesday said he wants to double the full-time personnel devoted to the agencys young Cyber Excepted Service. Congress established the program as part of the 2016 defense policy bill, which gave DoD the ability to create personnel and pay structures outside of the traditional civil service system. The Pentagon devoted five staffers for the rollout of the effort, which had a ceiling of less than 500 applicants. Now that the program is entering a new phase and could see thousands more candidates, the program needs potentially 10 employees, Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Dennis Crall told the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Chairman Jim Langevin supported the effort. AWKWARD... Equifaxs CEO admitted Tuesday that releasing a persons Social Security number, birthday and address would constitute real harm, prompting questions about why his company continues to argue the opposite in federal court. Like every American Id be concerned about identity theft, Mark Begor told Rep. Katie Porter after she asked him to reveal that information at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on credit reporting agencies. As Equifax reels from a data breach that compromised the sensitive data of more than 145 million Americans, the companys lawyers are trying to beat back a class-action lawsuit by arguing that the plaintiffs claims of breach-related harm are merely theoretical. In asking a judge to dismiss the case, Equifax said last July that the alleged injuries are the very definition of speculative and conjectural, because the plaintiffs argument was based on what they anticipate third-party actors, including hackers, might do in the future. The company added, None of the alleged harms is cognizable. (In January, the judge disagreed and allowed the lawsuit to proceed.) Begor refused to answer when Porter asked him why Equifaxs lawyers were arguing the opposite of what hed told her. Its really hard for me to comment on what our lawyers are doing, Begor said, before Porter cut him off and reminded him that those lawyers work for him. Equifax declined to comment on the contradiction between its CEOs argument and its lawyers argument. INTRUDER ALERT Intruders appear to have taken over the website of the Bangladesh embassy in Cairo, according to research out from Trustwave this morning. While it started as a cryptomining operation, its now offering malicious documents, too, Trustwave said, and as of late Tuesday still was doing so even though the company alerted the victims. That shift is a serious escalation given they types of business and government traffic that tends to visit embassy sites, according to Trustwave. DIS-ARMING INFORMATION In the growing list of hackable objects in everyday life, not even body parts are safe. A report out Tuesday from Kaspersky Labs says biomedical prosthetic arms from Motorica Inc. could be at risk for hacking due to vulnerabilities between SIM cards embedded in the limbs and data transmitted to the companys cloud. Hackers would have access to any data within the cloud, including usernames, passwords and associated accounts. While handy to know, Kaspersky says no one has started targeting prosthetic limbs for hacking yet. RECENTLY ON PRO CYBERSECURITY DHS released a list of members of, and other details about, a supply chain task force. House Homeland Security Committee Democrats said they were concerned about TSA not exerting more surface transportation cybersecurity oversight. Hackers innovated new techniques in late 2018 but also relied on old tactics, Rapid7 said in a report. A top State Department official warned Europe that U.S. security depends on keeping Chinese telecommunications companies out of European networks. Huaweis chairman said the U.S. has a troubling surveillance record. Heres an explainer on cybertheft and its role in Chinese trade negotiations. A European official pushed for mandatory cybersecurity insurance. TWEET OF THE DAY Today in things Fort Meade would rather not acknowledge POLITICO PLAYBOOK: Washington is full of whispers listen in with Playbook. Be in the know. Sign up today here. QUICK BYTES Researchers say suspected North Korean hackers launched phishing attacks against South Korean targets ahead of President Donald Trumps meeting with Kim Jong Un. CyberScoop Russia sentenced a pair of cyber experts for treason. Reuters Tech companies are fighting an international battle over encryption. The Wall Street Journal Ukraines president accused Russia of cyberattacks on his countrys election commission. CyberScoop Cyber criminals are turning from ransomware to cryptojacking. IBM X-Force Europe is afraid of both Huawei and the U.S. over data protection. Bloomberg Third suspect in Methbot, 3ve case to plead not guilty after extradition from Malaysia. CyberScoop Google shared an update on Google Play Protect. Cloudflare is expanding its transparency reports. TechCrunch Hackers stole nearly $8 million in EOS cryptocurrency. ZDNet Former Hacking Team Members Are Now Spying on the Blockchain for Coinbase. Motherboard Thats all for today. Ahhh. Stay in touch with the whole team: Mike Farrell (mfarrell@politico.com, @mikebfarrell); Eric Geller (egeller@politico.com, @ericgeller); Martin Matishak (mmatishak@politico.com, @martinmatishak) and Tim Starks (tstarks@politico.com, @timstarks). | Rep. Mike Quigley says $380 million for election security isn't enough. The Pentagon needs more people to administer a program giving it flexibility on pay and personnel structures for cyber service, a Marines leader says. Equifax is getting more unflattering attention over its massive 2017 data breach. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-cybersecurity/2019/02/27/how-much-election-security-money-is-enough-525565 | 0.353392 |
Which Bay Area billionaire gave away the most money last year? | 1 / 18 Back to Gallery California's wealthiest residents gave big last year. The state had the highest amount of "top donors" in the nation, the majority of whom live in the Bay Area. The Chronicle of Philanthropy creates an annual ranking of the top-50 donors in the U.S. The newly released list for 2018 determined Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan were the top givers in California and seventh in the country, with their donations totaling $213,598,215 last year. The Facebook CEO, whose net worth is estimated at $60.3 billion, founded the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative with his wife in 2015 to support the use of technology in solving global problems. Behind Zuckerberg for California donors is Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist. Long a proponent of media issues, Newmark gave $143,800,000 to various organizations in 2018. Newmark, who lives in San Francisco, donated $20 million to CUNY Journalism School last year. "In this time, when trustworthy news is under attack, somebody has to stand up," Newmark told the New York Times. "And the way you stand up these days is by putting your money where your mouth is, and that's what I've done." You can see the rest of California's top donors, and how much they gave, in the above slideshow. The full list can be viewed on the Chronicle of Philanthropy website. Of the 50 donors included in the list, 13 reside in California, seven of whom live in the Bay Area. Behind California is New York (7 donors), Texas (5) and Washington (4). California is home to the highest population of millionaires in the nation. Some studies claim San Francisco has the third-highest number of billionaires of all the world's cities, behind New York City and Hong Kong. Net worth does not always correlate with big giving, however. Newmark provides a strong case study. His estimated net worth in 2019 is $1.6 billion Zuckerberg's is about 38 times higher. Nonetheless, Zuckerberg donated only about $7 million more last year. The public might not recognize some names on the list, including Paul and Betty Woolls, a retired Napa lawyer and real estate developer who came in at No. 46 on the Philanthropy list. The couple donated $40,140,000 last year, $40 million of which went to Wabash College in Indiana. In an analysis of the "Philanthropy 50," the Chronicle noted that the biggest U.S. donors collectively donated $7.8 billion last year. In 2017, the top donors gave almost double that amount $14.7 billion. "Whether the reduced giving reflected a greater sense of caution about the state of the world is unclear," the Chronicle explained. "What is certain from the nature of those gifts, however, is their deep concern about the future." The analysis found that many of the biggest donors were tackling topics with a "futurist bent," like artificial intelligence and data privacy concerns. Methodology available here. Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com. 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. | Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan were the top givers in California and seventh in the country. Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, gave $143,800,000 to various organizations in 2018. | bart | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/billionaire-bay-area-calif-donations-philanthropy-13646635.php | 0.129869 |
