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Does the world need crunchy Nutella? | Nutella is one of the greatest gifts the world has to offer. It is creamy, chocolate-hazelnut perfection that can be served at any time of the day. Even so, some say Nutella could still be improved -- if only there was a crunchy variety of this hazelnut-spread snack. This camp argues that if crunchy peanut butter exists, crunchy Nutella should as well. Others (likely creamy peanut butter advocates) say Nutella is perfect as it is. PERSPECTIVES Nutella is a chocolate-hazelnut spread produced by Ferrero -- the same team behind the amazing Ferrero Rocher truffles. Given its nut base, it's only logical to conclude that Ferrero should diversify its offering with a new, crunchy variety. Little pieces of hazelnuts would only improve the already-delicious treat. Imagine your favorite Nutella-vessels enhanced by the texture of crunchy, sweet hazelnuts. Your toast, crepes and ice cream would be out of this world. Ferrero is already halfway there with the Ferrero Rocher truffle, which consists of an entire hazelnut, surrounded by a chocolate-hazelnut cream, encased in a wafer orb, and then coated with milk chocolate and tiny hazelnut pieces. Nutella is perfect just the way it is. Everyone knows Nutella is mostly chocolate anyway, so there's no need to bring out the hazelnut flavor even more by adding gross little chunks into your immaculate Nutella jar. When it comes to other nut spreads, most Americans prefer smooth anyway. Unless we're talking adding bits of a chocolate bar to the jar, crunchy Nutella is a no-go. A Monday morning dream: someone waking you up to share a Nutella breakfast together! #Nutella #breakfast pic.twitter.com/z2vh96aYk4 -- Nutella (@NutellaGlobal) March 26, 2018 Crunchy Nutella is what the world needs. It could make your favorite spread slightly healthier too. Hazelnuts are full of healthy fats, nutrients, and antioxidants. A healthier Nutella variety would give you even more reason to eat it on a daily (okay, hourly) basis. Spoon University's Jeanne Paulino makes the case: Seeing rows of Nutella is a sight to behold, but the eye is drawn to things that are different and unique. Imagine the joy you'd feel as you saw the word "crunchy," slapped on a jar of Nutella. Nutella is now a staple of any kitchen. Beyond eating it for breakfast, it's also perfect for baking. There are Nutella cookies, brownies, cakes and icing. All of these incredible inventions would be ruined by crunchy bits of nuts infiltrating the system. Nutella is an amazing thing. Let's not ruin it. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | Nutella is a chocolate-hazelnut spread produced by Ferrero -- the same team behind the amazing Ferrero Rocher truffles. Crunchy Nutella is what the world needs. Hazelnuts are full of healthy fats, nutrients, and antioxidants. A healthier Nutella variety would give you even more reason to eat it on a daily basis. | bart | 2 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/does_the_world_need_crunchy_nu.html | 0.716212 |
Is streaming killing the radio star? | The music industry has endured its share of crises in the digital era from the slow death of the CD to the rise of online piracy. Now it is the turn of radio broadcasters, who face a worrying exodus among young listeners because of streaming. At first glance, radio listening in the UK appears robust, holding steady at around 48 million adults 88% of Britains adult population listening to just over 1bn hours each week. Those figures, however, belie the fact that radio is facing a crisis over youth audiences. Since 2010, around 840,000 15 to 24-year-olds have switched off for good, according to research from Enders Analysis. And among the 6.5 million or so who do still tune in, the amount of time they spend listening has plummeted 29% between 2010 and 2018. The problem is even more acute at the BBC, with total listening hours among 15 to 24-year-olds falling 40% over the same time period. Radio broadcasters are ringing the changes to try to keep hold of young audiences. BBC Radio 1, the station that attracts the biggest youth audience in UK radio, has replaced Nick Grimshaw with Greg James to spice up its flagship breakfast show. Zoe Ball has taken the helm of the Radio 2 breakfast show, the biggest show on radio, after Rupert Murdochs Wireless Radio signed up her predecessor, Chris Evans, in a bid to attract new listeners to its digital-only Virgin Radio. The BBC admitted last year that it had found for the first time that 15 to 34-year-olds spent more time listening to streaming music services such as Spotify, Apple and Amazon Music, and YouTube than all of the BBCs radio services. Among 15 to 24-year-olds, music streaming has grown rapidly to account for about a third of their listening time from about 10%. People are going to music streaming services and we are seeing younger people turning off the radio, says Gill Hind, an analyst at Enders. But a lot of streaming is taking the place of listening to collections and CDs, not necessarily directly substituting live radio listening. Young people are still tuning in but they are listening for shorter periods each week. There are so many alternative options out there, from YouTube and gaming to Netflix and streaming music. Spotify buys podcast firms Gimlet and Anchor Read more Spotifys move earlier this week to spend hundreds of millions on two podcasting companies and earmark up to $500m (387m) for more acquisitions in the field this year is a clear indicator that the rise and rise of podcasts looks set to be the next looming challenge for traditional radio. Spotify quantified the scale of the threat, saying it expects that over time 20% of all listening on its service will be non-music content. It currently has 207 million monthly active users. The digital disruption in radio is the same part of the same phenomenon that has already affected other market sectors most notably TV, where viewing hours among 15 to 24-year-olds is down 45% in the UK since 2010. Siobhan Kennedy, the chief executive of the industry body Radiocentre, says radio broadcasters are handling it better though. Every medium has challenges with younger audiences, but radio is riding it out better than others, she ssaid. As the radio industry has moved into the internet era, broadcasters have seized on the opportunity to launch new local and national digital-only stations, which are doing better at attracting listeners. There were 453 digital stations at the end of 2018, up from 192 in 2010. The industry argues that the rise of products such as Amazons smart speaker Alexa will encourage people to try new stations rather than bypass them by directly requesting songs, playlists and recommendations. Nonetheless, the latest figures this week from Rajar, the radio industry measurement body, showed a slight decrease in listening via online and apps in the fourth quarter, accounting for 9.4% of total weekly listening. Scott Taunton, the chief executive of Wireless, which owns stations including TalkSport and Virgin Radio, says that radio, similar to TV, has strengths that continue to make it a must-listen experience that cannot be replicated by streaming. Live sport and must-watch TV shows such as Love Island or in radios case, star presenters such as Evans, keep audiences coming back. The move of Chris, his first week on air, the station as a whole had digital listening hours 18 times better than in 2018, Taunton said. And people are definitely saying: Alexa, play TalkSport. Smart speakers is the fastest growing piece of our audience. There is still a demand for a live radio station if you can make it relevant and something the consumer wants to listen to here and now. Last year proved to be the most successful in commercial radio history, where ad revenue hit a record 713m, while the BBC launched its new BBC Sounds app, the new home for its music and radio efforts, in a bid to future-proof its radio business. There are those, however, who believe that the traditional radio industry is on borrowed time. There is absolutely a generational divide, MIDiA Researchs Mark Mulligan said. The industry believes as these young people get older they will come back to traditional radio, like a life stage thing. But the evidence says they wont, that these are established behaviours. And the generations after them will follow suit. The audience tipping point is happening and the commercial tipping point will follow. Every shift driven by the internet ad revenues have been slow to follow audiences. When advertising on streaming services gets its house in order there will be a cliff drop for commercial radio. | Radio is facing a crisis over youth audiences because of streaming. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/feb/08/is-streaming-killing-the-radio-star | 0.258207 |
Is streaming killing the radio star? | The music industry has endured its share of crises in the digital era from the slow death of the CD to the rise of online piracy. Now it is the turn of radio broadcasters, who face a worrying exodus among young listeners because of streaming. At first glance, radio listening in the UK appears robust, holding steady at around 48 million adults 88% of Britains adult population listening to just over 1bn hours each week. Those figures, however, belie the fact that radio is facing a crisis over youth audiences. Since 2010, around 840,000 15 to 24-year-olds have switched off for good, according to research from Enders Analysis. And among the 6.5 million or so who do still tune in, the amount of time they spend listening has plummeted 29% between 2010 and 2018. The problem is even more acute at the BBC, with total listening hours among 15 to 24-year-olds falling 40% over the same time period. Radio broadcasters are ringing the changes to try to keep hold of young audiences. BBC Radio 1, the station that attracts the biggest youth audience in UK radio, has replaced Nick Grimshaw with Greg James to spice up its flagship breakfast show. Zoe Ball has taken the helm of the Radio 2 breakfast show, the biggest show on radio, after Rupert Murdochs Wireless Radio signed up her predecessor, Chris Evans, in a bid to attract new listeners to its digital-only Virgin Radio. The BBC admitted last year that it had found for the first time that 15 to 34-year-olds spent more time listening to streaming music services such as Spotify, Apple and Amazon Music, and YouTube than all of the BBCs radio services. Among 15 to 24-year-olds, music streaming has grown rapidly to account for about a third of their listening time from about 10%. People are going to music streaming services and we are seeing younger people turning off the radio, says Gill Hind, an analyst at Enders. But a lot of streaming is taking the place of listening to collections and CDs, not necessarily directly substituting live radio listening. Young people are still tuning in but they are listening for shorter periods each week. There are so many alternative options out there, from YouTube and gaming to Netflix and streaming music. Spotify buys podcast firms Gimlet and Anchor Read more Spotifys move earlier this week to spend hundreds of millions on two podcasting companies and earmark up to $500m (387m) for more acquisitions in the field this year is a clear indicator that the rise and rise of podcasts looks set to be the next looming challenge for traditional radio. Spotify quantified the scale of the threat, saying it expects that over time 20% of all listening on its service will be non-music content. It currently has 207 million monthly active users. The digital disruption in radio is the same part of the same phenomenon that has already affected other market sectors most notably TV, where viewing hours among 15 to 24-year-olds is down 45% in the UK since 2010. Siobhan Kennedy, the chief executive of the industry body Radiocentre, says radio broadcasters are handling it better though. Every medium has challenges with younger audiences, but radio is riding it out better than others, she ssaid. As the radio industry has moved into the internet era, broadcasters have seized on the opportunity to launch new local and national digital-only stations, which are doing better at attracting listeners. There were 453 digital stations at the end of 2018, up from 192 in 2010. The industry argues that the rise of products such as Amazons smart speaker Alexa will encourage people to try new stations rather than bypass them by directly requesting songs, playlists and recommendations. Nonetheless, the latest figures this week from Rajar, the radio industry measurement body, showed a slight decrease in listening via online and apps in the fourth quarter, accounting for 9.4% of total weekly listening. Scott Taunton, the chief executive of Wireless, which owns stations including TalkSport and Virgin Radio, says that radio, similar to TV, has strengths that continue to make it a must-listen experience that cannot be replicated by streaming. Live sport and must-watch TV shows such as Love Island or in radios case, star presenters such as Evans, keep audiences coming back. The move of Chris, his first week on air, the station as a whole had digital listening hours 18 times better than in 2018, Taunton said. And people are definitely saying: Alexa, play TalkSport. Smart speakers is the fastest growing piece of our audience. There is still a demand for a live radio station if you can make it relevant and something the consumer wants to listen to here and now. Last year proved to be the most successful in commercial radio history, where ad revenue hit a record 713m, while the BBC launched its new BBC Sounds app, the new home for its music and radio efforts, in a bid to future-proof its radio business. There are those, however, who believe that the traditional radio industry is on borrowed time. There is absolutely a generational divide, MIDiA Researchs Mark Mulligan said. The industry believes as these young people get older they will come back to traditional radio, like a life stage thing. But the evidence says they wont, that these are established behaviours. And the generations after them will follow suit. The audience tipping point is happening and the commercial tipping point will follow. Every shift driven by the internet ad revenues have been slow to follow audiences. When advertising on streaming services gets its house in order there will be a cliff drop for commercial radio. | Radio broadcasters face a worrying exodus among young listeners because of streaming. Since 2010, around 840,000 15 to 24-year-olds have switched off for good. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/feb/08/is-streaming-killing-the-radio-star | 0.218135 |
Why Is Almost 20% of Marijuana's Biggest ETF Invested in 1 Pot Stock? | Cannabis investing has been hugely popular recently, and the surge in pot stock prices to start 2019 has driven a lot of interest in the industry. In particular, the landmark exchange-traded fund ETFMG Alternative Harvest (NYSEMKT: MJ) has been hugely successful, recently topping the $1 billion mark in assets under management and seeing good gains to begin the year. But even though investors don't typically ask questions when things are going well, there's one thing about ETFMG Alternative Harvest that's hard to explain. As of Feb. 5, despite holding three dozen stocks in its portfolio of holdings, Alternative Harvest has almost a fifth of its assets invested in a single stock -- and it wasn't even the biggest company in the market. Even though most cannabis investors have paid most of their attention to a small number of first-moving stocks in the field, Alternative Harvest's particular mix raises some questions about the methodology that the underlying Prime Alternative Harvest Index uses to select and weight the stocks in its investing universe. Alternative Harvest's biggest holdings You can see below a list of Alternative Harvest's top five stock holdings as of Feb. 5: Stock Weighting in Fund Market Capitalization Cronos Group (NASDAQ: CRON) 18.6% $3.49 billion Canopy Growth (NYSE: CGC) 8.7% $15.9 billion Aurora Cannabis (NYSE: ACB) 7.7% $7.51 billion Tilray (NASDAQ: TLRY) 5.6% $7.28 billion OrganiGram Holdings (NASDAQOTH: OGRMF) 4.4% $700 million Data source: ETFMG, Yahoo! Finance. At first glance, this weighting scheme looks pretty odd. Most ETFs use a system that's based on market capitalization, giving the largest companies the highest weightings. Using such a system, you'd expect Canopy, Aurora, and Tilray all to have much larger weightings than Cronos, because their market capitalizations are anywhere from two to five times higher than Cronos' market cap. However, not all indexes use straight market-cap weighting. On its website, ETFMG refers to its tracking index, the Prime Alternative Harvest Index, as its primary authority in making investment decisions. The prospectus makes limited references to the actual methodology that the index follows, instead focusing on how it takes the information that the index provider gives it and uses it to make its own investing decisions. Marijuana leaf on top of a pile of similar leaves. More Image source: Getty Images. Prime Indexes has a website as well, but its information is limited. It refers to its methodology as a "modified market cap" weighting scheme. But even though many of the other indexes it offers have detailed descriptions of the methodologies they follow in separate PDF documents, there's no such link on the page describing the Alternative Harvest index. What's likely to be the cause of the current situation is a confluence of events that brought Cronos into the spotlight recently. In particular, the following appears to be the case: The index would have gone through a typical reconstitution in December. If the index uses the same modified market cap approach as some of its Prime Indexes peers, then the overweight percentages that would've applied to stocks like Canopy, Aurora, and Tilray would've been artificially reduced and redistributed to smaller-cap stocks like Cronos. Since the beginning of December, Cronos has dramatically outperformed Canopy, Aurora, and Tilray. Cronos shares have doubled over that time frame, compared to gains of 35% to 40% for Aurora and Canopy and a roughly 25% decline for Tilray. In other words, what's likely to have happened is that as of the most recent rebalancing in December, most of the top marijuana stocks would've had roughly equal weightings because of the specific restrictions in the index methodology. Ironically, those restrictions were designed to prevent the very overweighting issue that has since resulted. The huge gains for Cronos following the decision of tobacco giant Altria Group (NYSE: MO) to invest in the cannabis company were responsible for putting the ETF's weightings out of whack. ETF proponents will argue that any such overweighting should be a temporary phenomenon. When the ETF next does its rebalancing in March, the methodology should work to pull Cronos Group's weighting back down into line with its peers. From there, relative performance could again lead to overweight or underweight positions within the portfolio, but it would take massive share-price movements to create the same situation again. | Marijuana investing has been hugely popular recently. The surge in pot stock prices to start 2019 has driven a lot of interest in the industry. The exchange-traded fund ETFMG Alternative Harvest has been hugely successful. Alternative Harvest has almost a fifth of its assets invested in a single stock. | pegasus | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/why-almost-20-marijuana-apos-131400391.html | 0.176612 |
Can Elizabeth Warren reclaim her role as Democrats' top foil to Trump? | Warren will join a crowded field when she formally launches her campaign but her entry will differ sharply from the enthusiasm surrounding her Senate bid seven years ago Despite the years that have since passed, many of Elizabeth Warrens former students at Harvard Law School share the same distinct memory: it was their very first day at the prestigious institution, and for many, their very first class. Why women 2020 candidates face 'likability' question even as they make history Read more Not knowing what to expect, they took their seats for an introductory course on contracts law. At the exact minute that the clock struck the top of the hour, Warren bounded into the room and rested her casebook on the podium. Im Elizabeth Warren. This is contracts, she said. But whereas other professors had prepared a welcome speech, Warrens pleasantries ended there. Glancing down at her seating chart, she proceeded to cold-call on the students with queries stemming from their reading material, making her way through at least half the room by the time the class was over. Years later, when clips of Warren grilling corporate CEOs and cabinet officials from the US Senate went viral, her former students would fire off emails and texts to one another joking about what it was like to be at the receiving end. We could all empathize with the witness in the hot seat, said Andrew Crespo, a former student of Warrens who is an associate professor at Harvard. She was rigorous, thoughtful, careful, precise She had a big profile on campus. Warrens tough teaching style was notorious across Harvard always come prepared, her students recalled. It is that same rigorous and methodical approach that Warrens former colleagues expect her to bring to her bid for the Democratic partys nomination for president in 2020. On Saturday, Warren, 69, will return to Massachusetts to formally launch her campaign for president after forming an exploratory committee in December. It will be an event long in the making for the closely-watched senator, whose meteoric rise from academia to politics brought with it relentless speculation over possible presidential ambitions. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Elizabeth Warren lectures a law class at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1990. Photograph: Leif Skoogfors/Getty Images In interviews throughout the Boston area, Warrens former students and colleagues described her as a pragmatic idealist whose lifes work has centered on understanding and rooting out income inequality. Shes had a very consistent, coherent, intellectual ideological position, said Barney Frank, a retired Massachusetts congressman who worked closely with Warren on financial reform. She can claim to have been there when this critique of economic inequality, and the systematic problems that exacerbate it, wasnt fashionable. But Warrens official entry into the race has differed sharply from when she captured widespread liberal enthusiasm in her unlikely bid for the Senate seven years ago. The two-term senator will join a crowded Democratic primary field with no clear frontrunner and several contenders jockeying to claim the progressive mantle that she aspires to grasp. She has also found herself contending with a lingering controversy for previously identifying as Native American over the course of nearly two decades. The question now is whether Warren, who moved early to build an expansive field operation in anticipation of her presidential run, can overcome early setbacks and reclaim her role as the Democratic partys top foil to Donald Trump. Born to middle-class parents in Norman, Oklahoma, Warren has spoken candidly about how her familys livelihood was upended when her fathers heart attack forced him out of work. Addressing crowds across the country, Warren often recalls how her late mother determined not to lose the familys home pulled on her best dress and got her first paying job at the department store Sears. The job paid minimum wage and exposed Warren firsthand to the topics that would later define her career: the power of corporations and the effects of bankruptcy on the American consumer. Her research in bankruptcy law and the impact on the average persons medical bills, mortgage payments and other installments led Warren to become a leading expert on the subject and rise in the academia world. These are the issues she still cares about, said Charles Fried, a professor at Harvard Law School who helped recruit Warren to its faculty. I think she is extraordinary for this reason, that she got into politics because she cared about some issues. She didnt get into politics because she wanted to be in office and then tried to figure out what issues she cared about. Warren cultivated a profile as a populist firebrand against the backdrop of the Great Recession, earning the ire of Wall Street by spearheading the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau an agency established under the Obama administration as part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill of 2010. Upon being passed over to head the agency she helped create, Warren decided to continue the fight from within the government, embarking on a campaign to win back the late senator and liberal icon Ted Kennedys seat from Republican incumbent Scott Brown in the high-profile 2012 Massachusetts Senate race. Roughly $70m was spent on the bitterly-waged contest, which catapulted Warren to the national stage. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Elizabeth Warren speaks during day two of the Democratic national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina on 5 September 2012. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images The race also saw Warren cement herself as a leader of the burgeoning progressive movement within the Democratic party; branding the choice before voters as Wall Street versus you, Warren viewed the election as an opportunity to hand a major defeat to what she once dubbed as the largest lobbying force ever assembled on the face of the earth. Following her victory, Warrens profile grew so rapidly that speculation swiftly emerged over a potential White House run in 2016, despite the inevitability of Hillary Clintons candidacy. A group of progressives even mounted a #DraftWarren campaign. The full list of Democrats vying to take on Trump Read more Warren, who had been sharply critical of Clinton in part over her ties to Wall Street, ultimately chose not to challenge her for the Democratic partys nomination and endorsed the former secretary of states campaign. It was also during this time that Warren proved among the few capable of getting under then candidate Donald Trumps skin. After Trump derided Clinton as a nasty woman, Warren famously riffed: Get this, Donald. Nasty women are tough, nasty women are smart and nasty women vote, and on November 8, we nasty women are going to march our nasty feet to cast our nasty votes to get you out of our lives forever. The 2016 presidential election did not, however, produce the groundswell of unified opposition to Trump that Democrats had hoped for. Instead, it left the party in search of a clear leader to fill the void left by Obamas departure from the White House. For Warren, it looked as though her moment had arrived. In the early days of the Trump administration, Warren quickly emerged as the face of the Democratic opposition, matching the presidents tweets with sharp ripostes of her own and holding his cabinet nominees to account when they appeared for consideration before congressional committees. During the confirmation process for former attorney general Jeff Sessions, Warren famously read a letter written 30 years prior by Coretta Scott King, in which the widow of Dr Martin Luther King Jr warned of Sessions civil rights record from the time of his nomination for a federal judgeship. Silenced by Republicans mid-speech on the Senate floor, Warren read the letter on Facebook Live. The hashtag #LetLizSpeak trended on Twitter and the phrase Nevertheless, she persisted was coined. At the same time, Warren became a top target of conservatives and Trump himself. The president has repeatedly mocked Warren with the derisive nickname Pocahontas including at an event intended to honor Native Americans. Although Warren long ignored the presidents taunts, she took the unusual step of addressing the issue head on in October by making public the results of a DNA test revealing that she did, in fact, have some Native American ancestry. Rather than putting the topic to rest, Warrens move was rebuked by some tribal leaders, who felt it politicized their identity, and reignited the story. Republicans first tried to push the notion that Warren used her Native American ancestry to further her career in the 2012 Senate race, honing in on a single questionnaire in which she claimed mixed ancestry. An exhaustive investigation by the Boston Globe found no evidence that Warren benefited from doing so, and nearly every living Harvard law professor involved in her hiring has said it was not a factor in their votes to offer her a tenured position. When we brought her to Harvard, no one had a clue that she thought of herself as Native American, said Laurence Tribe, the schools professor of constitutional law. I think shes had an unfair rap, he added. I dont think its the case that she ever exploited her familys background or ancestry in a way that some people seem to think she did. The Cherokee nation, one of the groups that was critical of Warren, said she privately apologized to to tribal leaders. But the matter did not end there. The Washington Post published a story revealing Warren listed her race as American Indian while seeking a Texas bar registration card in 1986. Warren apologized once more, telling reporters: Im not a tribal citizen. My apology is an apology for not having been more sensitive about tribal citizenship and tribal sovereignty. I really want to underline the point, tribes and only tribes determine tribal citizenship. Warren remains a popular figure in the Democratic party and was easily re-elected to a second Senate term in the 2018 midterm elections. Even so, she received fewer votes in her home state than Charlie Baker, the Republican governor of Massachusetts, prompting Warrens hometown paper to urge the senator to reconsider a presidential bid. While Warren won reelection, her margin of victory in November suggests theres a ceiling on her popularity, the Boston Globe editorial board wrote. Baker garnered more votes than she did in a state that is supposed to be a Democratic haven. Shes hard-edged, not personally, but ideologically. She takes very sharp and controversial positions Barney Frank While Warren is an effective and impactful senator with an important voice nationally, she has become a divisive figure, the board added. A unifying voice is what the country needs now after the polarizing politics of Donald Trump. Those close to Warren dismissed the editorial as having more to do with the personal biographies and inclinations of those who sit on the board. Shes hard-edged, not personally, but ideologically, said Frank. She takes very sharp and controversial positions. So, yeah, theyre going to be people who are unhappy with her. More challenging for Warren, friends and former colleagues said, would be the task of distinguishing herself within a diverse field of Democratic candidates that includes at least three of her Senate colleagues and a record number of women seeking the partys nomination. Warrens platform includes the single-payer healthcare system Medicare for All, debt-free college tuition and anti-corruption legislation designed to restore accountability in government. She is also poised to unveil a proposal that would impose a wealth tax on Americans worth over $50m. Fried, who served as solicitor general under Ronald Reagan, said he disagreed with some of the more expansive economic policies touted by Warren. Iowa Nice: hawkeyed experts say Elizabeth Warren hit ground running Read more But her greatest asset as a candidate, he acknowledged, would be to approach the campaign with the same steely resolve to elevate the middle class that endeared her to voters seven years ago. Although he is only occasionally in touch with Warren as she embarks on what will undoubtedly be a grueling campaign for Americas highest office, Fried recalled recently sending Warren a lengthy article about capitalism and income inequality. To his surprise, he received a response from Warren 10 days later. She had not only taken the time to read the article, but highlighted a portion that stood out to her. How many presidential candidates would do that? Fried asked. In her email, Warren also recounted to her old colleague how not very long ago they sat together on a flight discussing the prospects of a Clinton presidency. That day never came to fruition, Warren noted. I dont know what lies ahead, she added. But I know what Im fighting for. | Warren, 69, will formally launch her campaign for president on Saturday. She will join a crowded Democratic primary field with no clear frontrunner. The question now is whether Warren can reclaim her role as the Democratic party's top foil to Donald Trump. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/08/elizabeth-warren-2020-presidential-race-democrats-trump-foil | 0.104174 |
Can Elizabeth Warren reclaim her role as Democrats' top foil to Trump? | Warren will join a crowded field when she formally launches her campaign but her entry will differ sharply from the enthusiasm surrounding her Senate bid seven years ago Despite the years that have since passed, many of Elizabeth Warrens former students at Harvard Law School share the same distinct memory: it was their very first day at the prestigious institution, and for many, their very first class. Why women 2020 candidates face 'likability' question even as they make history Read more Not knowing what to expect, they took their seats for an introductory course on contracts law. At the exact minute that the clock struck the top of the hour, Warren bounded into the room and rested her casebook on the podium. Im Elizabeth Warren. This is contracts, she said. But whereas other professors had prepared a welcome speech, Warrens pleasantries ended there. Glancing down at her seating chart, she proceeded to cold-call on the students with queries stemming from their reading material, making her way through at least half the room by the time the class was over. Years later, when clips of Warren grilling corporate CEOs and cabinet officials from the US Senate went viral, her former students would fire off emails and texts to one another joking about what it was like to be at the receiving end. We could all empathize with the witness in the hot seat, said Andrew Crespo, a former student of Warrens who is an associate professor at Harvard. She was rigorous, thoughtful, careful, precise She had a big profile on campus. Warrens tough teaching style was notorious across Harvard always come prepared, her students recalled. It is that same rigorous and methodical approach that Warrens former colleagues expect her to bring to her bid for the Democratic partys nomination for president in 2020. On Saturday, Warren, 69, will return to Massachusetts to formally launch her campaign for president after forming an exploratory committee in December. It will be an event long in the making for the closely-watched senator, whose meteoric rise from academia to politics brought with it relentless speculation over possible presidential ambitions. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Elizabeth Warren lectures a law class at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1990. Photograph: Leif Skoogfors/Getty Images In interviews throughout the Boston area, Warrens former students and colleagues described her as a pragmatic idealist whose lifes work has centered on understanding and rooting out income inequality. Shes had a very consistent, coherent, intellectual ideological position, said Barney Frank, a retired Massachusetts congressman who worked closely with Warren on financial reform. She can claim to have been there when this critique of economic inequality, and the systematic problems that exacerbate it, wasnt fashionable. But Warrens official entry into the race has differed sharply from when she captured widespread liberal enthusiasm in her unlikely bid for the Senate seven years ago. The two-term senator will join a crowded Democratic primary field with no clear frontrunner and several contenders jockeying to claim the progressive mantle that she aspires to grasp. She has also found herself contending with a lingering controversy for previously identifying as Native American over the course of nearly two decades. The question now is whether Warren, who moved early to build an expansive field operation in anticipation of her presidential run, can overcome early setbacks and reclaim her role as the Democratic partys top foil to Donald Trump. Born to middle-class parents in Norman, Oklahoma, Warren has spoken candidly about how her familys livelihood was upended when her fathers heart attack forced him out of work. Addressing crowds across the country, Warren often recalls how her late mother determined not to lose the familys home pulled on her best dress and got her first paying job at the department store Sears. The job paid minimum wage and exposed Warren firsthand to the topics that would later define her career: the power of corporations and the effects of bankruptcy on the American consumer. Her research in bankruptcy law and the impact on the average persons medical bills, mortgage payments and other installments led Warren to become a leading expert on the subject and rise in the academia world. These are the issues she still cares about, said Charles Fried, a professor at Harvard Law School who helped recruit Warren to its faculty. I think she is extraordinary for this reason, that she got into politics because she cared about some issues. She didnt get into politics because she wanted to be in office and then tried to figure out what issues she cared about. Warren cultivated a profile as a populist firebrand against the backdrop of the Great Recession, earning the ire of Wall Street by spearheading the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau an agency established under the Obama administration as part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill of 2010. Upon being passed over to head the agency she helped create, Warren decided to continue the fight from within the government, embarking on a campaign to win back the late senator and liberal icon Ted Kennedys seat from Republican incumbent Scott Brown in the high-profile 2012 Massachusetts Senate race. Roughly $70m was spent on the bitterly-waged contest, which catapulted Warren to the national stage. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Elizabeth Warren speaks during day two of the Democratic national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina on 5 September 2012. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images The race also saw Warren cement herself as a leader of the burgeoning progressive movement within the Democratic party; branding the choice before voters as Wall Street versus you, Warren viewed the election as an opportunity to hand a major defeat to what she once dubbed as the largest lobbying force ever assembled on the face of the earth. Following her victory, Warrens profile grew so rapidly that speculation swiftly emerged over a potential White House run in 2016, despite the inevitability of Hillary Clintons candidacy. A group of progressives even mounted a #DraftWarren campaign. The full list of Democrats vying to take on Trump Read more Warren, who had been sharply critical of Clinton in part over her ties to Wall Street, ultimately chose not to challenge her for the Democratic partys nomination and endorsed the former secretary of states campaign. It was also during this time that Warren proved among the few capable of getting under then candidate Donald Trumps skin. After Trump derided Clinton as a nasty woman, Warren famously riffed: Get this, Donald. Nasty women are tough, nasty women are smart and nasty women vote, and on November 8, we nasty women are going to march our nasty feet to cast our nasty votes to get you out of our lives forever. The 2016 presidential election did not, however, produce the groundswell of unified opposition to Trump that Democrats had hoped for. Instead, it left the party in search of a clear leader to fill the void left by Obamas departure from the White House. For Warren, it looked as though her moment had arrived. In the early days of the Trump administration, Warren quickly emerged as the face of the Democratic opposition, matching the presidents tweets with sharp ripostes of her own and holding his cabinet nominees to account when they appeared for consideration before congressional committees. During the confirmation process for former attorney general Jeff Sessions, Warren famously read a letter written 30 years prior by Coretta Scott King, in which the widow of Dr Martin Luther King Jr warned of Sessions civil rights record from the time of his nomination for a federal judgeship. Silenced by Republicans mid-speech on the Senate floor, Warren read the letter on Facebook Live. The hashtag #LetLizSpeak trended on Twitter and the phrase Nevertheless, she persisted was coined. At the same time, Warren became a top target of conservatives and Trump himself. The president has repeatedly mocked Warren with the derisive nickname Pocahontas including at an event intended to honor Native Americans. Although Warren long ignored the presidents taunts, she took the unusual step of addressing the issue head on in October by making public the results of a DNA test revealing that she did, in fact, have some Native American ancestry. Rather than putting the topic to rest, Warrens move was rebuked by some tribal leaders, who felt it politicized their identity, and reignited the story. Republicans first tried to push the notion that Warren used her Native American ancestry to further her career in the 2012 Senate race, honing in on a single questionnaire in which she claimed mixed ancestry. An exhaustive investigation by the Boston Globe found no evidence that Warren benefited from doing so, and nearly every living Harvard law professor involved in her hiring has said it was not a factor in their votes to offer her a tenured position. When we brought her to Harvard, no one had a clue that she thought of herself as Native American, said Laurence Tribe, the schools professor of constitutional law. I think shes had an unfair rap, he added. I dont think its the case that she ever exploited her familys background or ancestry in a way that some people seem to think she did. The Cherokee nation, one of the groups that was critical of Warren, said she privately apologized to to tribal leaders. But the matter did not end there. The Washington Post published a story revealing Warren listed her race as American Indian while seeking a Texas bar registration card in 1986. Warren apologized once more, telling reporters: Im not a tribal citizen. My apology is an apology for not having been more sensitive about tribal citizenship and tribal sovereignty. I really want to underline the point, tribes and only tribes determine tribal citizenship. Warren remains a popular figure in the Democratic party and was easily re-elected to a second Senate term in the 2018 midterm elections. Even so, she received fewer votes in her home state than Charlie Baker, the Republican governor of Massachusetts, prompting Warrens hometown paper to urge the senator to reconsider a presidential bid. While Warren won reelection, her margin of victory in November suggests theres a ceiling on her popularity, the Boston Globe editorial board wrote. Baker garnered more votes than she did in a state that is supposed to be a Democratic haven. Shes hard-edged, not personally, but ideologically. She takes very sharp and controversial positions Barney Frank While Warren is an effective and impactful senator with an important voice nationally, she has become a divisive figure, the board added. A unifying voice is what the country needs now after the polarizing politics of Donald Trump. Those close to Warren dismissed the editorial as having more to do with the personal biographies and inclinations of those who sit on the board. Shes hard-edged, not personally, but ideologically, said Frank. She takes very sharp and controversial positions. So, yeah, theyre going to be people who are unhappy with her. More challenging for Warren, friends and former colleagues said, would be the task of distinguishing herself within a diverse field of Democratic candidates that includes at least three of her Senate colleagues and a record number of women seeking the partys nomination. Warrens platform includes the single-payer healthcare system Medicare for All, debt-free college tuition and anti-corruption legislation designed to restore accountability in government. She is also poised to unveil a proposal that would impose a wealth tax on Americans worth over $50m. Fried, who served as solicitor general under Ronald Reagan, said he disagreed with some of the more expansive economic policies touted by Warren. Iowa Nice: hawkeyed experts say Elizabeth Warren hit ground running Read more But her greatest asset as a candidate, he acknowledged, would be to approach the campaign with the same steely resolve to elevate the middle class that endeared her to voters seven years ago. Although he is only occasionally in touch with Warren as she embarks on what will undoubtedly be a grueling campaign for Americas highest office, Fried recalled recently sending Warren a lengthy article about capitalism and income inequality. To his surprise, he received a response from Warren 10 days later. She had not only taken the time to read the article, but highlighted a portion that stood out to her. How many presidential candidates would do that? Fried asked. In her email, Warren also recounted to her old colleague how not very long ago they sat together on a flight discussing the prospects of a Clinton presidency. That day never came to fruition, Warren noted. I dont know what lies ahead, she added. But I know what Im fighting for. | Warren, 69, will formally launch her campaign for president on Saturday. She will join a crowded Democratic primary field with no clear frontrunner. The question now is whether Warren can reclaim her role as the Democratic partys top foil to Donald Trump, who she has criticized. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/08/elizabeth-warren-2020-presidential-race-democrats-trump-foil | 0.122475 |
Why is hip-hop practically uninvited from the Grammys show? | The first hour of Sunday nights Grammy Awards will showcase, were told, Shawn Mendes, Miley Cyrus, Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Little Big Town, Camila Cabello, Ricky Martin and Post Malone, whos teaming up with Red Hot Chili Peppers. If youre keeping score, that includes only one act from the world of hip-hop todays biggest selling sound and hes been paired with a group of 50-somethings. When CBS, which is broadcasting the Grammys this year, promoted that list during the Super Bowl, there was a collective yawn from music fans. I was confused, said Eboni ODonnell, a senior at Cooper High School in Robbinsdale who is an avid awards-show watcher. Its a lot of the same thing. Why arent there different acts? Because CBS and the Recording Academy cant risk people tuning out in the opening 60 minutes. Imagine how CBS pooh-bahs felt when red-hot rapper Travis Scott got bleeped three times during his Super Bowl halftime show. If viewers werent already bored with the bloodless efforts of Maroon 5, Scotts indecipherable performance of his smash Sicko Mode was certainly a channel-changer. Grammy Awards When: 7 p.m. Sun Where: WCCO, Ch. 4. With: Host Alicia Keys and performers including Post Malone with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Miley Cyrus, Diana Ross, Janelle Mone, Kacey Musgraves and more. Hip-hop apparently is not safe for prime time. In the case of TV, youre dealing with older, white executives who are more worried about the response of advertisers, said Donna Halper, a professor of media studies at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. Executives making these choices are trying to walk a tightrope: I need a big name and a big name that isnt going to alienate every advertiser. Youre dealing with caution. Or fear. Television executives think rap music is scary, said Peter Parker, DJ and music director at Twin Cities hip-hop station Go 95.3. Theres still a stigma. Theyre afraid something bad could happen. They havent been to a Juice Wrld concert at Myth in Maplewood and seen 4,000 white suburban teenagers. Listeners dont stay in one lane when it comes to music nowadays. Whether theyre turning to Spotify, a car radio or their own collection, music consumers are switching among hip-hop, pop, rock, R&B, Latin, EDM and country. Its all popular music. Do not disturb Four hip-hop albums by Cardi B, Drake, Post Malone and the Kendrick Lamar-produced soundtrack to the blockbuster film Black Panther deservedly landed as Grammy finalists for album of the year. But those nominations were made by a blue-ribbon panel. That doesnt mean the 12,000 voting members of the Recording Academy and the producers of the 3 -hour televised ceremony will get it right. Avoiding tune-out factors is the watchword of Grammy producers. Dont offend the masses. Keep the baby boomers hanging on to see Diana Ross 75th birthday bash. You could see this kind of thinking in the latest edition of Dick Clarks Rockin New Years Eve. Host Ryan Seacrest trotted out a parade of current hitmakers including Mendes, Cabello, Dua Lipa, Halsey, Charlie Puth, the Chainsmokers, Dan + Shay and Kane Brown along with a handful of still relevant oldies (Christina Aguilera, Weezer, New Kids on the Block). Oh, and Post Malone, who, despite his freaky-to-some tattooed face, was suitably mass appeal for TV programmers. Hes certainly got a track record like a rock star: a string of hazy, highly listenable hits including Psycho and Rockstar from his LP Beerbongs & Bentleys, which was the second biggest seller of 2018. I wouldnt call Post Malone edgy, said Macalester College freshman Lucien OBrien, who likes a variety of musical styles. No, hes safe enough. Not to mention white. Post Malone, in essence, is singing rap songs, Go 95.3s Parker said. Its a white guy singing, so Post Malone is acceptable. Hes also safe enough for mainstream radio stations such as KDWB, the Twin Cities leading Top 40 outlet, which is guided by research indicating that listeners like him. However, KDWB listeners dont hear the equally easy-to-listen-to Drake, the streaming-music king who had 2018s biggest album with Scorpion. Blame it on research. Losing young listeners You live by research, you die by research, said Halper, who was a longtime radio programmer and consultant before becoming a professor. You have to have a feel for your market, she said. Certain songs are going to go over in your city; you might as well give them a chance. Research is sometimes used by people in management to reinforce a position they already have. Radio has lost lots of young listeners because its perceived as too cautious, too safe, the same songs over and over, too many commercials, etc. Take it from a KDWB listener: So if you were, like, to get in the car at 3 oclock and you go to the mall, youre going to hear a good five songs, said Cooper High senior ODonnell. And when you get back in the car a couple hours later, youre going to hear those exact five songs. Maybe she exaggerates. But on Monday night, KDWB played three Ariana Grande songs in 40 minutes. On the stations playlist last week, there were only two numbers that were remotely hip-hop: Wake Up the Sky by Gucci Mane (featuring the Grammy-beloved Bruno Mars) and Sicko Mode. And neither ranked high on the list. Regardless of genre, the bottom line is that young music lovers react to tunes one at a time, regardless of the performer. And theyre using those tunes to create personal playlists on such streaming outlets as Spotify and Apple Music. Kids are song-oriented, Halper said. Yes, they like certain artists, but they really like certain songs that speak to them. When I first got into radio, I was taught that a hit song either makes you want to dance or makes you want to cry. Songs that do that can come from just about any genre. Kids are more eclectic than some people think. ODonnell, a true eclectic whos influenced by her older brother, rattled off some of her current favorites: Grammy-nominated R&B newcomer H.E.R., teen emo-pop singer Billie Eilish, socially conscious hip-hop star Childish Gambino and pop megaforce Grande. And she still likes Taylor Swift, but in her country phase rather than her current pop incarnation. ODonnell is rooting for the Black Panther soundtrack one of the few current projects shes bought on CD to win album of the year Sunday. The Grammys have had a strange maybe estranged is more accurate relationship with hip-hop. Kanye West crashed the podium and protested the winners. Jay-Z doesnt bother to attend anymore. Neither of this years leading nominees, Drake and Lamar, is scheduled to perform. Even though hip-hop has been the soundtrack of young America for three decades, only two such albums have snared the top Grammy Lauryn Hills The Miseducation of Miss Lauryn Hill in 1999 and OutKasts SpeakerBoxx/The Love Below in 2004. Maybe ODonnell will be surprised in the final moments of Sundays Grammys if Black Panther, Drake, Cardi B or even Post Malone grabs album of the year. That is, if shes still watching. | The first hour of Sunday night's Grammys will feature only one act from hip-hop. Hip-hop is not safe for prime time, says one music expert. The Grammys are trying to avoid tune-out factors is the watchword. | ctrlsum | 2 | http://www.startribune.com/why-is-hip-hop-practically-uninvited-from-the-grammys-show/505530612/ | 0.178957 |