Which Bay Area billionaire gave away the most money last year? | 1 / 18 Back to Gallery California's wealthiest residents gave big last year. The state had the highest amount of "top donors" in the nation, the majority of whom live in the Bay Area. The Chronicle of Philanthropy creates an annual ranking of the top-50 donors in the U.S. The newly released list for 2018 determined Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan were the top givers in California and seventh in the country, with their donations totaling $213,598,215 last year. The Facebook CEO, whose net worth is estimated at $60.3 billion, founded the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative with his wife in 2015 to support the use of technology in solving global problems. Behind Zuckerberg for California donors is Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist. Long a proponent of media issues, Newmark gave $143,800,000 to various organizations in 2018. Newmark, who lives in San Francisco, donated $20 million to CUNY Journalism School last year. "In this time, when trustworthy news is under attack, somebody has to stand up," Newmark told the New York Times. "And the way you stand up these days is by putting your money where your mouth is, and that's what I've done." You can see the rest of California's top donors, and how much they gave, in the above slideshow. The full list can be viewed on the Chronicle of Philanthropy website. Of the 50 donors included in the list, 13 reside in California, seven of whom live in the Bay Area. Behind California is New York (7 donors), Texas (5) and Washington (4). California is home to the highest population of millionaires in the nation. Some studies claim San Francisco has the third-highest number of billionaires of all the world's cities, behind New York City and Hong Kong. Net worth does not always correlate with big giving, however. Newmark provides a strong case study. His estimated net worth in 2019 is $1.6 billion Zuckerberg's is about 38 times higher. Nonetheless, Zuckerberg donated only about $7 million more last year. The public might not recognize some names on the list, including Paul and Betty Woolls, a retired Napa lawyer and real estate developer who came in at No. 46 on the Philanthropy list. The couple donated $40,140,000 last year, $40 million of which went to Wabash College in Indiana. In an analysis of the "Philanthropy 50," the Chronicle noted that the biggest U.S. donors collectively donated $7.8 billion last year. In 2017, the top donors gave almost double that amount $14.7 billion. "Whether the reduced giving reflected a greater sense of caution about the state of the world is unclear," the Chronicle explained. "What is certain from the nature of those gifts, however, is their deep concern about the future." The analysis found that many of the biggest donors were tackling topics with a "futurist bent," like artificial intelligence and data privacy concerns. Methodology available here. Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com. 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. | Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan were the top givers in California and seventh in the country. Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, gave $143,800,000 to various organizations. Of the 50 donors included in the list, 13 reside in California, seven of whom live in the Bay Area. | bart | 2 | https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/billionaire-bay-area-calif-donations-philanthropy-13646635.php | 0.210762 |
What Are Elephant Flows And Why Are They Driving Up Mobile Network Costs? | Not anymore. Far beyond the basics, smartphones have now morphed into our primary video devices, as video represents an average of 60% of total traffic. This explosive development has made smartphones more ubiquitous, but it also has come with a cost -- both in the billions of dollars of network investment for mobile operators and the quality of experience (QoE) being provided. When marketplace competition forces network providers to offer unlimited data plans, video usage increases rapidly. Consequently, network quality is degraded, while infrastructure costs skyrocket. For network operators, this is not just a big problem; its an elephant-sized problem. And that's not an exaggeration. Network deployment engineers have dedicated years in trying to herd these elephant flows with more antennas, power/cabling, concrete bunkers for new cell sites and new Gs of speed. While thats been helpful -- and expensive -- truly getting to the heart of the matter requires to first identify the problem and then locate it. Elephant flows are data sessions that take up significant amounts of network capacity relative to other types of data sessions. For example, based on data from the FCC, a three-minute YouTube stream accounts for 20,000 times more bandwidth than three minutes consuming Twitter. Based on our own research, my company has discovered that currently 3% of data sessions account for 70% of all the traffic on mobile networks. Video is by far the most expensive and complicated form of media that is processed through mobile data sessions, and the demand grows every day. One report predicted that 50% of all video will be viewed on mobile devices by 2020. If you think that sounds like a big problem, just wait for 5G. The release of 5G will see autonomous vehicles produce real-time augmented reality applications, all processing billions upon billions of bits of data per second. The result: mega-elephants, which will challenge even the new high-speed 5G environment. What Elephant Flows Do To Networks Network operators use network performance as a veritable battle line, claiming their speeds and quality are better than the next, yet little is being done about the crushing impact video is having on network performance. Elephant flows slow down networks by consuming available network capacity. In turn, this leaves little to no capacity for the vast majority of users with less hungry data sessions, ruining the quality of experience or even stopping it altogether. Some cell sites are plagued with a dozen or more simultaneous elephant flows, making it difficult to keep up with and manage capacity issues. This is especially problematic in dense urban areas, such as New York City and London. How Network Carriers Currently Solve For Elephant Flows For years, network providers have worked to find ways to alleviate the destructive inefficiency video places on spectral resources. Short of expanding hardware or increasing infrastructure, network carriers attempted to manipulate the underlying data to reduce the data volume of a video through reduced resolution. The reality is that many of these mechanisms were made obsolete with the rapid adoption of encryption (HTTPS). As such, only blind throttling has remained as a mechanism to reduce video resolution and data volume. Throttling works by identifying videos on the network and actively preventing those videos access to high speeds. Intentionally limiting the speed of a subscribers video connection helps reduce the data volume and capacity requirements in the core of the network (network backbone). The trouble is that while throttling does provide a capacity savings in the core of the network, it does not address the capacity challenges over the radio access network. Overcoming Challenges With Elephant Flows Building cell sites is expensive and difficult, with the introduction of 5G and MIMO proving just how challenging it can be. Some network carriers are planning on spending billions in CAPEX to solve a problem that needs a dual solution, fueled by both infrastructure upgrades and the introduction of software solutions. There are now a couple of potential ways to alleviate this issue. One of them is a software-based solution that leverages the mobile core. These software-based solutions -- like our software-based RAN densification machine learning software -- recognize elephant flows immediately. There are also multiple OEMs and mobile network operators around the world -- like Cisco, Affirmed or Samsung, for example -- that are leading the way in developing technology that leverages software solutions. These solutions effectively manage elephant flows without impacting user experience for anyone. Software solutions arent a replacement for MIMO and 5G, but rather they serve as a complement. MIMO and 5G will change communications forever, but the demand for more data will perpetually increase with more augmented reality, autonomous cars, infotainment, IoT and other requirements putting a strain on these new hardware systems. MIMO and 5G seek to solve capacity issues from a hardware standpoint, but the increase wont be enough to handle the increased data demand. The new rich applications for 5G will result in the creation of mega elephants. This is why the combination of both hardware and software solutions is so critical for the future of hungry communications. | Video is now the most expensive and complicated form of media that is processed through mobile data. Elephant flows are data sessions that take up significant amounts of network capacity relative to other types of data sessions. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/02/28/what-are-elephant-flows-and-why-are-they-driving-up-mobile-network-costs/ | 0.440735 |
Why Does Business Travel Make Some Of Us Strangely Productive? | For some reason, when hopping between trains, planes and automobiles, I work with a laser-focus and an intensity that simply cannot be replicated in an office environment. Although many business travelers would argue productivity takes a backseat when youre in transit, particularly when jet lag is a factor, I find that Im unusually productive. I spoke to four seasoned business travelers who experience the same thing, to find out more. Jazmine Valencia, founder of music marketing company JV Agency, is on the road with musicians for 90% of her year. She thinks traveling forces our brains to be far more resourceful than if we were sitting in the same office every day, so she makes the most of it. She explained: "I brainstorm and come up with new creative ideas that I can take back to my team. When you are constantly moving you get to see different forms of advertising, the ways other businesses operate, and that really can help spark creativity and ingenuity. I also try to read a business book in transit, to help the flow of new ideas, something I don't get to do often in the day to day when I'm at one location." Valencia believes productivity when traveling relies on forward-planning, and added: "Preparing a to-do list of things you can get done on a plane in case you can't sleep means you can use your time wisely. Always have actionable tasks that can be done when theres slow or non-existent WiFi so that when you land you'll feel a sense of accomplishment." Mark Izatt, international brand and marketing strategist and founder of Communicating Luxury has been traveling for business since 1998. Over a 10-year period, while living in New York City, he flew more than a million domestic miles. Now based in London, he does up to three business trips a month, mainly to New York, Karachi, Dubai, Moscow, Tallinn, Zurich and Geneva. Izatt believes traveling makes you more conscious of time and the need for efficiency. He told me: "We allocate specific tasks to be done within all those travel stages conference call in the airport lounge, read those papers in the cab, and schedule next week on the train. The time constraints focus you. Izatt prefers to work analog while traveling and added: "Ive never understood people who spend an entire flight smashing out emails on their laptop. It seems to me to be a hugely unproductive use of time. Shun the onboard WiFi and use the time to think, read, make lists. Its rare you get such a stretch of undisturbed time, use it wisely." Jonha Richman splits her time between Singapore and UK, traveling to speak in conferences and attend events as part of her role on the advisory boards of various Blockchain companies. She believes it is immersion in new environments that makes us more productive: "Some of the most random and often creative ideas come from being exposed to different cultures and not just by simply sitting in a vacuum of one's own ideas." She added: "Studies show that when youre forced to survive in an environment by picking up a second language, it can contribute to a spike in your IQ. Learning another language can improve brain function and form new neural connections. In essence, traveling can literally make your brain faster, stronger and more creative." But Richman acknowledges the jetsetter lifestyle is not for everyone: "Depending on people's personalities and preferred lifestyles, traveling can be either energizing or daunting." Dominic Monkhouse of Foundry Media is a business coach to fast-growth tech companies. Once a month he travels from the UK to Australia for work and occasionally to the USA as well. For him, traveling abroad means being uninterrupted for extended periods, giving him time to think and plan. Monkhouse used to spend long-haul flights going through his inbox. He recalled: "I would reread and reply to every email I had received in a three-month period in the time it took to get to the USA. I would chase up actions that had gone undone and trigger loads of work for the team. This was pre WiFi on planes so when we landed, my employees would get a tidal wave of emails as my laptop found an internet connection. They referred to it as a 'Dom Bomb'." Now, he uses his travel time to educate himself: "I always have a stack of books and e-books to read, articles I have tagged and podcasts to listen to. I tend to do research or study as I travel rather than email." | Four seasoned business travelers share their tips on how to be more productive. They say traveling forces our brains to be far more resourceful than if we were sitting in the same office every day. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/barnabylashbrooke/2019/02/28/why-does-business-travel-make-some-of-us-strangely-productive/ | 0.317744 |
Why Does Business Travel Make Some Of Us Strangely Productive? | For some reason, when hopping between trains, planes and automobiles, I work with a laser-focus and an intensity that simply cannot be replicated in an office environment. Although many business travelers would argue productivity takes a backseat when youre in transit, particularly when jet lag is a factor, I find that Im unusually productive. I spoke to four seasoned business travelers who experience the same thing, to find out more. Jazmine Valencia, founder of music marketing company JV Agency, is on the road with musicians for 90% of her year. She thinks traveling forces our brains to be far more resourceful than if we were sitting in the same office every day, so she makes the most of it. She explained: "I brainstorm and come up with new creative ideas that I can take back to my team. When you are constantly moving you get to see different forms of advertising, the ways other businesses operate, and that really can help spark creativity and ingenuity. I also try to read a business book in transit, to help the flow of new ideas, something I don't get to do often in the day to day when I'm at one location." Valencia believes productivity when traveling relies on forward-planning, and added: "Preparing a to-do list of things you can get done on a plane in case you can't sleep means you can use your time wisely. Always have actionable tasks that can be done when theres slow or non-existent WiFi so that when you land you'll feel a sense of accomplishment." Mark Izatt, international brand and marketing strategist and founder of Communicating Luxury has been traveling for business since 1998. Over a 10-year period, while living in New York City, he flew more than a million domestic miles. Now based in London, he does up to three business trips a month, mainly to New York, Karachi, Dubai, Moscow, Tallinn, Zurich and Geneva. Izatt believes traveling makes you more conscious of time and the need for efficiency. He told me: "We allocate specific tasks to be done within all those travel stages conference call in the airport lounge, read those papers in the cab, and schedule next week on the train. The time constraints focus you. Izatt prefers to work analog while traveling and added: "Ive never understood people who spend an entire flight smashing out emails on their laptop. It seems to me to be a hugely unproductive use of time. Shun the onboard WiFi and use the time to think, read, make lists. Its rare you get such a stretch of undisturbed time, use it wisely." Jonha Richman splits her time between Singapore and UK, traveling to speak in conferences and attend events as part of her role on the advisory boards of various Blockchain companies. She believes it is immersion in new environments that makes us more productive: "Some of the most random and often creative ideas come from being exposed to different cultures and not just by simply sitting in a vacuum of one's own ideas." She added: "Studies show that when youre forced to survive in an environment by picking up a second language, it can contribute to a spike in your IQ. Learning another language can improve brain function and form new neural connections. In essence, traveling can literally make your brain faster, stronger and more creative." But Richman acknowledges the jetsetter lifestyle is not for everyone: "Depending on people's personalities and preferred lifestyles, traveling can be either energizing or daunting." Dominic Monkhouse of Foundry Media is a business coach to fast-growth tech companies. Once a month he travels from the UK to Australia for work and occasionally to the USA as well. For him, traveling abroad means being uninterrupted for extended periods, giving him time to think and plan. Monkhouse used to spend long-haul flights going through his inbox. He recalled: "I would reread and reply to every email I had received in a three-month period in the time it took to get to the USA. I would chase up actions that had gone undone and trigger loads of work for the team. This was pre WiFi on planes so when we landed, my employees would get a tidal wave of emails as my laptop found an internet connection. They referred to it as a 'Dom Bomb'." Now, he uses his travel time to educate himself: "I always have a stack of books and e-books to read, articles I have tagged and podcasts to listen to. I tend to do research or study as I travel rather than email." | Four seasoned business travelers share their tips on how to be more productive. They say traveling forces our brains to be far more resourceful than if we were sitting in the same office every day, so she makes the most of it. But they warn that the jetsetter lifestyle is not for everyone. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/barnabylashbrooke/2019/02/28/why-does-business-travel-make-some-of-us-strangely-productive/ | 0.431218 |
Is Netflix's alternative ending to The Notebook really so bad? | Certain film moments are permanently etched on to our hearts. The kiss in the surf in From Here to Eternity. The hand on the window in Titanic. The end of The Notebook, where Noah and Allison die of old age holding hands, lost in the memory of each other. Except that last one isnt what British Netflix viewers got to see this week. Instead they saw a version of The Notebook where, rather than the film ending with the discovery of two corpses, some birds simply flew over a lake instead. The ensuing outrage was so huge that Netflix UK was forced to write a weirdly defensive tweet to deny editing the saddest 20 seconds out of the film. We are getting to the bottom of it asap they wrote. Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) Things you should know we did not edit the notebook an alternate version exists and was supplied to us we are getting to the bottom of it asap apparently some films have more than one ending?! As of this morning, the mistake has been corrected, and Im in two minds about how to react. On one hand, we now all know that The Notebooks original ending isnt canon, which automatically makes it far less authoritative. On the other hand, what an interesting experiment this could be. Netflix already has the technology to do this. Lets do the same with The Notebook. If youve watched a lot of films with dead people in it, go ahead and watch the original version. But if your viewing history seems in any way prudish or squeamish, you can see the edited version instead. In fact, this could work with any number of films. If youve shown a preference for happy endings, lets give you the alternative ending to Terminator 2 where Sarah Connor ends up a happy old granny. If youve demonstrated an aversion to heavy-handed Jesus allegories, you could be shown the version of I Am Legend that ends with Will Smith realising that he is essentially a monstrous serial killer and not the saviour of mankind. Or, if Netflix decides that you really wouldnt like to see any of the Rambo sequels, it could serve up the version of First Blood where Rambo kills himself at the end. There, a perfect world where everybody gets to see different versions of the same film tailored to their personal preferences. This Notebook mistake might be the beginning of something huge. We might never have to watch anything that challenges us ever again. Hooray for the bubble! | British Netflix viewers saw a version of The Notebook where, rather than the film ending with the discovery of two corpses, some birds simply flew over a lake instead. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/28/is-netflix-alternative-ending-the-notebook-really-so-bad | 0.258429 |