How does the Dallas Zoo keep its animals warm on chilly winter days? | They don't pull out the fuzzy socks and flannel robes, but when it's cold out, the Dallas Zoo has its own ways to keep animals cozy. The zoo never lets the animals get too hot or too cold, by keeping an eye on the forecast and considering other factors, including the temperature ranges of each species' natural habitats. Keepers also rely on care manuals that are shared in zoos across the country for guidelines about when animals should be inside. But the suggestions can't always be applied species-wide. Some animals, like people, are picky and have their own ideas of what counts as too cold, and for the most part, the keepers accommodate them. "Every species and every individual is a little different, so our team of zookeepers really understands the individual animals," said Matt James, the Dallas Zoo's senior director of animal care. | The Dallas Zoo has its own ways to keep animals cozy when it's cold out. Keepers keep an eye on the forecast and consider the temperature ranges of each species' natural habitats. | bart | 1 | https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-zoo/2019/02/08/dallas-zoo-keep-animals-warm-chilly-winter-days | 0.15291 |
How does the Dallas Zoo keep its animals warm on chilly winter days? | They don't pull out the fuzzy socks and flannel robes, but when it's cold out, the Dallas Zoo has its own ways to keep animals cozy. The zoo never lets the animals get too hot or too cold, by keeping an eye on the forecast and considering other factors, including the temperature ranges of each species' natural habitats. Keepers also rely on care manuals that are shared in zoos across the country for guidelines about when animals should be inside. But the suggestions can't always be applied species-wide. Some animals, like people, are picky and have their own ideas of what counts as too cold, and for the most part, the keepers accommodate them. "Every species and every individual is a little different, so our team of zookeepers really understands the individual animals," said Matt James, the Dallas Zoo's senior director of animal care. | The Dallas Zoo has its own ways to keep animals cozy when it's cold out. Keepers keep an eye on the forecast and consider other factors, including the temperature ranges of each species' natural habitats. " Every species and every individual is a little different, so our team of zookeepers really understands the individual animals," an official says. | bart | 2 | https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-zoo/2019/02/08/dallas-zoo-keep-animals-warm-chilly-winter-days | 0.308395 |
What The Heck Are These "Ghost Apples" Spotted In Michigan? | Well theres something you dont see every day: icy casing of apples hanging off a tree. Currently going viral on Twitter, these rather striking features were spotted in West Michigan by one Andrew Sietsema, who posted the images on his Facebook page. He told me that hes not quite sure how they formed, but suspects that after some rather cold conditions and plenty of chilly rainfall, the surface of the apples froze over. The apples themselves, which are resistant to temperatures that freeze water to a greater extent, remained intact. Later, it was just warm enough to allow the encased apples to take on some of that water and turn into a mush. When I pruned a tree it would be shaken in the process, and the mush would slip out of the bottom of the ghost apple, he explained. Most apples just fell off, ice and all. But quite a few would leave a cool ghost apple behind. As these apples happen to be of the Jonagold variety, Sietsema has come to calling them Jonaghosts. As far as I can tell, this phenomenon hasnt really been seen before. During a brief Twitter exchange, I wondered if botanist extraordinaire James Wong had seen anything like this before, to which he replied: No! before noting that he isn't sure how a frozen apple would rot and fall out of the casing like that. Some of you may be wondering if this is too good to be true. At this point, I cant say for sure. If there are any horticulturalists out there that might have any insight as to how these apples formed, or how rare the set of circumstances need to be for ghost apples to appear, please do get in touch. Sietsema, who studied horticulture himself at Michigan State University, said that he understands that the pictures might provoke some skepticism because they are certainly quite strange. Saying that, he says that he's sure it's happened before, but added that most pruners are hard at work instead of taking pictures like me. | These "Ghost Apples" were spotted in West Michigan by one Andrew Sietsema. The apples are of the Jonagold variety, which are resistant to temperatures that freeze water to a greater extent. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinandrews/2019/02/08/what-the-heck-are-these-ghost-apples-spotted-in-michigan/ | 0.292012 |
What The Heck Are These "Ghost Apples" Spotted In Michigan? | Well theres something you dont see every day: icy casing of apples hanging off a tree. Currently going viral on Twitter, these rather striking features were spotted in West Michigan by one Andrew Sietsema, who posted the images on his Facebook page. He told me that hes not quite sure how they formed, but suspects that after some rather cold conditions and plenty of chilly rainfall, the surface of the apples froze over. The apples themselves, which are resistant to temperatures that freeze water to a greater extent, remained intact. Later, it was just warm enough to allow the encased apples to take on some of that water and turn into a mush. When I pruned a tree it would be shaken in the process, and the mush would slip out of the bottom of the ghost apple, he explained. Most apples just fell off, ice and all. But quite a few would leave a cool ghost apple behind. As these apples happen to be of the Jonagold variety, Sietsema has come to calling them Jonaghosts. As far as I can tell, this phenomenon hasnt really been seen before. During a brief Twitter exchange, I wondered if botanist extraordinaire James Wong had seen anything like this before, to which he replied: No! before noting that he isn't sure how a frozen apple would rot and fall out of the casing like that. Some of you may be wondering if this is too good to be true. At this point, I cant say for sure. If there are any horticulturalists out there that might have any insight as to how these apples formed, or how rare the set of circumstances need to be for ghost apples to appear, please do get in touch. Sietsema, who studied horticulture himself at Michigan State University, said that he understands that the pictures might provoke some skepticism because they are certainly quite strange. Saying that, he says that he's sure it's happened before, but added that most pruners are hard at work instead of taking pictures like me. | These "Ghost Apples" were spotted in West Michigan by one Andrew Sietsema. The apples are of the Jonagold variety, which are resistant to temperatures that freeze water to a greater extent. As far as I can tell, this phenomenon hasn't really been seen before. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinandrews/2019/02/08/what-the-heck-are-these-ghost-apples-spotted-in-michigan/ | 0.379226 |
Will the Cleveland Browns make the playoffs in 2019? | The Cleveland Browns finished one game away from .500, and many fans have high hopes for the perennial basement dwellers of the NFC North. Baker Mayfield looks like the franchise quarterback the team has always wanted and the Browns look primed to make the playoffs next season. However, Cleveland has fallen flat in prior seasons when the team was faced with high expectations. PERSPECTIVES Browns fans have been waiting for a team like this for a while. With a stable quarterback situation and solid defense coming back, there is no way this team doesn't make the playoffs in 2019. Cleveland has nearly $80 million to spend on free agents this season and find weapons for Mayfield. Le'Veon Bell is on the market and has plenty of incentive to stay in the AFC North to play the Steelers twice a year. Having a player like that to lean on would be a relief for the young Mayfield. On defense, Myles Garrett is holding down the fort, but the team can go after premier defensive players like C.J. Mosley or DeMarcus Lawrence to really solidify a defense that already knows how to generate turnovers. The Browns have NFL Playoffs written all over them. Doug Lesmerises: Browns the favorites to win AFC North in 2019 The Browns have talent and improved from a winless season, but that doesn't guarantee anything in the NFL. The Browns have had hype surround them before only to have them falter under the weight of expectation. This team still needs to learn how to win consistently. Speaking of youth, Mayfield may have had a Rookie of the Year-caliber season, but the league has a way humbling quarterbacks with adjustments in defense. Plus, his pettiness toward Hue Jackson is a sign of immaturity that will prevent him from taking the next step in his development. Cleveland might get its one season, but 2019 isn't it. Colin Cowherd: Browns ain't making playoffs in 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | The Cleveland Browns finished one game away from.500 last season. Baker Mayfield and the Browns have a stable quarterback situation and solid defense. The Browns have talent and improved from a winless season, but that doesn't guarantee anything in the NFL. It's too early to tell if the Browns will make the playoffs in 2019. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/will_the_cleveland_browns_make.html | 0.104604 |
What's the difference between assisted suicide and euthanasia? | Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ann Whaley: I just wish the law would allow me to have him for a little longer Before his death at Dignitas in Switzerland, Geoff Whaley talked openly about his decision to have an assisted death rather than endure the final stages of motor neurone disease. Euthanasia Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a life to relieve suffering - for example a lethal injection administered by a doctor. Under English law euthanasia is illegal and is considered manslaughter or murder. However, last year, the UK Supreme Court ruled that legal permission would no longer be needed to withdraw treatment from patients in permanent vegetative state. The NHS says withdrawing life-sustaining treatment can be part of good palliative care and should not be confused with euthanasia. In 2016 in the Netherlands - where euthanasia is legal - Mark Langedijk was granted life-ending treatment after years of suffering from alcoholism, depression and anxiety. "For me its very important to make sure that everyone knows we did everything and some people just aren't curable," his brother, Marcel, told the BBC. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption 'We are made to look like we ended it because it was convenient ... this was in no way convenient' Assisted suicide Intentionally helping another person to kill themselves is known as assisted suicide. This can include providing someone with strong sedatives with which to end their life or buying them a ticket to Switzerland (where assisted suicide is legal) to end their life. The Suicide Act 1961 makes it illegal to encourage or assist a suicide in England and Wales. Those found guilty of the offence could face up to 14 years in prison. Similar laws also exist in Northern Ireland. It is not uncommon for police to interview relatives after a loved one has ended their life at Dignitas. And in fact, Geoff Whaley's wife Ann, was interviewed under caution before they left the country - after police were made aware of his intentions. In Scotland there is no specific offence of assisted suicide but those who do help someone to die could be charged with general offences such as murder, culpable homicide or reckless endangerment. Assisted dying The campaign group Dignity in Dying wants a law allowing assisted dying. In contrast to euthanasia and assisted suicide, assisted dying would apply to terminally ill people only. The group says people with terminal illnesses should be allowed to have a choice over the manner and timing of their imminent death. There would be legal safeguards, and patients would have to meet strict criteria, it says, before they were given the option of taking life-ending medication and dying peacefully at home. At present, in the UK, it is possible to make an advance decision or an advance directive to refuse a specific type of treatment in the future if you lose capacity to make the decision for yourself. But that does not go far enough for some. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Noel Conway challenged the law on assisted dying Noel Conway has motor neurone disease and only has movement in his right hand, head and neck. He fought a legal battle with the Supreme Court to be allowed medical assistance to die when he has less than six months to live. The judges rejected his appeal - a decision Mr Conway described as "downright cruel". "The only option I currently have is to remove my ventilator and effectively suffocate to death under sedation," he said, adding: "To me this is not acceptable." Image copyright PA Image caption Debbie Purdy spent her final years seeking legal clarity Right-to-die campaigner Debbie Purdy had lived with primary progressive multiple sclerosis for almost 20 years. She described the pain of her disease as "never-ending" and had hoped to travel to Dignitas to end her life, fighting a legal battle to clarify whether her husband would be prosecuted for helping her travel to Switzerland. However, her condition deteriorated to the point that she was unable to leave her house. Speaking to the BBC she said: "It's not a matter of wanting to end my life, it's a matter of not wanting my life to be this." She died in 2014 at the Marie Curie Hospice in Bradford. While there have been several high-profile legal battles fought by right-to-die campaigners, several groups believe the laws around all forms of assisted death should remain the same. The Care Not Killing alliance argues that any change to the law would result in elderly or vulnerable people worried about being a financial burden feeling under greater pressure to end their lives. It also argues that requests for euthanasia are extremely rare. Disability Rights UK opposes a change in the law arguing that the choice to die could be "an illusory choice" if disabled people are not offered proper support. The British Medical Association (BMA) says that improvements in palliative care allow patients to die with dignity but that assisted death should not be legalised in the UK in any form. The organisation argues that legalisation would go against "the ethics of clinical practice, as the principal purpose of medicine is to improve patients' quality of life, not to foreshorten it". Politicians have been reluctant to legalise forms of assisted suicide. In 2015, Labour MP Rob Marris introduced a law that would have allowed some terminally ill adults to end their lives with medical supervision but the House of Commons rejected his bill by 330 votes to 118. In 2018, 43 people from the UK died at Dignitas and Life Circle - two facilities in Switzerland. Research by Dignity in Dying found that there is an average of 14,800 internet searches of "Dignitas" every month from the UK. In 2014, a Freedom of Information request to Directors of Public Health found that approximately 7% of suicides in England involve people who are terminally ill - that's 300 suicides every year. Two women with opposing views discuss the issues Euthanasia is legal in Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, while assisted suicide is permitted in Switzerland. A number of states in the United States have made assisted dying legal. In Oregon assisted dying has been legal for terminally ill, mentally competent adults since 1997. Since then other states have introduced similar laws including Washington, California and Hawaii. If you've been affected by issues in this article, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line. | Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a life to relieve suffering. Assisted suicide is helping someone to kill themselves. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47158287 | 0.6232 |
What's the difference between assisted suicide and euthanasia? | Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ann Whaley: I just wish the law would allow me to have him for a little longer Before his death at Dignitas in Switzerland, Geoff Whaley talked openly about his decision to have an assisted death rather than endure the final stages of motor neurone disease. Euthanasia Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a life to relieve suffering - for example a lethal injection administered by a doctor. Under English law euthanasia is illegal and is considered manslaughter or murder. However, last year, the UK Supreme Court ruled that legal permission would no longer be needed to withdraw treatment from patients in permanent vegetative state. The NHS says withdrawing life-sustaining treatment can be part of good palliative care and should not be confused with euthanasia. In 2016 in the Netherlands - where euthanasia is legal - Mark Langedijk was granted life-ending treatment after years of suffering from alcoholism, depression and anxiety. "For me its very important to make sure that everyone knows we did everything and some people just aren't curable," his brother, Marcel, told the BBC. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption 'We are made to look like we ended it because it was convenient ... this was in no way convenient' Assisted suicide Intentionally helping another person to kill themselves is known as assisted suicide. This can include providing someone with strong sedatives with which to end their life or buying them a ticket to Switzerland (where assisted suicide is legal) to end their life. The Suicide Act 1961 makes it illegal to encourage or assist a suicide in England and Wales. Those found guilty of the offence could face up to 14 years in prison. Similar laws also exist in Northern Ireland. It is not uncommon for police to interview relatives after a loved one has ended their life at Dignitas. And in fact, Geoff Whaley's wife Ann, was interviewed under caution before they left the country - after police were made aware of his intentions. In Scotland there is no specific offence of assisted suicide but those who do help someone to die could be charged with general offences such as murder, culpable homicide or reckless endangerment. Assisted dying The campaign group Dignity in Dying wants a law allowing assisted dying. In contrast to euthanasia and assisted suicide, assisted dying would apply to terminally ill people only. The group says people with terminal illnesses should be allowed to have a choice over the manner and timing of their imminent death. There would be legal safeguards, and patients would have to meet strict criteria, it says, before they were given the option of taking life-ending medication and dying peacefully at home. At present, in the UK, it is possible to make an advance decision or an advance directive to refuse a specific type of treatment in the future if you lose capacity to make the decision for yourself. But that does not go far enough for some. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Noel Conway challenged the law on assisted dying Noel Conway has motor neurone disease and only has movement in his right hand, head and neck. He fought a legal battle with the Supreme Court to be allowed medical assistance to die when he has less than six months to live. The judges rejected his appeal - a decision Mr Conway described as "downright cruel". "The only option I currently have is to remove my ventilator and effectively suffocate to death under sedation," he said, adding: "To me this is not acceptable." Image copyright PA Image caption Debbie Purdy spent her final years seeking legal clarity Right-to-die campaigner Debbie Purdy had lived with primary progressive multiple sclerosis for almost 20 years. She described the pain of her disease as "never-ending" and had hoped to travel to Dignitas to end her life, fighting a legal battle to clarify whether her husband would be prosecuted for helping her travel to Switzerland. However, her condition deteriorated to the point that she was unable to leave her house. Speaking to the BBC she said: "It's not a matter of wanting to end my life, it's a matter of not wanting my life to be this." She died in 2014 at the Marie Curie Hospice in Bradford. While there have been several high-profile legal battles fought by right-to-die campaigners, several groups believe the laws around all forms of assisted death should remain the same. The Care Not Killing alliance argues that any change to the law would result in elderly or vulnerable people worried about being a financial burden feeling under greater pressure to end their lives. It also argues that requests for euthanasia are extremely rare. Disability Rights UK opposes a change in the law arguing that the choice to die could be "an illusory choice" if disabled people are not offered proper support. The British Medical Association (BMA) says that improvements in palliative care allow patients to die with dignity but that assisted death should not be legalised in the UK in any form. The organisation argues that legalisation would go against "the ethics of clinical practice, as the principal purpose of medicine is to improve patients' quality of life, not to foreshorten it". Politicians have been reluctant to legalise forms of assisted suicide. In 2015, Labour MP Rob Marris introduced a law that would have allowed some terminally ill adults to end their lives with medical supervision but the House of Commons rejected his bill by 330 votes to 118. In 2018, 43 people from the UK died at Dignitas and Life Circle - two facilities in Switzerland. Research by Dignity in Dying found that there is an average of 14,800 internet searches of "Dignitas" every month from the UK. In 2014, a Freedom of Information request to Directors of Public Health found that approximately 7% of suicides in England involve people who are terminally ill - that's 300 suicides every year. Two women with opposing views discuss the issues Euthanasia is legal in Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, while assisted suicide is permitted in Switzerland. A number of states in the United States have made assisted dying legal. In Oregon assisted dying has been legal for terminally ill, mentally competent adults since 1997. Since then other states have introduced similar laws including Washington, California and Hawaii. If you've been affected by issues in this article, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line. | Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a life to relieve suffering. Assisted suicide is helping another person to kill themselves. In the UK it is illegal to encourage or assist a suicide in England and Wales. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47158287 | 0.62652 |
What's the difference between assisted suicide and euthanasia? | Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ann Whaley: I just wish the law would allow me to have him for a little longer Before his death at Dignitas in Switzerland, Geoff Whaley talked openly about his decision to have an assisted death rather than endure the final stages of motor neurone disease. Euthanasia Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a life to relieve suffering - for example a lethal injection administered by a doctor. Under English law euthanasia is illegal and is considered manslaughter or murder. However, last year, the UK Supreme Court ruled that legal permission would no longer be needed to withdraw treatment from patients in permanent vegetative state. The NHS says withdrawing life-sustaining treatment can be part of good palliative care and should not be confused with euthanasia. In 2016 in the Netherlands - where euthanasia is legal - Mark Langedijk was granted life-ending treatment after years of suffering from alcoholism, depression and anxiety. "For me its very important to make sure that everyone knows we did everything and some people just aren't curable," his brother, Marcel, told the BBC. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption 'We are made to look like we ended it because it was convenient ... this was in no way convenient' Assisted suicide Intentionally helping another person to kill themselves is known as assisted suicide. This can include providing someone with strong sedatives with which to end their life or buying them a ticket to Switzerland (where assisted suicide is legal) to end their life. The Suicide Act 1961 makes it illegal to encourage or assist a suicide in England and Wales. Those found guilty of the offence could face up to 14 years in prison. Similar laws also exist in Northern Ireland. It is not uncommon for police to interview relatives after a loved one has ended their life at Dignitas. And in fact, Geoff Whaley's wife Ann, was interviewed under caution before they left the country - after police were made aware of his intentions. In Scotland there is no specific offence of assisted suicide but those who do help someone to die could be charged with general offences such as murder, culpable homicide or reckless endangerment. Assisted dying The campaign group Dignity in Dying wants a law allowing assisted dying. In contrast to euthanasia and assisted suicide, assisted dying would apply to terminally ill people only. The group says people with terminal illnesses should be allowed to have a choice over the manner and timing of their imminent death. There would be legal safeguards, and patients would have to meet strict criteria, it says, before they were given the option of taking life-ending medication and dying peacefully at home. At present, in the UK, it is possible to make an advance decision or an advance directive to refuse a specific type of treatment in the future if you lose capacity to make the decision for yourself. But that does not go far enough for some. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Noel Conway challenged the law on assisted dying Noel Conway has motor neurone disease and only has movement in his right hand, head and neck. He fought a legal battle with the Supreme Court to be allowed medical assistance to die when he has less than six months to live. The judges rejected his appeal - a decision Mr Conway described as "downright cruel". "The only option I currently have is to remove my ventilator and effectively suffocate to death under sedation," he said, adding: "To me this is not acceptable." Image copyright PA Image caption Debbie Purdy spent her final years seeking legal clarity Right-to-die campaigner Debbie Purdy had lived with primary progressive multiple sclerosis for almost 20 years. She described the pain of her disease as "never-ending" and had hoped to travel to Dignitas to end her life, fighting a legal battle to clarify whether her husband would be prosecuted for helping her travel to Switzerland. However, her condition deteriorated to the point that she was unable to leave her house. Speaking to the BBC she said: "It's not a matter of wanting to end my life, it's a matter of not wanting my life to be this." She died in 2014 at the Marie Curie Hospice in Bradford. While there have been several high-profile legal battles fought by right-to-die campaigners, several groups believe the laws around all forms of assisted death should remain the same. The Care Not Killing alliance argues that any change to the law would result in elderly or vulnerable people worried about being a financial burden feeling under greater pressure to end their lives. It also argues that requests for euthanasia are extremely rare. Disability Rights UK opposes a change in the law arguing that the choice to die could be "an illusory choice" if disabled people are not offered proper support. The British Medical Association (BMA) says that improvements in palliative care allow patients to die with dignity but that assisted death should not be legalised in the UK in any form. The organisation argues that legalisation would go against "the ethics of clinical practice, as the principal purpose of medicine is to improve patients' quality of life, not to foreshorten it". Politicians have been reluctant to legalise forms of assisted suicide. In 2015, Labour MP Rob Marris introduced a law that would have allowed some terminally ill adults to end their lives with medical supervision but the House of Commons rejected his bill by 330 votes to 118. In 2018, 43 people from the UK died at Dignitas and Life Circle - two facilities in Switzerland. Research by Dignity in Dying found that there is an average of 14,800 internet searches of "Dignitas" every month from the UK. In 2014, a Freedom of Information request to Directors of Public Health found that approximately 7% of suicides in England involve people who are terminally ill - that's 300 suicides every year. Two women with opposing views discuss the issues Euthanasia is legal in Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, while assisted suicide is permitted in Switzerland. A number of states in the United States have made assisted dying legal. In Oregon assisted dying has been legal for terminally ill, mentally competent adults since 1997. Since then other states have introduced similar laws including Washington, California and Hawaii. If you've been affected by issues in this article, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line. | Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a life to relieve suffering. Assisted suicide is helping another person to kill themselves. The NHS says withdrawing life-sustaining treatment can be part of good palliative care and should not be confused with euthanasia. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47158287 | 0.629999 |
Is RegTech The Answer To Corporate Governance And Risk Management Issues? | Financial technology, also known as FinTech, has changed the lives of billions by making financial services and products more accessible, and even integral, to their daily lives. For example, FinTech is what makes it possible for payments to be processed quickly across the globe for low fees, or for individuals to buy and sell online securities directly in the stock market without the advice of intermediaries. As an additional example, the sharing economythe market for consumption of unused assets, facilitated by social mediais often powered by FinTech companies as well. In light of the dramatic success of FinTech, the media, the private sector, and regulators have begun to focus their attention on understanding how to apply technology to regulate the financial sector, a field known as Regulation Technology, or simply RegTech. In fact, the global RegTech Market revenue is expected to reach $7.2 billion by 2023. The rise in the profitability of RegTech is primarily the result of the post-2008 financial world of increased government regulation, where compliance is a key governance function, and risk management is a critical regulatory strategy. RegTech tools have helped solve industry needs in a more effective and efficient way, automating corporate governance and compliance processes. RegTech solutions ensure that companies are up to date with the latest regulatory changes, minimize the likelihood of human error, and increase the overall governance process, while providing innovative risk management and cybersecurity tools. Among those are also the popular Bug Bounty programs, which invite people to hack into entities systems in order to find flaws in exchange for rewards. Although those programs initially were spearheaded by, and mainly relevant in, the private sector, the public sector has started to show interest too, with the House recently passing the Hack Your State Department Act to establish a State Department bug bounty program. RegTech is the answer to a real need. Learning, interpreting and complying with voluminous regulation requires the financial services industry to spend great resources. And RegTech has the promise of making that process more efficient and cost-effective. That potential has caused the invasion of entrepreneurs and innovators into the complicated world of RegTech, with some relying on the same technologies that fueled FinTechs disruption of the financial services industry, namely, machine learning, biometrics and big data. Just as the private sector is looking to RegTech to help with compliance, so too regulators are looking to RegTech to help with monitoring and enforcement. Regulators also hope that the increased use of technology within the financial services industry will give them the ability to more efficiently access and assess massive volumes of information that must be monitored and evaluated. But despite its advantages, RegTech is not the solution to all corporate governance and risk management issues. First, it is not easily accessiblethe significant barriers to access of RegTech include financial resources, access to data and talented manpower. Second, although RegTech certainly increases automation and efficiency in compliance for the businesses implementing it, regulators use some of the same tools to increase their efficiency, allowing them to continually increase the regulatory requirements they impose. Thus, RegTechs automation and efficiency gains may be offset by the costs of expanded regulatory requirements. So, the end result of using RegTech might not necessarily be financially profitable. Third, partnering with third party vendors can increase risk, as they might not be familiar with the same level of risks and dangers, particularly, because much of the work and risks are outsourced to third parties at the end of the day. Fourth, technology in governance and risk management decision processes uses opaque and often biased programmed reasoning and altered interpretations of the law, which can hinder good human judgment. This means that lawyers explain to programmers what needs to be coded into RegTech algorithms and tools, and the programmers create binary technological solutions to cover all possible scenarios based on their interpretation of the legal requirements. And, last but certainly not least, RegTech alone cannot extirpate undesired and unethical business practices, incentives, or culture. Moreover, just as technology can be used for good, it also can be used by businesses to evade regulations and frustrate regulators, a phenomenon referred to as anti-RegTech. For all these reasons, the recent RegTech trend of banks seeking to automatically calculate precise capital allocations required to pass the governments stress tests while maximizing returns, is a bit concerning. Sure, banks are under pressure to manage their capital and liquidity more effectively, and would rather not hold additional capital if they can determine the exact minimal required capital level, as holding more impacts their profitability and net margins. But one of the 2008 crisis lessons was that the Federal Reserve should constantly and carefully assess whether the biggest banks are strong enough to continue lending if the economy plunges into a severe downturn. And we must make sure that the banks understand the importance of this assessment, rather than try to use technology to get as close as possible to evade regulations and frustrate their purpose. Moreover, we should not let the biggest institutions solely rely on RegTech to precisely determine such critical, careful ratios, just to increase profitability as doing so clearly promotes an unethical business culture. Reaching a similar conclusion, the De Nederlandsche Bank ( DNB ), which has since 2011 studied the culture at financial institutions as a factor that influences their risk profile, included decisions made exclusively on the basis of models, as an example of risky behavior. Specifically, the DNB found that when such decisions are made without personal judgment they carry the risk of excessive risk taking and denial of dilemmas. RegTech has a crucial role in our technology-driven era. We can greatly benefit from RegTech, which is one of the very few answers to the risks and challenges existing in the financial industry. But, it requires a carefully tailored design of the technology, a joint effort of the regulators and the private sector, some shifts in corporate thinking, and acknowledging that we cannot blindly outsource governance and risk management to technology. | RegTech is the answer to a real need. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/nizangpackin/2019/02/08/is-regtech-the-answer-to-corporate-governance-and-risk-management-issues/ | 0.134867 |
Is RegTech The Answer To Corporate Governance And Risk Management Issues? | Financial technology, also known as FinTech, has changed the lives of billions by making financial services and products more accessible, and even integral, to their daily lives. For example, FinTech is what makes it possible for payments to be processed quickly across the globe for low fees, or for individuals to buy and sell online securities directly in the stock market without the advice of intermediaries. As an additional example, the sharing economythe market for consumption of unused assets, facilitated by social mediais often powered by FinTech companies as well. In light of the dramatic success of FinTech, the media, the private sector, and regulators have begun to focus their attention on understanding how to apply technology to regulate the financial sector, a field known as Regulation Technology, or simply RegTech. In fact, the global RegTech Market revenue is expected to reach $7.2 billion by 2023. The rise in the profitability of RegTech is primarily the result of the post-2008 financial world of increased government regulation, where compliance is a key governance function, and risk management is a critical regulatory strategy. RegTech tools have helped solve industry needs in a more effective and efficient way, automating corporate governance and compliance processes. RegTech solutions ensure that companies are up to date with the latest regulatory changes, minimize the likelihood of human error, and increase the overall governance process, while providing innovative risk management and cybersecurity tools. Among those are also the popular Bug Bounty programs, which invite people to hack into entities systems in order to find flaws in exchange for rewards. Although those programs initially were spearheaded by, and mainly relevant in, the private sector, the public sector has started to show interest too, with the House recently passing the Hack Your State Department Act to establish a State Department bug bounty program. RegTech is the answer to a real need. Learning, interpreting and complying with voluminous regulation requires the financial services industry to spend great resources. And RegTech has the promise of making that process more efficient and cost-effective. That potential has caused the invasion of entrepreneurs and innovators into the complicated world of RegTech, with some relying on the same technologies that fueled FinTechs disruption of the financial services industry, namely, machine learning, biometrics and big data. Just as the private sector is looking to RegTech to help with compliance, so too regulators are looking to RegTech to help with monitoring and enforcement. Regulators also hope that the increased use of technology within the financial services industry will give them the ability to more efficiently access and assess massive volumes of information that must be monitored and evaluated. But despite its advantages, RegTech is not the solution to all corporate governance and risk management issues. First, it is not easily accessiblethe significant barriers to access of RegTech include financial resources, access to data and talented manpower. Second, although RegTech certainly increases automation and efficiency in compliance for the businesses implementing it, regulators use some of the same tools to increase their efficiency, allowing them to continually increase the regulatory requirements they impose. Thus, RegTechs automation and efficiency gains may be offset by the costs of expanded regulatory requirements. So, the end result of using RegTech might not necessarily be financially profitable. Third, partnering with third party vendors can increase risk, as they might not be familiar with the same level of risks and dangers, particularly, because much of the work and risks are outsourced to third parties at the end of the day. Fourth, technology in governance and risk management decision processes uses opaque and often biased programmed reasoning and altered interpretations of the law, which can hinder good human judgment. This means that lawyers explain to programmers what needs to be coded into RegTech algorithms and tools, and the programmers create binary technological solutions to cover all possible scenarios based on their interpretation of the legal requirements. And, last but certainly not least, RegTech alone cannot extirpate undesired and unethical business practices, incentives, or culture. Moreover, just as technology can be used for good, it also can be used by businesses to evade regulations and frustrate regulators, a phenomenon referred to as anti-RegTech. For all these reasons, the recent RegTech trend of banks seeking to automatically calculate precise capital allocations required to pass the governments stress tests while maximizing returns, is a bit concerning. Sure, banks are under pressure to manage their capital and liquidity more effectively, and would rather not hold additional capital if they can determine the exact minimal required capital level, as holding more impacts their profitability and net margins. But one of the 2008 crisis lessons was that the Federal Reserve should constantly and carefully assess whether the biggest banks are strong enough to continue lending if the economy plunges into a severe downturn. And we must make sure that the banks understand the importance of this assessment, rather than try to use technology to get as close as possible to evade regulations and frustrate their purpose. Moreover, we should not let the biggest institutions solely rely on RegTech to precisely determine such critical, careful ratios, just to increase profitability as doing so clearly promotes an unethical business culture. Reaching a similar conclusion, the De Nederlandsche Bank ( DNB ), which has since 2011 studied the culture at financial institutions as a factor that influences their risk profile, included decisions made exclusively on the basis of models, as an example of risky behavior. Specifically, the DNB found that when such decisions are made without personal judgment they carry the risk of excessive risk taking and denial of dilemmas. RegTech has a crucial role in our technology-driven era. We can greatly benefit from RegTech, which is one of the very few answers to the risks and challenges existing in the financial industry. But, it requires a carefully tailored design of the technology, a joint effort of the regulators and the private sector, some shifts in corporate thinking, and acknowledging that we cannot blindly outsource governance and risk management to technology. | RegTech is the answer to a real need, but it is not the solution to all corporate governance and risk management issues, says Andrew Hammond. Hammond: Reg tech can help with compliance, but can also increase the costs of expanded regulatory requirements. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/nizangpackin/2019/02/08/is-regtech-the-answer-to-corporate-governance-and-risk-management-issues/ | 0.590321 |
Is RegTech The Answer To Corporate Governance And Risk Management Issues? | Financial technology, also known as FinTech, has changed the lives of billions by making financial services and products more accessible, and even integral, to their daily lives. For example, FinTech is what makes it possible for payments to be processed quickly across the globe for low fees, or for individuals to buy and sell online securities directly in the stock market without the advice of intermediaries. As an additional example, the sharing economythe market for consumption of unused assets, facilitated by social mediais often powered by FinTech companies as well. In light of the dramatic success of FinTech, the media, the private sector, and regulators have begun to focus their attention on understanding how to apply technology to regulate the financial sector, a field known as Regulation Technology, or simply RegTech. In fact, the global RegTech Market revenue is expected to reach $7.2 billion by 2023. The rise in the profitability of RegTech is primarily the result of the post-2008 financial world of increased government regulation, where compliance is a key governance function, and risk management is a critical regulatory strategy. RegTech tools have helped solve industry needs in a more effective and efficient way, automating corporate governance and compliance processes. RegTech solutions ensure that companies are up to date with the latest regulatory changes, minimize the likelihood of human error, and increase the overall governance process, while providing innovative risk management and cybersecurity tools. Among those are also the popular Bug Bounty programs, which invite people to hack into entities systems in order to find flaws in exchange for rewards. Although those programs initially were spearheaded by, and mainly relevant in, the private sector, the public sector has started to show interest too, with the House recently passing the Hack Your State Department Act to establish a State Department bug bounty program. RegTech is the answer to a real need. Learning, interpreting and complying with voluminous regulation requires the financial services industry to spend great resources. And RegTech has the promise of making that process more efficient and cost-effective. That potential has caused the invasion of entrepreneurs and innovators into the complicated world of RegTech, with some relying on the same technologies that fueled FinTechs disruption of the financial services industry, namely, machine learning, biometrics and big data. Just as the private sector is looking to RegTech to help with compliance, so too regulators are looking to RegTech to help with monitoring and enforcement. Regulators also hope that the increased use of technology within the financial services industry will give them the ability to more efficiently access and assess massive volumes of information that must be monitored and evaluated. But despite its advantages, RegTech is not the solution to all corporate governance and risk management issues. First, it is not easily accessiblethe significant barriers to access of RegTech include financial resources, access to data and talented manpower. Second, although RegTech certainly increases automation and efficiency in compliance for the businesses implementing it, regulators use some of the same tools to increase their efficiency, allowing them to continually increase the regulatory requirements they impose. Thus, RegTechs automation and efficiency gains may be offset by the costs of expanded regulatory requirements. So, the end result of using RegTech might not necessarily be financially profitable. Third, partnering with third party vendors can increase risk, as they might not be familiar with the same level of risks and dangers, particularly, because much of the work and risks are outsourced to third parties at the end of the day. Fourth, technology in governance and risk management decision processes uses opaque and often biased programmed reasoning and altered interpretations of the law, which can hinder good human judgment. This means that lawyers explain to programmers what needs to be coded into RegTech algorithms and tools, and the programmers create binary technological solutions to cover all possible scenarios based on their interpretation of the legal requirements. And, last but certainly not least, RegTech alone cannot extirpate undesired and unethical business practices, incentives, or culture. Moreover, just as technology can be used for good, it also can be used by businesses to evade regulations and frustrate regulators, a phenomenon referred to as anti-RegTech. For all these reasons, the recent RegTech trend of banks seeking to automatically calculate precise capital allocations required to pass the governments stress tests while maximizing returns, is a bit concerning. Sure, banks are under pressure to manage their capital and liquidity more effectively, and would rather not hold additional capital if they can determine the exact minimal required capital level, as holding more impacts their profitability and net margins. But one of the 2008 crisis lessons was that the Federal Reserve should constantly and carefully assess whether the biggest banks are strong enough to continue lending if the economy plunges into a severe downturn. And we must make sure that the banks understand the importance of this assessment, rather than try to use technology to get as close as possible to evade regulations and frustrate their purpose. Moreover, we should not let the biggest institutions solely rely on RegTech to precisely determine such critical, careful ratios, just to increase profitability as doing so clearly promotes an unethical business culture. Reaching a similar conclusion, the De Nederlandsche Bank ( DNB ), which has since 2011 studied the culture at financial institutions as a factor that influences their risk profile, included decisions made exclusively on the basis of models, as an example of risky behavior. Specifically, the DNB found that when such decisions are made without personal judgment they carry the risk of excessive risk taking and denial of dilemmas. RegTech has a crucial role in our technology-driven era. We can greatly benefit from RegTech, which is one of the very few answers to the risks and challenges existing in the financial industry. But, it requires a carefully tailored design of the technology, a joint effort of the regulators and the private sector, some shifts in corporate thinking, and acknowledging that we cannot blindly outsource governance and risk management to technology. | The global RegTech Market revenue is expected to reach $7.2 billion by 2023. Despite its advantages, RegTech is not the solution to all corporate governance and risk management issues. RegTechs automation and efficiency gains may be offset by the costs of expanded regulatory requirements. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/nizangpackin/2019/02/08/is-regtech-the-answer-to-corporate-governance-and-risk-management-issues/ | 0.682849 |
Did medics do enough to save dying Austin-area man? | Emergency officials are investigating whether paramedics who responded to a hit-and-run last fall did enough to help a dying man, raising the question of how far first responders should go to save a gravely injured patient. The issue arose after body camera video captured a roadside dispute between medics from Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services and Travis County Fire Rescue, who pressed for permission to keep working on 73-year-old Joe McKoy after they discovered he was still breathing following the Sept. 27 crash. McKoy, who suffered a severe head injury, was not taken to the hospital. He was pronounced dead at the scene near Texas 130 and Pearce Lane about 30 minutes after the crash. Records show medics called a doctor for consultation and, later, to declare him dead. There was a feeling that we could have more aggressively advocated for the patient, Travis County Fire Rescue Chief Ken Bailey said. This particular case was difficult for our crews to process. Its a failure on our part for what our mission is. The case highlights how medics must sometimes grapple with the extent to which they should continue care when training and experience indicate that survival chances are low or whether they should be empowered to deem a patient no longer viable for treatment, as officials say medics did with McKoy, and stop. Dr. Mark Escott, medical director for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, confirmed he and his office have been investigating whether first responders followed the agencys standards for care. He said he could not comment further because such clinical reviews are confidential under state law. He said the matter is also being referred to other EMS officials for an administrative review to determine whether the medics violated departmental policies. The medics have not been disciplined and remain on the job. The Texas Department of Public Safety is still investigating the crash and trying to find the driver of the other car. Our citys first responders are committed to the pursuit of excellence in clinical care and risk their lives on a daily basis to help others in need, Escott said in a statement to the American-Statesman. While our EMS and fire department strive for perfection, as with any other aspect of health care, the office of the medical director consistently reviews our clinical practices in order to continue to improve the care provided to our community. McKoys husband, Jesse Stewart, was dead when paramedics arrived at their mangled pickup. Body camera video taken by first responders from Travis County Fire Rescue (Emergency Services District 11) captured tense moments with medics from Austin-Travis County EMS during which they discussed McCoys injuries and debated whether to proceed with treatment. It shows some responders on the scene appeared stunned when a medic the one with the most credentials on at the scene instructed them to cease efforts to aide McCoy because of the dire nature of his injuries. The American-Statesman, KVUE-TV and McKoys family have sought copies of the video from Travis County Fire Rescue, but the agency's attorney has appealed to the Texas attorney general, seeking to prevent the public release of the video. The department argues that because the body-worn cameras are used for medical review purposes, the video is confidential. McKoys brother, Errol McKoy, who is handling his estate, declined to comment. Documents list all of the emergency responders at the scene, but officials would not identify who objected to further treatment of McKoy, a retired examiner from the Internal Revenue Service who lived in Southeast Travis County. The men's neighbors think they had been grocery shopping when the crash happened. According to EMS policy, resuscitation efforts should not be initiated or continued if a patient is pulseless or apneic meaning, isnt breathing. They also should not try to revive a patient if he has been underwater for more than 20 minutes or has obvious mortal wounds, which the policy describes as severe trauma with obvious signs of organ destruction. The video shows the senior EMS medic believed the nature of McKoys injuries were such that they met that criteria because of his head wound. Records also show he was bleeding from his head and suffered severe brain trauma. The policy also establishes an on-scene hierarchy and instructs medics on how to handle instances where they disagree about patient treatment. It says it is the responsibility of the on-scene credentialed providers to reach consensus as to the most appropriate care of the patient. It says if that doesnt happen, the senior on-scene provider has the final say. All significant or unresolved conflicts regarding on-scene management of patients should be reported via the chain of command and will be retrospectively reviewed, the policy states. In a memo to the staff Friday, Bailey, the Travis County Fire Rescue chief, said the final call about whether to take a person to the hospital remains with the transport provider, which was Austin-Travis County EMS in McKoy's death. However, Bailey pointed out that his department has other options, including arranging other transportation. "While the expectation is to be professional in our communication with others, this should not be a passive effort, but rather a clear communication of your concern," Bailey wrote. Dr. Pat Crocker, a former emergency room doctor in Austin who worked closely with EMS, said medics often contacted him for counsel about how to proceed with a patient in similar situations. In general, a patient who has signs of life a pulse, breathing should be transported, he said. A paramedic making that call in the field has a lot of challenges, in the midst of a lot of excitement. There have been a number of times in my career when I felt like this patient was a goner and a week later, those patients walk out of the hospital. Dr. James Kempema, the medical director for Travis County Fire Rescue who also reviewed the incident, said he agrees that McKoy would not have survived his injuries, even if the medics would have continued aggressive treatment. However, he said the incident shows the difficult decisions medics must make in an emergency situation about whether to rush a person with the most dire injuries to the hospital. Doing so can put the crew and public at risk by an ambulance racing to a hospital. It also comes with an extra financial cost to the agency, he said. However, he said taking them to the hospital can give a possible opportunity for organ donations and allow doctors and other medical experts a second chance to review a patients injuries. Kempema said he is aware of instances in which paramedics transported patients with injuries similar to McKoy, even though they were near-certain they would die enroute. He said he thinks it is usually proper to do so. Trying to determine when to stop resuscitation efforts is a challenge, Kempema said. My recommendation is that if there is evidence of vital signs and we have a trauma center that is fairly immediately accessible, my general recommendation would be to pursue transport. There are some things we might be able to do, with the full understanding that the likelihood of survival is very, very low." Bailey said his medics also have reviewed their actions that day. He said they also have repeatedly second-guessed whether to stop care on McKoy and whether they should have more aggressively insisted on doing more. We are uncomfortable trying to make those decisions, he said. We believe those decisions are best made in the emergency room. Ultimately, our job is to continue to provide care. | Austin-area emergency officials are investigating whether paramedics did enough to help a dying man. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.statesman.com/news/20190208/did-medics-do-enough-to-save-dying-austin-area-man | 0.18687 |
Did medics do enough to save dying Austin-area man? | Emergency officials are investigating whether paramedics who responded to a hit-and-run last fall did enough to help a dying man, raising the question of how far first responders should go to save a gravely injured patient. The issue arose after body camera video captured a roadside dispute between medics from Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services and Travis County Fire Rescue, who pressed for permission to keep working on 73-year-old Joe McKoy after they discovered he was still breathing following the Sept. 27 crash. McKoy, who suffered a severe head injury, was not taken to the hospital. He was pronounced dead at the scene near Texas 130 and Pearce Lane about 30 minutes after the crash. Records show medics called a doctor for consultation and, later, to declare him dead. There was a feeling that we could have more aggressively advocated for the patient, Travis County Fire Rescue Chief Ken Bailey said. This particular case was difficult for our crews to process. Its a failure on our part for what our mission is. The case highlights how medics must sometimes grapple with the extent to which they should continue care when training and experience indicate that survival chances are low or whether they should be empowered to deem a patient no longer viable for treatment, as officials say medics did with McKoy, and stop. Dr. Mark Escott, medical director for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, confirmed he and his office have been investigating whether first responders followed the agencys standards for care. He said he could not comment further because such clinical reviews are confidential under state law. He said the matter is also being referred to other EMS officials for an administrative review to determine whether the medics violated departmental policies. The medics have not been disciplined and remain on the job. The Texas Department of Public Safety is still investigating the crash and trying to find the driver of the other car. Our citys first responders are committed to the pursuit of excellence in clinical care and risk their lives on a daily basis to help others in need, Escott said in a statement to the American-Statesman. While our EMS and fire department strive for perfection, as with any other aspect of health care, the office of the medical director consistently reviews our clinical practices in order to continue to improve the care provided to our community. McKoys husband, Jesse Stewart, was dead when paramedics arrived at their mangled pickup. Body camera video taken by first responders from Travis County Fire Rescue (Emergency Services District 11) captured tense moments with medics from Austin-Travis County EMS during which they discussed McCoys injuries and debated whether to proceed with treatment. It shows some responders on the scene appeared stunned when a medic the one with the most credentials on at the scene instructed them to cease efforts to aide McCoy because of the dire nature of his injuries. The American-Statesman, KVUE-TV and McKoys family have sought copies of the video from Travis County Fire Rescue, but the agency's attorney has appealed to the Texas attorney general, seeking to prevent the public release of the video. The department argues that because the body-worn cameras are used for medical review purposes, the video is confidential. McKoys brother, Errol McKoy, who is handling his estate, declined to comment. Documents list all of the emergency responders at the scene, but officials would not identify who objected to further treatment of McKoy, a retired examiner from the Internal Revenue Service who lived in Southeast Travis County. The men's neighbors think they had been grocery shopping when the crash happened. According to EMS policy, resuscitation efforts should not be initiated or continued if a patient is pulseless or apneic meaning, isnt breathing. They also should not try to revive a patient if he has been underwater for more than 20 minutes or has obvious mortal wounds, which the policy describes as severe trauma with obvious signs of organ destruction. The video shows the senior EMS medic believed the nature of McKoys injuries were such that they met that criteria because of his head wound. Records also show he was bleeding from his head and suffered severe brain trauma. The policy also establishes an on-scene hierarchy and instructs medics on how to handle instances where they disagree about patient treatment. It says it is the responsibility of the on-scene credentialed providers to reach consensus as to the most appropriate care of the patient. It says if that doesnt happen, the senior on-scene provider has the final say. All significant or unresolved conflicts regarding on-scene management of patients should be reported via the chain of command and will be retrospectively reviewed, the policy states. In a memo to the staff Friday, Bailey, the Travis County Fire Rescue chief, said the final call about whether to take a person to the hospital remains with the transport provider, which was Austin-Travis County EMS in McKoy's death. However, Bailey pointed out that his department has other options, including arranging other transportation. "While the expectation is to be professional in our communication with others, this should not be a passive effort, but rather a clear communication of your concern," Bailey wrote. Dr. Pat Crocker, a former emergency room doctor in Austin who worked closely with EMS, said medics often contacted him for counsel about how to proceed with a patient in similar situations. In general, a patient who has signs of life a pulse, breathing should be transported, he said. A paramedic making that call in the field has a lot of challenges, in the midst of a lot of excitement. There have been a number of times in my career when I felt like this patient was a goner and a week later, those patients walk out of the hospital. Dr. James Kempema, the medical director for Travis County Fire Rescue who also reviewed the incident, said he agrees that McKoy would not have survived his injuries, even if the medics would have continued aggressive treatment. However, he said the incident shows the difficult decisions medics must make in an emergency situation about whether to rush a person with the most dire injuries to the hospital. Doing so can put the crew and public at risk by an ambulance racing to a hospital. It also comes with an extra financial cost to the agency, he said. However, he said taking them to the hospital can give a possible opportunity for organ donations and allow doctors and other medical experts a second chance to review a patients injuries. Kempema said he is aware of instances in which paramedics transported patients with injuries similar to McKoy, even though they were near-certain they would die enroute. He said he thinks it is usually proper to do so. Trying to determine when to stop resuscitation efforts is a challenge, Kempema said. My recommendation is that if there is evidence of vital signs and we have a trauma center that is fairly immediately accessible, my general recommendation would be to pursue transport. There are some things we might be able to do, with the full understanding that the likelihood of survival is very, very low." Bailey said his medics also have reviewed their actions that day. He said they also have repeatedly second-guessed whether to stop care on McKoy and whether they should have more aggressively insisted on doing more. We are uncomfortable trying to make those decisions, he said. We believe those decisions are best made in the emergency room. Ultimately, our job is to continue to provide care. | Austin-area emergency officials are investigating whether paramedics did enough to help a dying man. Body camera video captured a roadside dispute between medics from Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services and Travis County Fire Rescue. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.statesman.com/news/20190208/did-medics-do-enough-to-save-dying-austin-area-man | 0.202763 |
Did medics do enough to save dying Austin-area man? | Emergency officials are investigating whether paramedics who responded to a hit-and-run last fall did enough to help a dying man, raising the question of how far first responders should go to save a gravely injured patient. The issue arose after body camera video captured a roadside dispute between medics from Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services and Travis County Fire Rescue, who pressed for permission to keep working on 73-year-old Joe McKoy after they discovered he was still breathing following the Sept. 27 crash. McKoy, who suffered a severe head injury, was not taken to the hospital. He was pronounced dead at the scene near Texas 130 and Pearce Lane about 30 minutes after the crash. Records show medics called a doctor for consultation and, later, to declare him dead. There was a feeling that we could have more aggressively advocated for the patient, Travis County Fire Rescue Chief Ken Bailey said. This particular case was difficult for our crews to process. Its a failure on our part for what our mission is. The case highlights how medics must sometimes grapple with the extent to which they should continue care when training and experience indicate that survival chances are low or whether they should be empowered to deem a patient no longer viable for treatment, as officials say medics did with McKoy, and stop. Dr. Mark Escott, medical director for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, confirmed he and his office have been investigating whether first responders followed the agencys standards for care. He said he could not comment further because such clinical reviews are confidential under state law. He said the matter is also being referred to other EMS officials for an administrative review to determine whether the medics violated departmental policies. The medics have not been disciplined and remain on the job. The Texas Department of Public Safety is still investigating the crash and trying to find the driver of the other car. Our citys first responders are committed to the pursuit of excellence in clinical care and risk their lives on a daily basis to help others in need, Escott said in a statement to the American-Statesman. While our EMS and fire department strive for perfection, as with any other aspect of health care, the office of the medical director consistently reviews our clinical practices in order to continue to improve the care provided to our community. McKoys husband, Jesse Stewart, was dead when paramedics arrived at their mangled pickup. Body camera video taken by first responders from Travis County Fire Rescue (Emergency Services District 11) captured tense moments with medics from Austin-Travis County EMS during which they discussed McCoys injuries and debated whether to proceed with treatment. It shows some responders on the scene appeared stunned when a medic the one with the most credentials on at the scene instructed them to cease efforts to aide McCoy because of the dire nature of his injuries. The American-Statesman, KVUE-TV and McKoys family have sought copies of the video from Travis County Fire Rescue, but the agency's attorney has appealed to the Texas attorney general, seeking to prevent the public release of the video. The department argues that because the body-worn cameras are used for medical review purposes, the video is confidential. McKoys brother, Errol McKoy, who is handling his estate, declined to comment. Documents list all of the emergency responders at the scene, but officials would not identify who objected to further treatment of McKoy, a retired examiner from the Internal Revenue Service who lived in Southeast Travis County. The men's neighbors think they had been grocery shopping when the crash happened. According to EMS policy, resuscitation efforts should not be initiated or continued if a patient is pulseless or apneic meaning, isnt breathing. They also should not try to revive a patient if he has been underwater for more than 20 minutes or has obvious mortal wounds, which the policy describes as severe trauma with obvious signs of organ destruction. The video shows the senior EMS medic believed the nature of McKoys injuries were such that they met that criteria because of his head wound. Records also show he was bleeding from his head and suffered severe brain trauma. The policy also establishes an on-scene hierarchy and instructs medics on how to handle instances where they disagree about patient treatment. It says it is the responsibility of the on-scene credentialed providers to reach consensus as to the most appropriate care of the patient. It says if that doesnt happen, the senior on-scene provider has the final say. All significant or unresolved conflicts regarding on-scene management of patients should be reported via the chain of command and will be retrospectively reviewed, the policy states. In a memo to the staff Friday, Bailey, the Travis County Fire Rescue chief, said the final call about whether to take a person to the hospital remains with the transport provider, which was Austin-Travis County EMS in McKoy's death. However, Bailey pointed out that his department has other options, including arranging other transportation. "While the expectation is to be professional in our communication with others, this should not be a passive effort, but rather a clear communication of your concern," Bailey wrote. Dr. Pat Crocker, a former emergency room doctor in Austin who worked closely with EMS, said medics often contacted him for counsel about how to proceed with a patient in similar situations. In general, a patient who has signs of life a pulse, breathing should be transported, he said. A paramedic making that call in the field has a lot of challenges, in the midst of a lot of excitement. There have been a number of times in my career when I felt like this patient was a goner and a week later, those patients walk out of the hospital. Dr. James Kempema, the medical director for Travis County Fire Rescue who also reviewed the incident, said he agrees that McKoy would not have survived his injuries, even if the medics would have continued aggressive treatment. However, he said the incident shows the difficult decisions medics must make in an emergency situation about whether to rush a person with the most dire injuries to the hospital. Doing so can put the crew and public at risk by an ambulance racing to a hospital. It also comes with an extra financial cost to the agency, he said. However, he said taking them to the hospital can give a possible opportunity for organ donations and allow doctors and other medical experts a second chance to review a patients injuries. Kempema said he is aware of instances in which paramedics transported patients with injuries similar to McKoy, even though they were near-certain they would die enroute. He said he thinks it is usually proper to do so. Trying to determine when to stop resuscitation efforts is a challenge, Kempema said. My recommendation is that if there is evidence of vital signs and we have a trauma center that is fairly immediately accessible, my general recommendation would be to pursue transport. There are some things we might be able to do, with the full understanding that the likelihood of survival is very, very low." Bailey said his medics also have reviewed their actions that day. He said they also have repeatedly second-guessed whether to stop care on McKoy and whether they should have more aggressively insisted on doing more. We are uncomfortable trying to make those decisions, he said. We believe those decisions are best made in the emergency room. Ultimately, our job is to continue to provide care. | Austin-area emergency officials are investigating whether paramedics did enough to help a dying man. Body camera video captured a roadside dispute between medics from Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services and Travis County Fire Rescue after they discovered he was still breathing following the Sept. 27 crash. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.statesman.com/news/20190208/did-medics-do-enough-to-save-dying-austin-area-man | 0.232208 |
What does the Seattle man who invented Pictionary think about its artificial-intelligence use? | Iconary, which pairs humans and software in a drawing-and-guessing game from the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, was inspired by Pictionary, invented in Seattle more than three decades ago by a then-24-year-old Rob Angel and collaborators. Theres a bit of Seattle gaming history threaded through a new artificial intelligence training game unveiled on Tuesday. Iconary, which pairs humans and software in a drawing-and-guessing game from the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, was inspired by Pictionary, invented in Seattle more than three decades ago by a then-24-year-old Rob Angel and collaborators. We asked Angel to check out Iconary, which differs in fundamental ways from other games like chess and Go where artificial intelligence can beat the best of humanity. I forgot it was A.I. because I got so engaged with it, and thats a positive, Angel said. A game based on the subtle linguistic and visual cues exchanged between drawer and guesser presents a much more realistic challenge for computer scientists building A.I. systems that they hope will one day interact and collaborate with humans naturally, the Allen Institute researchers said. Angel recalled making Pictionary to recreate the feeling he had playing board games growing up in the 1970s: the fun, the interaction, the collaboration, the camaraderie of what I remember playing games as a kid. The collaborative aspect its not me against you, its us as a team against another team, Angel said was a major attribute the A.I. researchers sought. Also, playing Pictionary relies on subtle, hard-to-define aspects of human communication. It wasnt knowledge-based. It wasnt the smartest who wins, or even the best artist, Angel said. The game taps into intangible attributes of communication that remain largely beyond the reach of A.I. systems today. Recreating that in a software system represents an enormous challenge. Pictionary was a huge hit, selling an estimated 38 million copies in 60 countries between its launch in 1985 and its purchase by Mattel in 2001, Angel said. He guessed that millions more have been sold since. Angel is finishing a book covering his experience creating Pictionary. Game Changer, to be published by an imprint of Mascot Books, is due out later this year, he said. Was he surprised to see Pictionary inspire this attempt to train A.I. Nothing is static, Angel said. Life and technology and the world progresses, and this is almost a natural progression a new way to communicate, a new way to feel some emotion. | Iconary is a drawing-and-guessing game from the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. It was inspired by Pictionary, invented in Seattle more than three decades ago by a then-24-year-old Rob Angel. Angel recalled making Pictionary to recreate the feeling he had playing board games growing up in the 1970s. | bart | 2 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/what-does-the-seattle-man-who-invented-pictionary-think-about-its-artificial-intelligence-use/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all | 0.484882 |
Could The Challenge's Johnny Bananas Be the Next Bachelor? | Citizens of Bachelor Nation take note: Johnny Bananas wants to be the next guy to hand out those roses. Johnny Devenanzio aka Johnny Bananas has spent the last 13 years on MTV, first with The Real World: Key West, now with his 18th appearance on The Challenge. MTV is currently airing The Challenge: War of the Worlds, a competition reality show featuring veterans from previous seasons as well as contestants from other reality shows, including The Bachelorette, Big Brother and Love Island. While Johnny, who is now the host of First Look on NBC, is quick to decry the merits of the newcomersand their showshe does have his sights set on one particular other reality show: The Bachelor. | Johnny Bananas wants to be the next Bachelor. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/1012862/could-the-challenge-s-johnny-bananas-be-the-next-bachelor?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories | 0.114762 |
Could The Challenge's Johnny Bananas Be the Next Bachelor? | Citizens of Bachelor Nation take note: Johnny Bananas wants to be the next guy to hand out those roses. Johnny Devenanzio aka Johnny Bananas has spent the last 13 years on MTV, first with The Real World: Key West, now with his 18th appearance on The Challenge. MTV is currently airing The Challenge: War of the Worlds, a competition reality show featuring veterans from previous seasons as well as contestants from other reality shows, including The Bachelorette, Big Brother and Love Island. While Johnny, who is now the host of First Look on NBC, is quick to decry the merits of the newcomersand their showshe does have his sights set on one particular other reality show: The Bachelor. | Johnny Devenanzio has been on MTV's The Challenge for 18 years. He wants to be the next guy to hand out the roses on "The Bachelor" The Challenge is currently airing The Challenge: War of the Worlds. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/1012862/could-the-challenge-s-johnny-bananas-be-the-next-bachelor?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories | 0.161312 |
Could The Challenge's Johnny Bananas Be the Next Bachelor? | Citizens of Bachelor Nation take note: Johnny Bananas wants to be the next guy to hand out those roses. Johnny Devenanzio aka Johnny Bananas has spent the last 13 years on MTV, first with The Real World: Key West, now with his 18th appearance on The Challenge. MTV is currently airing The Challenge: War of the Worlds, a competition reality show featuring veterans from previous seasons as well as contestants from other reality shows, including The Bachelorette, Big Brother and Love Island. While Johnny, who is now the host of First Look on NBC, is quick to decry the merits of the newcomersand their showshe does have his sights set on one particular other reality show: The Bachelor. | Johnny Devenanzio has been on MTV's The Challenge for 18 years. He wants to be the next guy to hand out the roses on "The Bachelor" The Challenge is currently airing The Challenge: War of the Worlds, a competition reality show featuring veterans from previous seasons as well as contestants from other reality shows. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/1012862/could-the-challenge-s-johnny-bananas-be-the-next-bachelor?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories | 0.171736 |
Do fish recognise themselves in the mirror? | A species of fish, the cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), responds to its reflection and attempts to remove marks on its body during the mirror testa method held as the gold standard for determining if animals are self-aware. The finding, published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, suggests that fish might possess far higher cognitive powers than previously thought, and ignites a high-stakes debate over how we assess the intelligence of animals that are so unlike ourselves. "The behaviours we observe leave little doubt that this fish behaviourally fulfils all criteria of the mirror test as originally laid out. What is less clear is whether these behaviours should be considered as evidence that fish are self-awareeven though in the past these same behaviours have been interpreted as self-awareness in so many other animals," said Dr Alex Jordan, senior author on the study. The ability to perceive and recognise a reflected mirror image as self (mirror self-recognition) is considered a hallmark of cognition across species. To test for this phenomenon in fish, the researchers applied the classic 'mark' test to the cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus)a marine fish best known for its behaviour of "cleaning" external parasites from client fishby placing a coloured mark on fish in a location that can only be seen in a mirror reflection. In order to gain a 'pass', the test requires that the animal must touch or investigate the mark, demonstrating that it perceives the reflected image as itself. This is clearly a challenge for animals such as fish that lack limbs and hands. The researchers observed that fish attempted to remove the marks by scraping their bodies on hard surfaces after viewing themselves in the mirror. Fish never attempted to remove transparent marks in the presence of a mirror, or coloured marks when no mirror was presentsuggesting that marked fish were responding to the visual cue of seeing the mark on themselves in the mirror. Further, unmarked fish did not attempt to remove marks from themselves when interacting with a marked fish across a clear divider, nor did they attempt to remove marks placed on the mirror itselfsuggesting that fish were not innately reacting to a mark resembling an ectoparasite anywhere in the environment, for instance due to hard-wired feeding responses. Jordan acknowledges the controversial nature of the study, saying: "Depending on your position, you might reject the interpretation that these behaviours in a fish satisfy passing the test at all. But on what objective basis can you do this when the behaviours they show are so functionally similar to those of other species that have passed the test?" The PLOS Biology editors also recognised the potential for controversy, and commissioned an accompanying commentary from Professor Frans de Waal, a leading primatologist at Emory University who has studied mirror self-recognition in mammals. While de Waal finds the fish study intriguing, he urges caution in interpreting it. In doing so, he calls for less black-and-white approach to animal self-awareness. "What if self-awareness develops like an onion, building layer upon layer, rather than appearing all at once?" asks de Waal. "To explore self-awareness further, we should stop looking at responses to the mirror as its litmus test. Only with a richer theory of the self and a larger test battery will we be able to determine all of the various levels of self-awareness, including where exactly fish fit in." | A species of fish responds to its reflection and attempts to remove marks on its body during the mirror test. | bart | 0 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12202060 | 0.180948 |
Do fish recognise themselves in the mirror? | A species of fish, the cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), responds to its reflection and attempts to remove marks on its body during the mirror testa method held as the gold standard for determining if animals are self-aware. The finding, published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, suggests that fish might possess far higher cognitive powers than previously thought, and ignites a high-stakes debate over how we assess the intelligence of animals that are so unlike ourselves. "The behaviours we observe leave little doubt that this fish behaviourally fulfils all criteria of the mirror test as originally laid out. What is less clear is whether these behaviours should be considered as evidence that fish are self-awareeven though in the past these same behaviours have been interpreted as self-awareness in so many other animals," said Dr Alex Jordan, senior author on the study. The ability to perceive and recognise a reflected mirror image as self (mirror self-recognition) is considered a hallmark of cognition across species. To test for this phenomenon in fish, the researchers applied the classic 'mark' test to the cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus)a marine fish best known for its behaviour of "cleaning" external parasites from client fishby placing a coloured mark on fish in a location that can only be seen in a mirror reflection. In order to gain a 'pass', the test requires that the animal must touch or investigate the mark, demonstrating that it perceives the reflected image as itself. This is clearly a challenge for animals such as fish that lack limbs and hands. The researchers observed that fish attempted to remove the marks by scraping their bodies on hard surfaces after viewing themselves in the mirror. Fish never attempted to remove transparent marks in the presence of a mirror, or coloured marks when no mirror was presentsuggesting that marked fish were responding to the visual cue of seeing the mark on themselves in the mirror. Further, unmarked fish did not attempt to remove marks from themselves when interacting with a marked fish across a clear divider, nor did they attempt to remove marks placed on the mirror itselfsuggesting that fish were not innately reacting to a mark resembling an ectoparasite anywhere in the environment, for instance due to hard-wired feeding responses. Jordan acknowledges the controversial nature of the study, saying: "Depending on your position, you might reject the interpretation that these behaviours in a fish satisfy passing the test at all. But on what objective basis can you do this when the behaviours they show are so functionally similar to those of other species that have passed the test?" The PLOS Biology editors also recognised the potential for controversy, and commissioned an accompanying commentary from Professor Frans de Waal, a leading primatologist at Emory University who has studied mirror self-recognition in mammals. While de Waal finds the fish study intriguing, he urges caution in interpreting it. In doing so, he calls for less black-and-white approach to animal self-awareness. "What if self-awareness develops like an onion, building layer upon layer, rather than appearing all at once?" asks de Waal. "To explore self-awareness further, we should stop looking at responses to the mirror as its litmus test. Only with a richer theory of the self and a larger test battery will we be able to determine all of the various levels of self-awareness, including where exactly fish fit in." | A species of fish responds to its reflection and attempts to remove marks on its body during the mirror test. The finding suggests that fish might possess far higher cognitive powers than previously thought. | bart | 1 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12202060 | 0.198624 |
Do fish recognise themselves in the mirror? | A species of fish, the cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), responds to its reflection and attempts to remove marks on its body during the mirror testa method held as the gold standard for determining if animals are self-aware. The finding, published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, suggests that fish might possess far higher cognitive powers than previously thought, and ignites a high-stakes debate over how we assess the intelligence of animals that are so unlike ourselves. "The behaviours we observe leave little doubt that this fish behaviourally fulfils all criteria of the mirror test as originally laid out. What is less clear is whether these behaviours should be considered as evidence that fish are self-awareeven though in the past these same behaviours have been interpreted as self-awareness in so many other animals," said Dr Alex Jordan, senior author on the study. The ability to perceive and recognise a reflected mirror image as self (mirror self-recognition) is considered a hallmark of cognition across species. To test for this phenomenon in fish, the researchers applied the classic 'mark' test to the cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus)a marine fish best known for its behaviour of "cleaning" external parasites from client fishby placing a coloured mark on fish in a location that can only be seen in a mirror reflection. In order to gain a 'pass', the test requires that the animal must touch or investigate the mark, demonstrating that it perceives the reflected image as itself. This is clearly a challenge for animals such as fish that lack limbs and hands. The researchers observed that fish attempted to remove the marks by scraping their bodies on hard surfaces after viewing themselves in the mirror. Fish never attempted to remove transparent marks in the presence of a mirror, or coloured marks when no mirror was presentsuggesting that marked fish were responding to the visual cue of seeing the mark on themselves in the mirror. Further, unmarked fish did not attempt to remove marks from themselves when interacting with a marked fish across a clear divider, nor did they attempt to remove marks placed on the mirror itselfsuggesting that fish were not innately reacting to a mark resembling an ectoparasite anywhere in the environment, for instance due to hard-wired feeding responses. Jordan acknowledges the controversial nature of the study, saying: "Depending on your position, you might reject the interpretation that these behaviours in a fish satisfy passing the test at all. But on what objective basis can you do this when the behaviours they show are so functionally similar to those of other species that have passed the test?" The PLOS Biology editors also recognised the potential for controversy, and commissioned an accompanying commentary from Professor Frans de Waal, a leading primatologist at Emory University who has studied mirror self-recognition in mammals. While de Waal finds the fish study intriguing, he urges caution in interpreting it. In doing so, he calls for less black-and-white approach to animal self-awareness. "What if self-awareness develops like an onion, building layer upon layer, rather than appearing all at once?" asks de Waal. "To explore self-awareness further, we should stop looking at responses to the mirror as its litmus test. Only with a richer theory of the self and a larger test battery will we be able to determine all of the various levels of self-awareness, including where exactly fish fit in." | A species of fish responds to its reflection and attempts to remove marks on its body during the mirror test. The finding suggests that fish might possess far higher cognitive powers than previously thought. The ability to perceive and recognise a reflected mirror image as self is considered a hallmark of cognition across species. | bart | 2 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12202060 | 0.318672 |
Will Macron's 'Great National Debate' Help Defuse France's Yellow Vest Unrest? | Enlarge this image toggle caption Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images Stung by criticism, and with his government rocked by ongoing protests from yellow vest demonstrators, French President Emmanuel Macron last month launched a nationwide series of community conversations what his government calls a grand debat national or "great national debate." Since mid-January, groups of mayors, local leaders and ordinary citizens have been meeting to hear and respond to complaints, grievances and suggestions. The public forums are set to continue through March 15. More than 3,000 have been held already, in rural hamlets and big cities. The French president is hoping the meetings will help quell the yellow vest crisis by allowing citizens to express their anger and frustrations. He has promised to take all ideas and suggestions into account for the second half of his term. Macron has personally attended several of these gatherings, and on Monday, visited the town of vry-Courcouronnes, just south of Paris, for the first meeting in les banlieues, France's troubled suburbs. For more than six hours, the French president listened, took notes and responded to complaints and proposals on how to fix the problems people face in les banlieues. About 400 people attended, most of them mayors of small, suburban towns and the directors of local community associations. "I realize there is a rupture in the values of the French Republic when it comes to the suburbs, and the guarantee of equality doesn't always extend to these neighborhoods," Macron told them. He acknowledged the need for change. Enlarge this image toggle caption Boris Horvat/AFP/Getty Images Boris Horvat/AFP/Getty Images Unlike in the American sense, where suburbs connote green lawns and ease of life, in France, the term is synonymous with high unemployment, poverty and discrimination. The banlieues that ring large French cities are generally home to immigrants and French citizens of immigrant descent. Removed from the wealth and jobs of the cities, and lacking in public transport, it might seem the suburbs would have grievances in common with the rural yellow-vesters. But the banlieues have not joined the yellow vest movement. Abdallah Abdourahim, who leads a conseil citoyen group that helps people in some of the poorest neighborhoods, says it's almost as if the yellow vest movement made France discover that people are suffering. But those in the suburbs have known it all along. "People in the suburbs have felt on the margins of society for a while and no one's helped them," he says. "So that's why they haven't felt concerned with the yellow vest cause. It's like people are just discovering things that we've been living with, such as police brutality. Now, suddenly the rest of the country is waking up to how the police act." Abdourahim is referring to the scenes of violence between riot police and yellow vest protesters that have played out weekly since the protests began in mid-November. Protesters throw stones and bottles. Police respond with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. Though there is a debate over who is at fault, the demonstrations have shined a light on police brutality. Discrimination is one topic that comes up time and again in vry-Courcouronnes. People say their chances of finding a job or other opportunities are lower because of their address and their non-French sounding names. That has not been a complaint from the yellow vest movement. Enlarge this image toggle caption Eleanor Beardsley/NPR Eleanor Beardsley/NPR "When your name is Muhammed and you come from a poor neighborhood, you don't exactly have the same consideration as when your name is Pierre or Jacques," says Abdourahim. Franois Durovray, president of the Essonne region where vry-Courcouronnes is located, says although the rural yellow-vest world and the suburbs have some common problems, they're still very far apart. "It's simple," he says. "The yellow vesters have just started to realize that they've been downgraded that they don't live anymore as they once did. But the people in the suburbs were born downgraded." The problems of France's suburbs have persisted for decades and successive governments have promised to fix them, but floundered. "A lot of people have given up hope," says Bahran El Fakhar, who heads an association to help youth in the Paris suburb of Chanteloup-les-Vignes. In that suburb, "Forty percent of people under the age of 25 are unemployed," he says. "They don't believe anymore. And we have to fight against this resignation and mistrust." People don't care that Macron promised to raise the minimum wage by 100 euros a month, says Catherine Arenou, the mayor of Chanteloup-les-Vignes, because they don't even earn the minimum wage. In vry-Courcouronnes, the head of a women's association says there's another reason residents have stayed away from the yellow vest movement. "It's not that the suburbs disagree with the yellow vests' demands," Adol Ankrah says. "But we didn't want to be blamed for the violence." Ankrah says people from the banlieues are stigmatized and they would have surely been held responsible for shop looting and car burning. She says it's great the president has come to converse with residents of the suburbs, even if the debates weren't originally launched for them. "He's very open and interested," she says. "Macron answers our questions and is open to criticism and suggestions." Macron's popularity, which plummeted late last year as the yellow vest protests erupted, has seen a boost in recent weeks. But Ankrah, like many in France, is wondering if the great national debate will actually produce any results. | French President Emmanuel Macron launched a nationwide series of community conversations. He hopes the meetings will help quell the yellow vest crisis. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.npr.org/2019/02/08/692307001/will-macrons-great-national-debate-help-defuse-frances-yellow-vest-unrest?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=storiesfromnpr | 0.163253 |