Is Netflix's alternative ending to The Notebook really so bad? | Certain film moments are permanently etched on to our hearts. The kiss in the surf in From Here to Eternity. The hand on the window in Titanic. The end of The Notebook, where Noah and Allison die of old age holding hands, lost in the memory of each other. Except that last one isnt what British Netflix viewers got to see this week. Instead they saw a version of The Notebook where, rather than the film ending with the discovery of two corpses, some birds simply flew over a lake instead. The ensuing outrage was so huge that Netflix UK was forced to write a weirdly defensive tweet to deny editing the saddest 20 seconds out of the film. We are getting to the bottom of it asap they wrote. Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) Things you should know we did not edit the notebook an alternate version exists and was supplied to us we are getting to the bottom of it asap apparently some films have more than one ending?! As of this morning, the mistake has been corrected, and Im in two minds about how to react. On one hand, we now all know that The Notebooks original ending isnt canon, which automatically makes it far less authoritative. On the other hand, what an interesting experiment this could be. Netflix already has the technology to do this. Lets do the same with The Notebook. If youve watched a lot of films with dead people in it, go ahead and watch the original version. But if your viewing history seems in any way prudish or squeamish, you can see the edited version instead. In fact, this could work with any number of films. If youve shown a preference for happy endings, lets give you the alternative ending to Terminator 2 where Sarah Connor ends up a happy old granny. If youve demonstrated an aversion to heavy-handed Jesus allegories, you could be shown the version of I Am Legend that ends with Will Smith realising that he is essentially a monstrous serial killer and not the saviour of mankind. Or, if Netflix decides that you really wouldnt like to see any of the Rambo sequels, it could serve up the version of First Blood where Rambo kills himself at the end. There, a perfect world where everybody gets to see different versions of the same film tailored to their personal preferences. This Notebook mistake might be the beginning of something huge. We might never have to watch anything that challenges us ever again. Hooray for the bubble! | British Netflix viewers got to see a version of The Notebook where, rather than the film ending with the discovery of two corpses, some birds simply flew over a lake instead. The ensuing outrage was so huge that Netflix UK was forced to write a weirdly defensive tweet to deny editing the saddest 20 seconds out of the film. | bart | 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/28/is-netflix-alternative-ending-the-notebook-really-so-bad | 0.314005 |
Is Arenado's Record-Breaking Contract Reasonable By Comparison? | Nolan Arenado received a contract extension offer for the record books. Never before has a position player been offered $32.5MM AAV (annual average value). The total is $260MM over eight years. As part of the offer, there is an opt-out potential after only three years, which is relatively early on such a longer-term deal. While Harper and Machado were in the media due to being free agents with the opportunity to sign at multiple teams, Arenado got less of the spotlight because he was not yet a free agent and the Rockies had the opportunity to lock him in, which is just what happened. Arenado is right up there with Machado and Harper offensively, and better defensively. So by comparison the AAV over $32.5MM is within reason. Prior to Arenado's signing, Miguel Cabrera had the highest AAV - $31MM - for a position player, when the Tigers extended him starting 2014 for 8 years and $248MM total. Since then he averaged 3.24 WAR offensively and detrimental negative 0.94 WAR defensively. He dropped off the charts in 2017 with a negative 1.4 overall WAR in 2017 and 0.3 in 2018, getting injured after only 38 games with a ruptured biceps tendon. It goes without saying that Arenado's AAV is more than reasonable by Cabrera's contract comparison. Contract comparison The chart below shows Arenado has the highest AAV ($32.5MM), fewest seasons in the Majors prior to contract (6), and quickest opt-out (after 3 years). Machado has the highest overall dollars ($300MM) and years (10). Cabrera had the most MLB seasons prior to contract extension (11), and was the oldest at the time (30 yrs): Offense and defense comparison Looking at all four players - Arenado, Machado, Cabrera, and Harper - Arenado ranks best for fewest plate appearances (106) to achieve 1 WAR, followed by Machado (110), Cabrera (139) and Harper (162). To be consistent, all of Cabrera's numbers were through the year prior to his contract extension, meaning what the world knew at the time of the signing. In the season prior to the contract, Cabrera had a huge 9.1 WAR offensively, followed by Machado (6.6), Arenado (5.2), and Harper (4.2). Defensively, Arenado had the best defense (0.7 dWAR) in the prior-contract season, followed by Machado (0), Cabrera (-1.4), and Harper (-3.2). Defense details When Arenado got the call to the Majors, he was only 21 years old. A few weeks later he turned 22 and by the end of the season got the Gold Glove for third-base. And again the next year. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. Six consecutive Gold Glove awards. Arenado has 13.3 dWAR through six seasons, and Machado 11.3 through seven. Cabrera was negative (-11.5 dWAR over 11 seasons) and Harper as well (-3 dWAR over 7 seasons). Splits Colorado is a unique stadium to hit in, known to be a hitters park largely from it's elevation leading to less dense air leading to balls hit father. As a result, many question the affects of splits, especially for Arenado. Below is a comparison of splits for the four players, both home/away and vs lefty/righty: Arenado leads with OPS at home (1.105) and career OPS vs LHP (1.199) - and the biggest home/away difference (.333 OPS difference). Cabrera at the time had the highest overall career OPS (.967) and away (.918) and vs RHP (.935). Machado has the lowest overall (.822). Harper has lowest at home (.932) and vs LHP (.857 - recall he bats lefty). To conclude, Arenado's offense and defense by comparison make his contract reasonable by comparing to Machado and even more compared to Cabrera. Now that Harper is likely to sign, it will be interesting to see considering his comparative offense yet lower defensive productivity. | Nolan Arenado received a contract extension offer for the record books. Never before has a position player been offered $32.5MM AAV. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/arikaplan/2019/02/28/is-arenados-record-breaking-contract-reasonable-by-comparison/ | 0.107185 |
Is Arenado's Record-Breaking Contract Reasonable By Comparison? | Nolan Arenado received a contract extension offer for the record books. Never before has a position player been offered $32.5MM AAV (annual average value). The total is $260MM over eight years. As part of the offer, there is an opt-out potential after only three years, which is relatively early on such a longer-term deal. While Harper and Machado were in the media due to being free agents with the opportunity to sign at multiple teams, Arenado got less of the spotlight because he was not yet a free agent and the Rockies had the opportunity to lock him in, which is just what happened. Arenado is right up there with Machado and Harper offensively, and better defensively. So by comparison the AAV over $32.5MM is within reason. Prior to Arenado's signing, Miguel Cabrera had the highest AAV - $31MM - for a position player, when the Tigers extended him starting 2014 for 8 years and $248MM total. Since then he averaged 3.24 WAR offensively and detrimental negative 0.94 WAR defensively. He dropped off the charts in 2017 with a negative 1.4 overall WAR in 2017 and 0.3 in 2018, getting injured after only 38 games with a ruptured biceps tendon. It goes without saying that Arenado's AAV is more than reasonable by Cabrera's contract comparison. Contract comparison The chart below shows Arenado has the highest AAV ($32.5MM), fewest seasons in the Majors prior to contract (6), and quickest opt-out (after 3 years). Machado has the highest overall dollars ($300MM) and years (10). Cabrera had the most MLB seasons prior to contract extension (11), and was the oldest at the time (30 yrs): Offense and defense comparison Looking at all four players - Arenado, Machado, Cabrera, and Harper - Arenado ranks best for fewest plate appearances (106) to achieve 1 WAR, followed by Machado (110), Cabrera (139) and Harper (162). To be consistent, all of Cabrera's numbers were through the year prior to his contract extension, meaning what the world knew at the time of the signing. In the season prior to the contract, Cabrera had a huge 9.1 WAR offensively, followed by Machado (6.6), Arenado (5.2), and Harper (4.2). Defensively, Arenado had the best defense (0.7 dWAR) in the prior-contract season, followed by Machado (0), Cabrera (-1.4), and Harper (-3.2). Defense details When Arenado got the call to the Majors, he was only 21 years old. A few weeks later he turned 22 and by the end of the season got the Gold Glove for third-base. And again the next year. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. Six consecutive Gold Glove awards. Arenado has 13.3 dWAR through six seasons, and Machado 11.3 through seven. Cabrera was negative (-11.5 dWAR over 11 seasons) and Harper as well (-3 dWAR over 7 seasons). Splits Colorado is a unique stadium to hit in, known to be a hitters park largely from it's elevation leading to less dense air leading to balls hit father. As a result, many question the affects of splits, especially for Arenado. Below is a comparison of splits for the four players, both home/away and vs lefty/righty: Arenado leads with OPS at home (1.105) and career OPS vs LHP (1.199) - and the biggest home/away difference (.333 OPS difference). Cabrera at the time had the highest overall career OPS (.967) and away (.918) and vs RHP (.935). Machado has the lowest overall (.822). Harper has lowest at home (.932) and vs LHP (.857 - recall he bats lefty). To conclude, Arenado's offense and defense by comparison make his contract reasonable by comparing to Machado and even more compared to Cabrera. Now that Harper is likely to sign, it will be interesting to see considering his comparative offense yet lower defensive productivity. | Nolan Arenado received a contract extension offer for the record books. Never before has a position player been offered $32.5MM AAV (annual average value) The total is $260MM over eight years. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/arikaplan/2019/02/28/is-arenados-record-breaking-contract-reasonable-by-comparison/ | 0.162836 |