Can Canada avoid a populist revolt? | In the age of Trump, those of us who are immigrants from the United States feel doubly blessed to live in Canada (even in winter). Canada is an island of sanity in a sea of craziness. Not for us the ethno-nationalist populism that has upset so much of Europe. Not for us the xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments that helped propel Donald Trump to power. Were proud of our Canadian exceptionalism. We are the nation that has kept its head. For now. The nations upended by right-wing populism all have one thing in common. They are all facing white demographic decline. And that is the breeding ground for populist revolts. These revolts are linked directly to immigration, as Eric Kaufmann argues in his deeply researched new book, Whiteshift: Populism, Immigration and the Future of White Majorities. In Canada, the demographic shift will be huge. Today about 20 per cent of Canadians are visible minorities. But in 90 years, only about 20 per cent of Canadians will be white; most will belong to a racially hybrid majority, according to Mr. Kaufmann. The political fault lines of the future will be drawn along ethnocultural, rather than class divisions. Story continues below advertisement Whiteshift argues that its time to open up room for a legitimate conversation about white anxiety over immigration and the rate of change, rather than treat the subject as automatically toxic. For too long, argues Mr. Kaufmann, the establishment left with the help of the establishment media has branded any challenge to immigration levels as illegitimate and racist. This is dangerous, he told me, because were giving ammunition and oxygen to the far right. The results of not giving a mainstream outlet to these views are all around us: Look at Sweden, or Germany, or the U.S. Mr. Kaufmann, a professor of politics at Birkbeck College, University of London, was brought up in British Columbia. So hes well-acquainted with Canadas cosmopolitan vibe. Among the reigning classes including the media the coming demographic transformation is simply assumed to be a good thing, even proof of our superior virtue as a nation. Mr. Kaufmann argues that because of the peculiarities of Anglo-Canadian history, English-Canadian identity basically collapsed along with the Empire. As a result, white English Canadians dont really have a national identity. No ethnic founding myth or sense of peoplehood survived the fall of Britannic nationalism, he writes in his book. What moved into the void was a new religion the religion of multiculturalism and diversity. "The contemporary Anglo-defined Canadian identity is futuristic: a missionary nationalism centred on the left-modernist ideology of multiculturalism, he writes. (Hes quick to add that this analysis doesnt pertain to Quebec, whose brand of ethno-populism looks far more like Europes. ) Canada doesnt really have a right-wing party. On all major issues, including immigration, the Conservatives are almost indistinguishable from the Liberals. The parties views on immigration are virtually identical. Even though, according to EKOS, as many as 40 per cent of Canadians think there are too many visible minorities among those immigrating to Canada, this view gets no airing by any mainstream politician. Immigration opinion is similar in Canada and the U.S. But it has been politicized only by the American right, not the Canadian right. So long as a critical mass of opinion formers support or fail to challenge the rule that politicizing multiculturalism and immigration is racist, the system is stable, writes Mr. Kauffmann. Until recently Mr. Kaufmann was inclined to think so. But hes changed his mind. People argued that it would never come to Germany, Britain, Sweden, or Spain, he said. Now it has hit them all. We are not immune. He also believes that the Tories decision to skirt the immigration issue opens the door for a populist party on the right, or for a populist Conservative leader. That doesnt mean Maxime Berniers Peoples Party will be it. So far the media have done an effective job confining him to the margins. He has few visible followers, and is regarded as a mild threat to the Conservative vote rather than as a political force on his own. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Ironically, Mr. Kaufmann believes the most polarizing political figure in Canadian politics today is probably Justin Trudeau. He is the standard-bearer for the most out-there version of globalism, he told me. Mr, Trudeau speaks for millions of Canadians. But he doesnt speak for millions more people who arent sure theyre comfortable with the rate of change, folks who think globalism has gone too far, and others who say they dont recognize the place where they grew up any more. Those people arent going to go away. And sooner or later, they will find a voice. | Canada is an island of sanity in a sea of craziness, writes Andrew Keen. Keen: Populist revolts are linked directly to immigration, as Eric Kaufmann argues in his new book, Whiteshift. He argues that its time to open up room for a legitimate conversation about white anxiety over immigration. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-can-canada-avoid-a-populist-revolt/ | 0.117698 |
What was Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan paid for 2018? | Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihans compensation is increasing by 15 percent to $26.5 million, the Charlotte-based bank disclosed Friday. The banks board has awarded Moynihan $25 million in stock and an unchanged base salary of $1.5 million for his performance in 2018, according to a securities filing. As in previous years, Moynihan did not receive a cash bonus. His pay for 2017 included $21.5 million in stock. In explaining the increase in compensation, the filing pointed to the banks record earnings of $28.1 billion last year. The filing also noted disciplined risk and expense management under Moynihan. Moynihan, 59, is in his 10th year as CEO of the second-largest U.S. bank by assets. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Charlotte Observer Of Moynihans stock awards, half are performance-based shares that will be paid only if the bank meets certain financial goals. A portion of the remaining stock awards are shares that he will receive over the next three years. Moynihan becomes the latest Wall Street chief executive whose new compensation figures are being disclosed. Last month, New York-based JPMorgan Chase reported that it increased CEO Jamie Dimons total compensation by more than 5 percent to $31 million. The figure includes a base salary of $1.5 million. Also last month, New Yorks Morgan Stanley disclosed giving $29 million in compensation to CEO James Gorman. Thats up 7.4 percent from the year before, Bloomberg reported. Goldman Sachs Group this month disclosed CEO David Solomon received $23 million in compensation for 2018, including a base salary of $1.8 million. Last year, Solomon replaced CEO Lloyd Blankfein, who stepped down in October. Brian Moynihan, president and chief executive officer of Bank of America San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, which has its largest employment hub in Charlotte, has not yet announced 2018 compensation for CEO Tim Sloan. New Yorks Citigroup also has not yet disclosed its latest compensation for CEO Michael Corbat. | Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan's compensation is increasing by 15 percent to $26.5 million. | bart | 0 | https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/banking/article225942300.html | 0.188904 |
What was Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan paid for 2018? | Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihans compensation is increasing by 15 percent to $26.5 million, the Charlotte-based bank disclosed Friday. The banks board has awarded Moynihan $25 million in stock and an unchanged base salary of $1.5 million for his performance in 2018, according to a securities filing. As in previous years, Moynihan did not receive a cash bonus. His pay for 2017 included $21.5 million in stock. In explaining the increase in compensation, the filing pointed to the banks record earnings of $28.1 billion last year. The filing also noted disciplined risk and expense management under Moynihan. Moynihan, 59, is in his 10th year as CEO of the second-largest U.S. bank by assets. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Charlotte Observer Of Moynihans stock awards, half are performance-based shares that will be paid only if the bank meets certain financial goals. A portion of the remaining stock awards are shares that he will receive over the next three years. Moynihan becomes the latest Wall Street chief executive whose new compensation figures are being disclosed. Last month, New York-based JPMorgan Chase reported that it increased CEO Jamie Dimons total compensation by more than 5 percent to $31 million. The figure includes a base salary of $1.5 million. Also last month, New Yorks Morgan Stanley disclosed giving $29 million in compensation to CEO James Gorman. Thats up 7.4 percent from the year before, Bloomberg reported. Goldman Sachs Group this month disclosed CEO David Solomon received $23 million in compensation for 2018, including a base salary of $1.8 million. Last year, Solomon replaced CEO Lloyd Blankfein, who stepped down in October. Brian Moynihan, president and chief executive officer of Bank of America San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, which has its largest employment hub in Charlotte, has not yet announced 2018 compensation for CEO Tim Sloan. New Yorks Citigroup also has not yet disclosed its latest compensation for CEO Michael Corbat. | Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan's pay for 2018 is increasing by 15 percent to $26.5 million. The bank's board has awarded him $25 million in stock and an unchanged base salary. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/banking/article225942300.html | 0.617403 |
What was Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan paid for 2018? | Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihans compensation is increasing by 15 percent to $26.5 million, the Charlotte-based bank disclosed Friday. The banks board has awarded Moynihan $25 million in stock and an unchanged base salary of $1.5 million for his performance in 2018, according to a securities filing. As in previous years, Moynihan did not receive a cash bonus. His pay for 2017 included $21.5 million in stock. In explaining the increase in compensation, the filing pointed to the banks record earnings of $28.1 billion last year. The filing also noted disciplined risk and expense management under Moynihan. Moynihan, 59, is in his 10th year as CEO of the second-largest U.S. bank by assets. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Charlotte Observer Of Moynihans stock awards, half are performance-based shares that will be paid only if the bank meets certain financial goals. A portion of the remaining stock awards are shares that he will receive over the next three years. Moynihan becomes the latest Wall Street chief executive whose new compensation figures are being disclosed. Last month, New York-based JPMorgan Chase reported that it increased CEO Jamie Dimons total compensation by more than 5 percent to $31 million. The figure includes a base salary of $1.5 million. Also last month, New Yorks Morgan Stanley disclosed giving $29 million in compensation to CEO James Gorman. Thats up 7.4 percent from the year before, Bloomberg reported. Goldman Sachs Group this month disclosed CEO David Solomon received $23 million in compensation for 2018, including a base salary of $1.8 million. Last year, Solomon replaced CEO Lloyd Blankfein, who stepped down in October. Brian Moynihan, president and chief executive officer of Bank of America San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, which has its largest employment hub in Charlotte, has not yet announced 2018 compensation for CEO Tim Sloan. New Yorks Citigroup also has not yet disclosed its latest compensation for CEO Michael Corbat. | Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan's pay for 2018 is increasing by 15 percent to $26.5 million. The bank's board has awarded him $25 million in stock and an unchanged base salary of $1.5million. Moynihans is in his 10th year as CEO of the second-largest US bank by assets. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/banking/article225942300.html | 0.705655 |
Are Liverpool feeling the pressure of Premier League title race? | Steve McManaman, Liverpool 1990-99 I think its nonsense, I really do. These players have played in World Cups and Champions Leagues. Mo Salah carries his country on his own shoulders. I think youd probably find more pressure on a scouser because of the history of the club but the front three are from different parts of the world. When you have a history as long and varied as Liverpool youre going to get this. Liverpool will be scrutinised more than Tottenham. Man United will be scrutinised more than another opponent because of their marvellous history. Until Liverpool win something it will continue. Everybody knows that. The manager knows it and all the players probably know it. Jrgen Klopp denies title nerves and tells Liverpool fans to fasten seatbelts Read more Michael Owen, Liverpool 1996-2004 You dont think about pressure. I certainly didnt. When I look back on my career, I think: Wow, I was the goalscorer for Liverpool and England, playing in World Cups and FA Cup finals. The prime minister is probably under most pressure but after that, there is not much more pressure than being a top player at a top club going for the title or in a final. Half the bloody world are watching. When you look back then of course there is pressure, and there is pressure from the outside looking in, but not when you are playing. This is what you do, this is what you are brilliant at. If you look at all the great sportsmen, Tiger Woods with a six-footer on the last green, you know they are enjoying it and are thriving on the pressure. That is their life. Its not a choice and it is not just happening for a day. They live like this. It works the other way round, too. When you retire and you dont have that pressure any more you can go a bit doolally, because you almost feel you have no purpose in life any more. That was what everything was about when you were a player. They wont be feeling pressure or losing any sleep. Alan Kennedy, Liverpool 1978-86 One of the West Ham players said Liverpool were showing a few nerves on Monday. This team has been at the top very early and, in my day, we used to make a surge around Easter. We built up a head of steam then. I think todays players have a good attitude. Maybe we havent done as well in the last couple of games but Bournemouth is the next game now. Win that. Dont look too far ahead. If Liverpool win every game they win the league. That is what their mindset should be. Robbie Fowler, Liverpool 1993-2001 and 2006-07 I really dont get what people are talking about. Liverpool are level on points at the top of the league with a game in hand. You would have taken this all day long at the start of the season. There are loads of positives. Of course there is pressure but there is pressure on players from the first game of the season. When you want to win the league and you havent won it before, it might be a different pressure but pressure is always there. The lads at Manchester City know they are under pressure to deliver, too. The pressure isnt different on Tottenham and Manchester City compared to Liverpool. It will be there all the way until the end of the season. Liverpool report world-record 125m profit for 2017-18 financial year Read more You were part of the Liverpool team that were top with 10 games to go in 1996-97 (following the 4-3 win over Newcastle) but finished fourth. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Liverpools Mark Wright (left) and Steve McManaman oversee a narrow miss in the costly 2-1 defeat at Wimbledon in May 1997. Photograph: Andy Hooper/Daily Mail/Rex/Shutterstock McManaman It certainly wasnt pressure on my part, and when I looked around the dressing room I dont think it was pressure. I just think we had a little less quality than the opposition at times in big games. I made my debut in 1990 with everybody who had won it [previously]. At 16, 17 I was with them all the time in the dressing room, seeing them win titles, not being a part of it but being the 15th or 16th man. I felt as if it was just the norm. It didnt bother me, the pressure of tense games or needing to get over the line, because I was used to it. I was used to speaking to John Barnes, to Alan Hansen, to Kenny Dalglish, to Roy Evans and Ronnie Moran, who had been through it loads of times. It was easy for me. This is a different group of players 29 years later. They seem fine and are saying all the right things. They need to win on Saturday and as soon as they win it banishes all the talk for another week, and puts pressure on the opposition. Jason McAteer, Liverpool 1995-99 It is similar to what I went through. There is a way of doing it and once you have done it you know what to expect. The last 10 games of the season the pressure is hyped up and it is like in any sport if you are a golfer trying to win your first major, going down the stretch with three holes to play with a two-shot lead, all kind of thoughts creep into their heads. It is human nature. It is elite sport. Leading from the front is very difficult. For me, Coventry and Wimbledon [2-1 defeats during the run-in] stick in my mind 22 years later. It is a very difficult time and these days with social media it is very difficult to escape the pressure. A side of former Liverpool players will play a Milan legends team at Anfield on 23 March. Proceeds go to the LFC Foundation and Fondazione Milan. Tickets can be purchased here. | Liverpool are level on points at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/feb/08/liverpool-feeling-pressure-premier-league-title-race-manchester-city | 0.100645 |
Are Liverpool feeling the pressure of Premier League title race? | Steve McManaman, Liverpool 1990-99 I think its nonsense, I really do. These players have played in World Cups and Champions Leagues. Mo Salah carries his country on his own shoulders. I think youd probably find more pressure on a scouser because of the history of the club but the front three are from different parts of the world. When you have a history as long and varied as Liverpool youre going to get this. Liverpool will be scrutinised more than Tottenham. Man United will be scrutinised more than another opponent because of their marvellous history. Until Liverpool win something it will continue. Everybody knows that. The manager knows it and all the players probably know it. Jrgen Klopp denies title nerves and tells Liverpool fans to fasten seatbelts Read more Michael Owen, Liverpool 1996-2004 You dont think about pressure. I certainly didnt. When I look back on my career, I think: Wow, I was the goalscorer for Liverpool and England, playing in World Cups and FA Cup finals. The prime minister is probably under most pressure but after that, there is not much more pressure than being a top player at a top club going for the title or in a final. Half the bloody world are watching. When you look back then of course there is pressure, and there is pressure from the outside looking in, but not when you are playing. This is what you do, this is what you are brilliant at. If you look at all the great sportsmen, Tiger Woods with a six-footer on the last green, you know they are enjoying it and are thriving on the pressure. That is their life. Its not a choice and it is not just happening for a day. They live like this. It works the other way round, too. When you retire and you dont have that pressure any more you can go a bit doolally, because you almost feel you have no purpose in life any more. That was what everything was about when you were a player. They wont be feeling pressure or losing any sleep. Alan Kennedy, Liverpool 1978-86 One of the West Ham players said Liverpool were showing a few nerves on Monday. This team has been at the top very early and, in my day, we used to make a surge around Easter. We built up a head of steam then. I think todays players have a good attitude. Maybe we havent done as well in the last couple of games but Bournemouth is the next game now. Win that. Dont look too far ahead. If Liverpool win every game they win the league. That is what their mindset should be. Robbie Fowler, Liverpool 1993-2001 and 2006-07 I really dont get what people are talking about. Liverpool are level on points at the top of the league with a game in hand. You would have taken this all day long at the start of the season. There are loads of positives. Of course there is pressure but there is pressure on players from the first game of the season. When you want to win the league and you havent won it before, it might be a different pressure but pressure is always there. The lads at Manchester City know they are under pressure to deliver, too. The pressure isnt different on Tottenham and Manchester City compared to Liverpool. It will be there all the way until the end of the season. Liverpool report world-record 125m profit for 2017-18 financial year Read more You were part of the Liverpool team that were top with 10 games to go in 1996-97 (following the 4-3 win over Newcastle) but finished fourth. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Liverpools Mark Wright (left) and Steve McManaman oversee a narrow miss in the costly 2-1 defeat at Wimbledon in May 1997. Photograph: Andy Hooper/Daily Mail/Rex/Shutterstock McManaman It certainly wasnt pressure on my part, and when I looked around the dressing room I dont think it was pressure. I just think we had a little less quality than the opposition at times in big games. I made my debut in 1990 with everybody who had won it [previously]. At 16, 17 I was with them all the time in the dressing room, seeing them win titles, not being a part of it but being the 15th or 16th man. I felt as if it was just the norm. It didnt bother me, the pressure of tense games or needing to get over the line, because I was used to it. I was used to speaking to John Barnes, to Alan Hansen, to Kenny Dalglish, to Roy Evans and Ronnie Moran, who had been through it loads of times. It was easy for me. This is a different group of players 29 years later. They seem fine and are saying all the right things. They need to win on Saturday and as soon as they win it banishes all the talk for another week, and puts pressure on the opposition. Jason McAteer, Liverpool 1995-99 It is similar to what I went through. There is a way of doing it and once you have done it you know what to expect. The last 10 games of the season the pressure is hyped up and it is like in any sport if you are a golfer trying to win your first major, going down the stretch with three holes to play with a two-shot lead, all kind of thoughts creep into their heads. It is human nature. It is elite sport. Leading from the front is very difficult. For me, Coventry and Wimbledon [2-1 defeats during the run-in] stick in my mind 22 years later. It is a very difficult time and these days with social media it is very difficult to escape the pressure. A side of former Liverpool players will play a Milan legends team at Anfield on 23 March. Proceeds go to the LFC Foundation and Fondazione Milan. Tickets can be purchased here. | Liverpool are level on points at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand. Jrgen Klopp denies title nerves and tells Liverpool fans to 'fasten seatbelts' Steve McManaman: Liverpool will be scrutinised more than Tottenham. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/feb/08/liverpool-feeling-pressure-premier-league-title-race-manchester-city | 0.112732 |
Will Carrizo Plain CA get a wildflower superbloom after rain? | Experts said its too early to tell whether theres potential for a superbloom, which painted the Carrizo Plain National Monument vivid shades of gold and purple in 2017. The bountiful native flowers created such a spectacle they could even been seen from space. It should be a good bloom out there, said David Keil, a Cal Poly emeritus botany professor. Im not sure whether itll be a superbloom or not. Two years ago, San Luis Obispo County had its rainiest January in 20 years, following a five-year drought. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee Although its unclear which conditions lead to a wildflower superbloom, there are some factors that may help, Keil said. In the case of the 2017 superbloom, winter rain began falling in the area in December 2016 and continued into early 2017, which gave some wildflower species a boost, he said. Wildflowers fill a field next to Soda Lake Road in the Carrizo Plain National Monument in March 2017. A wildflower superbloom could be coming to San Luis Obispo County in the spring of 2019. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com Due to the drought, there also wasnt much grass, so the flowers werent choked out, Keil said. The entire Carrizo Plain was just bursting with flowers, he said. In 2018, little rain fell until the spring, when the county had a Minor Miracle March. That meant the wildflower display wasnt very exciting, especially in comparison to the previous years bloom. The temperature will also play a role. Cold weather could slow growth, and hot weather might roast the plants, Keil said. Some species of flowers only make an appearance in San Luis Obispo County if the area gets a solid amount of precipitation in November and December, said David Chipping, president of Friends of the Carrizo Plain, a nonprofit that supports conservation efforts in the area. Chipping and Keil said the first wildflowers will likely begin to show up on the Carrizo Plain in March and continue blooming into April. It has good enough rain that it might be a good bloom, Chipping said. We certainly would not promise anything. | Experts say it's too early to tell whether theres potential for a superbloom. In 2017, the Carrizo Plain National Monument was bursting with wildflowers. In 2018, little rain fell until the spring, which meant the wildflower display wasn't very exciting. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/article225982915.html | 0.206565 |
Is Oak Park Brewing Co. getting ready to reopen? | Oak Park Brewing Co.s taps might not be dried up yet. Broderick Roadhouse co-owner Chris Jarosz filed a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control permit Tuesday for the building at 3514 Broadway along with partners Dana Huie and Gwen Scott. Their partnerships name: Oak Park Brewing Company LLC. The story was originally reported by the Sacramento Business Journal. The original Oak Park Brewing Co. opened the 89-year-old Broadway building in 2014. Co-founder Tom Karvonen described its beers as largely British and Belgian ales with a West Coast edge, while dishes such as Irish fries in beer-braised rabbit gravy earned three stars from then-Bee food critic Carla Meyer in a 2015 review. But Sacramento County health inspectors shut Oak Park Brewing Co. down in May 2018 after finding mice, weevils and cockroaches in its kitchen. Though the brewpub reopened four days later, business never recovered and it closed for good in July. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee Jarosz started Broderick as a food truck in 2012 and quickly expanded to locations in midtown Sacramento, West Sacramento, Carmichael, Roseville and Walnut Creek. He has also owned Localis, Saddle Rock, and Wicked Wich food truck at various points in time. Jarosz secured a deal to manage food service at the Capitol in 2016 after health inspectors found a cockroach infestation in the buildings basement cafe. He could not be reached for comment Friday. Huie is a partner in Broderick as well as local Mels Diner and The Cheese Steak Shop franchises, according to his LinkedIn profile. Scott is an attorney, per the state bar. | The original Oak Park Brewing Co. opened in 2014. Health inspectors shut it down in May 2018 after finding mice and cockroaches. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/restaurants/article226010920.html | 0.123225 |
Is Oak Park Brewing Co. getting ready to reopen? | Oak Park Brewing Co.s taps might not be dried up yet. Broderick Roadhouse co-owner Chris Jarosz filed a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control permit Tuesday for the building at 3514 Broadway along with partners Dana Huie and Gwen Scott. Their partnerships name: Oak Park Brewing Company LLC. The story was originally reported by the Sacramento Business Journal. The original Oak Park Brewing Co. opened the 89-year-old Broadway building in 2014. Co-founder Tom Karvonen described its beers as largely British and Belgian ales with a West Coast edge, while dishes such as Irish fries in beer-braised rabbit gravy earned three stars from then-Bee food critic Carla Meyer in a 2015 review. But Sacramento County health inspectors shut Oak Park Brewing Co. down in May 2018 after finding mice, weevils and cockroaches in its kitchen. Though the brewpub reopened four days later, business never recovered and it closed for good in July. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee Jarosz started Broderick as a food truck in 2012 and quickly expanded to locations in midtown Sacramento, West Sacramento, Carmichael, Roseville and Walnut Creek. He has also owned Localis, Saddle Rock, and Wicked Wich food truck at various points in time. Jarosz secured a deal to manage food service at the Capitol in 2016 after health inspectors found a cockroach infestation in the buildings basement cafe. He could not be reached for comment Friday. Huie is a partner in Broderick as well as local Mels Diner and The Cheese Steak Shop franchises, according to his LinkedIn profile. Scott is an attorney, per the state bar. | The original Oak Park Brewing Co. opened in 2014. Health inspectors shut it down in May 2018 after finding mice, weevils and cockroaches in its kitchen. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/restaurants/article226010920.html | 0.117473 |
Is Oak Park Brewing Co. getting ready to reopen? | Oak Park Brewing Co.s taps might not be dried up yet. Broderick Roadhouse co-owner Chris Jarosz filed a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control permit Tuesday for the building at 3514 Broadway along with partners Dana Huie and Gwen Scott. Their partnerships name: Oak Park Brewing Company LLC. The story was originally reported by the Sacramento Business Journal. The original Oak Park Brewing Co. opened the 89-year-old Broadway building in 2014. Co-founder Tom Karvonen described its beers as largely British and Belgian ales with a West Coast edge, while dishes such as Irish fries in beer-braised rabbit gravy earned three stars from then-Bee food critic Carla Meyer in a 2015 review. But Sacramento County health inspectors shut Oak Park Brewing Co. down in May 2018 after finding mice, weevils and cockroaches in its kitchen. Though the brewpub reopened four days later, business never recovered and it closed for good in July. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee Jarosz started Broderick as a food truck in 2012 and quickly expanded to locations in midtown Sacramento, West Sacramento, Carmichael, Roseville and Walnut Creek. He has also owned Localis, Saddle Rock, and Wicked Wich food truck at various points in time. Jarosz secured a deal to manage food service at the Capitol in 2016 after health inspectors found a cockroach infestation in the buildings basement cafe. He could not be reached for comment Friday. Huie is a partner in Broderick as well as local Mels Diner and The Cheese Steak Shop franchises, according to his LinkedIn profile. Scott is an attorney, per the state bar. | The original Oak Park Brewing Co. opened in 2014. Health inspectors shut it down in May 2018 after finding mice, weevils and cockroaches in its kitchen. Broderick Roadhouse co-owner Chris Jarosz filed a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control permit. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/restaurants/article226010920.html | 0.100139 |
Will Bezos Dust-Up Cause Trouble For National Enquirer's Publisher? | American Media Inc. has gotten into one legal scrap after another over the decades from its bogus National Enquirer stories on celebrities that triggered libel lawsuits. Nothing, though, quite prepared the company for Jeff Bezos. The founder of Amazon.com, who also owns the Washington Post, took the highly unusual step Thursday of releasing emails executives from AMI demanding that Bezos call off an investigation he launched to determine how his personal emails to his mistress wound up in the tabloid. AMI threatened to release incriminating photos of the tycoon unless he cooperated with the company. Quid-pro-quos between the AMI and the Hollywood celebrities that it covers are common, which is why Bezos decision to fight back is so unusual. Golfer Tiger Woods, for instance, agreed to pose for the cover for AMIs Mens Fitness magazine in exchange for the Enquirer canceling a story about an affair it discovered he was having. Woods extramarital relationships, however, later became public knowledge, ending his marriage. Hes the only one who seems to have the balls to stand up to them, said Stu Zakim, a former AMI spokesman, in an interview, referring to Bezos. They outed him. They exposed him, so took the right approach because he had nothing else to lose. The leverage that they always had is that if you dont cooperate with us, we are going to publish. According to Joshua Kroon, a vice president at Levick, a crisis communications public relations firm, high-profile people caught in a similar predicament to Bezos tend to hunker down and say as little as possible. We advise clients to run to the light, tell your story first, tell it completely, Kroon said. Leave no room for that other proverbial shoe to drop. For its part, AMI denied blackmailing Bezos but nonetheless said it was going to investigate the claims. A spokesman for the New York-based publisher didnt respond to a request for comment for this story. Bezos has raised the possibility that AMI colluded with the government of Saudi Arabia, which has been furious of the Post's coverage of the murder of Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi. According to Bloomberg, the Saudi government denies any link with AMI. The publisher wanted Bezos to release a statement indicating that its reporting was free of political considerations. Bezos claims may land AMI in hot water with federal prosecutors who agreed not last year not to prosecute the company for its role in paying off former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claims that she had an affair with President Donald Trump, ahead of the Presidential election. Trump denies the claim. According to the Wall Street Journal, American Media could be subject to federal prosecution if it commits any crimes in the three years after the deal though it isnt clear whether AMI committed a crime in its dealings with Bezos. Otherwise, Bezos may find it difficult to pursue further legal action against AMI. Since the claims made in the Enquirer story are true, he would have to pursue a claim of invasion of privacy rather than libel, which is difficult for public figures to prove. The $64 dollar question is whether AMI could make that claim go away on the basis of newsworthiness, said Charles Glasser, a media attorney who also is an adjunct professor at New York University and the City University of New York, in an interview. (Bezos) would have an uphill fight there is no question about that. People who think he has no recourse at all need to be reminded that Gawker thought the same thing. Gawker was forced into bankruptcy and shut down after losing a lawsuit against former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan that was settled in 2016 for $31 million for an invasion of privacy. | Jeff Bezos' dust-up with the National Enquirer publisher is unusual. The publisher threatened to release incriminating photos of the tycoon unless he cooperated with the company. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanberr/2019/02/08/will-bezos-dust-up-invite-trouble-for-national-enquirers-publisher/ | 0.158179 |
Will Bezos Dust-Up Cause Trouble For National Enquirer's Publisher? | American Media Inc. has gotten into one legal scrap after another over the decades from its bogus National Enquirer stories on celebrities that triggered libel lawsuits. Nothing, though, quite prepared the company for Jeff Bezos. The founder of Amazon.com, who also owns the Washington Post, took the highly unusual step Thursday of releasing emails executives from AMI demanding that Bezos call off an investigation he launched to determine how his personal emails to his mistress wound up in the tabloid. AMI threatened to release incriminating photos of the tycoon unless he cooperated with the company. Quid-pro-quos between the AMI and the Hollywood celebrities that it covers are common, which is why Bezos decision to fight back is so unusual. Golfer Tiger Woods, for instance, agreed to pose for the cover for AMIs Mens Fitness magazine in exchange for the Enquirer canceling a story about an affair it discovered he was having. Woods extramarital relationships, however, later became public knowledge, ending his marriage. Hes the only one who seems to have the balls to stand up to them, said Stu Zakim, a former AMI spokesman, in an interview, referring to Bezos. They outed him. They exposed him, so took the right approach because he had nothing else to lose. The leverage that they always had is that if you dont cooperate with us, we are going to publish. According to Joshua Kroon, a vice president at Levick, a crisis communications public relations firm, high-profile people caught in a similar predicament to Bezos tend to hunker down and say as little as possible. We advise clients to run to the light, tell your story first, tell it completely, Kroon said. Leave no room for that other proverbial shoe to drop. For its part, AMI denied blackmailing Bezos but nonetheless said it was going to investigate the claims. A spokesman for the New York-based publisher didnt respond to a request for comment for this story. Bezos has raised the possibility that AMI colluded with the government of Saudi Arabia, which has been furious of the Post's coverage of the murder of Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi. According to Bloomberg, the Saudi government denies any link with AMI. The publisher wanted Bezos to release a statement indicating that its reporting was free of political considerations. Bezos claims may land AMI in hot water with federal prosecutors who agreed not last year not to prosecute the company for its role in paying off former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claims that she had an affair with President Donald Trump, ahead of the Presidential election. Trump denies the claim. According to the Wall Street Journal, American Media could be subject to federal prosecution if it commits any crimes in the three years after the deal though it isnt clear whether AMI committed a crime in its dealings with Bezos. Otherwise, Bezos may find it difficult to pursue further legal action against AMI. Since the claims made in the Enquirer story are true, he would have to pursue a claim of invasion of privacy rather than libel, which is difficult for public figures to prove. The $64 dollar question is whether AMI could make that claim go away on the basis of newsworthiness, said Charles Glasser, a media attorney who also is an adjunct professor at New York University and the City University of New York, in an interview. (Bezos) would have an uphill fight there is no question about that. People who think he has no recourse at all need to be reminded that Gawker thought the same thing. Gawker was forced into bankruptcy and shut down after losing a lawsuit against former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan that was settled in 2016 for $31 million for an invasion of privacy. | Jeff Bezos' dust-up with the National Enquirer publisher is unusual. The publisher threatened to release incriminating photos of the tycoon unless he cooperated with the company. Bezos' claims may land AMI in hot water with federal prosecutors who agreed not to prosecute the company for its role in paying off former Playboy model Karen McDougal. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanberr/2019/02/08/will-bezos-dust-up-invite-trouble-for-national-enquirers-publisher/ | 0.271075 |
Can Hawaiian Airlines Survive Southwest's Entry Into The Hawaii Market? | Its coming. Originally set to start late last year, Southwest Airlines flights to Hawaii from the US mainland should begin soon. This week Southwest completed two validation flights to Hawaii, part of the FAA authorization process. Southwest intends to begin flying to Hawaii with Boeing 737-800 aircraft, and later include the 737 MAX-8. (Full disclosure: I own stock in Southwest Airlines and Jet Blue.) While United, American, Delta, Alaska and Hawaiian already fly to the islands, there is high anticipation for Southwests entry, due to the Southwest effect, the tendency for fares to fall when the airline enters a market. And while other US airlines typically charge $30 per bag for flights to Hawaii, Southwest has said it will continue its policy of not charging for up to two checked bags. A 2017 study found the Southwest Effect provides an additional market fare reduction of 15% and a corresponding traffic increase of 28% to 30%, from the introduction of nonstop service by SouthwestOne-way average market fares are $45 lower when Southwest serves a market nonstop than when it does not." But Hawaii, a leisure market with a resident population of only 1.4 million, has not proven a pot of gold for every airline. Budget carrier Allegiant Air, whose Hawaiian service once included ten routes from nine mainland cities, stopped flying to Hawaii in October 2017. While airlines constantly enter and exit the Hawaiian market, there is concern that Southwests entry may impact Hawaiian Airlines like the aviation equivalent of a Walmart (Always Low Prices) landing at Oahus airport. Nonetheless, Hawaiian Airlines, which has been flying t around the islands since 1929, is used to competition. Hawaiian is used to having people come in and out of their market all the time, says Helane Becker, Managing Director, Industrials/Consumer-Airlines with Cowen. "They do a good job of responding. They have a strong balance sheet and theyre continuing to grow their operations, build out what they do, replace older aircraft with new, and deliver a really good product to their customers. Hawaiian is known for its service, such as providing a meal and drink to passengers heading to the islands. The airline has won numerous awards, including recognition from the U.S. Department of Transportation for #1 On-Time Performance, 2004 2017. The airline has three major market segments: flights from the mainland, interisland flights, and international flights to and from Asia, Oceania and the South Pacific. Hawaiian has been purchasing new aircraft and will have 18 fuel-efficient Airbus A321neos by next year for its West Coast to Hawaii routes. For long-haul and international flights, Hawaiian operates 24 Airbus A330s and has ten Boeing 787 Dreamliners on order. A significant portion of revenues comes from Asian tourists. The company recently signed a Joint Venture application with Japan Airlines. Domestically, Hawaiian has set codeshare partnerships with Jet Blue from the latters Boston and New York gateways. Southwest has not yet announced its plans for competitive inter-island service, but it may find it difficult to replicate the well-oiled machinery of Hawaiians inter-island network. Hawaiian flies 202 flights each day between the six populated islands, including 178 Boeing 717 lights between Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii and Kaua'i, and 24 departures with ATR-42 aircraft serving Molokai, Lanai, and Kapalua in West Maui. Southwests [inter-island] service appears to be more related to increasing utilization of their aircraft flying between the mainland and Hawaii rather than a dedicated fleet that provides the shuttle service Hawaiian does, notes Savanthi Syth, Managing Director of the Global Airlines practice at Raymond James. Southwests 737-800 and MAX are too big to serve inter-island with the necessary frequency for commuters. Hawaiian is the tenth-largest American carrier, with only 1.6% of US domestic market share, while Southwest is second with 17.9% US market share. Hawaiian currently has about 18% of the Hawaiian market. They serve a niche, which is why they are so small, says Ms. Syth. However, it helps to be bigger and to have a larger and more diverse network. Over time the industry needs to consolidate more and Hawaiian is likely to be a part of it. Asked if she thought Alaska Airlines or JetBlue might make a potential merger partner for Hawaiian, Ms. Syth said, JetBlue seems like a good fit given the Airbus fleet and JetBlues smaller West Coast presence. But this is not something I expect in the next few years. Despite its relatively small size, Hawaiian flies to the islands from 12 cities on the mainland, more than any other carrier. Southwest says initially it will start with four initial gateways in California, including Oakland (OAK), San Diego (SAN), San Jose (SJC), and Sacramento (SMF). Conspicuously absent are LAX, Burbank, John Wayne and other airports serving populous Los Angeles and Orange County. Southwests Hawaiian destinations will include Honolulu (HNL) Kahului Airport on Maui (OGG) Lihue Airport on Kauai (LIH), and Kona (KOA). Pricing, date of ticket sales and the timing for initial flights have not been disclosed yet by Southwest. Cowens Becker notes that while Hawaiian and other competitors offer first or business class seating, Southwest, with its all-coach class seating, is a different product. We dont know what the Southwest offering will look like. People expect more than a bag of pretzels on a six-hour flight. Southwest, however, will certainly be aggressive with price, says Becker. No one knows the Hawaiian market better than them, says Ms. Becker. Southwest will expand the market, but not necessarily damage Hawaiians market share. | Southwest completed two validation flights to Hawaii this week, part of the FAA authorization process. Southwest has not yet announced its plans for competitive inter-island service. There is concern that Southwests entry may impact Hawaiian Airlines like the aviation equivalent of a Walmart landing at Oahus airport. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2019/02/08/can-hawaiian-airlines-survive-southwests-entry-into-the-hawaii-market/ | 0.26433 |
Does Jeff Bezos' behaviour put Amazon at risk? | COMMENT: Jeff Bezos' explicit selfies and public attack on the National Enquirer make him part of the club of tech executives behaving badly. But his troubles aren't likely to roil Amazon - at least for now. On Thursday afternoon, Bezos posted a lengthy letter on the online blogging platform Medium that accused the Enquirer of trying to blackmail him over the publication of intimate details about his extramarital affair with former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez. The letter - which included intimations about the Enquirer's parent company's relationship with the Saudi government and with President Donald Trump - sent shock waves through the business world and across Washington, escalating a drama that had previously been confined to the tabloids. Advertisement The letter was highly unusual for any business leader, particularly one like Bezos, who has fiercely guarded his privacy and largely avoided the limelight even as he rose to become the richest person in the world. (Bezos owns the Washington Post.) But the news didn't appear to impact Amazon's stock price. It was down roughly two per cent on Friday, a dip that largely mirrored the broader market. Last week - at the same time that Bezos' personal life was already embroiled in controversy - the company posted record profits for the third quarter in a row. Overall, the company's stock has fallen five per cent since the Amazon founder announced his divorce from his wife MacKenzie on January 9. While the choice to take a below-the-waist selfie in the first place was "unhinged," the decision "to retaliate with guns ablaze" was more strategic and calculated, said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies at the Yale School of Management. "They were trying to blackmail him in secret and this obliterates the issue. He is doing what some presidents call shock and awe, and he is doing it right." "I bet he feels quite gratified," he added. Amazon did not respond to immediate request for comment. Bezos' behavior differs from that of other prominent tech executives that have caused trouble for their companies, Sonnenfeld said. Tesla's Elon Musk took drugs during a media interview and made a sudden announcement about taking his company private on Twitter, which led to an action by federal authorities. Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick fostered an anything-goes environment where sexual harassment proliferated, while other rule-breaking put Uber in the crosshairs of local authorities. He lashed out at an Uber driver on video. Still, other experts pointed out that if the fight between Bezos and the National Enquirer drags on, either legally or publicly, it will become a distraction for the Amazon founder. "For a sitting CEO of a public company, it wasn't the wisest move," said Charles Elson, director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. "By taking that step, you only call more attention to the allegations. It was a mistake, and Pecker will come back at him, and it will come to come to occupy a significant amount of his time." Reaction among some Amazon employees has also been telling. Bezos' blog was quickly republished across the company's many internal corporate chat rooms shortly after it came out, according to two employees who wished to remain anonymous to discuss internal corporate matters. Discussion turned immediately to the potential impact on the stock price. People in Bezos' orbit appeared unfazed or rallied around him. A former Amazon executive, Charlie Kindel, who led the company's Alexa product line until last year, tweeted an almost jovial attitude about the letter. He recirculated a limerick about it along with another tweet by a person who said they couldn't wait to pre-order the book about the feud between his former boss and National Enquirer editor David Pecker. Roger McNamee, a Silicon Valley investor who has worked with Bezos and is a vocal critic of Facebook and Google, said he hoped Bezos' efforts would help force tabloids and the political establishment to stop using dirty tricks. By contrast, Bezos is deliberately defending his private life. He is not misusing company funds or taking actions that specifically impact Amazon's business. Unlike Google and Facebook, where the personal behaviour of executives has garnered huge protests from the rank-and-file, Amazon's culture is more pragmatic and less oriented around values that executives are perceived as needing to uphold, the employee said. "I think Jeff made the point best in the letter, he'll let Amazon's results speak for themselves," said Ted Maidenberg, a Silicon Valley investor. "It has zero impact [on the business]." | Jeff Bezos' behaviour is not likely to roil Amazon - at least for now. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12202289&ref=rss | 0.428775 |