Is Arenado's Record-Breaking Contract Reasonable By Comparison? | Nolan Arenado received a contract extension offer for the record books. Never before has a position player been offered $32.5MM AAV (annual average value). The total is $260MM over eight years. As part of the offer, there is an opt-out potential after only three years, which is relatively early on such a longer-term deal. While Harper and Machado were in the media due to being free agents with the opportunity to sign at multiple teams, Arenado got less of the spotlight because he was not yet a free agent and the Rockies had the opportunity to lock him in, which is just what happened. Arenado is right up there with Machado and Harper offensively, and better defensively. So by comparison the AAV over $32.5MM is within reason. Prior to Arenado's signing, Miguel Cabrera had the highest AAV - $31MM - for a position player, when the Tigers extended him starting 2014 for 8 years and $248MM total. Since then he averaged 3.24 WAR offensively and detrimental negative 0.94 WAR defensively. He dropped off the charts in 2017 with a negative 1.4 overall WAR in 2017 and 0.3 in 2018, getting injured after only 38 games with a ruptured biceps tendon. It goes without saying that Arenado's AAV is more than reasonable by Cabrera's contract comparison. Contract comparison The chart below shows Arenado has the highest AAV ($32.5MM), fewest seasons in the Majors prior to contract (6), and quickest opt-out (after 3 years). Machado has the highest overall dollars ($300MM) and years (10). Cabrera had the most MLB seasons prior to contract extension (11), and was the oldest at the time (30 yrs): Offense and defense comparison Looking at all four players - Arenado, Machado, Cabrera, and Harper - Arenado ranks best for fewest plate appearances (106) to achieve 1 WAR, followed by Machado (110), Cabrera (139) and Harper (162). To be consistent, all of Cabrera's numbers were through the year prior to his contract extension, meaning what the world knew at the time of the signing. In the season prior to the contract, Cabrera had a huge 9.1 WAR offensively, followed by Machado (6.6), Arenado (5.2), and Harper (4.2). Defensively, Arenado had the best defense (0.7 dWAR) in the prior-contract season, followed by Machado (0), Cabrera (-1.4), and Harper (-3.2). Defense details When Arenado got the call to the Majors, he was only 21 years old. A few weeks later he turned 22 and by the end of the season got the Gold Glove for third-base. And again the next year. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. Six consecutive Gold Glove awards. Arenado has 13.3 dWAR through six seasons, and Machado 11.3 through seven. Cabrera was negative (-11.5 dWAR over 11 seasons) and Harper as well (-3 dWAR over 7 seasons). Splits Colorado is a unique stadium to hit in, known to be a hitters park largely from it's elevation leading to less dense air leading to balls hit father. As a result, many question the affects of splits, especially for Arenado. Below is a comparison of splits for the four players, both home/away and vs lefty/righty: Arenado leads with OPS at home (1.105) and career OPS vs LHP (1.199) - and the biggest home/away difference (.333 OPS difference). Cabrera at the time had the highest overall career OPS (.967) and away (.918) and vs RHP (.935). Machado has the lowest overall (.822). Harper has lowest at home (.932) and vs LHP (.857 - recall he bats lefty). To conclude, Arenado's offense and defense by comparison make his contract reasonable by comparing to Machado and even more compared to Cabrera. Now that Harper is likely to sign, it will be interesting to see considering his comparative offense yet lower defensive productivity. | Nolan Arenado received a contract extension offer for the record books. Never before has a position player been offered $32.5MM AAV (annual average value) The total is $260MM over eight years. As part of the offer, there is an opt-out potential after only three years. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/arikaplan/2019/02/28/is-arenados-record-breaking-contract-reasonable-by-comparison/ | 0.161145 |
Are High-Design Hotels The New Co-Working Space? | Working nine-to-five is a thing of the past. It's the wild wild west of freelancing as more people desire flexibility, independence and the ability to globetrot whenever and wherever they have wifi. As a result of the break out from behind the cubicle, we are witnessing subtle shifts where communities gather and work. It's not only coffee shops and co-working spaces that are capitalizing on the start-up culture, but high-design hotels are becoming quite the hotspot for the freelancing force. So much in fact, that designers and top hotel management are starting to take notice and leverage this crusade away from the traditional career. "The freelance population is growing and has evolving needs...mostly made up of millennials, this demographic seeks to obtain the best of work, life and wellness environments that support this unique lifestyle," says Alison Howland, VP of Wellness at Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences. Personally speaking as an entrepreneur that isn't tied to a co-working space (yet) and travels often, hotels have become a second home for me. Hotel libraries and side-room sanctuaries have not just become a pitstop to drop my bags, but are a very welcoming and communal space for the self-employed. I work, meet friends, take client meetings and more from these lovely, lounge-worthy lobbies. I have even 'tapped' clients while unintentionally networking in these spaces. On the East Coast, take one step into the PUBLIC Hotel any day of the work week and without a doubt, the space is filled with a creative, fashion-forward (very likely freelance) crowd sipping oat milk matcha lattes and munching on overpriced spinach salads. However, this space is not only a sexy spectacle, but it truly is a pleasant space to both socialize, study, work and everything in-between. Founded by Ian Schrager, the infamous co-founder and -owner of Studio 54, the PUBLIC's intention is to indeed open its doors to... you guessed it, the public. Downstairs is home to a collection of communal tables with a convenient cafe, while up the orange-light-lined escalators is a convenient stadium seating wall with outlets, next to a bar, and a sweeping space with plush white couches and floor-to-ceiling windows. It's like working from your dream living room. We can see the hotel co-working trend hitting the West Coast as well. The Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown is a stunning space that leverages its sky-high setting as a co-working escape. "Our 70th floor Sky Lobby was designed to not only give the most exceptional arrival to Los Angeles, but to foster an environment that radiates creativity, innovation, and socialization," says Niles Harris, General Manager of the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown. You can bet a lot of locals also hit up this hotel lobby to bring clients for a late afternoon meeting-meets-happy hour rendezvous. "We often see meetings move from the lobby lounge vodka bar to dinner at La Boucherie or a nightcap at Spire 73, the tallest open-air bar in the Western Hemisphere," says Harris. The hotel expanded its inclusive strategy to open their gym and rooftop pool (for a price) to the public as well just another added bonus for freelancers and another buck for the hotel. Other high-design hotels that are leveraging a more community-based design that drive local traffic are The Ace Hotel, The Freehand, 11Howard, and The Hoxton. As our culture continues to shift to adapt to digital-dominating, remote work, interior designers and architects have a clear opportunity target their contracting to contractors. | High-design hotels are becoming quite the hotspot for the freelancing force. The Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown is a stunning space that leverages its sky-high setting as a co-working escape. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/karaladd/2019/02/28/hotels-coworking-freelance/ | 0.281182 |