Does Jeff Bezos' behaviour put Amazon at risk? | COMMENT: Jeff Bezos' explicit selfies and public attack on the National Enquirer make him part of the club of tech executives behaving badly. But his troubles aren't likely to roil Amazon - at least for now. On Thursday afternoon, Bezos posted a lengthy letter on the online blogging platform Medium that accused the Enquirer of trying to blackmail him over the publication of intimate details about his extramarital affair with former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez. The letter - which included intimations about the Enquirer's parent company's relationship with the Saudi government and with President Donald Trump - sent shock waves through the business world and across Washington, escalating a drama that had previously been confined to the tabloids. Advertisement The letter was highly unusual for any business leader, particularly one like Bezos, who has fiercely guarded his privacy and largely avoided the limelight even as he rose to become the richest person in the world. (Bezos owns the Washington Post.) But the news didn't appear to impact Amazon's stock price. It was down roughly two per cent on Friday, a dip that largely mirrored the broader market. Last week - at the same time that Bezos' personal life was already embroiled in controversy - the company posted record profits for the third quarter in a row. Overall, the company's stock has fallen five per cent since the Amazon founder announced his divorce from his wife MacKenzie on January 9. While the choice to take a below-the-waist selfie in the first place was "unhinged," the decision "to retaliate with guns ablaze" was more strategic and calculated, said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies at the Yale School of Management. "They were trying to blackmail him in secret and this obliterates the issue. He is doing what some presidents call shock and awe, and he is doing it right." "I bet he feels quite gratified," he added. Amazon did not respond to immediate request for comment. Bezos' behavior differs from that of other prominent tech executives that have caused trouble for their companies, Sonnenfeld said. Tesla's Elon Musk took drugs during a media interview and made a sudden announcement about taking his company private on Twitter, which led to an action by federal authorities. Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick fostered an anything-goes environment where sexual harassment proliferated, while other rule-breaking put Uber in the crosshairs of local authorities. He lashed out at an Uber driver on video. Still, other experts pointed out that if the fight between Bezos and the National Enquirer drags on, either legally or publicly, it will become a distraction for the Amazon founder. "For a sitting CEO of a public company, it wasn't the wisest move," said Charles Elson, director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. "By taking that step, you only call more attention to the allegations. It was a mistake, and Pecker will come back at him, and it will come to come to occupy a significant amount of his time." Reaction among some Amazon employees has also been telling. Bezos' blog was quickly republished across the company's many internal corporate chat rooms shortly after it came out, according to two employees who wished to remain anonymous to discuss internal corporate matters. Discussion turned immediately to the potential impact on the stock price. People in Bezos' orbit appeared unfazed or rallied around him. A former Amazon executive, Charlie Kindel, who led the company's Alexa product line until last year, tweeted an almost jovial attitude about the letter. He recirculated a limerick about it along with another tweet by a person who said they couldn't wait to pre-order the book about the feud between his former boss and National Enquirer editor David Pecker. Roger McNamee, a Silicon Valley investor who has worked with Bezos and is a vocal critic of Facebook and Google, said he hoped Bezos' efforts would help force tabloids and the political establishment to stop using dirty tricks. By contrast, Bezos is deliberately defending his private life. He is not misusing company funds or taking actions that specifically impact Amazon's business. Unlike Google and Facebook, where the personal behaviour of executives has garnered huge protests from the rank-and-file, Amazon's culture is more pragmatic and less oriented around values that executives are perceived as needing to uphold, the employee said. "I think Jeff made the point best in the letter, he'll let Amazon's results speak for themselves," said Ted Maidenberg, a Silicon Valley investor. "It has zero impact [on the business]." | Jeff Bezos' behaviour is not likely to roil Amazon - at least for now. But if the fight between Bezos and the National Enquirer drags on, it will become a distraction. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12202289&ref=rss | 0.466103 |
Does Jeff Bezos' behaviour put Amazon at risk? | COMMENT: Jeff Bezos' explicit selfies and public attack on the National Enquirer make him part of the club of tech executives behaving badly. But his troubles aren't likely to roil Amazon - at least for now. On Thursday afternoon, Bezos posted a lengthy letter on the online blogging platform Medium that accused the Enquirer of trying to blackmail him over the publication of intimate details about his extramarital affair with former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez. The letter - which included intimations about the Enquirer's parent company's relationship with the Saudi government and with President Donald Trump - sent shock waves through the business world and across Washington, escalating a drama that had previously been confined to the tabloids. Advertisement The letter was highly unusual for any business leader, particularly one like Bezos, who has fiercely guarded his privacy and largely avoided the limelight even as he rose to become the richest person in the world. (Bezos owns the Washington Post.) But the news didn't appear to impact Amazon's stock price. It was down roughly two per cent on Friday, a dip that largely mirrored the broader market. Last week - at the same time that Bezos' personal life was already embroiled in controversy - the company posted record profits for the third quarter in a row. Overall, the company's stock has fallen five per cent since the Amazon founder announced his divorce from his wife MacKenzie on January 9. While the choice to take a below-the-waist selfie in the first place was "unhinged," the decision "to retaliate with guns ablaze" was more strategic and calculated, said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies at the Yale School of Management. "They were trying to blackmail him in secret and this obliterates the issue. He is doing what some presidents call shock and awe, and he is doing it right." "I bet he feels quite gratified," he added. Amazon did not respond to immediate request for comment. Bezos' behavior differs from that of other prominent tech executives that have caused trouble for their companies, Sonnenfeld said. Tesla's Elon Musk took drugs during a media interview and made a sudden announcement about taking his company private on Twitter, which led to an action by federal authorities. Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick fostered an anything-goes environment where sexual harassment proliferated, while other rule-breaking put Uber in the crosshairs of local authorities. He lashed out at an Uber driver on video. Still, other experts pointed out that if the fight between Bezos and the National Enquirer drags on, either legally or publicly, it will become a distraction for the Amazon founder. "For a sitting CEO of a public company, it wasn't the wisest move," said Charles Elson, director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. "By taking that step, you only call more attention to the allegations. It was a mistake, and Pecker will come back at him, and it will come to come to occupy a significant amount of his time." Reaction among some Amazon employees has also been telling. Bezos' blog was quickly republished across the company's many internal corporate chat rooms shortly after it came out, according to two employees who wished to remain anonymous to discuss internal corporate matters. Discussion turned immediately to the potential impact on the stock price. People in Bezos' orbit appeared unfazed or rallied around him. A former Amazon executive, Charlie Kindel, who led the company's Alexa product line until last year, tweeted an almost jovial attitude about the letter. He recirculated a limerick about it along with another tweet by a person who said they couldn't wait to pre-order the book about the feud between his former boss and National Enquirer editor David Pecker. Roger McNamee, a Silicon Valley investor who has worked with Bezos and is a vocal critic of Facebook and Google, said he hoped Bezos' efforts would help force tabloids and the political establishment to stop using dirty tricks. By contrast, Bezos is deliberately defending his private life. He is not misusing company funds or taking actions that specifically impact Amazon's business. Unlike Google and Facebook, where the personal behaviour of executives has garnered huge protests from the rank-and-file, Amazon's culture is more pragmatic and less oriented around values that executives are perceived as needing to uphold, the employee said. "I think Jeff made the point best in the letter, he'll let Amazon's results speak for themselves," said Ted Maidenberg, a Silicon Valley investor. "It has zero impact [on the business]." | Jeff Bezos' behaviour is not likely to roil Amazon - at least for now. But if the fight between Bezos and the National Enquirer drags on, either legally or publicly, it will become a distraction for the Amazon founder. He is doing what some presidents call shock and awe, and he is doing it right. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12202289&ref=rss | 0.527772 |
Will Aurora Cannabis Earnings Live Up to the Hype? | After a tough end to 2018, marijuana stocks have produced huge gains to start the new year. Even with a gain of 55% in the first five weeks of 2019, Aurora Cannabis (NYSE: ACB) isn't the top performer in the cannabis market, but many see it as having one of the best opportunities to become the leader of the budding marijuana industry. Aurora Cannabis will release its fiscal second-quarter financial results after the market closes on Monday, Feb. 11, and investors are hoping that the cannabis company will be able to show an impressive run-up in revenue. Yet the company has already weighed in with some preliminary results, and they weren't entirely positive -- casting some doubt on just how well Aurora will do in standing up to the marijuana investing hype. Stats on Aurora Cannabis Metric Current Stat EPS estimate (CA$0.06) Last quarter's EPS CA$0.12 Revenue estimate CA$51.8 million Change from last quarter's revenue 75% Data source: S&P Global Market Intelligence. Last quarter refers to fiscal first quarter of 2019. Investors have high hopes that Aurora Cannabis can keep up its positive momentum from recent periods. In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, Aurora managed to produce sequential revenue growth of 55%, coming in at CA$29.7 million. That number was more than triple what Aurora had in sales during the year-earlier quarter, showing the steep growth trajectory that the cannabis company has been able to produce in a short period. More importantly for many investors, the fact that Aurora was able to show a profit was a good sign for the emerging industry -- although there were numerous ways in which the company was able to produce bottom-line gains that partially hid the extensive costs that it continues to incur in its growth efforts. Yet Aurora Cannabis has already given investors some cause for concern coming into its February report, releasing preliminary numbers for the fiscal second quarter that suggest weaker performance than some had hoped to see. Back in January, Aurora said that revenue would come in between CA$50 million and CA$55 million for the quarter, which was far less than more optimistic shareholders had been looking to see. At the time, consensus forecasts had projections of anywhere from CA$60 million to CA$75 million. Aurora borealis with the Aurora logo and slogan superimposed. More Image source: Aurora Cannabis. The primary problem is a major disconnect between the expectations that investors have for developments in the Canadian recreational cannabis market and the reality of the situation. Despite having had advance notice of the size of the opportunity in Canada, Aurora and other producers weren't able to line up capacity increases quickly enough to be ready for the rollout. At the same time, the market infrastructure for actually making sales of recreational cannabis products wasn't entirely in place, especially in some key provincial markets within Canada. Meanwhile, regulators have been overwhelmed with the number of companies seeking to get into the marijuana business, and issuance of required permits and licenses has slowed to a crawl, holding up key projects for expansion across the industry. A big question Aurora Cannabis will have to answer is whether it can come up with a stronger strategy for expansion. Many investors are drawing uncomfortable comparisons between Aurora and Canopy Growth (NYSE: CGC), as Canopy has chosen to make organic investments in capacity expansion that have generated considerable excitement within its investor base. In particular, the decision to spend $150 million on a hemp production facility in upstate New York could pave the way for Canopy to gain a foothold in the U.S. market. If legalization efforts go forward across the U.S., then that move could prove prescient for Canopy. | Aurora Cannabis will release its fiscal second-quarter financial results after the market closes on Monday, Feb. 11. Yet the company has already weighed in with some preliminary results, and they weren't entirely positive -- casting some doubt on just how well Aurora will do in standing up to the marijuana investing hype. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/aurora-cannabis-earnings-live-hype-005100183.html | 0.163559 |
Will It Be A Night For 'The Favourite' At Sunday's BAFTAs? | The 72nd annual British Academy Film Awards, better known to the world as the BAFTAs, take place this coming Sunday night in London. Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley hosts the evening which celebrates the best of British cinema in 2018. As with the Oscars, most of the major races are fairly up for grabs. The Favourite is, well, the favorite to take home many of the major awards as the film nabbed 12 nominations, five more than Bohemian Rhapsody, First Man, Roma, and A Star Is Born. But as is the case with the BAFTAs, nothing is a sure thing. The 6,500 voting members of the Academy have sent their final ballots. Now it's time to project who the winners will be at the Royal Albert Hall Sunday evening. Best Picture The Nominees Are: Beast, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, McQueen, Stan and Ollie, You Were Never Really Here. The Winner is: The Favourite isn't your typical British period piece and that will undoubtedly work in its favor as the Academy tries to show it can reward a historical drama that is played mostly for laughs rather than with Dickensian or Downton Abbey accents. Outside shot: Bohemian Rhapsody. Best Actor The Nominees Are: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody; Christian Bale, Vice; Steve Coogan, Stan and Ollie; Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born; Viggo Mortensen, Green Book. The Winner is: This would be Bale's first win after three prior nominations so he's due but don't think this is as close as many odds makers are predicting. If the film isn't going to win Best Picture then Bohemian Rhapsody's Malek should take home the Best Actor trophy. ; Viola Davis, Widows. The Winner is: Olivia Colman has never been nominated for a BAFTA and her main competition, Glenn Close, has only received a nod for Dangerous Liasons, over 25 years ago. If they don't go the body-of-work route then Colman figures to win here but Close is making things, umm, close. ; Timothee Chalamet, Beautiful Boy; Sam Rockwell, Vice; Adam Driver, BlackKklansman. The Winner is: Ali is the slight favorite here but Grant is the type of actor that the BAFTAs love to reward. This is his first nomination after a staggering 127 acting credits. Look for a surprise win for Grant here. Best Supporting Actress The Nominees are: Rachel Weisz, The Favourite; Amy Adams, Vice; Emma Stone, The Favourite; Claire Foy, First Man; Margot Robbie, Mary Queen of Scots. The Winner is: Stone won a BAFTA already for 2017's La La Land but here she may end up splitting The Favourite vote with Weisz. That leaves Amy Adams, who has amassed a rather astonishing six prior BAFTA awards without having landed a trophy. Her time is due and it's this year. Other probable winners: Alfonso Cuaron, Best Director; Roma Best Film Not in the English Language; They Shall Not Grow Old, Best Documentary; and 73 Cows Best British Short Film. The BAFTAs can be seen on BBC1 in the UK and BBC America in the U.S. | The 72nd annual British Academy Film Awards, better known to the world as the BAFTAs, take place this coming Sunday night in London. The Favourite is the favorite to take home many of the major awards. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamos/2019/02/09/will-it-be-a-night-for-the-favourite-at-sundays-baftas/ | 0.148287 |
Will It Be A Night For 'The Favourite' At Sunday's BAFTAs? | The 72nd annual British Academy Film Awards, better known to the world as the BAFTAs, take place this coming Sunday night in London. Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley hosts the evening which celebrates the best of British cinema in 2018. As with the Oscars, most of the major races are fairly up for grabs. The Favourite is, well, the favorite to take home many of the major awards as the film nabbed 12 nominations, five more than Bohemian Rhapsody, First Man, Roma, and A Star Is Born. But as is the case with the BAFTAs, nothing is a sure thing. The 6,500 voting members of the Academy have sent their final ballots. Now it's time to project who the winners will be at the Royal Albert Hall Sunday evening. Best Picture The Nominees Are: Beast, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, McQueen, Stan and Ollie, You Were Never Really Here. The Winner is: The Favourite isn't your typical British period piece and that will undoubtedly work in its favor as the Academy tries to show it can reward a historical drama that is played mostly for laughs rather than with Dickensian or Downton Abbey accents. Outside shot: Bohemian Rhapsody. Best Actor The Nominees Are: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody; Christian Bale, Vice; Steve Coogan, Stan and Ollie; Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born; Viggo Mortensen, Green Book. The Winner is: This would be Bale's first win after three prior nominations so he's due but don't think this is as close as many odds makers are predicting. If the film isn't going to win Best Picture then Bohemian Rhapsody's Malek should take home the Best Actor trophy. ; Viola Davis, Widows. The Winner is: Olivia Colman has never been nominated for a BAFTA and her main competition, Glenn Close, has only received a nod for Dangerous Liasons, over 25 years ago. If they don't go the body-of-work route then Colman figures to win here but Close is making things, umm, close. ; Timothee Chalamet, Beautiful Boy; Sam Rockwell, Vice; Adam Driver, BlackKklansman. The Winner is: Ali is the slight favorite here but Grant is the type of actor that the BAFTAs love to reward. This is his first nomination after a staggering 127 acting credits. Look for a surprise win for Grant here. Best Supporting Actress The Nominees are: Rachel Weisz, The Favourite; Amy Adams, Vice; Emma Stone, The Favourite; Claire Foy, First Man; Margot Robbie, Mary Queen of Scots. The Winner is: Stone won a BAFTA already for 2017's La La Land but here she may end up splitting The Favourite vote with Weisz. That leaves Amy Adams, who has amassed a rather astonishing six prior BAFTA awards without having landed a trophy. Her time is due and it's this year. Other probable winners: Alfonso Cuaron, Best Director; Roma Best Film Not in the English Language; They Shall Not Grow Old, Best Documentary; and 73 Cows Best British Short Film. The BAFTAs can be seen on BBC1 in the UK and BBC America in the U.S. | The 72nd annual British Academy Film Awards, better known to the world as the BAFTAs, take place this coming Sunday night in London. The Favourite is the favorite to take home many of the major awards as the film nabbed 12 nominations. The 6,500 voting members of the Academy have sent their final ballots. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamos/2019/02/09/will-it-be-a-night-for-the-favourite-at-sundays-baftas/ | 0.220956 |
What is the Great Commission and why is it so controversial? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Mathew Schmalz, College of the Holy Cross (THE CONVERSATION) A majority of church-going American Christians are unfamiliar with the term, the Great Commission, a recent survey found. Even among those familiar with it, 25 percent recognized the phrase but could not explain what it was. Only 17 percent were familiar with the phrase and its meaning. A Christian obligation Briefly, the Great Commission is a concept that has been used to support the missionary activities of many Christian denominations. The Great Commission refers to several passages in the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus Christ urges his apostles to make disciples of all the nations and baptize them. The word disciple, which is mathetes in Greek, literally means pupil but also follower, as in follower of Jesus. Baptize refers to the Christian practice of using water to remove the original sin, an inherent fault that Christians believe marks all human beings at birth. Baptism is an important sign of entrance into the Christian faith. The Great Commission, therefore, is usually interpreted to mean spreading the Christian message and converting others to Christianity. The Gospel of Matthew does not specifically use such a term. In fact, the phrase Great Commission does not appear until late in Christian history. Some scholars argue that it was coined by Baron Justinian von Welz, a 17th-century Lutheran nobleman, who argued that the words in Matthew 28 meant that all Christians were required to spread the faith, not just Jesus closest disciples. Von Welz proposed a missionary organization called the Jesus-Loving Society to spread Protestant Christianity throughout the world. It is thought that the term Great Commission, or certainly the basic concept, was central to von Welzs argument for bringing Christianity to foreign lands. Two centuries later, the Englishman Hudson Taylor is believed to have used the idea of the Great Commission to justify Christian missionary efforts, particularly the China Inland Mission that he founded in 1866. Taylors mission attempted to bring Christianity to Chinas inland provinces. This was dangerous work and 79 China Inland missionaries were killed later, in what is referred to as the Boxer Rebellion. Hudson is often cited by Protestant missionaries, in the quote: The Great Commission is not an option to be considered, but it is a command to be obeyed. There does not appear to actual evidence, however, that he actually spoke these words. A controversial idea Christian missionary activities predate the use of the term Great Commission. The Apostle Paul was influential in establishing Christian churches throughout the Mediterranean after the death of Jesus. Much later, Catholic religious orders, such as the Society of Jesus, attempted to spread Christianity throughout the world, usually with the help of powerful nations such as Portugal and Spain. The Great Commission certainly motivated Protestant efforts to convert nations and peoples in Africa and Asia in the 19th century. It also fueled more recent efforts by evangelical Christians to missionize Catholic Latin America. Indeed, Latin America would not have become so Catholic without indigenous peoples being dominated by European imperialism and colonialism. Missionary efforts sometimes served economic interests relating to trade and resources as well religious ones. Additionally, converting conquered peoples was a powerful way of extending political control. Converting others to Christianity raises a fundamental question about whether religious diversity is a reality to be celebrated or an obstacle to be overcome. Given the complex history of missionary activity, the meaning of the Great Commission will continue to be a subject of debate as Christianity confronts a rapidly changing world. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/what-is-the-great-commission-and-why-is-it-so-controversial-111138. | Mathew Schmalz: The Great Commission refers to several passages in the Gospel of Matthew. He says the term is used to support the missionary activities of many Christian denominations. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/What-is-the-Great-Commission-and-why-is-it-so-13600687.php | 0.139078 |
What is the Great Commission and why is it so controversial? | (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Mathew Schmalz, College of the Holy Cross (THE CONVERSATION) A majority of church-going American Christians are unfamiliar with the term, the Great Commission, a recent survey found. Even among those familiar with it, 25 percent recognized the phrase but could not explain what it was. Only 17 percent were familiar with the phrase and its meaning. A Christian obligation Briefly, the Great Commission is a concept that has been used to support the missionary activities of many Christian denominations. The Great Commission refers to several passages in the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus Christ urges his apostles to make disciples of all the nations and baptize them. The word disciple, which is mathetes in Greek, literally means pupil but also follower, as in follower of Jesus. Baptize refers to the Christian practice of using water to remove the original sin, an inherent fault that Christians believe marks all human beings at birth. Baptism is an important sign of entrance into the Christian faith. The Great Commission, therefore, is usually interpreted to mean spreading the Christian message and converting others to Christianity. The Gospel of Matthew does not specifically use such a term. In fact, the phrase Great Commission does not appear until late in Christian history. Some scholars argue that it was coined by Baron Justinian von Welz, a 17th-century Lutheran nobleman, who argued that the words in Matthew 28 meant that all Christians were required to spread the faith, not just Jesus closest disciples. Von Welz proposed a missionary organization called the Jesus-Loving Society to spread Protestant Christianity throughout the world. It is thought that the term Great Commission, or certainly the basic concept, was central to von Welzs argument for bringing Christianity to foreign lands. Two centuries later, the Englishman Hudson Taylor is believed to have used the idea of the Great Commission to justify Christian missionary efforts, particularly the China Inland Mission that he founded in 1866. Taylors mission attempted to bring Christianity to Chinas inland provinces. This was dangerous work and 79 China Inland missionaries were killed later, in what is referred to as the Boxer Rebellion. Hudson is often cited by Protestant missionaries, in the quote: The Great Commission is not an option to be considered, but it is a command to be obeyed. There does not appear to actual evidence, however, that he actually spoke these words. A controversial idea Christian missionary activities predate the use of the term Great Commission. The Apostle Paul was influential in establishing Christian churches throughout the Mediterranean after the death of Jesus. Much later, Catholic religious orders, such as the Society of Jesus, attempted to spread Christianity throughout the world, usually with the help of powerful nations such as Portugal and Spain. The Great Commission certainly motivated Protestant efforts to convert nations and peoples in Africa and Asia in the 19th century. It also fueled more recent efforts by evangelical Christians to missionize Catholic Latin America. Indeed, Latin America would not have become so Catholic without indigenous peoples being dominated by European imperialism and colonialism. Missionary efforts sometimes served economic interests relating to trade and resources as well religious ones. Additionally, converting conquered peoples was a powerful way of extending political control. Converting others to Christianity raises a fundamental question about whether religious diversity is a reality to be celebrated or an obstacle to be overcome. Given the complex history of missionary activity, the meaning of the Great Commission will continue to be a subject of debate as Christianity confronts a rapidly changing world. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/what-is-the-great-commission-and-why-is-it-so-controversial-111138. | Mathew Schmalz: The Great Commission refers to several passages in the Gospel of Matthew. He says the term is used to support the missionary activities of many Christian denominations. Sch Malz: Missionary efforts sometimes served economic interests as well as religious ones. The term Great Commission does not appear until late in Christian history. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/What-is-the-Great-Commission-and-why-is-it-so-13600687.php | 0.105825 |
Do New York prosecutors pose the greatest threat to Donald Trump? | Separate from the Mueller inquiry, the southern district of New Yorks pursuit of the inauguration committee could herald more pain for the president For almost two years, Donald Trump has laid down fire at Robert Mueller, calling the special counsels work a witch-hunt, a partisan charade and now presidential harassment. Rosenstein did not want to write memo justifying Comey firing new book Read more The bigger threat to Trump, however, may have just walked up and tapped him on the shoulder. Trump did not tweet about or otherwise acknowledge the revelation on Monday night that prosecutors from the US attorneys office for the southern district of New York (SDNY) had issued a subpoena seeking a mountain of documents from his inaugural committee. But former prosecutors and others familiar with the Manhattan-based prosecutors work allowed their jaws to drop at the news of the subpoena or in the case of former SDNY chief Preet Bharara, whom Trump fired early on their virtual eyes to bulge. On Friday, ProPublica and WNYC reported further eye-popping news: that the inaugural committee paid the Trump International hotel in Washington a rate of $175,000 a day for event space. The implications of the subpoena and what followed were clear,and they were all bad for Trump, worse even than the threat posed by the special counsels investigation of ties between his campaign and Russia, said the former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, an erstwhile member of Trumps inner circle, once in charge of transition planning, and a former US attorney himself. Ive always thought that was the much more problematic thing, Christie told MSNBC of SDNY. People are focused on Mueller and thats appropriate. But people should not take their eye off the ball. The southern district has long prided itself on the firepower it brings to its cases Daniel Richman, Columbia University In interviews with the Guardian, former SDNY prosecutors spelled out why investigations run out of New York of Trump-linked interests could dog the president, his family and his associates for years, including after his departure from office. Unlike Mueller, Trump cannot as a practical matter fire the entire southern district, which comprises about 150 career prosecutors, as distinguishable from political appointees. Unlike Mueller, the southern district is not constrained in what it might investigate by a narrow authorization. And unlike Mueller, the southern district does not report, on most matters, directly to the attorney general, who is appointed by the president and who might act at the presidents bidding, though norms of justice department independence proscribe that. The SDNY is also full of lawyers who are known for being talented, independent and feisty. Alumni regularly go on to judicial appointments, top corporate posts, top justice department jobs (for example, FBI directors James Comey and Louis Freeh, attorney general Michael Mukasey) and other prominent work (Rudy Giuliani, once New York mayor, now the presidents lawyer). Wags refer to the office as the sovereign district of New York and joke that its the only US attorneys office, of 93 nationwide, to have its own foreign policy. Both in terms of courtroom skill and particularly with respect to investigative and legal acumen, the southern district has long prided itself on the firepower it brings to its cases, said the Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman, a former assistant attorney in the district. Elie Honig, who helped dismantle the Sicilian mafia as a prosecutor with the district, echoed the observation. The southern district has a long history, he said, and a reputation, I think well deserved, of being tenacious and always seeking to take an investigation wherever it goes, including to the top of an organization. The inaugural investigation seems important Owing to its location in Manhattan a global intersection for business, finance, terrorist plots and organized crime the SDNY, which celebrated its 225th birthday in 2014, has deep experience in prosecuting the most complicated and significant cases. Those include the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, work related to the 9/11 attacks of 2001, the 1988 bombings of US embassies in Africa, organized crime and mafia cases, the Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff and major financial crimes and public corruption cases. The Manhattan location also makes the SDNY a prime venue for prosecuting entities tied to Trump, potentially including his business, his campaign, his inaugural committee and more, said Harry Sandick, a former assistant US attorney in the district. People have long wondered why they raised more than $100m, which is twice what was raised for prior inaugurations Harry Sandick, former SDNY Since the Trump Organization is located in New York, since many of Trumps advisers and business partners are also located in New York and took actions in New York, he said, they have the ability in the US attorneys office to look at essentially any crime that they believe may have been committed. And they can just move from one subject to another to another as they find connections. So far as is publicly known, the SDNY was first brought in on a Trump-related prosecution with a referral from Mueller of evidence of crimes committed by Michael Cohen, Trumps former lawyer. The SDNY directed a raid on Cohens apartment and office last April, seizing documents and devices. Cohen pleaded guilty in August to violating campaign finance laws, bank fraud and criminal tax evasion, and is scheduled to begin a three-year prison sentence next month. The Cohen case may have given rise to the investigation of the Trump inaugural committee, which prosecutors are investigating for alleged conspiracy against the US, false statements, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, inaugural committee disclosure violations, and laws prohibiting contributions by foreign countries. The inaugural investigation seems important, said Sandick. People have long wondered why they raised more than $100m, which is twice what was raised for prior inaugurations. Chris Christie accuses Jared Kushner of political 'hit job' in explosive new book Read more But in a sign of how extensively prosecutors have penetrated Trumps network and of how saturated that network is with alleged criminal conduct the inaugural committee investigation may have a different primary source: the testimony of the former Trump aide Rick Gates, who is cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty last year to conspiracy and lying to the FBI. Gates was deputy chairman of Trumps inaugural committee. Theyre gathering large amounts of data, said Richman of the SDNY team. They are speaking to a broad array of witnesses, some who have already been implicated, some who are just witnesses. And I would suspect they have adequate people on the case, both at the agent and the prosecutor level, to pursue all directions. Prosecutors will have to make a judgment call about what potential cases to bring, said Sandick, adding: When I was in that office, we were always taught that sometimes the most important cases you have are the ones you dont indict. Because you made a decision that the evidence wasnt there. These are professional prosecutors, its not an inquisition. The threat of a presidential move against the district, or a similar move out of the justice department, is not likely to deter SDNY, Honig said. I know southern district is not afraid to have a real dispute, a real disagreement with the Department of Justice and at times prevail, said Honig. I think the fact that southern district issued this subpoena tells you that they are able to carry on in a fairly aggressive manner. | The southern district of New York issued a subpoena for documents from Trump's inaugural committee. The subpoena and what followed were all bad for Trump, worse even than the threat posed by the special counsels investigation. | bart | 1 | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/09/new-york-southern-district-donald-trump-inauguration-prosecutors | 0.118175 |
Do New York prosecutors pose the greatest threat to Donald Trump? | Separate from the Mueller inquiry, the southern district of New Yorks pursuit of the inauguration committee could herald more pain for the president For almost two years, Donald Trump has laid down fire at Robert Mueller, calling the special counsels work a witch-hunt, a partisan charade and now presidential harassment. Rosenstein did not want to write memo justifying Comey firing new book Read more The bigger threat to Trump, however, may have just walked up and tapped him on the shoulder. Trump did not tweet about or otherwise acknowledge the revelation on Monday night that prosecutors from the US attorneys office for the southern district of New York (SDNY) had issued a subpoena seeking a mountain of documents from his inaugural committee. But former prosecutors and others familiar with the Manhattan-based prosecutors work allowed their jaws to drop at the news of the subpoena or in the case of former SDNY chief Preet Bharara, whom Trump fired early on their virtual eyes to bulge. On Friday, ProPublica and WNYC reported further eye-popping news: that the inaugural committee paid the Trump International hotel in Washington a rate of $175,000 a day for event space. The implications of the subpoena and what followed were clear,and they were all bad for Trump, worse even than the threat posed by the special counsels investigation of ties between his campaign and Russia, said the former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, an erstwhile member of Trumps inner circle, once in charge of transition planning, and a former US attorney himself. Ive always thought that was the much more problematic thing, Christie told MSNBC of SDNY. People are focused on Mueller and thats appropriate. But people should not take their eye off the ball. The southern district has long prided itself on the firepower it brings to its cases Daniel Richman, Columbia University In interviews with the Guardian, former SDNY prosecutors spelled out why investigations run out of New York of Trump-linked interests could dog the president, his family and his associates for years, including after his departure from office. Unlike Mueller, Trump cannot as a practical matter fire the entire southern district, which comprises about 150 career prosecutors, as distinguishable from political appointees. Unlike Mueller, the southern district is not constrained in what it might investigate by a narrow authorization. And unlike Mueller, the southern district does not report, on most matters, directly to the attorney general, who is appointed by the president and who might act at the presidents bidding, though norms of justice department independence proscribe that. The SDNY is also full of lawyers who are known for being talented, independent and feisty. Alumni regularly go on to judicial appointments, top corporate posts, top justice department jobs (for example, FBI directors James Comey and Louis Freeh, attorney general Michael Mukasey) and other prominent work (Rudy Giuliani, once New York mayor, now the presidents lawyer). Wags refer to the office as the sovereign district of New York and joke that its the only US attorneys office, of 93 nationwide, to have its own foreign policy. Both in terms of courtroom skill and particularly with respect to investigative and legal acumen, the southern district has long prided itself on the firepower it brings to its cases, said the Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman, a former assistant attorney in the district. Elie Honig, who helped dismantle the Sicilian mafia as a prosecutor with the district, echoed the observation. The southern district has a long history, he said, and a reputation, I think well deserved, of being tenacious and always seeking to take an investigation wherever it goes, including to the top of an organization. The inaugural investigation seems important Owing to its location in Manhattan a global intersection for business, finance, terrorist plots and organized crime the SDNY, which celebrated its 225th birthday in 2014, has deep experience in prosecuting the most complicated and significant cases. Those include the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, work related to the 9/11 attacks of 2001, the 1988 bombings of US embassies in Africa, organized crime and mafia cases, the Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff and major financial crimes and public corruption cases. The Manhattan location also makes the SDNY a prime venue for prosecuting entities tied to Trump, potentially including his business, his campaign, his inaugural committee and more, said Harry Sandick, a former assistant US attorney in the district. People have long wondered why they raised more than $100m, which is twice what was raised for prior inaugurations Harry Sandick, former SDNY Since the Trump Organization is located in New York, since many of Trumps advisers and business partners are also located in New York and took actions in New York, he said, they have the ability in the US attorneys office to look at essentially any crime that they believe may have been committed. And they can just move from one subject to another to another as they find connections. So far as is publicly known, the SDNY was first brought in on a Trump-related prosecution with a referral from Mueller of evidence of crimes committed by Michael Cohen, Trumps former lawyer. The SDNY directed a raid on Cohens apartment and office last April, seizing documents and devices. Cohen pleaded guilty in August to violating campaign finance laws, bank fraud and criminal tax evasion, and is scheduled to begin a three-year prison sentence next month. The Cohen case may have given rise to the investigation of the Trump inaugural committee, which prosecutors are investigating for alleged conspiracy against the US, false statements, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, inaugural committee disclosure violations, and laws prohibiting contributions by foreign countries. The inaugural investigation seems important, said Sandick. People have long wondered why they raised more than $100m, which is twice what was raised for prior inaugurations. Chris Christie accuses Jared Kushner of political 'hit job' in explosive new book Read more But in a sign of how extensively prosecutors have penetrated Trumps network and of how saturated that network is with alleged criminal conduct the inaugural committee investigation may have a different primary source: the testimony of the former Trump aide Rick Gates, who is cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty last year to conspiracy and lying to the FBI. Gates was deputy chairman of Trumps inaugural committee. Theyre gathering large amounts of data, said Richman of the SDNY team. They are speaking to a broad array of witnesses, some who have already been implicated, some who are just witnesses. And I would suspect they have adequate people on the case, both at the agent and the prosecutor level, to pursue all directions. Prosecutors will have to make a judgment call about what potential cases to bring, said Sandick, adding: When I was in that office, we were always taught that sometimes the most important cases you have are the ones you dont indict. Because you made a decision that the evidence wasnt there. These are professional prosecutors, its not an inquisition. The threat of a presidential move against the district, or a similar move out of the justice department, is not likely to deter SDNY, Honig said. I know southern district is not afraid to have a real dispute, a real disagreement with the Department of Justice and at times prevail, said Honig. I think the fact that southern district issued this subpoena tells you that they are able to carry on in a fairly aggressive manner. | The southern district of New York issued a subpoena for documents from Trump's inaugural committee. The subpoena and what followed were all bad for Trump, worse even than the threat posed by the special counsels investigation of ties between his campaign and Russia. Unlike Mueller, the southern district is not constrained in what it might investigate by a narrow authorization. | bart | 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/09/new-york-southern-district-donald-trump-inauguration-prosecutors | 0.188708 |
Could Amazon's Bezos wreck AMI, owner of National Enquirer, with blackmail charges? | CLOSE Here's why Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and The National Enquirer's parent company are in a public feud over allegations of blackmail and extortion. USA TODAY A salacious tabloid newspaper with a conservative owner and a history of unscrupulous methods finds itself under the microscope, forcing a national reckoning about the intersection of journalism, politics, celebrity and sleaze. That's what happened seven years ago at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World in London. The paper folded in 2012 amid a phone hacking scandal that turned U.K.'s media and political establishment upside down. But it could also describe minus the phone hacking the controversy engulfing the National Enquirer. The Florida-based supermarket tabloid has mixed celebrity gossip, true crime and conspiracy theories for decades. But its association with President Donald Trump and its new attacks on Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos is shining a harsh light on the underbelly of tabloid journalism. And now a legal fight with the worlds richest person could prove devastating for a company that has faced financial challenges, including substantial debt and the loss of revenue from print sales confronting even mainstream newspapers. In a blog post Thursday, Bezos alleged that lawyers for the National Enquirer's parent company American Media Inc. tried to blackmail him into getting the Washington Post to drop its investigation into the company's ties to Trump. A copy of the National Enquirer is seen at a newspaper vendor's shop on Third Avenue in midtown New York City Friday alongside other titles by AMI, the tabloid publisher at the heart of growing scandals involving President Donald Trump and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. (Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY, AFP/Getty Images) More: National Enquirer owner responds to Bezos post, says it 'acted lawfully' in its reporting Jeff Bezos is taking on the National Enquirer. Here's a look at the key players Feds investigating Jeff Bezos' claims, examining agreement that shielded AMI from criminal charges Last month, the National Enquirer published photos showing Bezos involved in an extramarital affair with a former news anchor. Prior to that, Bezos had announced that he and his wife were divorcing. In emails released by Bezos, the National Enquirer told him that it had even more compromising photos, including what it euphemistically described as a "below-the-belt selfie." It threatened to publish the photos unless Bezos publicly stated that he has "no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AMs coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces." AMI has denied any wrongdoing, saying it "believes fervently that it acted lawfully in the reporting of the story of Mr. Bezos." In a statement Friday, the company said its board of directors would open an investigation into the allegations. The company could have criminal or civil liability if it was complicit in illegally obtaining the photos, said Michael Conway, a lawyer who has represented media organizations such as the New York Times and ABC, and now teaches at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. The key question here is, did American Media in any way encourage, facilitate or otherwise make an effort to get Bezos pictures and emails, which we dont know, Conway said. If they did, then theyre complicit in the crime and the First Amendment doesnt protect them from publishing it. But if the material was obtained by someone else and then given to American Media, the company may be able to publish it, Conway said. Its the same reason that news organizations were not liable for publishing the Democratic National Committees hacked emails during the 2016 campaign. The National Enquirer is only one of AMI's brands, but is its oldest and most iconic. The Associated Press reported that the National Enquirer's circulation fell 18 percent last year, to 265,000 weekly. But that's just a small fraction of the 2.3 million circulation AMI claims. Other publications include lifestyle titles like Men's Journal and Muscle and Fitness. along with celebrity fare like In Touch, Us Weekly and Soap Opera Digest. Last year, it bought up even more publications to form a near-monopoly of the supermarket aisle. Those included Life & Style, Closer. J-14 and GirlsWorld. The company is privately owned and not traded publicly, so its financials are closely held. But just last month, the company announced that it refinanced $460 million worth of debt. For example, Gawker declared bankruptcy in 2016 after former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan sued the online gossip site for invasion of privacy after it published a sex tape. Hogan won a $115 million judgment. Murdoch, whose media empire includes the Wall Street Journal and Fox News, closed the News of the World in 2011 after multiple newspapers staffers were arrested in the phone hacking scandal. While the newspaper illegally obtained voicemails of athletes, celebrities and thousands of others, it was the hacking of a 13-year-old murder victim that most inflamed the British public. The front page of the Jan. 28, 2019, edition of the National Enquirer featuring a story about Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos' divorce. (Photo: AP) The Bezos battle is just one of the controversies surrounding the tabloid group: The National Enquirer's editor, Dylan Howard, reportedly colluded with movie producer Harvey Weinstein to discredit women accusing Weinstein of sexual harassment and rape. In the run-up to the 2016 election, the National Enquirer published a string of dubious stories about Hillary Clinton's health, sex life and involvement in various conspiracies. AMI admitted paying a $150,000 to former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal as part of a "catch-and-kill" operation to silence her claims to have had an affair with Trump. Last year, AMI agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in New York, who were investigating Trump's payments to women through long-time personal attorney Michael Cohen, who is also cooperating. As part of that agreement, AMI agreed not to commit further crimes, heightening the stakes for the company if it's found to have acted illegally in the Bezos affair. AMI Chairman and CEO David Pecker has close ties to Trump, and the New York Times and the Associated Press have reported that Pecker has used that access to leverage business deals in Saudi Arabia. Bezos said it's the Saudi connection that "seems to hit a particularly sensitive nerve." Reporter Christal Hayes contributed from Washington. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/09/jeff-bezos-blackmail-ami-national-enquirer-parent-go-under/2811938002/ | Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and The National Enquirer's parent company are in a public feud over allegations of blackmail and extortion. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/09/jeff-bezos-blackmail-ami-national-enquirer-parent-go-under/2811938002/ | 0.132958 |
Could Amazon's Bezos wreck AMI, owner of National Enquirer, with blackmail charges? | CLOSE Here's why Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and The National Enquirer's parent company are in a public feud over allegations of blackmail and extortion. USA TODAY A salacious tabloid newspaper with a conservative owner and a history of unscrupulous methods finds itself under the microscope, forcing a national reckoning about the intersection of journalism, politics, celebrity and sleaze. That's what happened seven years ago at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World in London. The paper folded in 2012 amid a phone hacking scandal that turned U.K.'s media and political establishment upside down. But it could also describe minus the phone hacking the controversy engulfing the National Enquirer. The Florida-based supermarket tabloid has mixed celebrity gossip, true crime and conspiracy theories for decades. But its association with President Donald Trump and its new attacks on Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos is shining a harsh light on the underbelly of tabloid journalism. And now a legal fight with the worlds richest person could prove devastating for a company that has faced financial challenges, including substantial debt and the loss of revenue from print sales confronting even mainstream newspapers. In a blog post Thursday, Bezos alleged that lawyers for the National Enquirer's parent company American Media Inc. tried to blackmail him into getting the Washington Post to drop its investigation into the company's ties to Trump. A copy of the National Enquirer is seen at a newspaper vendor's shop on Third Avenue in midtown New York City Friday alongside other titles by AMI, the tabloid publisher at the heart of growing scandals involving President Donald Trump and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. (Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY, AFP/Getty Images) More: National Enquirer owner responds to Bezos post, says it 'acted lawfully' in its reporting Jeff Bezos is taking on the National Enquirer. Here's a look at the key players Feds investigating Jeff Bezos' claims, examining agreement that shielded AMI from criminal charges Last month, the National Enquirer published photos showing Bezos involved in an extramarital affair with a former news anchor. Prior to that, Bezos had announced that he and his wife were divorcing. In emails released by Bezos, the National Enquirer told him that it had even more compromising photos, including what it euphemistically described as a "below-the-belt selfie." It threatened to publish the photos unless Bezos publicly stated that he has "no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AMs coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces." AMI has denied any wrongdoing, saying it "believes fervently that it acted lawfully in the reporting of the story of Mr. Bezos." In a statement Friday, the company said its board of directors would open an investigation into the allegations. The company could have criminal or civil liability if it was complicit in illegally obtaining the photos, said Michael Conway, a lawyer who has represented media organizations such as the New York Times and ABC, and now teaches at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. The key question here is, did American Media in any way encourage, facilitate or otherwise make an effort to get Bezos pictures and emails, which we dont know, Conway said. If they did, then theyre complicit in the crime and the First Amendment doesnt protect them from publishing it. But if the material was obtained by someone else and then given to American Media, the company may be able to publish it, Conway said. Its the same reason that news organizations were not liable for publishing the Democratic National Committees hacked emails during the 2016 campaign. The National Enquirer is only one of AMI's brands, but is its oldest and most iconic. The Associated Press reported that the National Enquirer's circulation fell 18 percent last year, to 265,000 weekly. But that's just a small fraction of the 2.3 million circulation AMI claims. Other publications include lifestyle titles like Men's Journal and Muscle and Fitness. along with celebrity fare like In Touch, Us Weekly and Soap Opera Digest. Last year, it bought up even more publications to form a near-monopoly of the supermarket aisle. Those included Life & Style, Closer. J-14 and GirlsWorld. The company is privately owned and not traded publicly, so its financials are closely held. But just last month, the company announced that it refinanced $460 million worth of debt. For example, Gawker declared bankruptcy in 2016 after former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan sued the online gossip site for invasion of privacy after it published a sex tape. Hogan won a $115 million judgment. Murdoch, whose media empire includes the Wall Street Journal and Fox News, closed the News of the World in 2011 after multiple newspapers staffers were arrested in the phone hacking scandal. While the newspaper illegally obtained voicemails of athletes, celebrities and thousands of others, it was the hacking of a 13-year-old murder victim that most inflamed the British public. The front page of the Jan. 28, 2019, edition of the National Enquirer featuring a story about Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos' divorce. (Photo: AP) The Bezos battle is just one of the controversies surrounding the tabloid group: The National Enquirer's editor, Dylan Howard, reportedly colluded with movie producer Harvey Weinstein to discredit women accusing Weinstein of sexual harassment and rape. In the run-up to the 2016 election, the National Enquirer published a string of dubious stories about Hillary Clinton's health, sex life and involvement in various conspiracies. AMI admitted paying a $150,000 to former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal as part of a "catch-and-kill" operation to silence her claims to have had an affair with Trump. Last year, AMI agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in New York, who were investigating Trump's payments to women through long-time personal attorney Michael Cohen, who is also cooperating. As part of that agreement, AMI agreed not to commit further crimes, heightening the stakes for the company if it's found to have acted illegally in the Bezos affair. AMI Chairman and CEO David Pecker has close ties to Trump, and the New York Times and the Associated Press have reported that Pecker has used that access to leverage business deals in Saudi Arabia. Bezos said it's the Saudi connection that "seems to hit a particularly sensitive nerve." Reporter Christal Hayes contributed from Washington. Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/09/jeff-bezos-blackmail-ami-national-enquirer-parent-go-under/2811938002/ | Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and The National Enquirer's parent company are in a public feud over allegations of blackmail and extortion. In a blog post Thursday, Bezos alleged that lawyers for the National Enquirer's parent company American Media Inc. tried to blackmail him. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/09/jeff-bezos-blackmail-ami-national-enquirer-parent-go-under/2811938002/ | 0.296522 |
Is Jeff Bezos untouchable now that he's taking on National Enquirer? | CLOSE Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said Thursday he was the target of "extortion and blackmail" by the publisher of the National Enquirer, which he said threatened to publish revealing personal photos. (Feb 7) AP Before his bombshell accusation that American Media Inc. (AMI) was trying to extort and blackmail him, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was cast in some corners as a villain. With Bezos counterpunching hard against the National Enquirer publisher, the richest guy in the world may not only come off as hero of sorts to anyone who has ever confronted a bully but as an advocate for traditional journalism. Perhaps even someone who may emerge as more of a regular person, at least to the degree that anyone who sits atop the Forbes 400 can be portrayed that way. Consider Bezos somewhat negative standing prior to his post on the Medium blog website where he accused AMI. The billionaire founder of Amazon, the Blue Origin space flight company, and owner of the Washington Post in the midst of a divorce from his novelist wife MacKenzie found himself in tabloid purgatory after the National Enquirer published intimate text exchanges between Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, the former Los Angeles television news anchor with whom he was having an extra-marital affair. More: Jeff Bezos accuses National Enquirer parent of 'extortion and blackmail' attempt But thats not all. Through the years Bezos, a demanding boss, has been accused of creating a brutally cutthroat workforce culture at Amazon. Whats more, despite his enormous wealth, he has also been labeled stingy. At the same time, Amazon has grown so big that concerns are often raised about its powerful and disruptive tentacles, which reach the cloud via Amazon Web Services, store shelves at Whole Foods, and kitchen countertops through the familiar voice of Alexa. Lauren Sanchez arrives for the 67th Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 6, 2019. She is reportedly dating Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos. (Photo: Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY) Most recently, Amazon has encountered criticism for its drawn out and controversial sweepstakes to decide which municipality would be granted its second corporate headquarters, an award that eventually went to Northern Virginia and Long Island City, New York, though the saga may not be over. The Washington Post on Friday published a report that Amazon may be reconsidering the New York location, over a political and community backlash. His reputation hasnt been stellar before for these other reasons, not to say these claims are true, says Ari Ginsberg, a professor of entrepreneurship and management at the New York University's Stern School of Business. Bezos, of course, would probably be the first to admit that his Medium post, and the events surrounding it, wouldnt be the preferred approach to bolster his reputation. Of course I dont want personal photos published, but I also wont participate in their (AMIs) well-known practice of blackmail, political favors, political attacks, and corruption. I prefer to stand up, roll this log over, and see what crawls out, Bezos wrote. Its sort of an interesting way to achieve a positive benefit, says brand strategist Bob Killian of Killian Branding, adding that its a very low bar to rise above the National Enquirer. David Pecker runs National Enquirer publisher American Media Inc. (Photo: Marion Curtis, AP) For the most part, Bezos has been a reclusive leader with a profile that, until recently, hadnt matched that of Teslas Elon Musk or Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg, both of whom have run into their own problems, though different. My inkling is if he were thrown in a lineup, most people couldnt pick him out, branding expert Rob Frankel says of Bezos. Topping the Forbes list and running the Post, even as hes left day-to-day management to the journalists, has surely raised Bezos visibility, of course. He has also been a frequent target of President Trump. But it took the Sanchez-National Enquirer affair to plaster Bezos mug on the front pages of the tabloids. Taking down rich and famous The risk to Bezos reputation comes with the three things Frankel claims Americans cant get enough of: a rags-to-riches story, the lives of the rich and famous, and seeing the rich and famous get taken down. For better or worse, hes going to get pummeled. This is going to be a very bad year for the man, Frankel says. But Killian takes the opposite view: Its such a ho-hum, rich-guy-has-a-mistress-and-P.S.-so-what (story). But now, this sort of evil enterprise tries to blackmail him and he fights back by doing something very bold thats a much better story, Killian says. The impact on Amazon Bezos may himself be tarnished, but experts dont expect Amazon to take a hit. Bill George himself a former CEO at Medtronic and now a professor at Harvard Business School thinks Bezos made a terrible mistake when he got into this situation in the first place since he should know better that anything you say, write, or post can be too easily shared. "CEOs are public figures and Bezos is one of the most public figures there is, even though he's a private person," George says. "I think he wasn't thinking clearly when he did these things. He is the reputation of Amazon and rapidly becoming the reputation of the Washington Post. Does this harm (them), you bet." But George believes the harm he caused is minor, because Bezos ultimately did the right thing by being transparent and not giving into the blackmail. I dont believe its going to have any influence on Amazon at all, Frankel insists. As long as (consumers) can get free shipping on a pair of slippers over $25, theyre going to (shop there). Ginsberg agrees: I dont think this is going to worry the shareholders and impact the stock. Whats more important is what the company is doing strategically in terms of technological advancements, and growth into new areas.I dont think customers are going to stop using Amazon because of whats happened over the last week, (and) I dont think this puts a cloud over the company or the companys leadership. Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow @edbaig on Twitter Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/02/09/jeff-bezos-fights-back-against-national-enquirer-help-his-rep/2812515002/ | Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos accused the National Enquirer's parent company of trying to extort and blackmail him. Bezos has been accused of creating a brutally cutthroat workforce culture at Amazon. He has also been labeled stingy despite his enormous wealth. | bart | 1 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/02/09/jeff-bezos-fights-back-against-national-enquirer-help-his-rep/2812515002/ | 0.119184 |
Is Jeff Bezos untouchable now that he's taking on National Enquirer? | CLOSE Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said Thursday he was the target of "extortion and blackmail" by the publisher of the National Enquirer, which he said threatened to publish revealing personal photos. (Feb 7) AP Before his bombshell accusation that American Media Inc. (AMI) was trying to extort and blackmail him, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was cast in some corners as a villain. With Bezos counterpunching hard against the National Enquirer publisher, the richest guy in the world may not only come off as hero of sorts to anyone who has ever confronted a bully but as an advocate for traditional journalism. Perhaps even someone who may emerge as more of a regular person, at least to the degree that anyone who sits atop the Forbes 400 can be portrayed that way. Consider Bezos somewhat negative standing prior to his post on the Medium blog website where he accused AMI. The billionaire founder of Amazon, the Blue Origin space flight company, and owner of the Washington Post in the midst of a divorce from his novelist wife MacKenzie found himself in tabloid purgatory after the National Enquirer published intimate text exchanges between Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, the former Los Angeles television news anchor with whom he was having an extra-marital affair. More: Jeff Bezos accuses National Enquirer parent of 'extortion and blackmail' attempt But thats not all. Through the years Bezos, a demanding boss, has been accused of creating a brutally cutthroat workforce culture at Amazon. Whats more, despite his enormous wealth, he has also been labeled stingy. At the same time, Amazon has grown so big that concerns are often raised about its powerful and disruptive tentacles, which reach the cloud via Amazon Web Services, store shelves at Whole Foods, and kitchen countertops through the familiar voice of Alexa. Lauren Sanchez arrives for the 67th Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 6, 2019. She is reportedly dating Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos. (Photo: Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY) Most recently, Amazon has encountered criticism for its drawn out and controversial sweepstakes to decide which municipality would be granted its second corporate headquarters, an award that eventually went to Northern Virginia and Long Island City, New York, though the saga may not be over. The Washington Post on Friday published a report that Amazon may be reconsidering the New York location, over a political and community backlash. His reputation hasnt been stellar before for these other reasons, not to say these claims are true, says Ari Ginsberg, a professor of entrepreneurship and management at the New York University's Stern School of Business. Bezos, of course, would probably be the first to admit that his Medium post, and the events surrounding it, wouldnt be the preferred approach to bolster his reputation. Of course I dont want personal photos published, but I also wont participate in their (AMIs) well-known practice of blackmail, political favors, political attacks, and corruption. I prefer to stand up, roll this log over, and see what crawls out, Bezos wrote. Its sort of an interesting way to achieve a positive benefit, says brand strategist Bob Killian of Killian Branding, adding that its a very low bar to rise above the National Enquirer. David Pecker runs National Enquirer publisher American Media Inc. (Photo: Marion Curtis, AP) For the most part, Bezos has been a reclusive leader with a profile that, until recently, hadnt matched that of Teslas Elon Musk or Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg, both of whom have run into their own problems, though different. My inkling is if he were thrown in a lineup, most people couldnt pick him out, branding expert Rob Frankel says of Bezos. Topping the Forbes list and running the Post, even as hes left day-to-day management to the journalists, has surely raised Bezos visibility, of course. He has also been a frequent target of President Trump. But it took the Sanchez-National Enquirer affair to plaster Bezos mug on the front pages of the tabloids. Taking down rich and famous The risk to Bezos reputation comes with the three things Frankel claims Americans cant get enough of: a rags-to-riches story, the lives of the rich and famous, and seeing the rich and famous get taken down. For better or worse, hes going to get pummeled. This is going to be a very bad year for the man, Frankel says. But Killian takes the opposite view: Its such a ho-hum, rich-guy-has-a-mistress-and-P.S.-so-what (story). But now, this sort of evil enterprise tries to blackmail him and he fights back by doing something very bold thats a much better story, Killian says. The impact on Amazon Bezos may himself be tarnished, but experts dont expect Amazon to take a hit. Bill George himself a former CEO at Medtronic and now a professor at Harvard Business School thinks Bezos made a terrible mistake when he got into this situation in the first place since he should know better that anything you say, write, or post can be too easily shared. "CEOs are public figures and Bezos is one of the most public figures there is, even though he's a private person," George says. "I think he wasn't thinking clearly when he did these things. He is the reputation of Amazon and rapidly becoming the reputation of the Washington Post. Does this harm (them), you bet." But George believes the harm he caused is minor, because Bezos ultimately did the right thing by being transparent and not giving into the blackmail. I dont believe its going to have any influence on Amazon at all, Frankel insists. As long as (consumers) can get free shipping on a pair of slippers over $25, theyre going to (shop there). Ginsberg agrees: I dont think this is going to worry the shareholders and impact the stock. Whats more important is what the company is doing strategically in terms of technological advancements, and growth into new areas.I dont think customers are going to stop using Amazon because of whats happened over the last week, (and) I dont think this puts a cloud over the company or the companys leadership. Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow @edbaig on Twitter Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/02/09/jeff-bezos-fights-back-against-national-enquirer-help-his-rep/2812515002/ | Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos accused the National Enquirer's parent company of trying to extort and blackmail him. Bezos has been accused of creating a brutally cutthroat workforce culture at Amazon. He has been a reclusive leader with a profile that, until recently, hadn't matched that of Tesla's Elon Musk or Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg. | bart | 2 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/02/09/jeff-bezos-fights-back-against-national-enquirer-help-his-rep/2812515002/ | 0.129155 |
Is the golden age of online dating over? | Pay Chen remembers the moment she soured on dating apps. She was standing in a grocery store checkout line when she saw a man open up a dating app and start frantically swiping through profiles. Chen, a single woman in her 30s living in Toronto, was appalled. But shes since seen this happen again and again, in other grocery store lines, at the gym and elsewhere. Ive thought, oh my God, I hope I dont come up! Its that mindless and easy. Shes just one of many dating app users whove grown dissatisfied with the mechanical exercise of swiping for love an act that now feels as dispassionate as scrolling through Netflix. For these disillusioned daters, it feels as though the golden age of online dating has ended even though the sector appears to be booming. The US$3-billion American dating industry has seen a 140-per-cent increase in revenue since 2009, according to IBISWorld. The market research firm counts approximately 55 million mobile dating app users in North America alone, and estimates that number will grow by 25 per cent next year. Story continues below advertisement Chen, for example, still uses dating apps, but does so begrudgingly. She and her girlfriends regularly send each other outrageous texts they receive from men and laugh about them. Others, such as Anna Heissler, a 26-year-old executive assistant also living in Toronto, describe the apps as a necessary evil. And others still are looking to slower forms of finding a mate online or throwing in the towel entirely, preferring instead to revert back to the old-fashioned ways of meeting someone: introductions from family and friends, chance meetings at a gym, or at singles events. At events such as Lifts of Love, in Banff, Alta., for example, people are paired on ski chairs, do a few runs, aprs-ski together and hope there are sparks. Weve had amazing luck with this program, says a spokeswoman for Mount Norquay which is hosting the event Saturday. Last year two couples met and are still together. Most people here dont really online date. They prefer to meet face-to-face. Its that kind of interaction that Tracey Albrecht, 56, craves. For the past five years since she got divorced Albrechts experience with online dating has been the same: phony, superficial and disappointing. After wasting many, many hours I have decided that I cant do this to myself any more. Ive decided if Im not going to meet someone organically then Im better off by myself instead of always wondering What is wrong with me? says the Toronto executive who has tried eHarmony, Tinder, Plenty of Fish and Bumble. When in fact, there is nothing wrong with me. You cannot detect chemistry via an app. You cant get to know someone via text message. This craving to interface literally instead of madly swiping to vet who might be a good match or not is referred to as IRL dating, or dating in real life." Its part of a nostalgia for the way people used to meet. Two strangers in a room. Their eyes meet. And the age-old dance begins. Dating app haters says the impersonal and laissez-faire approach to connecting and communicating combined with the ghosting, catfishing, fake profiles and no-shows have made more and more people anxious and incredibly stressed about searching for love online. A growing number of millennials are also part of this trend, with multiple studies showing most hate hookup culture and online dating which have become synonymous. They want stability and a relationship built on trust and loyalty. Substance instead of swipes. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement A study by Pew Research Center in 2015 found 70 per cent of online daters believe these services help people to find a better romantic match because it widens the playing field, but 40 per cent of millennials also think that dating now is harder than it was for previous generations. According to Pew, millennials want lasting relationships. Sixty-one per cent of millennials who have never married say they would like to someday a number that hasnt changed since the 1970s. Similarly, eight in 10 millennials say that true romance is very important. Torontos Everett Delorme says he gets fed up with online dating but stays on the apps out of necessity. I go online because its a way for me to meet like-minded people, says Delorme, a 27-year-old who owns a small digital media company. But for me and all my friends, online dating is a love-hate thing. We cant live with it sometimes, but we cant live without it either. Ive had my fair share of horror stories, but my female friends are the ones who get the real zingers. There are men who dont know how to communicate with women whatsoever. There is a massive disconnect. [My male friends will] ask me why they cant get any matches and more often than not, I tell them, Maybe saying something crass in the first five messages isnt such a good idea. ' New York-based relationship expert Andrea Syrtash, disagrees with the hard distinction between dating apps and real life. I often hear people say they want to meet people IRL, but the reality is we are living digital lives today and meeting through the internet is part of the real world," she says. Before digital dating, people had fewer opportunities to meet new people and hook up on dates, says Syrtash, author of Hes Just Not Your Type (And Thats a Good Thing). Today, more people meet through an online dating platform than off of one." Story continues below advertisement But she says, that doesnt mean its the only way to meet someone. Ultimately, I dont think we should have an all-or-nothing approach when it comes to meeting new people. When were single and looking for a partner, we have to cast a wide net. If you feel dating fatigue from going on too many blind dates, I suggest taking a break and re-engaging in activities you enjoy." Some online dating companies are responding to the pushback by creating and marketing slow dating apps. Once, The League, Coffee Meets Bagel are just some of the apps designed to dole out matches in a more selective manner, where users have a chance to actually consider the suitability of a date. Id been on dating apps like Tinder and Bumble for four years and I didnt have any luck, says Jill Cimorelli, a social media influencer who lives in Los Angeles. Eight months ago I tried Hinge, which limits the number of matches because it connects you with people you have mutual connections with [from Facebook and other social media platforms.]" This guy named Conor came up. My best friend grew up in the same neighbourhood as him in Toronto. Hes a lawyer who lives in Los Angeles and weve been together for the last eight months. Once I eliminated so many random choices it gave me time to think, Cimorelli adds. And in Colorado, some daters are doing things even slower and taking things into their own hands. Shannon McDonald has spurned the apps shes been on since her divorce and joined forces with a group of women to bring back the good old-fashioned dinner party, with a twist. Were going to rent space in a restaurant in Denver and invite 10 women and 10 men. The 10 men will be a tall order," the mom of three chuckles, the women will be easy. Story continues below advertisement Were going to ask that interested parties have certain criteria be fit, non-smokers et cetera. Were going to have it catered and then were going to see if the magic happens, McDonald says. My friends and I just want to slow things down. Were sick of the swiping, of the flakiness and the fake profiles. We want to meet people face-to-face, share a meal, enjoy some wine and see if anything clicks. Syrtash says most people still have the idea or dream of locking eyes with a potential mate and having immediate chemistry. However, it should be noted that meeting someone through a dating site or app doesnt mean the connection you have when you meet in person wont be organic or real," she says. The things we are looking for in a potential mate remain the same, but the ways in which we meet people today are certainly different." Too different for people such as Albrecht. I keep hearing of friends of friends who have found their soulmates on these online sites. And Im glad for them, she says. Im not sure who my Prince Charming is, but hes definitely not a man behind a profile on an app. A brief history of dating apps By Dave McGinn Online dating has given rise to so many sites and apps, that it can be hard to keep up. Each one promises to find users that special someone, whatever the niche. Heres a roundup of some of the ways you can look for love on the internet. Story continues below advertisement Match.com Launched 1994 (app launched in 2010) Matches you with singles who are looking for a relationship, not hook-ups. eHarmony Launched 2000 (app launched in 2010) Matches you with individuals you might have chemistry with based on a compatibility questionnaire. Christian Mingle Launched 2001 (app launched in 2014) Matches you with Christians seeking a God-centred relationship. PlentyOfFish Launched 2003 (app launched in 2010) Matches you with People based on your answers to its chemistry test. OKCupid Launched 2004 (app launched in 2009) Matches you with people with similar personalities and interests, based on questions about your passions and deal-breakers. Badoo Story continues below advertisement Launched 2006 Matches you with people youve indicated youve liked via a heart icon in response to name, age and how many interests you have in common, among other features. Grindr Launched 2009 Matches you with gay, bi, trans and queer people in the area. Hinge Launched 2012 Matches you with people the app suggests based on profiles youve liked, among other features. Tinder Launched 2012 Matches you with anyone you find attractive enough. Coffee Meets Bagel Launched 2012 Matches you with people the apps algorithm thinks you might be interested in. Her Launched 2013 Matches you with lesbian, queer, bisexual and bi-curious women. Down Launched 2013 Matches you with people looking for casual relationships. Happn Launched 2014 Matches you with people youve crossed paths with using geolocation data. Bumble Launched 2014 Matches you with people in the area. For heterosexual matches, women have to make the first move. Feeld Launched 2014 Matches you with people interested in kink, polyamory and alternative sexual preferences. Clover Launched 2014 Matches you with people who give attractive answers to a game of 20 Questions based on personality traits. Pure Launched 2014 Matches you with anyone who is interested in you, but you only have an hour to communicate before the users profile and all communication vanishes from your inbox. The League Launched 2015 Matches you with other members based on career status, but the app only accepts 10 to 20 per cent of people who sign up. Tastebuds Launched 2015 Matches you with people who share your tastes in music. Hater Launched 2016 Matches you with people who despise the same things you do. Sapio Launched 2016 Matches you with people with your desired level of intelligence. Wingman Launched 2017 Matches you with people your friends have vetted. Zoe Launched 2017 Matches you with lesbian, queer and bisexual women. Dig Launched 2018 Matches you with fellow dog lovers. Live your best. We have a daily Life & Arts newsletter, providing you with our latest stories on health, travel, food and culture. Sign up today. | Some Canadians are turning their backs on online dating apps. Others are turning to face-to-face meetings to find love. Some say the golden age of online dating is over, even though the sector is booming. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article-is-the-golden-age-of-online-dating-over/ | 0.327431 |
Is the golden age of online dating over? | Pay Chen remembers the moment she soured on dating apps. She was standing in a grocery store checkout line when she saw a man open up a dating app and start frantically swiping through profiles. Chen, a single woman in her 30s living in Toronto, was appalled. But shes since seen this happen again and again, in other grocery store lines, at the gym and elsewhere. Ive thought, oh my God, I hope I dont come up! Its that mindless and easy. Shes just one of many dating app users whove grown dissatisfied with the mechanical exercise of swiping for love an act that now feels as dispassionate as scrolling through Netflix. For these disillusioned daters, it feels as though the golden age of online dating has ended even though the sector appears to be booming. The US$3-billion American dating industry has seen a 140-per-cent increase in revenue since 2009, according to IBISWorld. The market research firm counts approximately 55 million mobile dating app users in North America alone, and estimates that number will grow by 25 per cent next year. Story continues below advertisement Chen, for example, still uses dating apps, but does so begrudgingly. She and her girlfriends regularly send each other outrageous texts they receive from men and laugh about them. Others, such as Anna Heissler, a 26-year-old executive assistant also living in Toronto, describe the apps as a necessary evil. And others still are looking to slower forms of finding a mate online or throwing in the towel entirely, preferring instead to revert back to the old-fashioned ways of meeting someone: introductions from family and friends, chance meetings at a gym, or at singles events. At events such as Lifts of Love, in Banff, Alta., for example, people are paired on ski chairs, do a few runs, aprs-ski together and hope there are sparks. Weve had amazing luck with this program, says a spokeswoman for Mount Norquay which is hosting the event Saturday. Last year two couples met and are still together. Most people here dont really online date. They prefer to meet face-to-face. Its that kind of interaction that Tracey Albrecht, 56, craves. For the past five years since she got divorced Albrechts experience with online dating has been the same: phony, superficial and disappointing. After wasting many, many hours I have decided that I cant do this to myself any more. Ive decided if Im not going to meet someone organically then Im better off by myself instead of always wondering What is wrong with me? says the Toronto executive who has tried eHarmony, Tinder, Plenty of Fish and Bumble. When in fact, there is nothing wrong with me. You cannot detect chemistry via an app. You cant get to know someone via text message. This craving to interface literally instead of madly swiping to vet who might be a good match or not is referred to as IRL dating, or dating in real life." Its part of a nostalgia for the way people used to meet. Two strangers in a room. Their eyes meet. And the age-old dance begins. Dating app haters says the impersonal and laissez-faire approach to connecting and communicating combined with the ghosting, catfishing, fake profiles and no-shows have made more and more people anxious and incredibly stressed about searching for love online. A growing number of millennials are also part of this trend, with multiple studies showing most hate hookup culture and online dating which have become synonymous. They want stability and a relationship built on trust and loyalty. Substance instead of swipes. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement A study by Pew Research Center in 2015 found 70 per cent of online daters believe these services help people to find a better romantic match because it widens the playing field, but 40 per cent of millennials also think that dating now is harder than it was for previous generations. According to Pew, millennials want lasting relationships. Sixty-one per cent of millennials who have never married say they would like to someday a number that hasnt changed since the 1970s. Similarly, eight in 10 millennials say that true romance is very important. Torontos Everett Delorme says he gets fed up with online dating but stays on the apps out of necessity. I go online because its a way for me to meet like-minded people, says Delorme, a 27-year-old who owns a small digital media company. But for me and all my friends, online dating is a love-hate thing. We cant live with it sometimes, but we cant live without it either. Ive had my fair share of horror stories, but my female friends are the ones who get the real zingers. There are men who dont know how to communicate with women whatsoever. There is a massive disconnect. [My male friends will] ask me why they cant get any matches and more often than not, I tell them, Maybe saying something crass in the first five messages isnt such a good idea. ' New York-based relationship expert Andrea Syrtash, disagrees with the hard distinction between dating apps and real life. I often hear people say they want to meet people IRL, but the reality is we are living digital lives today and meeting through the internet is part of the real world," she says. Before digital dating, people had fewer opportunities to meet new people and hook up on dates, says Syrtash, author of Hes Just Not Your Type (And Thats a Good Thing). Today, more people meet through an online dating platform than off of one." Story continues below advertisement But she says, that doesnt mean its the only way to meet someone. Ultimately, I dont think we should have an all-or-nothing approach when it comes to meeting new people. When were single and looking for a partner, we have to cast a wide net. If you feel dating fatigue from going on too many blind dates, I suggest taking a break and re-engaging in activities you enjoy." Some online dating companies are responding to the pushback by creating and marketing slow dating apps. Once, The League, Coffee Meets Bagel are just some of the apps designed to dole out matches in a more selective manner, where users have a chance to actually consider the suitability of a date. Id been on dating apps like Tinder and Bumble for four years and I didnt have any luck, says Jill Cimorelli, a social media influencer who lives in Los Angeles. Eight months ago I tried Hinge, which limits the number of matches because it connects you with people you have mutual connections with [from Facebook and other social media platforms.]" This guy named Conor came up. My best friend grew up in the same neighbourhood as him in Toronto. Hes a lawyer who lives in Los Angeles and weve been together for the last eight months. Once I eliminated so many random choices it gave me time to think, Cimorelli adds. And in Colorado, some daters are doing things even slower and taking things into their own hands. Shannon McDonald has spurned the apps shes been on since her divorce and joined forces with a group of women to bring back the good old-fashioned dinner party, with a twist. Were going to rent space in a restaurant in Denver and invite 10 women and 10 men. The 10 men will be a tall order," the mom of three chuckles, the women will be easy. Story continues below advertisement Were going to ask that interested parties have certain criteria be fit, non-smokers et cetera. Were going to have it catered and then were going to see if the magic happens, McDonald says. My friends and I just want to slow things down. Were sick of the swiping, of the flakiness and the fake profiles. We want to meet people face-to-face, share a meal, enjoy some wine and see if anything clicks. Syrtash says most people still have the idea or dream of locking eyes with a potential mate and having immediate chemistry. However, it should be noted that meeting someone through a dating site or app doesnt mean the connection you have when you meet in person wont be organic or real," she says. The things we are looking for in a potential mate remain the same, but the ways in which we meet people today are certainly different." Too different for people such as Albrecht. I keep hearing of friends of friends who have found their soulmates on these online sites. And Im glad for them, she says. Im not sure who my Prince Charming is, but hes definitely not a man behind a profile on an app. A brief history of dating apps By Dave McGinn Online dating has given rise to so many sites and apps, that it can be hard to keep up. Each one promises to find users that special someone, whatever the niche. Heres a roundup of some of the ways you can look for love on the internet. Story continues below advertisement Match.com Launched 1994 (app launched in 2010) Matches you with singles who are looking for a relationship, not hook-ups. eHarmony Launched 2000 (app launched in 2010) Matches you with individuals you might have chemistry with based on a compatibility questionnaire. Christian Mingle Launched 2001 (app launched in 2014) Matches you with Christians seeking a God-centred relationship. PlentyOfFish Launched 2003 (app launched in 2010) Matches you with People based on your answers to its chemistry test. OKCupid Launched 2004 (app launched in 2009) Matches you with people with similar personalities and interests, based on questions about your passions and deal-breakers. Badoo Story continues below advertisement Launched 2006 Matches you with people youve indicated youve liked via a heart icon in response to name, age and how many interests you have in common, among other features. Grindr Launched 2009 Matches you with gay, bi, trans and queer people in the area. Hinge Launched 2012 Matches you with people the app suggests based on profiles youve liked, among other features. Tinder Launched 2012 Matches you with anyone you find attractive enough. Coffee Meets Bagel Launched 2012 Matches you with people the apps algorithm thinks you might be interested in. Her Launched 2013 Matches you with lesbian, queer, bisexual and bi-curious women. Down Launched 2013 Matches you with people looking for casual relationships. Happn Launched 2014 Matches you with people youve crossed paths with using geolocation data. Bumble Launched 2014 Matches you with people in the area. For heterosexual matches, women have to make the first move. Feeld Launched 2014 Matches you with people interested in kink, polyamory and alternative sexual preferences. Clover Launched 2014 Matches you with people who give attractive answers to a game of 20 Questions based on personality traits. Pure Launched 2014 Matches you with anyone who is interested in you, but you only have an hour to communicate before the users profile and all communication vanishes from your inbox. The League Launched 2015 Matches you with other members based on career status, but the app only accepts 10 to 20 per cent of people who sign up. Tastebuds Launched 2015 Matches you with people who share your tastes in music. Hater Launched 2016 Matches you with people who despise the same things you do. Sapio Launched 2016 Matches you with people with your desired level of intelligence. Wingman Launched 2017 Matches you with people your friends have vetted. Zoe Launched 2017 Matches you with lesbian, queer and bisexual women. Dig Launched 2018 Matches you with fellow dog lovers. Live your best. We have a daily Life & Arts newsletter, providing you with our latest stories on health, travel, food and culture. Sign up today. | Some Canadians are turning their backs on online dating apps. Others are turning to face-to-face meetings to find love. Some say the golden age of online dating is over, but others say it's just getting easier to find a mate. For more information on how to get in touch with someone you know, visit Match.com. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article-is-the-golden-age-of-online-dating-over/ | 0.381485 |
Is Honeywell a Good Value Stock for 2019? | Another year, another good performance from Honeywell International (NYSE: HON). But as ever, investors will focus on the outlook for 2019. The company accelerated organic sales growth to 6% in 2018 from 4% in 2017, and guidance for 2019 is calling for growth of 2% to 5% and for EPS to increase 6% to 10% on an adjusted basis. Let's try to answer these questions. Honeywell's valuation Looking at Honeywell's guidance quantitatively, the midpoint of the EPS guidance range of $7.80 to $8.10 puts the stock on a forward P/E of 18.2 times earnings. And the midpoint of guidance for free cash flow gives a forward price-to-FCF ratio of 18.8 times FCF -- or a FCF yield of 5.3%, if you prefer looking at it that way. Either way, it's a favorable valuation and suggests that the stock is a decent value with upside potential at the top end of the guidance range. A fortune teller with buy, sell or hold options showing. More Image source: Getty Images. But Honeywell's valuation isn't cheap enough to make the stock a good value if the company only hits the bottom end of its guidance range. So the question turns to a qualitative assessment of its earnings guidance for 2019. HON Price to Free Cash Flow (TTM) Chart More HON Price to Free Cash Flow (TTM) data by YCharts How Honeywell International makes money Starting by looking back at 2018, you can see below that the largest segment (Aerospace) and the smallest (Safety and Productivity Solutions) contributed the most to earnings growth in the year. And it's notable that management expects them to grow sales in mid-single digits in 2019. Furthermore, Honeywell spun off Garrett Motion (NYSE: GTX) (automotive turbochargers) and Resideo Technologies (NYSE: REZI) (home products and security products distribution) from the Aerospace and Building Technologies segments, respectively. That reduced earnings growth in 2018, but will lead to margin expansion in 2019 as both businesses were lower margin than their respective segments' margin. Honeywell International Segment 2019 Sales Growth Outlook 2018 Organic Sales Growth 2018 Segment Profit Change in 2018 Aerospace Mid-single digit 9% $3.503 billion $215 million Honeywell Building Technologies (HBT) Low single digit 3% $1.608 billion ($42 million) Performance Materials and Technologies (PMT) Low single digit 2% $2.328 billion $122 million Safety and Productivity Solutions (SPS) Mid-single digit 11% $1.032 billion $180 million Data source: Honeywell International presentations. Digging into the assumptions behind Honeywell's guidance, CFO Gregory Lewis outlined that the low end of the 2% to 5% organic sales growth guidance "reflects the possibility of some economic slowing, but not a recession in 2019." However, he went on to argue that, "Based on what we can see today, we expect to be at the upper end of our sales guidance range for organic growth." | Honeywell International accelerated organic sales growth to 6% in 2018 from 4% in 2017. Guidance for 2019 is calling for growth of 2% to 5% and for EPS to increase 6% to 10%. Honeywell's valuation isn't cheap enough to make the stock a good value if the company only hits the bottom end of its guidance range. | bart | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/honeywell-good-value-stock-2019-123700328.html | 0.26759 |
How Are S&P 500 Stocks Chosen? | Though the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) may include only a fraction of publicly traded companies by number, it is undoubtedly the most important index for U.S. stocks. Together, the roughly 500 companies that make up the S&P 500 comprise more than 80% of the total value of all stocks on U.S. exchanges, making the index a go-to barometer for the performance of domestic stocks. It all boils down to meeting a few rules, and, most importantly, winning the favor of a committee of investors. Here's how it all works, item by item. 1. Market capitalization is an important filter The S&P 500 is supposed to represent the largest U.S. companies, so naturally size is an important component. Size, in this case, is determined by the company's stock market value, or market capitalization, which is the total value of all its shares outstanding. For example, Coca-Cola has roughly 4.3 billion shares of stock outstanding. As I write this, each share trades for $49. Therefore, its market cap stands at approximately $210 billion. The cutoff for the S&P 500 moves up and down over time, but the current number to top is $6.1 billion. Of course, 20 years ago, that figure was much lower, and you'd expect that 20 years from now, that number will be much higher. Looking up at the NYSE and surrounding buildings. More Image source: Getty Images. 2. Profitability matters...kind of With few exceptions, companies must be profitable to get into the S&P 500 index. Profitability is measured in two ways: over the last four quarters and in the most recent quarter. In theory, a company could lose $300 million in each of the first three quarters ($900 million total) and then post a $950 million profit in the final quarter, thus qualifying for the profitability test. Quarter Profit or Loss 1 ($300 million) 2 ($300 million) 3 ($300 million) 4 $950 million Sum of four quarters $50 million This is an extreme example to show how the profitability test isn't particularly demanding, since one quarter of profit could be good enough to meet the criteria. Companies that have recently gone public in an IPO must have at least 12 months of trading history on a large exchange, so a profitable company that goes public can't immediately hop into the S&P 500 based on its earnings before its IPO. 3. Float and liquidity requirements are easy to check off The purpose of the S&P 500 is to track large-cap stocks that you can actually invest in. To that end, it has some rules that disqualify companies that are closely held (majority owned by only a few shareholders) as well as companies that are thinly traded (companies whose shares have very little trading volume). To get into the S&P 500, a company needs to have at least 50% of its stock "floating" on stock exchanges. Logically, it makes sense. A company that is 60% owned by its founder, for example, is arguably more "private" than "public" from an ownership perspective, given that only 40% of shares are in the hands of the investing public. In addition to being majority owned by the public, a company's stock must be liquid. Each year, trading volume must exceed 100% of its float, and a minimum of 250,000 shares must trade in the six months leading up to the evaluation date. So if a company has 2 billion shares in the float, at least 2 billion shares must trade hands each year. Frankly, most large companies check all these boxes without trying. There aren't many thinly traded, multibillion-dollar companies in which directors, officers, and other major shareholders own more than 50% of the company. And any company that is majority owned by the public will almost certainly pass the test for having ample trading volume. | The S&P 500 is the most important index for U.S. stocks. To get into the index, companies must be profitable over the last four quarters and in the most recent quarter. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/p-500-stocks-chosen-123000102.html | 0.260538 |