Are High-Design Hotels The New Co-Working Space? | Working nine-to-five is a thing of the past. It's the wild wild west of freelancing as more people desire flexibility, independence and the ability to globetrot whenever and wherever they have wifi. As a result of the break out from behind the cubicle, we are witnessing subtle shifts where communities gather and work. It's not only coffee shops and co-working spaces that are capitalizing on the start-up culture, but high-design hotels are becoming quite the hotspot for the freelancing force. So much in fact, that designers and top hotel management are starting to take notice and leverage this crusade away from the traditional career. "The freelance population is growing and has evolving needs...mostly made up of millennials, this demographic seeks to obtain the best of work, life and wellness environments that support this unique lifestyle," says Alison Howland, VP of Wellness at Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences. Personally speaking as an entrepreneur that isn't tied to a co-working space (yet) and travels often, hotels have become a second home for me. Hotel libraries and side-room sanctuaries have not just become a pitstop to drop my bags, but are a very welcoming and communal space for the self-employed. I work, meet friends, take client meetings and more from these lovely, lounge-worthy lobbies. I have even 'tapped' clients while unintentionally networking in these spaces. On the East Coast, take one step into the PUBLIC Hotel any day of the work week and without a doubt, the space is filled with a creative, fashion-forward (very likely freelance) crowd sipping oat milk matcha lattes and munching on overpriced spinach salads. However, this space is not only a sexy spectacle, but it truly is a pleasant space to both socialize, study, work and everything in-between. Founded by Ian Schrager, the infamous co-founder and -owner of Studio 54, the PUBLIC's intention is to indeed open its doors to... you guessed it, the public. Downstairs is home to a collection of communal tables with a convenient cafe, while up the orange-light-lined escalators is a convenient stadium seating wall with outlets, next to a bar, and a sweeping space with plush white couches and floor-to-ceiling windows. It's like working from your dream living room. We can see the hotel co-working trend hitting the West Coast as well. The Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown is a stunning space that leverages its sky-high setting as a co-working escape. "Our 70th floor Sky Lobby was designed to not only give the most exceptional arrival to Los Angeles, but to foster an environment that radiates creativity, innovation, and socialization," says Niles Harris, General Manager of the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown. You can bet a lot of locals also hit up this hotel lobby to bring clients for a late afternoon meeting-meets-happy hour rendezvous. "We often see meetings move from the lobby lounge vodka bar to dinner at La Boucherie or a nightcap at Spire 73, the tallest open-air bar in the Western Hemisphere," says Harris. The hotel expanded its inclusive strategy to open their gym and rooftop pool (for a price) to the public as well just another added bonus for freelancers and another buck for the hotel. Other high-design hotels that are leveraging a more community-based design that drive local traffic are The Ace Hotel, The Freehand, 11Howard, and The Hoxton. As our culture continues to shift to adapt to digital-dominating, remote work, interior designers and architects have a clear opportunity target their contracting to contractors. | High-design hotels are becoming quite the hotspot for the freelancing force. The Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown is a stunning space that leverages its sky-high setting as a co-working escape. As our culture continues to shift to adapt to digital-dominating, remote work, interior designers and architects have a clear opportunity. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/karaladd/2019/02/28/hotels-coworking-freelance/ | 0.425863 |
How does ASU President Michael Crow manage 90 meetings per week? | For some people, hell would be 90 meetings on your calendar. Every week. For Arizona State University President Michael Crow, it's normal. His schedule is crammed with back-to-back-to-back meetings with people like the vice-chairman of Pepsi and global Adidas executives and sometimes even his wife. But, just like Beyonc, Crow only has 24 hours in a day. (This is probably the only obvious similarity between Crow and Beyonc.) As ASU's president since 2002, Crow has worked to change the university'simage from that of a party school to a large, academically challenging, first-class institution. In some ways, Crow is just like the rest of us (he likes gas-station taquitos). But his schedule makes him seem almost superhuman. Of course, he has help. To fit it all in, he's figured out a few tools to maximize his time and make the day run smoothly. Here's how Crow gets it all done. MORE: How Michael Crow turned ASU into the nation's most innovative university Get by with a little help from your staff OK, Crow and Beyonc have one other big thing in common. They both have a staff of people who help them handle logistics that the rest of us have to deal with ourselves, like sorting through email and scheduling meetings. Four people in Crow's office primarily manage his days. One person manages the office and Crow's logistics. One is responsible for the day-of schedule. One schedules meetings for farther-out dates. One manages his relationships with other people. Several more people work in the office, but those four really keep Crow on track. CLOSE Michael Crow has been president of ASU since 2002. Since then, ASU has grown exponentially and developed a reputation for innovation and disruption. David Wallace, The Republic | azcentral.com Every gap is an opportunity If Crow has five minutes, that five minutes can be used to catch up with someone in the office or sign documents between meetings. And he doesn't really indulge in leisurely meals during the workday. I followed him for several days and never saw a meal that was just a meal. He found times to grab a meal or snacks while in other meetings. He also walks incredibly fast. I once saw someonejog to keep up with him. He doesn't need much sleep and usually gets about five hours per night, giving him more waking hours than the average person. He's known to send a late-night email. Folder system prioritizes issues Over the years, Crow and his team have figured out systems that work to get him the information he needs while maximizing efficiency. NEWSLETTERS Get the AZ Memo newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Get the pulse of Arizona -- Local news, in-depth state coverage and what it all means for you Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for AZ Memo Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters For example, at the end of each day, he goes home with a bunch of color-coded folders put together by his staff. The coding system signifies what's important and needs to be handled imminently, what he needs to read but not act on, what he may find interesting. Purple plastic folders are the most important and signify something that Crow needs to address directly and urgently. plastic folders are the most important and signify something that Crow needs to address directly and urgently. Red means important, but not as important as purple. These are items Crow wants to see move quickly, but they may not require his input. means important, but not as important as purple. These are items Crow wants to see move quickly, but they may not require his input. Orange is of medium importance. is of medium importance. Yellow is least important, more like an FYI. is least important, more like an FYI. Gray means "back to me." This folder would include projects on which Crow is waiting for feedback or tracking closely. means "back to me." This folder would include projects on which Crow is waiting for feedback or tracking closely. Blue signifies items from Crow's desk or printer. He may do research online and ask that an article be printed and put into this folder to be sent home with him. If he's working away from the Tempe campus, his staff puts together a binder for him with the day's events, including who he's going to meet, any speeches he has to give and any tasks in folders he needs to address. CLOSE ASU President Michael Crow talks about who is the most influential person in Arizona, from school teachers to innovators. David Wallace, The Republic | azcentral.com Technology is a friend Crow still uses handwritten notes, but he embraces technology, too. He has Amazon Alexas in multiple rooms at work and at home. He will ask Alexa to look up words or historical events for him or others in the room, if needed. If he's working at his office in Tempe, he's moving between his actual office, an attached conference room and a side room for smaller groups. He may have people waiting for him in one room while he finishes a meeting in another. In these rooms, a blue light flashes on electronic boxes whenever its time for Crow to wrap up a meeting and move on to the next task. The boxes, made by Honeywell, are intended to be portable doorbells. He notices the flashing boxes but doesn't always abide by them. It usually takes someone popping into a meeting, telling him that someone else is waiting for him, to spur a move. Subscribe to azcentral.com. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2019/02/28/michael-crow-asu-president-schedule-efficient-90-meetings-week/2883276002/ | ASU President Michael Crow has 90 meetings per week. Crow has a system that prioritizes important issues. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2019/02/28/michael-crow-asu-president-schedule-efficient-90-meetings-week/2883276002/ | 0.418962 |