How Are S&P 500 Stocks Chosen? | Though the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) may include only a fraction of publicly traded companies by number, it is undoubtedly the most important index for U.S. stocks. Together, the roughly 500 companies that make up the S&P 500 comprise more than 80% of the total value of all stocks on U.S. exchanges, making the index a go-to barometer for the performance of domestic stocks. It all boils down to meeting a few rules, and, most importantly, winning the favor of a committee of investors. Here's how it all works, item by item. 1. Market capitalization is an important filter The S&P 500 is supposed to represent the largest U.S. companies, so naturally size is an important component. Size, in this case, is determined by the company's stock market value, or market capitalization, which is the total value of all its shares outstanding. For example, Coca-Cola has roughly 4.3 billion shares of stock outstanding. As I write this, each share trades for $49. Therefore, its market cap stands at approximately $210 billion. The cutoff for the S&P 500 moves up and down over time, but the current number to top is $6.1 billion. Of course, 20 years ago, that figure was much lower, and you'd expect that 20 years from now, that number will be much higher. Looking up at the NYSE and surrounding buildings. More Image source: Getty Images. 2. Profitability matters...kind of With few exceptions, companies must be profitable to get into the S&P 500 index. Profitability is measured in two ways: over the last four quarters and in the most recent quarter. In theory, a company could lose $300 million in each of the first three quarters ($900 million total) and then post a $950 million profit in the final quarter, thus qualifying for the profitability test. Quarter Profit or Loss 1 ($300 million) 2 ($300 million) 3 ($300 million) 4 $950 million Sum of four quarters $50 million This is an extreme example to show how the profitability test isn't particularly demanding, since one quarter of profit could be good enough to meet the criteria. Companies that have recently gone public in an IPO must have at least 12 months of trading history on a large exchange, so a profitable company that goes public can't immediately hop into the S&P 500 based on its earnings before its IPO. 3. Float and liquidity requirements are easy to check off The purpose of the S&P 500 is to track large-cap stocks that you can actually invest in. To that end, it has some rules that disqualify companies that are closely held (majority owned by only a few shareholders) as well as companies that are thinly traded (companies whose shares have very little trading volume). To get into the S&P 500, a company needs to have at least 50% of its stock "floating" on stock exchanges. Logically, it makes sense. A company that is 60% owned by its founder, for example, is arguably more "private" than "public" from an ownership perspective, given that only 40% of shares are in the hands of the investing public. In addition to being majority owned by the public, a company's stock must be liquid. Each year, trading volume must exceed 100% of its float, and a minimum of 250,000 shares must trade in the six months leading up to the evaluation date. So if a company has 2 billion shares in the float, at least 2 billion shares must trade hands each year. Frankly, most large companies check all these boxes without trying. There aren't many thinly traded, multibillion-dollar companies in which directors, officers, and other major shareholders own more than 50% of the company. And any company that is majority owned by the public will almost certainly pass the test for having ample trading volume. | The S&P 500 is the most important index for U.S. stocks. To get into the index, companies must be profitable over the last four quarters and in the most recent quarter. A company's float and liquidity must also be checked off to make the index. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/p-500-stocks-chosen-123000102.html | 0.265131 |
Can Matt LaFleur Help Rescue Green Bay's Laughable Special Teams Units? | This is the eighth story in a series examining Green Bays positional groups. If the Green Packers special teams were gunning for laughs in 2018, they could have won an Emmy Award for a Comedy Series. Odds are, that would have made them repeat winners. Thats because for the majority of the Mike McCarthy-era, Green Bays special teams were downright laughable. If something could go wrong for the Packers in 2018, they did. Green Bay finished the year ranked 32nd in a statistical comparison of special teams performance compiled by the Dallas Morning News. During McCarthys 13 years, Green Bay ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in special teams rankings seven times and they were dead last three times. The Packers average rank under McCarthy was 23rd and only Carolina graded out worse over the last 13 years. We dont get second down and we dont get third down, said Ron Zook, who was fired as Green Bays special teams coordinator at the end of the year. What happens is I tell them all the time, Guys, were judged strictly on our worst play. There were plenty of worst plays to pick from. And new head coach Matt LaFleur must find a way to eliminate the stench of failure that has lingered in this area for more than a decade. LaFleur hired Shawn Mennenga as his coordinator and gave him two assistants Maurice Drayton and Rayna Stewart which is one more than Zook had. The way things went for Green Bay in 2018, there cant be enough cooks in the kitchen. Mennenga was a special teams assistant from 2011-17 in Cleveland before becoming the special teams coordinator at Vanderbilt in 2018. While in Cleveland, Mennenga worked under highly-regarded coordinator Chris Tabor, who is now with the Chicago Bears. I think on special teams I want to be sound, LaFleur said during his introductory press conference last month. I want to attack matchups on special teams. The Packers were the ones attacked throughout 2018. Green Bay fumbled the ball 11 times and lost five. The Packers had a turnover differential of minus-4. Three different teams executed fake punts against the Packers. Detroit kicker Matt Prater threw a touchdown pass on a fake field goal. Jets return ace Andre Roberts had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Ty Montgomery became an all-time Packer goat. Green Bay had 26 special teams penalties, its most since 2009. Even typically reliable kicker Mason Crosby slipped to 23rd in field goal accuracy (81.1%) and rookie punter JK Scott tied for 26th in net punting average (38.8). Just like every year, theres going to be changes, and were just going to have flow with it and take em as they come, Crosby said at the end of the season. Green Bays special teams were actually serviceable the first month of the season. After that, though, they could have been weekly contributors to ESPNs Not Top 10. Heres a few that standout: In a 31-23 loss to Detroit in Week 5, Crosby missed four field goals and an extra point. In that same game, a punt hit the leg of cornerback Kevin King, the Lions recovered and immediately scored a touchdown. Green Bays special teams also had five accepted penalties that day, their most in nearly eight years. In a Week 6 win over San Francisco, Green Bays special teams were called for five penalties once again. Green Bay trailed the unbeaten Los Angeles Rams, 29-27, in Week 8 when Montgomery fielded a kickoff two yards deep with just 2:05 left. Instead of taking a knee and allowing Aaron Rodgers & Co. to start at the 25, Montgomery elected to come out despite being told to stay put. Montgomery fumbled, the Rams recovered, and two days later Montgomery was traded to Baltimore. In a Week 9 loss in New England, tight end Robert Tonyan roughed punter Ryan Allen on a fourth-and-22 giving the Patriots a first down. And somehow, safety Josh Jones was offsides on the opening kickoff. In a Week 10 win over Miami, Tramon Williams lost a fumble, JK Scott had a punt blocked and the Dolphins ran for 14 yards and a first down on a fake punt. In a Week 12 loss in Minnesota, Williams elected to let a punt hit the ground. Williams didnt vacate the area, the ball hit his upper body and the Vikings recovered. Mason Crosby had a potential 49-yard field goal to force overtime against Arizona in Week 13. Crosby missed wide right, though, making him 1-for-3 on game-winners in 2018. Hours later, McCarthy was fired. In a Week 14 win over Atlanta, Jaire Alexander fumbled a pair of punts. In a Week 16 win over the Jets, Roberts had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and another 51-yard return. Packers return man JMon Moore lost a fumble late in the third quarter that led to a New York touchdown. And with the Jets leading, 35-30, with just 4:34 left, New York successfully executed a fake punt. Finally in Week 17, Lions kicker Matt Prater executed a fake field goal in which he caught Packers cornerback Josh Jackson out of position and threw a touchdown to tight end Levine Toilolo. When television cameras showed Green Bays sideline, both Zook and Drayton seemed oblivious that Toilolo was lined up by himself. We want to make sure that we are playing aggressive, but weve got to be smart, LaFleur said. We dont want to put ourselves in negative situations. The 2018 season was one giant negative and an endless array of comical blunders for Green Bay. Now, one of LaFleurs tallest tasks is making sure the Packers arent a punch line in 2019. | Green Bay finished the year ranked 32nd in a statistical comparison of special teams performance. Only Carolina graded out worse over the last 13 years. New head coach Matt LaFleur must find a way to eliminate the stench of failure. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/robreischel/2019/02/09/can-matt-lafleur-help-rescue-green-bays-laughable-special-teams-units/ | 0.118019 |
Can Matt LaFleur Help Rescue Green Bay's Laughable Special Teams Units? | This is the eighth story in a series examining Green Bays positional groups. If the Green Packers special teams were gunning for laughs in 2018, they could have won an Emmy Award for a Comedy Series. Odds are, that would have made them repeat winners. Thats because for the majority of the Mike McCarthy-era, Green Bays special teams were downright laughable. If something could go wrong for the Packers in 2018, they did. Green Bay finished the year ranked 32nd in a statistical comparison of special teams performance compiled by the Dallas Morning News. During McCarthys 13 years, Green Bay ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in special teams rankings seven times and they were dead last three times. The Packers average rank under McCarthy was 23rd and only Carolina graded out worse over the last 13 years. We dont get second down and we dont get third down, said Ron Zook, who was fired as Green Bays special teams coordinator at the end of the year. What happens is I tell them all the time, Guys, were judged strictly on our worst play. There were plenty of worst plays to pick from. And new head coach Matt LaFleur must find a way to eliminate the stench of failure that has lingered in this area for more than a decade. LaFleur hired Shawn Mennenga as his coordinator and gave him two assistants Maurice Drayton and Rayna Stewart which is one more than Zook had. The way things went for Green Bay in 2018, there cant be enough cooks in the kitchen. Mennenga was a special teams assistant from 2011-17 in Cleveland before becoming the special teams coordinator at Vanderbilt in 2018. While in Cleveland, Mennenga worked under highly-regarded coordinator Chris Tabor, who is now with the Chicago Bears. I think on special teams I want to be sound, LaFleur said during his introductory press conference last month. I want to attack matchups on special teams. The Packers were the ones attacked throughout 2018. Green Bay fumbled the ball 11 times and lost five. The Packers had a turnover differential of minus-4. Three different teams executed fake punts against the Packers. Detroit kicker Matt Prater threw a touchdown pass on a fake field goal. Jets return ace Andre Roberts had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Ty Montgomery became an all-time Packer goat. Green Bay had 26 special teams penalties, its most since 2009. Even typically reliable kicker Mason Crosby slipped to 23rd in field goal accuracy (81.1%) and rookie punter JK Scott tied for 26th in net punting average (38.8). Just like every year, theres going to be changes, and were just going to have flow with it and take em as they come, Crosby said at the end of the season. Green Bays special teams were actually serviceable the first month of the season. After that, though, they could have been weekly contributors to ESPNs Not Top 10. Heres a few that standout: In a 31-23 loss to Detroit in Week 5, Crosby missed four field goals and an extra point. In that same game, a punt hit the leg of cornerback Kevin King, the Lions recovered and immediately scored a touchdown. Green Bays special teams also had five accepted penalties that day, their most in nearly eight years. In a Week 6 win over San Francisco, Green Bays special teams were called for five penalties once again. Green Bay trailed the unbeaten Los Angeles Rams, 29-27, in Week 8 when Montgomery fielded a kickoff two yards deep with just 2:05 left. Instead of taking a knee and allowing Aaron Rodgers & Co. to start at the 25, Montgomery elected to come out despite being told to stay put. Montgomery fumbled, the Rams recovered, and two days later Montgomery was traded to Baltimore. In a Week 9 loss in New England, tight end Robert Tonyan roughed punter Ryan Allen on a fourth-and-22 giving the Patriots a first down. And somehow, safety Josh Jones was offsides on the opening kickoff. In a Week 10 win over Miami, Tramon Williams lost a fumble, JK Scott had a punt blocked and the Dolphins ran for 14 yards and a first down on a fake punt. In a Week 12 loss in Minnesota, Williams elected to let a punt hit the ground. Williams didnt vacate the area, the ball hit his upper body and the Vikings recovered. Mason Crosby had a potential 49-yard field goal to force overtime against Arizona in Week 13. Crosby missed wide right, though, making him 1-for-3 on game-winners in 2018. Hours later, McCarthy was fired. In a Week 14 win over Atlanta, Jaire Alexander fumbled a pair of punts. In a Week 16 win over the Jets, Roberts had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and another 51-yard return. Packers return man JMon Moore lost a fumble late in the third quarter that led to a New York touchdown. And with the Jets leading, 35-30, with just 4:34 left, New York successfully executed a fake punt. Finally in Week 17, Lions kicker Matt Prater executed a fake field goal in which he caught Packers cornerback Josh Jackson out of position and threw a touchdown to tight end Levine Toilolo. When television cameras showed Green Bays sideline, both Zook and Drayton seemed oblivious that Toilolo was lined up by himself. We want to make sure that we are playing aggressive, but weve got to be smart, LaFleur said. We dont want to put ourselves in negative situations. The 2018 season was one giant negative and an endless array of comical blunders for Green Bay. Now, one of LaFleurs tallest tasks is making sure the Packers arent a punch line in 2019. | Green Bay finished 32nd in a statistical comparison of special teams performance. The Packers' special teams ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in special teams rankings seven times and dead last three times during Mike McCarthy's 13 years in charge. New head coach Matt LaFleur must find a way to eliminate the stench of failure. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/robreischel/2019/02/09/can-matt-lafleur-help-rescue-green-bays-laughable-special-teams-units/ | 0.157308 |
Do Bryan Singer allegations hurt 'Bohemian's' Oscar chances? | "Bohemian Rhapsody" has had a lifetime's worth of trials and setbacks on its 10-year journey to the big screen. And yet despite everything working against it from Singer's surprise firing mid-production for absences and clashes with the cast, to the negative reviews right before its release it seems to have come out of the fires unscathed. The $50 million production became a global box-office phenomenon, grossing over $209 million in North America alone and over $834 million worldwide to become the most successful musical biopic of all time. It developed into a top awards contender too, winning the best drama and best actor for Rami Malek at the Golden Globes, while also receiving two key Screen Actors Guild nominations, a Producers Guild nod and five Oscar nominations, including best actor and best picture. But then on Jan. 23, almost exactly a month before the Oscars and one day after its nominations, The Atlantic magazine published an article in which four men claim they were sexually abused by Singer while underage. Singer has denied the allegations. A representative for Singer declined to comment further for this article. The next day, the advocacy group GLAAD removed the film from its Media Awards nominees, and four days later, "Bohemian Rhapsody" lost the coveted SAG ensemble award to "Black Panther." "I think that it would have won SAG ensemble if it hadn't been embroiled in controversy," said Sasha Stone, founder of the blog Awards Daily. The SAG voting period ended on Jan. 25, two days after The Atlantic article published. As if a precursor to what might happen at the Academy Awards, Malek walked away with his own acting prize. This week, just days before the British Academy film awards, BAFTA announced that Singer's nomination suspension because the alleged behavior was "completely unacceptable and incompatible" with its values. The film, however, will still compete Sunday for the Outstanding British film award, among others. Those involved with the film have, in general, opted not to talk about their ousted director. Singer was kept far away from the publicity tour but retained his directing credit and could stand to make $40 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Producer Graham King became the public face of the production along with Malek. And their messaging stayed laser-focused on Freddie Mercury and doing right by him and the band. Malek, on the day of his Oscar nomination, said that he was "not aware" of the allegations against Singer. He's since presented a more informed stance and said that his "heart goes out to anyone who has to live through anything like what I've heard and what is out there." When pressed, he's has often gone back to the refrain that audiences can take solace in the fact that Singer was fired. The Atlantic article didn't exactly light Hollywood on fire, either. Singer is still lined up to direct another movie for a $10 million payday . And people still like "Bohemian Rhapsody." "I don't see too many people even upset about the controversy. That Atlantic piece came out after nominations. I still think the movie would be nominated if it had run before. It's not like it contained anything surprising. Everybody has heard these whispers and these stories," said Glenn Whipp, the awards columnist for the Los Angeles Times. "It's just a movie that people really enjoy and they're not going to let anyone get in the way of their enjoyment." With just a few weeks to go before the Academy Awards, hardly anyone is predicting a "Bohemian Rhapsody" best picture win. New York Times Carpetbagger columnist Kyle Buchanan called it, "practically inconceivable." But the general sentiment is that a loss won't be because of Singer. Malek, on the other hand, seems to be a lock for best actor in spite of everything. "There's a real divide between what academy members seem to think about the movie and what they think about Rami Malek and his work in the movie," Whipp said. "People praise him for his commitment, his transformative turn. People are overlooking the film's flaws and still voting for Malek. And they're able to separate any qualms about Bryan Singer and this latest investigation from his work. It's complete compartmentalization. "An actor told me that if 'Bohemian Rhapsody' won best picture he would quit the academy," Whipp added. "But he's voting for Rami Malek for best actor." | "Bohemian Rhapsody" has had a lifetime's worth of trials and setbacks on its 10-year journey to the big screen. Bryan Singer was fired mid-production for absences and clashes with the cast. Singer has denied the allegations and the film is still nominated for several awards. | ctrlsum | 2 | http://www.startribune.com/is-bryan-singer-a-problem-for-bohemian-s-oscars-chances/505609602/ | 0.100065 |
How Many Vehicles Will Tesla Deliver in 2019? | With the company having recently reported its fourth-quarter and full-year results for 2018, it's a good time to start looking ahead at what electric-car company Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) may be able to achieve in 2019. Last year, Tesla posted some extraordinary growth, delivering nearly as many vehicles during the year as it has in all of its prior years combined. Probably -- and here's why. Tesla vehicle production line at the company's factory in Fremont, California. More Tesla factory in Fremont, California. Image source: author. Expect about 55% growth Fortunately, management provided its own forecast for what to expect from vehicle deliveries in 2019. In Tesla's fourth-quarter shareholder letter, management said it expects to deliver between 360,000 and 400,000 vehicles during the year. This represents 45% to 65% year-over-year growth compared to the approximately 245,500 vehicles Tesla delivered in 2018. After all, the company has missed key production and delivery targets in the past. Fortunately, Tesla looks like it's approaching its guidance conservatively this time. While achieving the midpoint of Tesla's guidance range for vehicle deliveries would require 55% year-over-year growth, a significant increase in the company's production rate wouldn't be needed to pull this off. The company delivered 90,966 vehicles in its fourth quarter. This translates to an annual run rate of about 364,000 vehicles -- above the low end of management's guidance range. Put another way, to grow annual deliveries 48% year over year, all Tesla would need to do is maintain the rate of quarterly deliveries it exited 2018 with. Almost certainly. Of the 90,966 vehicles Tesla delivered in Q4, 63,359 were Model 3 -- all of which were delivered in North America. In 2019, Model 3 is expanding to Europe and China, giving demand for the vehicle a significant tailwind. Mix in Tesla's history of rapidly increasing vehicle production and the company's recent aggressive push to sell Model 3 at lower prices, and an estimate for deliveries to increase 55% year over year to 380,000 begins to sound conservative. For Tesla to deliver 400,000 vehicles in 2019 or -- better yet -- exceed its guidance range, the company will likely need to bring to market its promised $35,000 version of the Model 3. A $35,000 version of the vehicle, which is $7,900 less than the cheapest Model 3 version available today, would open Tesla up to a much broader customer base, easily pushing demand for the vehicle high enough for the company to hit the high end of its guidance range. Tesla says on its website it expects the lower-cost version of the car, which will feature a smaller battery than its current Model 3 variants, to be available in four to six months. But investors shouldn't count on this cheaper version. When asked about the promised $35,000 Model 3 on Twitter this week, Musk responded, "We're doing everything we can to get there. It's a super hard grind." More From The Motley Fool Daniel Sparks owns shares of Tesla. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | Tesla expects to deliver between 360,000 and 400,000 vehicles in 2019. The company delivered 90,966 vehicles in its fourth quarter. | pegasus | 0 | https://news.yahoo.com/many-vehicles-tesla-deliver-2019-151600884.html | 0.781654 |
How Many Vehicles Will Tesla Deliver in 2019? | With the company having recently reported its fourth-quarter and full-year results for 2018, it's a good time to start looking ahead at what electric-car company Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) may be able to achieve in 2019. Last year, Tesla posted some extraordinary growth, delivering nearly as many vehicles during the year as it has in all of its prior years combined. Probably -- and here's why. Tesla vehicle production line at the company's factory in Fremont, California. More Tesla factory in Fremont, California. Image source: author. Expect about 55% growth Fortunately, management provided its own forecast for what to expect from vehicle deliveries in 2019. In Tesla's fourth-quarter shareholder letter, management said it expects to deliver between 360,000 and 400,000 vehicles during the year. This represents 45% to 65% year-over-year growth compared to the approximately 245,500 vehicles Tesla delivered in 2018. After all, the company has missed key production and delivery targets in the past. Fortunately, Tesla looks like it's approaching its guidance conservatively this time. While achieving the midpoint of Tesla's guidance range for vehicle deliveries would require 55% year-over-year growth, a significant increase in the company's production rate wouldn't be needed to pull this off. The company delivered 90,966 vehicles in its fourth quarter. This translates to an annual run rate of about 364,000 vehicles -- above the low end of management's guidance range. Put another way, to grow annual deliveries 48% year over year, all Tesla would need to do is maintain the rate of quarterly deliveries it exited 2018 with. Almost certainly. Of the 90,966 vehicles Tesla delivered in Q4, 63,359 were Model 3 -- all of which were delivered in North America. In 2019, Model 3 is expanding to Europe and China, giving demand for the vehicle a significant tailwind. Mix in Tesla's history of rapidly increasing vehicle production and the company's recent aggressive push to sell Model 3 at lower prices, and an estimate for deliveries to increase 55% year over year to 380,000 begins to sound conservative. For Tesla to deliver 400,000 vehicles in 2019 or -- better yet -- exceed its guidance range, the company will likely need to bring to market its promised $35,000 version of the Model 3. A $35,000 version of the vehicle, which is $7,900 less than the cheapest Model 3 version available today, would open Tesla up to a much broader customer base, easily pushing demand for the vehicle high enough for the company to hit the high end of its guidance range. Tesla says on its website it expects the lower-cost version of the car, which will feature a smaller battery than its current Model 3 variants, to be available in four to six months. But investors shouldn't count on this cheaper version. When asked about the promised $35,000 Model 3 on Twitter this week, Musk responded, "We're doing everything we can to get there. It's a super hard grind." More From The Motley Fool Daniel Sparks owns shares of Tesla. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | Tesla recently reported its fourth-quarter and full-year results for 2018. The electric-car company expects to deliver between 360,000 and 400,000 vehicles in 2019. | pegasus | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/many-vehicles-tesla-deliver-2019-151600884.html | 0.660449 |
How Many Vehicles Will Tesla Deliver in 2019? | With the company having recently reported its fourth-quarter and full-year results for 2018, it's a good time to start looking ahead at what electric-car company Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) may be able to achieve in 2019. Last year, Tesla posted some extraordinary growth, delivering nearly as many vehicles during the year as it has in all of its prior years combined. Probably -- and here's why. Tesla vehicle production line at the company's factory in Fremont, California. More Tesla factory in Fremont, California. Image source: author. Expect about 55% growth Fortunately, management provided its own forecast for what to expect from vehicle deliveries in 2019. In Tesla's fourth-quarter shareholder letter, management said it expects to deliver between 360,000 and 400,000 vehicles during the year. This represents 45% to 65% year-over-year growth compared to the approximately 245,500 vehicles Tesla delivered in 2018. After all, the company has missed key production and delivery targets in the past. Fortunately, Tesla looks like it's approaching its guidance conservatively this time. While achieving the midpoint of Tesla's guidance range for vehicle deliveries would require 55% year-over-year growth, a significant increase in the company's production rate wouldn't be needed to pull this off. The company delivered 90,966 vehicles in its fourth quarter. This translates to an annual run rate of about 364,000 vehicles -- above the low end of management's guidance range. Put another way, to grow annual deliveries 48% year over year, all Tesla would need to do is maintain the rate of quarterly deliveries it exited 2018 with. Almost certainly. Of the 90,966 vehicles Tesla delivered in Q4, 63,359 were Model 3 -- all of which were delivered in North America. In 2019, Model 3 is expanding to Europe and China, giving demand for the vehicle a significant tailwind. Mix in Tesla's history of rapidly increasing vehicle production and the company's recent aggressive push to sell Model 3 at lower prices, and an estimate for deliveries to increase 55% year over year to 380,000 begins to sound conservative. For Tesla to deliver 400,000 vehicles in 2019 or -- better yet -- exceed its guidance range, the company will likely need to bring to market its promised $35,000 version of the Model 3. A $35,000 version of the vehicle, which is $7,900 less than the cheapest Model 3 version available today, would open Tesla up to a much broader customer base, easily pushing demand for the vehicle high enough for the company to hit the high end of its guidance range. Tesla says on its website it expects the lower-cost version of the car, which will feature a smaller battery than its current Model 3 variants, to be available in four to six months. But investors shouldn't count on this cheaper version. When asked about the promised $35,000 Model 3 on Twitter this week, Musk responded, "We're doing everything we can to get there. It's a super hard grind." More From The Motley Fool Daniel Sparks owns shares of Tesla. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | Tesla expects to deliver between 360,000 and 400,000 vehicles in 2019. The company delivered 90,966 vehicles in its fourth quarter, above the low end of its guidance range. To meet its guidance, Tesla would need to grow annual deliveries 48% year over year. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/many-vehicles-tesla-deliver-2019-151600884.html | 0.790558 |
Was Matthew Whitaker disrespectful in his Congressional hearing? | With days left before the Senate votes to confirm his successor William Barr, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker was called in to answer questions from the House Judiciary Committee. Whitaker was asked about topics ranging from forced family separations at to the border to the continuation of the Mueller investigation. Yet Whitaker seemed at best dismissive and at worst downright disrespectful. Some could argue he answered the questions in a professional manner. PERSPECTIVES When presented with an intense line of questioning about forced family separations at the southern border from Representative Pramila Jayapal, Whitaker refused to acknowledge the seriousness of the ongoing situation. . @RepJayapal: "These parents were in your custody, your attorneys are prosecuting them, & your department was not tracking parents who were separated from their children! Do you know what damage has been done to children and families across this country?!" WHITAKER: [blames DHS] pic.twitter.com/ipx1SqVzoa -- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 8, 2019 Whitaker even went so far as to inform Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler that his allotted time had expired, causing gasps to fill the chamber. Jerry Nadler asks Matthew Whitaker if he has ever been asked to approve any request or action to be taken by the Special Counsel. Whitaker: "Mr. Chairman, I see that your five minutes is up." The response in the room is remarkable. Via CSPAN2 pic.twitter.com/UAcOyulX46 -- Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 8, 2019 He did technically respond to the questions, after some pushing. Well, a lot of pushing. But he answered. WATCH: Acting AG Whitaker answers yes to Rep. Lieu's questions about potentially indicting various people based on the Constitution, but refers to DOJ policy when asked about potentially indicting a sitting president. Lieu submitted the Constitution for congressional record. pic.twitter.com/5B9PFOdpba -- MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 8, 2019 Again, he dodged and obfuscated but eventually does answer the question honestly. . @RepEscobar: At SOTU, Trump said my community, El Paso, had high crime rates before we build a wall. But FBI data indicates El Paso has long been 1 of the safest cities in US. WHITAKER: We use da-- E: That's not what I asked W: Ok, I don't disagree pic.twitter.com/OXc8520nRW -- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 8, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | Matthew Whitaker seemed at best dismissive and at worst downright disrespectful. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/was_matthew_whitaker_disrespec.html | 0.335428 |
Was Matthew Whitaker disrespectful in his Congressional hearing? | With days left before the Senate votes to confirm his successor William Barr, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker was called in to answer questions from the House Judiciary Committee. Whitaker was asked about topics ranging from forced family separations at to the border to the continuation of the Mueller investigation. Yet Whitaker seemed at best dismissive and at worst downright disrespectful. Some could argue he answered the questions in a professional manner. PERSPECTIVES When presented with an intense line of questioning about forced family separations at the southern border from Representative Pramila Jayapal, Whitaker refused to acknowledge the seriousness of the ongoing situation. . @RepJayapal: "These parents were in your custody, your attorneys are prosecuting them, & your department was not tracking parents who were separated from their children! Do you know what damage has been done to children and families across this country?!" WHITAKER: [blames DHS] pic.twitter.com/ipx1SqVzoa -- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 8, 2019 Whitaker even went so far as to inform Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler that his allotted time had expired, causing gasps to fill the chamber. Jerry Nadler asks Matthew Whitaker if he has ever been asked to approve any request or action to be taken by the Special Counsel. Whitaker: "Mr. Chairman, I see that your five minutes is up." The response in the room is remarkable. Via CSPAN2 pic.twitter.com/UAcOyulX46 -- Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 8, 2019 He did technically respond to the questions, after some pushing. Well, a lot of pushing. But he answered. WATCH: Acting AG Whitaker answers yes to Rep. Lieu's questions about potentially indicting various people based on the Constitution, but refers to DOJ policy when asked about potentially indicting a sitting president. Lieu submitted the Constitution for congressional record. pic.twitter.com/5B9PFOdpba -- MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 8, 2019 Again, he dodged and obfuscated but eventually does answer the question honestly. . @RepEscobar: At SOTU, Trump said my community, El Paso, had high crime rates before we build a wall. But FBI data indicates El Paso has long been 1 of the safest cities in US. WHITAKER: We use da-- E: That's not what I asked W: Ok, I don't disagree pic.twitter.com/OXc8520nRW -- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 8, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker was called in to answer questions from the House Judiciary Committee. Yet Whitaker seemed at best dismissive and at worst downright disrespectful. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/was_matthew_whitaker_disrespec.html | 0.464555 |
Was Matthew Whitaker disrespectful in his Congressional hearing? | With days left before the Senate votes to confirm his successor William Barr, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker was called in to answer questions from the House Judiciary Committee. Whitaker was asked about topics ranging from forced family separations at to the border to the continuation of the Mueller investigation. Yet Whitaker seemed at best dismissive and at worst downright disrespectful. Some could argue he answered the questions in a professional manner. PERSPECTIVES When presented with an intense line of questioning about forced family separations at the southern border from Representative Pramila Jayapal, Whitaker refused to acknowledge the seriousness of the ongoing situation. . @RepJayapal: "These parents were in your custody, your attorneys are prosecuting them, & your department was not tracking parents who were separated from their children! Do you know what damage has been done to children and families across this country?!" WHITAKER: [blames DHS] pic.twitter.com/ipx1SqVzoa -- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 8, 2019 Whitaker even went so far as to inform Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler that his allotted time had expired, causing gasps to fill the chamber. Jerry Nadler asks Matthew Whitaker if he has ever been asked to approve any request or action to be taken by the Special Counsel. Whitaker: "Mr. Chairman, I see that your five minutes is up." The response in the room is remarkable. Via CSPAN2 pic.twitter.com/UAcOyulX46 -- Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 8, 2019 He did technically respond to the questions, after some pushing. Well, a lot of pushing. But he answered. WATCH: Acting AG Whitaker answers yes to Rep. Lieu's questions about potentially indicting various people based on the Constitution, but refers to DOJ policy when asked about potentially indicting a sitting president. Lieu submitted the Constitution for congressional record. pic.twitter.com/5B9PFOdpba -- MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 8, 2019 Again, he dodged and obfuscated but eventually does answer the question honestly. . @RepEscobar: At SOTU, Trump said my community, El Paso, had high crime rates before we build a wall. But FBI data indicates El Paso has long been 1 of the safest cities in US. WHITAKER: We use da-- E: That's not what I asked W: Ok, I don't disagree pic.twitter.com/OXc8520nRW -- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 8, 2019 The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say. | Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker was called in to answer questions from the House Judiciary Committee. Yet Whitaker seemed at best dismissive and at worst downright disrespectful. He refused to acknowledge the seriousness of the forced family separations at the southern border. He even went so far as to inform Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler that his allotted time had expired. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.nola.com/interact/2019/02/was_matthew_whitaker_disrespec.html | 0.669602 |
Is Cisco Systems a Buy? | Many investors like to buy and hold shares of companies that are leaders in their respective fields, generate a substantial amount of cash (preferably with a generous capital return program in place), and have reasonable long-term growth prospects. I think Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) easily fits that profile, and could be an attractive stock pick for investors who want such a company in their portfolios. A room filled with data center servers with Ethernet cables plugged into them More Image source: Cisco. Clear dominance in networking During Cisco's fiscal year 2018 -- which ended on July 28, 2018 -- the company generated $28.27 billion in revenue from sales of network infrastructure products, rising about 2% from the $27.78 that it generated in the prior year. Cisco's large revenue from network infrastructure products is underpinned by significant market share in many types of infrastructure products. According to market researchers with IDC, Cisco led the Ethernet switch market, capturing 54.4% market share in the third quarter of 2018. In the router market, though its share wasn't as high, Cisco also led at 39.4%. Cisco's market position in important network infrastructure products like Ethernet switches and routers is large, and helps the company generate massive amounts of revenue. A cash-generation machine Cisco also generates a significant amount of cash -- and, perhaps unsurprisingly, gives a lot of it back to shareholders: CSCO Free Cash Flow (TTM) Chart More CSCO Free Cash Flow (TTM) data by YCharts. Over the last 12 months, Cisco has generated $13.47 billion in free cash flow, which works out to a little over $2.80 per share. The company doesn't just let that cash pile up, though -- it gives plenty of it back to stockholders. Cisco currently offers a dividend of $1.32 per share (for a dividend yield of 2.79%), and has a solid track record of giving shareholders annual dividend raises. The company also has a robust share-repurchase program in place and, according to its most recent quarterly filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, has about $14 billion remaining on that repurchase plan -- good for nearly 6.6% of current shares outstanding as of this writing. Decent growth prospects Cisco isn't the hottest growth stock on the planet; it's a large, mature, and highly profitable leader in its field. That doesn't, however, mean that growth isn't in the cards. | Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is an attractive stock pick for investors. The company has a clear dominance in the networking market. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://news.yahoo.com/cisco-systems-buy-161700877.html | 0.125398 |
Is Cisco Systems a Buy? | Many investors like to buy and hold shares of companies that are leaders in their respective fields, generate a substantial amount of cash (preferably with a generous capital return program in place), and have reasonable long-term growth prospects. I think Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) easily fits that profile, and could be an attractive stock pick for investors who want such a company in their portfolios. A room filled with data center servers with Ethernet cables plugged into them More Image source: Cisco. Clear dominance in networking During Cisco's fiscal year 2018 -- which ended on July 28, 2018 -- the company generated $28.27 billion in revenue from sales of network infrastructure products, rising about 2% from the $27.78 that it generated in the prior year. Cisco's large revenue from network infrastructure products is underpinned by significant market share in many types of infrastructure products. According to market researchers with IDC, Cisco led the Ethernet switch market, capturing 54.4% market share in the third quarter of 2018. In the router market, though its share wasn't as high, Cisco also led at 39.4%. Cisco's market position in important network infrastructure products like Ethernet switches and routers is large, and helps the company generate massive amounts of revenue. A cash-generation machine Cisco also generates a significant amount of cash -- and, perhaps unsurprisingly, gives a lot of it back to shareholders: CSCO Free Cash Flow (TTM) Chart More CSCO Free Cash Flow (TTM) data by YCharts. Over the last 12 months, Cisco has generated $13.47 billion in free cash flow, which works out to a little over $2.80 per share. The company doesn't just let that cash pile up, though -- it gives plenty of it back to stockholders. Cisco currently offers a dividend of $1.32 per share (for a dividend yield of 2.79%), and has a solid track record of giving shareholders annual dividend raises. The company also has a robust share-repurchase program in place and, according to its most recent quarterly filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, has about $14 billion remaining on that repurchase plan -- good for nearly 6.6% of current shares outstanding as of this writing. Decent growth prospects Cisco isn't the hottest growth stock on the planet; it's a large, mature, and highly profitable leader in its field. That doesn't, however, mean that growth isn't in the cards. | Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is an attractive stock pick for investors. The company has a clear dominance in the networking market. Cisco also generates a significant amount of cash -- and gives a lot of it back to shareholders. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/cisco-systems-buy-161700877.html | 0.148266 |
Is Cisco Systems a Buy? | Many investors like to buy and hold shares of companies that are leaders in their respective fields, generate a substantial amount of cash (preferably with a generous capital return program in place), and have reasonable long-term growth prospects. I think Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) easily fits that profile, and could be an attractive stock pick for investors who want such a company in their portfolios. A room filled with data center servers with Ethernet cables plugged into them More Image source: Cisco. Clear dominance in networking During Cisco's fiscal year 2018 -- which ended on July 28, 2018 -- the company generated $28.27 billion in revenue from sales of network infrastructure products, rising about 2% from the $27.78 that it generated in the prior year. Cisco's large revenue from network infrastructure products is underpinned by significant market share in many types of infrastructure products. According to market researchers with IDC, Cisco led the Ethernet switch market, capturing 54.4% market share in the third quarter of 2018. In the router market, though its share wasn't as high, Cisco also led at 39.4%. Cisco's market position in important network infrastructure products like Ethernet switches and routers is large, and helps the company generate massive amounts of revenue. A cash-generation machine Cisco also generates a significant amount of cash -- and, perhaps unsurprisingly, gives a lot of it back to shareholders: CSCO Free Cash Flow (TTM) Chart More CSCO Free Cash Flow (TTM) data by YCharts. Over the last 12 months, Cisco has generated $13.47 billion in free cash flow, which works out to a little over $2.80 per share. The company doesn't just let that cash pile up, though -- it gives plenty of it back to stockholders. Cisco currently offers a dividend of $1.32 per share (for a dividend yield of 2.79%), and has a solid track record of giving shareholders annual dividend raises. The company also has a robust share-repurchase program in place and, according to its most recent quarterly filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, has about $14 billion remaining on that repurchase plan -- good for nearly 6.6% of current shares outstanding as of this writing. Decent growth prospects Cisco isn't the hottest growth stock on the planet; it's a large, mature, and highly profitable leader in its field. That doesn't, however, mean that growth isn't in the cards. | Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is an attractive stock pick for investors. The company has a clear dominance in the network infrastructure market. Cisco also generates a significant amount of cash -- and gives a lot of it back to shareholders. It's not the hottest growth stock on the planet, but it has reasonable long-term growth prospects. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/cisco-systems-buy-161700877.html | 0.198825 |
Are Welbilt, Inc.s Returns On Capital Worth Investigating? | Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today well look at Welbilt, Inc. (NYSE:WBT) and reflect on its potential as an investment. To be precise, well consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that will inform our view of the quality of the business. First, well go over how we calculate ROCE. Second, well look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. Then well determine how its current liabilities are affecting its ROCE. ROCE measures the return (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets Current Liabilities) Or for Welbilt: 0.13 = US$228m (US$2.1b US$323m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.) So, Welbilt has an ROCE of 13%. One way to assess ROCE is to compare similar companies. We can see Welbilts ROCE is around the 12% average reported by the Machinery industry. Regardless of where Welbilt sits next to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms appears satisfactory, and this company could be worth a closer look. In our analysis, Welbilts ROCE appears to be 13%, compared to 3 years ago, when its ROCE was 9.8%. This makes us think about whether the company has been reinvesting shrewdly. NYSE:WBT Last Perf February 9th 19 More When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. ROCE is, after all, simply a snap shot of a single year. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company. Current liabilities include invoices, such as supplier payments, short-term debt, or a tax bill, that need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To counter this, investors can check if a company has high current liabilities relative to total assets. Welbilt has total assets of US$2.1b and current liabilities of US$323m. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 15% of its total assets. Low current liabilities are not boosting the ROCE too much. Our Take On Welbilts ROCE Overall, Welbilt has a decent ROCE and could be worthy of further research. You might be able to find a better buy than Welbilt. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings). | Welbilt, Inc. has a Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) of 13%. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://news.yahoo.com/welbilt-inc-returns-capital-worth-144726780.html | 0.456822 |