How does ASU President Michael Crow manage 90 meetings per week? | For some people, hell would be 90 meetings on your calendar. Every week. For Arizona State University President Michael Crow, it's normal. His schedule is crammed with back-to-back-to-back meetings with people like the vice-chairman of Pepsi and global Adidas executives and sometimes even his wife. But, just like Beyonc, Crow only has 24 hours in a day. (This is probably the only obvious similarity between Crow and Beyonc.) As ASU's president since 2002, Crow has worked to change the university'simage from that of a party school to a large, academically challenging, first-class institution. In some ways, Crow is just like the rest of us (he likes gas-station taquitos). But his schedule makes him seem almost superhuman. Of course, he has help. To fit it all in, he's figured out a few tools to maximize his time and make the day run smoothly. Here's how Crow gets it all done. MORE: How Michael Crow turned ASU into the nation's most innovative university Get by with a little help from your staff OK, Crow and Beyonc have one other big thing in common. They both have a staff of people who help them handle logistics that the rest of us have to deal with ourselves, like sorting through email and scheduling meetings. Four people in Crow's office primarily manage his days. One person manages the office and Crow's logistics. One is responsible for the day-of schedule. One schedules meetings for farther-out dates. One manages his relationships with other people. Several more people work in the office, but those four really keep Crow on track. CLOSE Michael Crow has been president of ASU since 2002. Since then, ASU has grown exponentially and developed a reputation for innovation and disruption. David Wallace, The Republic | azcentral.com Every gap is an opportunity If Crow has five minutes, that five minutes can be used to catch up with someone in the office or sign documents between meetings. And he doesn't really indulge in leisurely meals during the workday. I followed him for several days and never saw a meal that was just a meal. He found times to grab a meal or snacks while in other meetings. He also walks incredibly fast. I once saw someonejog to keep up with him. He doesn't need much sleep and usually gets about five hours per night, giving him more waking hours than the average person. He's known to send a late-night email. Folder system prioritizes issues Over the years, Crow and his team have figured out systems that work to get him the information he needs while maximizing efficiency. NEWSLETTERS Get the AZ Memo newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Get the pulse of Arizona -- Local news, in-depth state coverage and what it all means for you Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for AZ Memo Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters For example, at the end of each day, he goes home with a bunch of color-coded folders put together by his staff. The coding system signifies what's important and needs to be handled imminently, what he needs to read but not act on, what he may find interesting. Purple plastic folders are the most important and signify something that Crow needs to address directly and urgently. plastic folders are the most important and signify something that Crow needs to address directly and urgently. Red means important, but not as important as purple. These are items Crow wants to see move quickly, but they may not require his input. means important, but not as important as purple. These are items Crow wants to see move quickly, but they may not require his input. Orange is of medium importance. is of medium importance. Yellow is least important, more like an FYI. is least important, more like an FYI. Gray means "back to me." This folder would include projects on which Crow is waiting for feedback or tracking closely. means "back to me." This folder would include projects on which Crow is waiting for feedback or tracking closely. Blue signifies items from Crow's desk or printer. He may do research online and ask that an article be printed and put into this folder to be sent home with him. If he's working away from the Tempe campus, his staff puts together a binder for him with the day's events, including who he's going to meet, any speeches he has to give and any tasks in folders he needs to address. CLOSE ASU President Michael Crow talks about who is the most influential person in Arizona, from school teachers to innovators. David Wallace, The Republic | azcentral.com Technology is a friend Crow still uses handwritten notes, but he embraces technology, too. He has Amazon Alexas in multiple rooms at work and at home. He will ask Alexa to look up words or historical events for him or others in the room, if needed. If he's working at his office in Tempe, he's moving between his actual office, an attached conference room and a side room for smaller groups. He may have people waiting for him in one room while he finishes a meeting in another. In these rooms, a blue light flashes on electronic boxes whenever its time for Crow to wrap up a meeting and move on to the next task. The boxes, made by Honeywell, are intended to be portable doorbells. He notices the flashing boxes but doesn't always abide by them. It usually takes someone popping into a meeting, telling him that someone else is waiting for him, to spur a move. Subscribe to azcentral.com. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2019/02/28/michael-crow-asu-president-schedule-efficient-90-meetings-week/2883276002/ | ASU President Michael Crow has 90 meetings per week. He has a system that prioritizes what he needs to do and what he doesn't need to do. Crow also has a staff of people who help him with logistics. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2019/02/28/michael-crow-asu-president-schedule-efficient-90-meetings-week/2883276002/ | 0.712242 |
How does ASU President Michael Crow manage 90 meetings per week? | For some people, hell would be 90 meetings on your calendar. Every week. For Arizona State University President Michael Crow, it's normal. His schedule is crammed with back-to-back-to-back meetings with people like the vice-chairman of Pepsi and global Adidas executives and sometimes even his wife. But, just like Beyonc, Crow only has 24 hours in a day. (This is probably the only obvious similarity between Crow and Beyonc.) As ASU's president since 2002, Crow has worked to change the university'simage from that of a party school to a large, academically challenging, first-class institution. In some ways, Crow is just like the rest of us (he likes gas-station taquitos). But his schedule makes him seem almost superhuman. Of course, he has help. To fit it all in, he's figured out a few tools to maximize his time and make the day run smoothly. Here's how Crow gets it all done. MORE: How Michael Crow turned ASU into the nation's most innovative university Get by with a little help from your staff OK, Crow and Beyonc have one other big thing in common. They both have a staff of people who help them handle logistics that the rest of us have to deal with ourselves, like sorting through email and scheduling meetings. Four people in Crow's office primarily manage his days. One person manages the office and Crow's logistics. One is responsible for the day-of schedule. One schedules meetings for farther-out dates. One manages his relationships with other people. Several more people work in the office, but those four really keep Crow on track. CLOSE Michael Crow has been president of ASU since 2002. Since then, ASU has grown exponentially and developed a reputation for innovation and disruption. David Wallace, The Republic | azcentral.com Every gap is an opportunity If Crow has five minutes, that five minutes can be used to catch up with someone in the office or sign documents between meetings. And he doesn't really indulge in leisurely meals during the workday. I followed him for several days and never saw a meal that was just a meal. He found times to grab a meal or snacks while in other meetings. He also walks incredibly fast. I once saw someonejog to keep up with him. He doesn't need much sleep and usually gets about five hours per night, giving him more waking hours than the average person. He's known to send a late-night email. Folder system prioritizes issues Over the years, Crow and his team have figured out systems that work to get him the information he needs while maximizing efficiency. NEWSLETTERS Get the AZ Memo newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Get the pulse of Arizona -- Local news, in-depth state coverage and what it all means for you Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for AZ Memo Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters For example, at the end of each day, he goes home with a bunch of color-coded folders put together by his staff. The coding system signifies what's important and needs to be handled imminently, what he needs to read but not act on, what he may find interesting. Purple plastic folders are the most important and signify something that Crow needs to address directly and urgently. plastic folders are the most important and signify something that Crow needs to address directly and urgently. Red means important, but not as important as purple. These are items Crow wants to see move quickly, but they may not require his input. means important, but not as important as purple. These are items Crow wants to see move quickly, but they may not require his input. Orange is of medium importance. is of medium importance. Yellow is least important, more like an FYI. is least important, more like an FYI. Gray means "back to me." This folder would include projects on which Crow is waiting for feedback or tracking closely. means "back to me." This folder would include projects on which Crow is waiting for feedback or tracking closely. Blue signifies items from Crow's desk or printer. He may do research online and ask that an article be printed and put into this folder to be sent home with him. If he's working away from the Tempe campus, his staff puts together a binder for him with the day's events, including who he's going to meet, any speeches he has to give and any tasks in folders he needs to address. CLOSE ASU President Michael Crow talks about who is the most influential person in Arizona, from school teachers to innovators. David Wallace, The Republic | azcentral.com Technology is a friend Crow still uses handwritten notes, but he embraces technology, too. He has Amazon Alexas in multiple rooms at work and at home. He will ask Alexa to look up words or historical events for him or others in the room, if needed. If he's working at his office in Tempe, he's moving between his actual office, an attached conference room and a side room for smaller groups. He may have people waiting for him in one room while he finishes a meeting in another. In these rooms, a blue light flashes on electronic boxes whenever its time for Crow to wrap up a meeting and move on to the next task. The boxes, made by Honeywell, are intended to be portable doorbells. He notices the flashing boxes but doesn't always abide by them. It usually takes someone popping into a meeting, telling him that someone else is waiting for him, to spur a move. Subscribe to azcentral.com. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2019/02/28/michael-crow-asu-president-schedule-efficient-90-meetings-week/2883276002/ | ASU President Michael Crow has 90 meetings per week. He has a system that prioritizes what he needs to do and what he doesn't need to do. Crow also has a staff of four people who help him with logistics of his day. He doesn't get much sleep and walks incredibly fast. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2019/02/28/michael-crow-asu-president-schedule-efficient-90-meetings-week/2883276002/ | 0.751718 |
Will a leader emerge among Oregons returning receivers during spring? | Were taking a look at each position group as Oregon prepares to open spring practice on March 7. The third of a nine-part series looks at the wide receivers. EUGENE Oregon has to replace a ton of production from the departure of Dillon Mitchell following his program-record setting season. The Ducks return the rest of their receiving corps and while three of four freshmen and graduate transfer Juwan Johnson wont arrive until the summer, this is the time of year where veteran plays stake their claim to starting jobs. Who among the returning players emerges in the spring could lock down a job to start the season and thats big when the opening opponent features a secondary with NFL talent. Projected depth chart: X/Split end Brenden Schooler, senior, 21 receptions for 203 yards and a touchdown Johnny Johnson III, junior, 17 receptions for 215 yards and four touchdowns Josh Delgado, freshman Flanker Jaylon Redd, junior, 38 receptions for 433 yards and five touchdowns Justin Collins, junior, one reception for 22 yards Demetri Burch, redshirt-sophomore JJ Tucker, redshirt-freshman OR Isaah Crocker, redshirt-freshman Z Daewood Davis, redshirt-sophomore, one reception for 13 yards OR Bryan Addison, redshirt-freshman, one reception for 12 yards JJ Tucker, redshirt-freshman OR Isaah Crocker, redshirt-freshman Departed: Dillon Mitchell Due to arrive in the fall: Mycah Pittman, JR Waters, Lance Wilhoite, Juwan Johnson Outlook: The good news is Oregon returns all but one of its wide outs. The bad news is the one departure was its only dependable target. New wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight will get to mold a mostly unproven group that struggled mightily with drops last season. Jaylon Redd had the most flashes and big plays of the returning wide outs, but he had his share of drops as well. If a veteran receiver is going to lock a starting job down its likely going to be Redd, a junior who is also vying for the punt return job. Johnny Johnson and Brenden Schooler were both inconsistent last season but will be far ahead of the rest of the group in terms of experience. Bryan Addison was highly spoken on during bowl practice and could play his way into a prominent role during spring. Early enrollee Josh Delgado will be the first of the signees to get an opportunity to vie for a spot on the two-deep. JJ Tucker and Isaah Crocker are coming off redshirt seasons and Demetri Burch and Justin Collins were non-factors last season, but will also see more reps during the spring. Thatll be particularly big for Collins, who needs to prove himself before more competition arrives. Of course things will change during fall camp, but expecting true freshmen to learn the offense and be ready to start against a quality opponent in their first game is a tall order, though not impossible. | Oregon returns all but one of its wide outs for the 2014 season. The Ducks have to replace a ton of production from the departure of Dillon Mitchell. A leader will emerge among Oregons returning receivers during spring. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2019/02/will-a-leader-emerge-among-oregons-returning-receivers-during-spring.html | 0.254734 |
Will a leader emerge among Oregons returning receivers during spring? | Were taking a look at each position group as Oregon prepares to open spring practice on March 7. The third of a nine-part series looks at the wide receivers. EUGENE Oregon has to replace a ton of production from the departure of Dillon Mitchell following his program-record setting season. The Ducks return the rest of their receiving corps and while three of four freshmen and graduate transfer Juwan Johnson wont arrive until the summer, this is the time of year where veteran plays stake their claim to starting jobs. Who among the returning players emerges in the spring could lock down a job to start the season and thats big when the opening opponent features a secondary with NFL talent. Projected depth chart: X/Split end Brenden Schooler, senior, 21 receptions for 203 yards and a touchdown Johnny Johnson III, junior, 17 receptions for 215 yards and four touchdowns Josh Delgado, freshman Flanker Jaylon Redd, junior, 38 receptions for 433 yards and five touchdowns Justin Collins, junior, one reception for 22 yards Demetri Burch, redshirt-sophomore JJ Tucker, redshirt-freshman OR Isaah Crocker, redshirt-freshman Z Daewood Davis, redshirt-sophomore, one reception for 13 yards OR Bryan Addison, redshirt-freshman, one reception for 12 yards JJ Tucker, redshirt-freshman OR Isaah Crocker, redshirt-freshman Departed: Dillon Mitchell Due to arrive in the fall: Mycah Pittman, JR Waters, Lance Wilhoite, Juwan Johnson Outlook: The good news is Oregon returns all but one of its wide outs. The bad news is the one departure was its only dependable target. New wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight will get to mold a mostly unproven group that struggled mightily with drops last season. Jaylon Redd had the most flashes and big plays of the returning wide outs, but he had his share of drops as well. If a veteran receiver is going to lock a starting job down its likely going to be Redd, a junior who is also vying for the punt return job. Johnny Johnson and Brenden Schooler were both inconsistent last season but will be far ahead of the rest of the group in terms of experience. Bryan Addison was highly spoken on during bowl practice and could play his way into a prominent role during spring. Early enrollee Josh Delgado will be the first of the signees to get an opportunity to vie for a spot on the two-deep. JJ Tucker and Isaah Crocker are coming off redshirt seasons and Demetri Burch and Justin Collins were non-factors last season, but will also see more reps during the spring. Thatll be particularly big for Collins, who needs to prove himself before more competition arrives. Of course things will change during fall camp, but expecting true freshmen to learn the offense and be ready to start against a quality opponent in their first game is a tall order, though not impossible. | Oregon returns all but one of its wide outs for the 2014 season. The Ducks have to replace a ton of production from the departure of Dillon Mitchell. A leader will emerge among Oregons returning wide outs during spring practice, which starts on March 7. It will be the first of a nine-part series on the wide receivers. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2019/02/will-a-leader-emerge-among-oregons-returning-receivers-during-spring.html | 0.500651 |
Will Women's Designer Chris Benz Be Able To Save J.Crew? | J.Crew is betting on a familiar face to revitalize the brand among shoppers. The company announced that Chris Benz will be the new head of women's design (as well as its crewcuts kid's division). This means that chief design officer Johanna Uurasjarvi, who joined J.Crew only last June, is no longer with the brand. Uurasjarvi was brought on by former CEO Jim Brett, who departed the preppy clothing retailer in November. J.Crew has yet to name his replacement, but in the meantime is being led by a committee of 4 senior executives. The announcement marks a homecoming of sorts for Benz, who worked on the women's design team from January 2005 to July 2006 under former creative director Jenna Lyons. Benz is most known for designing his own label, which he closed in 2012 after a five year run. His designs typically skewed towards colorful, eccentric pieces and playful prints. Until recently, he was the creative director of legacy American brand Bill Blass, where his carefree spirit and signature use of colors and flourishes were also evident. J.Crew is where I started my career and I have always loved the inspired mix of things color and pattern, texture and quality that defines it, Benz told the Business of Fashion. I look forward to innovating on the brands essential classics to create an eclectic American style that is both polished and unique, and revives J.Crew as a destination where everyone can find something special. There's no doubt that his design aesthetic is in line with J.Crew's classic, preppy roots. While many of the company's problems arose from poor decisions on the business and management side (they're currently $566.5 million in debt and are operating at a narrow loss according to its most recent quarter), a lingering identity crisis continues to plague them. Issues with product quality and price among customers also hurt the brand, particularly towards the beginning of 2013, which is when the downward spiral really began. As the company looks to undo many of the strategies Brett laid out, Benz will need to craft a compelling brand narrative that resonates with consumers today. While J.Crew flourished for many years thanks to Lyons' glossy fashion statements and styling cache, it failed to keep up with shifts in industry trends and more casual movements like athleisure. From a branding point of view, Benz must implement initiatives across the spectrum from stores to e-commerce and campaigns that deliver a consistent message and story-telling experience. Right now, shoppers don't have a clear idea what J.Crew stands for. The company will have to evolve and capture this generation's interest again, something Benz will have to be very clear about that from the get-go. | Chris Benz will be the new head of women's design at J.Crew. He replaces Johanna Uurasjarvi, who was brought on by former CEO Jim Brett. Benz will need to craft a compelling brand narrative that resonates with consumers. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/marioabad/2019/02/28/j-crew-chris-benz/ | 0.138868 |
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