Are Welbilt, Inc.s Returns On Capital Worth Investigating? | Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today well look at Welbilt, Inc. (NYSE:WBT) and reflect on its potential as an investment. To be precise, well consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that will inform our view of the quality of the business. First, well go over how we calculate ROCE. Second, well look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. Then well determine how its current liabilities are affecting its ROCE. ROCE measures the return (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets Current Liabilities) Or for Welbilt: 0.13 = US$228m (US$2.1b US$323m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.) So, Welbilt has an ROCE of 13%. One way to assess ROCE is to compare similar companies. We can see Welbilts ROCE is around the 12% average reported by the Machinery industry. Regardless of where Welbilt sits next to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms appears satisfactory, and this company could be worth a closer look. In our analysis, Welbilts ROCE appears to be 13%, compared to 3 years ago, when its ROCE was 9.8%. This makes us think about whether the company has been reinvesting shrewdly. NYSE:WBT Last Perf February 9th 19 More When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. ROCE is, after all, simply a snap shot of a single year. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company. Current liabilities include invoices, such as supplier payments, short-term debt, or a tax bill, that need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To counter this, investors can check if a company has high current liabilities relative to total assets. Welbilt has total assets of US$2.1b and current liabilities of US$323m. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 15% of its total assets. Low current liabilities are not boosting the ROCE too much. Our Take On Welbilts ROCE Overall, Welbilt has a decent ROCE and could be worthy of further research. You might be able to find a better buy than Welbilt. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings). | Welbilt, Inc. has a Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) of 13%. That is, it has a higher ROCE than the 12% average in the Machinery industry. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/welbilt-inc-returns-capital-worth-144726780.html | 0.420784 |
Are Welbilt, Inc.s Returns On Capital Worth Investigating? | Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Today well look at Welbilt, Inc. (NYSE:WBT) and reflect on its potential as an investment. To be precise, well consider its Return On Capital Employed (ROCE), as that will inform our view of the quality of the business. First, well go over how we calculate ROCE. Second, well look at its ROCE compared to similar companies. Then well determine how its current liabilities are affecting its ROCE. ROCE measures the return (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Generally speaking a higher ROCE is better. Overall, it is a valuable metric that has its flaws. Analysts use this formula to calculate return on capital employed: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets Current Liabilities) Or for Welbilt: 0.13 = US$228m (US$2.1b US$323m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.) So, Welbilt has an ROCE of 13%. One way to assess ROCE is to compare similar companies. We can see Welbilts ROCE is around the 12% average reported by the Machinery industry. Regardless of where Welbilt sits next to its industry, its ROCE in absolute terms appears satisfactory, and this company could be worth a closer look. In our analysis, Welbilts ROCE appears to be 13%, compared to 3 years ago, when its ROCE was 9.8%. This makes us think about whether the company has been reinvesting shrewdly. NYSE:WBT Last Perf February 9th 19 More When considering this metric, keep in mind that it is backwards looking, and not necessarily predictive. ROCE can be misleading for companies in cyclical industries, with returns looking impressive during the boom times, but very weak during the busts. ROCE is, after all, simply a snap shot of a single year. Future performance is what matters, and you can see analyst predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company. Current liabilities include invoices, such as supplier payments, short-term debt, or a tax bill, that need to be paid within 12 months. Due to the way ROCE is calculated, a high level of current liabilities makes a company look as though it has less capital employed, and thus can (sometimes unfairly) boost the ROCE. To counter this, investors can check if a company has high current liabilities relative to total assets. Welbilt has total assets of US$2.1b and current liabilities of US$323m. As a result, its current liabilities are equal to approximately 15% of its total assets. Low current liabilities are not boosting the ROCE too much. Our Take On Welbilts ROCE Overall, Welbilt has a decent ROCE and could be worthy of further research. You might be able to find a better buy than Welbilt. If you want a selection of possible winners, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20 (but have proven they can grow earnings). | Welbilt, Inc. has a Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) of 13%. That is, it has a higher ROCE than the 12% average in the Machinery industry. The fact that Welbilt has low current liabilities is a good sign. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/welbilt-inc-returns-capital-worth-144726780.html | 0.452917 |
Could Boeing Kick Textron Out of the Drones Market? | Weighing in with just a $13.2 billion market cap, Textron (NYSE: TXT) has always been a sort of second-string defense contractor, overshadowed by giants like General Dynamics ($50 billion market capitalization) on the ground, and Lockheed Martin and Boeing (NYSE: BA), valued at $85 billion and $224 billion, respectively, in the air. In 2013, Textron made a bold move to break into the fighter jets market and challenge those last two companies -- building a "Scorpion" fighter jet on its own dime and using off-the-shelf parts -- but to date, Textron has failed to sell a single one. One place where Textron found success, though, was with its early entry into the drone wars, where its Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle found quick acceptance from the U.S. Army and has racked up "over one million flight hours" in service with the militaries of the United States, Australia, Sweden, and Italy. Soon, though, Textron could find itself kicked out of this market as well. A drone firing rockets at a tank More The U.S. Army is looking to buy a new drone -- and this one should be able to shoot. Image source: Getty Images. Looking for a new drone First introduced into service nearly two decades ago, Shadow is beginning to show its age. Earlier this week, multiple news outlets, including Aviation Week and Janes, reported that the U.S. Army is dissatisfied with the Textron RQ-7 Shadow's size (requiring C-130 transport planes to carry it), its need for a runway (to land), and -- perhaps most importantly, its noisiness. AW in particular noted Army complaints that Shadow is "a bit noisy over the target," which can alert targets to the drone's presence, neutralizing its effectiveness. To remedy these perceived faults, Janes reports that the U.S. Army is planning to "downselect" three potential replacements for the RQ-7 Shadow. The Army will be seeking a new solution that's small enough to transport on a Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter but large enough to carry weapons, a drone that can operate without runways, and one with "a lower acoustic signature" than the Shadow. To date, the Army has not disclosed which companies will be submitting UAVs for consideration to become the Army's new go-to drone. AW did note, though, that when faced with a similar decision last year, the U.S. Marine Corps traded in its Shadows for RQ-21A Blackjacks built by Boeing subsidiary Insitu. Despite sporting a wider wingspan than the Shadow, Boeing's Blackjack is about 27% shorter and weighs half as much, allowing the Boeing drone to be launched from a mechanical launcher, without the need for a runway. At present, it's not known if Blackjack can carry weapons, although Boeing is said to be working with the Marines to modify Blackjack to carry "various payloads" -- which may or may not include weapons. Ultimately, I suspect the Army will have to make a decision to choose a drone that's small enough to launch mechanically and small enough to be helicopter-transportable, or one large enough to carry weapons -- because you can't always get everything you want. As I said, it's not certain which UAV that will be. Once the Army has selected its three finalists, each will be asked to submit two sample UAVs for the Army to experiment with before making a decision -- a process dubbed "try-decide-buy." | The U.S. Army is looking for a new drone to replace the Textron RQ-7 Shadow. Army is unhappy with Shadow's size, need for a runway, and -- perhaps most importantly -- its noisiness. The U.S. Marine Corps traded in its Shadows for RQ-21A Blackjacks built by Boeing. | pegasus | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/could-boeing-kick-textron-drones-154800722.html | 0.213499 |
What happened to the migrant caravan that arrived in Tijuana? | TIJUANA, Mexico The familiar ritual unfolds each morning like clockwork now, next to the giant "Mexico" in block letters that greets visitors and migrants to the Chaparral pedestrian crossing into San Diego. A woman standing under a temporary shade looked at a large book containing a list of migrants waiting to claim asylum in the United States. She raised a megaphone and yelled, "1933." It was the last number of the day, a day during which U.S. immigration officials would only process 30 individuals. Thousands more were waiting their turn. Omar Rivera Martinez, a migrant from El Salvador, looked on. He and his family were number 1935. They'd have to wait until their number was called on the following day, but his spirits were high. "I'm so happy that they're going to go to the other side," he said,referring to his family. "I hope God looks after them because I won't be with them." Rivera Martinez left El Salvador with his wife and three kids in October. They are among 6,000 migrants from Central America who flooded into Tijuana in November after traveling through Mexico in caravans, overwhelming local authorities, and drawing the wrath of President Donald Trump, who in response deployed several thousand activity-duty military troops to the southern border. Three months later, most of the 6,000 migrants are gone. Nearly half chose to wait in line for a chance to ask for asylum at the San Ysidro port of entry, despite the long waits. Most have already seen a U.S. immigration officer. RELATED:Missing caravan organizer deported to Honduras The remaining migrants chose to stay in Mexico, return home, or travel to other areas of the border, where they either attempted to enter the U.S. illegally or asked for asylum at other ports of entry, according to initial estimates from the Mexican government. Rivera Martinez was deported from the U.S. in 2018, and therefore won't ask for asylum with the rest of the family. But he's relieved his family will finally get the chance to make their case for asylum in the U.S. after months in limbo in Tijuana. When the caravan arrived, there were already 2,000 migrants waiting to claim asylum. They had arrived on their own. With shelters at capacity, the city government opened a makeshift shelter at a sports complex to house the waves of Central Americans who arrived weekly for nearly a month. A child plays at one of the shelters in Tijuana, Mexico, February 2019, where migrants wait to meet with U.S. immigration officials and claim asylum in the United States. (Photo: Nick Oza/The Republic) But as more migrants arrived, living conditions began to deteriorate, and small groups of asylum seekers started crossing the border illegally. By December, when 6,000 people packed the sports complex designed to hold 3,500, the federal government stepped in. They opened a larger shelter at a former concert venue farther from the border. Mexican immigration officials shut it down the last week of January, with only a few dozen families remaining at the facility. The remaining families were transferred to permanent shelters. With wait times to claim asylum stretching up to six weeks, it's unclear how many caravan members chose to cross the border illegally. The Mexican government estimated about 1,000 had made the attempt and were caught. RELATED: 325 Central American migrants latest group found in SW Arizona U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not corroborate that figure, only pointing to overall enforcement statistics. "We do not identify those apprehend as members of the so-called caravan," a spokesperson for CBP in San Diego said. "However, San Diego Sector Border Patrol apprehended 5,812 in the month of December." Total apprehensions that month is nearly 1,300 more than November, when the caravan arrived. The increase was largely driven by migrant families, the statistics show. In January, as remaining members of the caravan waited to claim asylum, Border Patrol agents in the sector "averaged around 160 apprehensions daily," CBP added. 'Tremendous numbers' Meanwhile, a large group of Central American migrants traveling in a new caravan is making its way toward the U.S. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump vowed to build a "human wall" to stop "the tremendous numbers of people" coming through Mexico. "Tremendous numbers of people are coming up through Mexico in the hopes of flooding our Southern Border. We have sent additional military. We will build a Human Wall if necessary. If we had a real Wall, this would be a non-event!," Trump said in a post to Twitter. Tremendous numbers of people are coming up through Mexico in the hopes of flooding our Southern Border. We have sent additional military. We will build a Human Wall if necessary. If we had a real Wall, this would be a non-event! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2019 About 1,800 migrants from Central America reached Piedras Negras, a border city in Mexico across from Eagle Pass, Texas on Tuesday, to ask for asylum in the U.S., the San Antonio Express-News reported. Local and state governments paid to transport the migrants the 270 miles from Saltillo, the capital of the state of Coahuila, to Piedras Negras, the newspaper reported. Migrants from Central America in a Tijuana, Mexico, February 2019, wait to meet with U.S. immigration officials. (Photo: Nick Oza/The Republic) The governor of Coahila said a shelter in Piedras Negras was at capacity and that no more migrants would be allowed into the state, Mexico News Daily reported. In his State of the Union speech Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he had ordered another 3,700 troops to the southern border to help stop migrant caravans from entering the United States. More troops being sent to the Southern Border to stop the attempted Invasion of Illegals, through large Caravans, into our Country. We have stopped the previous Caravans, and we will stop these also. With a Wall it would be soooo much easier and less expensive. Being Built! Trump tweeted on Jan. 31. More troops being sent to the Southern Border to stop the attempted Invasion of Illegals, through large Caravans, into our Country. We have stopped the previous Caravans, and we will stop these also. With a Wall it would be soooo much easier and less expensive. Being Built! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019 The caravan left San Pedro Sula, a city in Honduras, on Jan. 15, with several hundred people. On Jan. 29, U.S. Defense Under Secretary for Policy John Rood tolda House Congressional hearing that the government was tracking three caravans, one with more than 12,000 people. There are three that we are tracking, the Department of Homeland Security is tracking, en route, one of which is over 12,000 people, in the latest estimate, he said. The hearing focused on troop deployments to the southern border. Whether the latest caravan had, in fact, grown to 12,000 remained unclear. On Thursday, Jan. 31, several media outlets in Mexico reported that about 2,374 migrants left a sports stadium in Mexico City that morning headed for the U.S. border. Mexico began fast-tracking humanitarian visas for migrants traveling with the latest caravan but abruptly canceled the program on Jan. 29, after 12,600 migrants applied and 4,000 had already received humanitarian visas, The Wall Street Journal reported. 'We may try Nogales' Migrants from Central America hoping to seek asylum in the U.S. increasingly travel in groups, or caravans, because they believe it is safer than traveling on their own. The large groups, they believe, reduce the risk of being preyed upon by criminal gangs or police seeking bribes in exchange for passages through Mexico. The caravans often break into smaller groups or spread out as the migrants travel from Central America through Mexico. RELATED: Nearly 2,000 migrants arrive at Texas-Mexico border Earlier caravans have traveled to Tijuana, this border city on Mexicos Pacific Coast, across from nearby, San Diego. That's because Tijuana is considered safer than other Mexican border cities, it has a large network of shelters and humanitarian organizations that provide housing and legal assistance to migrants, and it borders California, a so-called sanctuary state that is considered more welcoming to undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers. But migrants in the latest caravans told media outlets they are headed to cities other than Tijuana, possibly to avoid waits lasting weeks or months to ask for asylum in the U.S. In January, the Trump administration launched a new policydubbed Remain in Mexicothat forces migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to wait in Mexico while their cases are pending. The policy is aimed at discouraging migrants from making the trip to the southern border to ask for asylum, many of whom the Trump administration believes are making fraudulent claims to exploit the U.S. immigration system. The Trump administration implemented the policy at the San Ysidro border crossing near Tijuana on Jan. 25, when a single asylum seeker from Honduras was sent back to Mexico to await his hearing. "We may try Nogales, or another port," Carlos Nunez, a migrant from Honduras, told Fox News. CLOSE U.S. officials have bolstered security along the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, across from Piedra Negras, Mexico, where a caravan of mostly Honduran migrants is being held. It's the first caravan in recent months to have arrived at the Texas border. (Feb. 7) AP Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2019/02/09/immigration-migrant-caravan-tijuana-mexico-us-border-central-america/2747809002/ | 6,000 migrants flooded into Tijuana in November after traveling through Mexico in caravans. Most of the migrants are gone, but some are still waiting to claim asylum. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2019/02/09/immigration-migrant-caravan-tijuana-mexico-us-border-central-america/2747809002/ | 0.120158 |
What happened to the migrant caravan that arrived in Tijuana? | TIJUANA, Mexico The familiar ritual unfolds each morning like clockwork now, next to the giant "Mexico" in block letters that greets visitors and migrants to the Chaparral pedestrian crossing into San Diego. A woman standing under a temporary shade looked at a large book containing a list of migrants waiting to claim asylum in the United States. She raised a megaphone and yelled, "1933." It was the last number of the day, a day during which U.S. immigration officials would only process 30 individuals. Thousands more were waiting their turn. Omar Rivera Martinez, a migrant from El Salvador, looked on. He and his family were number 1935. They'd have to wait until their number was called on the following day, but his spirits were high. "I'm so happy that they're going to go to the other side," he said,referring to his family. "I hope God looks after them because I won't be with them." Rivera Martinez left El Salvador with his wife and three kids in October. They are among 6,000 migrants from Central America who flooded into Tijuana in November after traveling through Mexico in caravans, overwhelming local authorities, and drawing the wrath of President Donald Trump, who in response deployed several thousand activity-duty military troops to the southern border. Three months later, most of the 6,000 migrants are gone. Nearly half chose to wait in line for a chance to ask for asylum at the San Ysidro port of entry, despite the long waits. Most have already seen a U.S. immigration officer. RELATED:Missing caravan organizer deported to Honduras The remaining migrants chose to stay in Mexico, return home, or travel to other areas of the border, where they either attempted to enter the U.S. illegally or asked for asylum at other ports of entry, according to initial estimates from the Mexican government. Rivera Martinez was deported from the U.S. in 2018, and therefore won't ask for asylum with the rest of the family. But he's relieved his family will finally get the chance to make their case for asylum in the U.S. after months in limbo in Tijuana. When the caravan arrived, there were already 2,000 migrants waiting to claim asylum. They had arrived on their own. With shelters at capacity, the city government opened a makeshift shelter at a sports complex to house the waves of Central Americans who arrived weekly for nearly a month. A child plays at one of the shelters in Tijuana, Mexico, February 2019, where migrants wait to meet with U.S. immigration officials and claim asylum in the United States. (Photo: Nick Oza/The Republic) But as more migrants arrived, living conditions began to deteriorate, and small groups of asylum seekers started crossing the border illegally. By December, when 6,000 people packed the sports complex designed to hold 3,500, the federal government stepped in. They opened a larger shelter at a former concert venue farther from the border. Mexican immigration officials shut it down the last week of January, with only a few dozen families remaining at the facility. The remaining families were transferred to permanent shelters. With wait times to claim asylum stretching up to six weeks, it's unclear how many caravan members chose to cross the border illegally. The Mexican government estimated about 1,000 had made the attempt and were caught. RELATED: 325 Central American migrants latest group found in SW Arizona U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not corroborate that figure, only pointing to overall enforcement statistics. "We do not identify those apprehend as members of the so-called caravan," a spokesperson for CBP in San Diego said. "However, San Diego Sector Border Patrol apprehended 5,812 in the month of December." Total apprehensions that month is nearly 1,300 more than November, when the caravan arrived. The increase was largely driven by migrant families, the statistics show. In January, as remaining members of the caravan waited to claim asylum, Border Patrol agents in the sector "averaged around 160 apprehensions daily," CBP added. 'Tremendous numbers' Meanwhile, a large group of Central American migrants traveling in a new caravan is making its way toward the U.S. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump vowed to build a "human wall" to stop "the tremendous numbers of people" coming through Mexico. "Tremendous numbers of people are coming up through Mexico in the hopes of flooding our Southern Border. We have sent additional military. We will build a Human Wall if necessary. If we had a real Wall, this would be a non-event!," Trump said in a post to Twitter. Tremendous numbers of people are coming up through Mexico in the hopes of flooding our Southern Border. We have sent additional military. We will build a Human Wall if necessary. If we had a real Wall, this would be a non-event! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2019 About 1,800 migrants from Central America reached Piedras Negras, a border city in Mexico across from Eagle Pass, Texas on Tuesday, to ask for asylum in the U.S., the San Antonio Express-News reported. Local and state governments paid to transport the migrants the 270 miles from Saltillo, the capital of the state of Coahuila, to Piedras Negras, the newspaper reported. Migrants from Central America in a Tijuana, Mexico, February 2019, wait to meet with U.S. immigration officials. (Photo: Nick Oza/The Republic) The governor of Coahila said a shelter in Piedras Negras was at capacity and that no more migrants would be allowed into the state, Mexico News Daily reported. In his State of the Union speech Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he had ordered another 3,700 troops to the southern border to help stop migrant caravans from entering the United States. More troops being sent to the Southern Border to stop the attempted Invasion of Illegals, through large Caravans, into our Country. We have stopped the previous Caravans, and we will stop these also. With a Wall it would be soooo much easier and less expensive. Being Built! Trump tweeted on Jan. 31. More troops being sent to the Southern Border to stop the attempted Invasion of Illegals, through large Caravans, into our Country. We have stopped the previous Caravans, and we will stop these also. With a Wall it would be soooo much easier and less expensive. Being Built! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019 The caravan left San Pedro Sula, a city in Honduras, on Jan. 15, with several hundred people. On Jan. 29, U.S. Defense Under Secretary for Policy John Rood tolda House Congressional hearing that the government was tracking three caravans, one with more than 12,000 people. There are three that we are tracking, the Department of Homeland Security is tracking, en route, one of which is over 12,000 people, in the latest estimate, he said. The hearing focused on troop deployments to the southern border. Whether the latest caravan had, in fact, grown to 12,000 remained unclear. On Thursday, Jan. 31, several media outlets in Mexico reported that about 2,374 migrants left a sports stadium in Mexico City that morning headed for the U.S. border. Mexico began fast-tracking humanitarian visas for migrants traveling with the latest caravan but abruptly canceled the program on Jan. 29, after 12,600 migrants applied and 4,000 had already received humanitarian visas, The Wall Street Journal reported. 'We may try Nogales' Migrants from Central America hoping to seek asylum in the U.S. increasingly travel in groups, or caravans, because they believe it is safer than traveling on their own. The large groups, they believe, reduce the risk of being preyed upon by criminal gangs or police seeking bribes in exchange for passages through Mexico. The caravans often break into smaller groups or spread out as the migrants travel from Central America through Mexico. RELATED: Nearly 2,000 migrants arrive at Texas-Mexico border Earlier caravans have traveled to Tijuana, this border city on Mexicos Pacific Coast, across from nearby, San Diego. That's because Tijuana is considered safer than other Mexican border cities, it has a large network of shelters and humanitarian organizations that provide housing and legal assistance to migrants, and it borders California, a so-called sanctuary state that is considered more welcoming to undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers. But migrants in the latest caravans told media outlets they are headed to cities other than Tijuana, possibly to avoid waits lasting weeks or months to ask for asylum in the U.S. In January, the Trump administration launched a new policydubbed Remain in Mexicothat forces migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to wait in Mexico while their cases are pending. The policy is aimed at discouraging migrants from making the trip to the southern border to ask for asylum, many of whom the Trump administration believes are making fraudulent claims to exploit the U.S. immigration system. The Trump administration implemented the policy at the San Ysidro border crossing near Tijuana on Jan. 25, when a single asylum seeker from Honduras was sent back to Mexico to await his hearing. "We may try Nogales, or another port," Carlos Nunez, a migrant from Honduras, told Fox News. CLOSE U.S. officials have bolstered security along the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, across from Piedra Negras, Mexico, where a caravan of mostly Honduran migrants is being held. It's the first caravan in recent months to have arrived at the Texas border. (Feb. 7) AP Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2019/02/09/immigration-migrant-caravan-tijuana-mexico-us-border-central-america/2747809002/ | 6,000 migrants flooded into Tijuana in November after traveling through Mexico in caravans. Most of the migrants are gone, but some are still waiting to claim asylum in the U.S. They are waiting in line for a chance to ask for asylum at the San Ysidro port of entry. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2019/02/09/immigration-migrant-caravan-tijuana-mexico-us-border-central-america/2747809002/ | 0.266101 |
Does De Sousa decision mean KU, Self will be punished next? | Silvio De Sousa is suspended two years for a rules violation that investigators agree he did not know about or benefit from. That is patently unfair and at different points in NCAA history would not have been punished. The bigger story here, though, is that many in and around college sports believe this is merely the first step in a bigger play against the Kansas mens basketball program and Hall of Fame coach Bill Self. De Sousa, in that way, may simply be collateral damage in a bigger power move. I think that very much is the case, said Don Jackson, a lawyer with extensive experience representing coaches and athletes against the NCAA. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Kansas City Star KU athletics counsel and a spokesperson for the NCAA would not comment, but this column is informed by sources familiar with the case, in and around KU athletics, and with experience on the NCAAs side. Those with NCAA backgrounds disagreed with the assumption that De Sousas suspension was the beginning of a broader and more serious case against the university. One pointed out the difference between an eligibility case and infractions, though the former can lead to the latter. Either way, its worth noting that the perception exists and not just inside KUs athletic department. The NCAA wants to prove something and thats the way its been for a while, said a Division I coach. Right or wrong, theres been smoke (around KU basketball) but they havent been able to get anything to stick. The FBI and the (Adidas) trial ... this is their best chance. Thats what I see. Notably, there is at least some optimism inside KUs program that an appeal on De Sousas case could be successful. The case centers around former Adidas representative T.J. Gassnolas testimony that he paid $2,500 to De Sousas guardian. The NCAA specified that KU must declare Gassnola as a booster before a reinstatement case is heard. Its a critical distinction, because booster behavior triggers stiffer penalties. But Josephine Potuto, a Nebraska law professor and former chair of the NCAA infractions committee, said that KU could classify Gassnola as a booster for the sake of the appeal and decide to change later. The appeal would be heard by people from universities and conferences, not NCAA staff. The argument from KU and De Sousa would be that the guideline leading to the punishment is unfair, or has been misapplied. The general hope is that the suspension would be reduced and De Sousa made eligible for next season. Scott Tompsett, De Sousas lawyer, was more direct when discussing the appeal. The NCAA still has an opportunity to do the right thing for Silvio, he said. They should take it. NCAA enforcement is seen by many as a swinging pendulum, affected by recent cases, public opinion and self-worth. In separate conversations, three different sources who work in college athletics drew a connection between the punishments against De Sousa and Mizzou. Mizzou was given a one-year bowl ban, recruiting restrictions, and a substantial fine among other punishments after it was discovered that a tutor completed some course work for 12 athletes. Mizzou was not found to have known about or encouraged the violations, and cooperated fully with the investigation. North Carolina is seen by many to have gotten away with an academic scandal that spanned more than a decade, and the details that came out in the Adidas trial embarrassed the NCAA. Here comes the pendulum, then, swinging back toward the side of overly harsh punishments Mizzou and Kansas are the first to pay. Again, thats the perception from some. What seems to be occurring is a knee-jerk reaction to the FBI investigation, Jackson said. In an effort to quote clean up college basketball, you essentially have an overreaction by the eligibility center staff, by the enforcement staff. Theyve lost perspective. Because how can you in good conscience take a player off the floor for two years who, according to everyone, had no knowledge and did not benefit in any way from what allegedly occurred? While Potuto said that labeling Gassnola as a booster would be a reversible decision and necessity to get the case going, Jackson saw it as potentially part of the groundwork for a bigger case against Kansas. Separate cases have separate timelines and separate motivations, and here one could work against the other. Jackson said hes experienced that, and could see it happening at Kansas. Student-athletes are always collateral damage, Jackson said. Thats always one of my concerns. Im sometimes representing student-athletes with universities who retain me to represent these athletes, and I sometimes get in fights with the university because I know these young people are not guilty of violations but the reality is its sometimes quicker to accept a declaration of ineligibility, go through a student-athlete reinstatement, have withholding penalties, and get back on the court quickly. In that case, the student-athlete is collateral damage. If the goal is to go after that program or this head coach, then frankly from the enforcement staff standpoint they could give a damn about this kids eligibility and I think thats wrong. Thats the part that has some inside KUs athletic department worried. If the NCAA has been embarrassed by the Adidas trial, and sensitive to the accusations from many that it was toothless against North Carolina, then this could be the beginning of an enforcement body looking to blow off some steam. Mizzou took the first hit, De Sousa the second. Now the NCAA could be working on more fallout from the trial, and if so, there is no bigger target than Self and a blueblood program with a Final Four run from last year. | Silvio De Sousa is suspended for two years for a rules violation. Many believe this is merely the first step in a bigger play against the Kansas mens basketball program. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mellinger/article226031420.html | 0.151566 |
Does De Sousa decision mean KU, Self will be punished next? | Silvio De Sousa is suspended two years for a rules violation that investigators agree he did not know about or benefit from. That is patently unfair and at different points in NCAA history would not have been punished. The bigger story here, though, is that many in and around college sports believe this is merely the first step in a bigger play against the Kansas mens basketball program and Hall of Fame coach Bill Self. De Sousa, in that way, may simply be collateral damage in a bigger power move. I think that very much is the case, said Don Jackson, a lawyer with extensive experience representing coaches and athletes against the NCAA. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Kansas City Star KU athletics counsel and a spokesperson for the NCAA would not comment, but this column is informed by sources familiar with the case, in and around KU athletics, and with experience on the NCAAs side. Those with NCAA backgrounds disagreed with the assumption that De Sousas suspension was the beginning of a broader and more serious case against the university. One pointed out the difference between an eligibility case and infractions, though the former can lead to the latter. Either way, its worth noting that the perception exists and not just inside KUs athletic department. The NCAA wants to prove something and thats the way its been for a while, said a Division I coach. Right or wrong, theres been smoke (around KU basketball) but they havent been able to get anything to stick. The FBI and the (Adidas) trial ... this is their best chance. Thats what I see. Notably, there is at least some optimism inside KUs program that an appeal on De Sousas case could be successful. The case centers around former Adidas representative T.J. Gassnolas testimony that he paid $2,500 to De Sousas guardian. The NCAA specified that KU must declare Gassnola as a booster before a reinstatement case is heard. Its a critical distinction, because booster behavior triggers stiffer penalties. But Josephine Potuto, a Nebraska law professor and former chair of the NCAA infractions committee, said that KU could classify Gassnola as a booster for the sake of the appeal and decide to change later. The appeal would be heard by people from universities and conferences, not NCAA staff. The argument from KU and De Sousa would be that the guideline leading to the punishment is unfair, or has been misapplied. The general hope is that the suspension would be reduced and De Sousa made eligible for next season. Scott Tompsett, De Sousas lawyer, was more direct when discussing the appeal. The NCAA still has an opportunity to do the right thing for Silvio, he said. They should take it. NCAA enforcement is seen by many as a swinging pendulum, affected by recent cases, public opinion and self-worth. In separate conversations, three different sources who work in college athletics drew a connection between the punishments against De Sousa and Mizzou. Mizzou was given a one-year bowl ban, recruiting restrictions, and a substantial fine among other punishments after it was discovered that a tutor completed some course work for 12 athletes. Mizzou was not found to have known about or encouraged the violations, and cooperated fully with the investigation. North Carolina is seen by many to have gotten away with an academic scandal that spanned more than a decade, and the details that came out in the Adidas trial embarrassed the NCAA. Here comes the pendulum, then, swinging back toward the side of overly harsh punishments Mizzou and Kansas are the first to pay. Again, thats the perception from some. What seems to be occurring is a knee-jerk reaction to the FBI investigation, Jackson said. In an effort to quote clean up college basketball, you essentially have an overreaction by the eligibility center staff, by the enforcement staff. Theyve lost perspective. Because how can you in good conscience take a player off the floor for two years who, according to everyone, had no knowledge and did not benefit in any way from what allegedly occurred? While Potuto said that labeling Gassnola as a booster would be a reversible decision and necessity to get the case going, Jackson saw it as potentially part of the groundwork for a bigger case against Kansas. Separate cases have separate timelines and separate motivations, and here one could work against the other. Jackson said hes experienced that, and could see it happening at Kansas. Student-athletes are always collateral damage, Jackson said. Thats always one of my concerns. Im sometimes representing student-athletes with universities who retain me to represent these athletes, and I sometimes get in fights with the university because I know these young people are not guilty of violations but the reality is its sometimes quicker to accept a declaration of ineligibility, go through a student-athlete reinstatement, have withholding penalties, and get back on the court quickly. In that case, the student-athlete is collateral damage. If the goal is to go after that program or this head coach, then frankly from the enforcement staff standpoint they could give a damn about this kids eligibility and I think thats wrong. Thats the part that has some inside KUs athletic department worried. If the NCAA has been embarrassed by the Adidas trial, and sensitive to the accusations from many that it was toothless against North Carolina, then this could be the beginning of an enforcement body looking to blow off some steam. Mizzou took the first hit, De Sousa the second. Now the NCAA could be working on more fallout from the trial, and if so, there is no bigger target than Self and a blueblood program with a Final Four run from last year. | Silvio De Sousa is suspended two years for a rules violation that investigators agree he did not know about or benefit from. Many in and around college sports believe this is merely the first step in a bigger play against the Kansas men's basketball program and Hall of Fame coach Bill Self. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mellinger/article226031420.html | 0.220692 |
Can the Waiters-Winslow backcourt work for the Miami Heat? | As the Heat continues to make changes to its starting backcourt, it has arrived at a new pairing. Dion Waiters and Justise Winslow. Waiters and Winslow have been in the Heats starting lineup together before during the previous two seasons, but never as backcourt mates. With Waiters making his first start of the season in Fridays loss to the Kings, it was the first time he started next to Winslow (the point guard). Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald It was great. I have no complaints, Winslow said of playing next to Waiters, with the Heat moving on to Sundays game against the potent Warriors. The ball was moving. I think other than [Josh Richardson], me and Dion didnt shoot the ball too well. Waiters finished with 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting and two assists, and Winslow finished with five points on 2-of-11 shooting and six assists. The duo also combined for five turnovers. In the 30 minutes Waiters and Winslow played together Friday, the Heat was outscored by four points. And Miamis offense didnt exactly run smoothly, with a 39.3 team shooting percentage to go with 16 assists and 13 turnovers during that time. But for the season, Miami has outscored opponents by 10 points in 138 minutes with the Waiters-Winslow combination on the court. You pretty much just figure it out, Waiters said of learning how to play with Winslow, the point guard. Hes aggressive. Hes still learning how to play the position a little bit. But hell be fine. He does a great job of pushing the ball, tempo and things like that. Its all about playing off him, just figure out his tendencies and mine, J-Rich and things like that and getting acclimated with each other. The biggest challenge the Waiters-Winslow pairing faces is they both seem to be more effective with the ball in their hands. Waiters has made just 31.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot opportunities this season. And while Winslow has hit a respectable 40.1 percent of his catch-and-shoot chances, hes played the best basketball of his career over the last two months in a ball-dominant role as hes taken over at point guard for the injured Goran Dragic. I think the thing that were going to hopefully figure out is how to get him the ball off actions, Winslow said of Waiters. So it wont be as much dribbling, a lot of pindowns, coming off of floppys, down screens, that sort of thing, where its just not him pounding the life of the ball which hes great at. Yeah, just trying to get him some easy opportunities where he can be that natural scorer and Im going to be that guy to try to get guys into their comfort zone. But Waiters wants to play the role of creator, too. The way Justise is transforming at the one, you got to communicate things he likes to do off the ball because I like to have the ball also, Waiters said. So hes working on his jump shot, his jump shot has improved a whole lot. Im going to be the guy thats going to get in the paint and then that opens it up because hes hitting that shot. They still might help off and they might make him shoot it, and hes got to have confidence that he knows hes going to make the shot. Just be ready to shoot the ball. Figuring out who is going to play the role of initiator during each half-court set is the challenge. Its not impossible to solve, though, as Dragic and Waiters displayed during their first season together in 2016-17. The Heat outscored opponents by 42 points with Dragic and Waiters on the court that season. In the end, that could be Miamis starting backcourt again when Dragic returns from knee surgery at some point after the All-Star break. Until then, Waiters and Winslow will have to figure out how to play together. I didnt really get a chance to play with Justise yet, Waiters said Friday just hours before starting next to Winslow. Ive played with him in spurts and things like that. We had games where we played, but its a little different. Im comfortable with Goran. I know what he likes to do, he knows what I like to do. He makes it easy on me and I make it easy for him. | Dion Waiters and Justise Winslow have been in the Heats starting lineup together before during the previous two seasons, but never as backcourt mates. With Waiters making his first start of the season, it was the first time he started next to Winslow (the point guard) It was great. | bart | 2 | https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article226034445.html | 0.107249 |
How much disruption will Francisco Lindor's calf injury cause the Cleveland Indians? | Oh, those stinking calf injuries CLEVELAND, Ohio Unless youre Keith Hernandez, careers usually dont end with a calf injury. Since Hernandez limped into the Tribe Twilight in 1990, Lonnie Chisenhall has come the closest to having his career threatened by not one, but two balky calves. Chisenhall missed most of the second half of the 2017 season with a strained right calf. Last year he played just 29 games, the last one coming on July 1, and then dropped off the grid for the rest of the season with his right and left calves barking in protest. Chisenhall resurfaced in November to sign a one-year $2.5 million deal with the Pirates. Now its Francisco Lindors turn to deal with unhappy calf muscle. This is a most unwelcome development for the Indians, who have spent the winter jettisoning their most expensive offensive players to cut payroll with the idea that Lindor and Jose Ramirez could still drive in enough runs to help them win a fourth straight AL Central title. The Indians said Lindor injured his right calf last weekend doing agility drills in Orlando. It was the same weekend he spent a couple of days in his native Puerto Rico doing promotional work for New Balance and Champs Sports. On Sunday he called the Indians and said he was still having trouble with the calf. By Wednesday he was being examined at Cleveland Clinic and Friday the Indians announced that he would be sidelined for seven to nine weeks. Lindor will join the Indians in spring training on Wednesday in Goodyear, Ariz. to begin his rehab in earnest. Pitchers and catchers report Tuesday. If Lindor misses a week to 10 days of the regular season, it will not be the end of the world. If its longer than that, well, you may want to start stockpiling canned goods. The Indians trainers, given Lindors age and conditioning, are leaning toward him being back ahead of schedule. But still the Indians have to prepare for the worst. Yu Chang had a great Arizona Fall League season, but hes probably not quite ready. If the Indians wanted someone to play good defense, Eric Stamets is the guy. Chang and Stamets shared shortstop at Class AAA Columbus last year. Ramirez could play there, but the Indians would probably like to leave him at third base. Utility men Max Moroff, Mike Freeman and Ryan Flaherty could get a look as well. Or the Indians could sign a free agent such as Alcides Escobar, Jose Iglesias, Jose Reyes or Adeiny Hechavarria. What they really need is for Lindor to get healthy as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. The last thing they need is a lingering calf injury to the face of the franchise in preparation for a season in which a single misstep offensively could leave them exposed despite PECOTA's projections of a 97-win season. | Francisco Lindor is expected to miss seven to nine weeks with a calf injury. Lindor's injury is the latest in a long line of calf problems for the Indians. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.cleveland.com/expo/sports/g66l-2019/02/558effecf62460/how-much-disruption-will-francisco-lindors-calf-injury-cause-the-cleveland-indians.html | 0.391377 |
How much disruption will Francisco Lindor's calf injury cause the Cleveland Indians? | Oh, those stinking calf injuries CLEVELAND, Ohio Unless youre Keith Hernandez, careers usually dont end with a calf injury. Since Hernandez limped into the Tribe Twilight in 1990, Lonnie Chisenhall has come the closest to having his career threatened by not one, but two balky calves. Chisenhall missed most of the second half of the 2017 season with a strained right calf. Last year he played just 29 games, the last one coming on July 1, and then dropped off the grid for the rest of the season with his right and left calves barking in protest. Chisenhall resurfaced in November to sign a one-year $2.5 million deal with the Pirates. Now its Francisco Lindors turn to deal with unhappy calf muscle. This is a most unwelcome development for the Indians, who have spent the winter jettisoning their most expensive offensive players to cut payroll with the idea that Lindor and Jose Ramirez could still drive in enough runs to help them win a fourth straight AL Central title. The Indians said Lindor injured his right calf last weekend doing agility drills in Orlando. It was the same weekend he spent a couple of days in his native Puerto Rico doing promotional work for New Balance and Champs Sports. On Sunday he called the Indians and said he was still having trouble with the calf. By Wednesday he was being examined at Cleveland Clinic and Friday the Indians announced that he would be sidelined for seven to nine weeks. Lindor will join the Indians in spring training on Wednesday in Goodyear, Ariz. to begin his rehab in earnest. Pitchers and catchers report Tuesday. If Lindor misses a week to 10 days of the regular season, it will not be the end of the world. If its longer than that, well, you may want to start stockpiling canned goods. The Indians trainers, given Lindors age and conditioning, are leaning toward him being back ahead of schedule. But still the Indians have to prepare for the worst. Yu Chang had a great Arizona Fall League season, but hes probably not quite ready. If the Indians wanted someone to play good defense, Eric Stamets is the guy. Chang and Stamets shared shortstop at Class AAA Columbus last year. Ramirez could play there, but the Indians would probably like to leave him at third base. Utility men Max Moroff, Mike Freeman and Ryan Flaherty could get a look as well. Or the Indians could sign a free agent such as Alcides Escobar, Jose Iglesias, Jose Reyes or Adeiny Hechavarria. What they really need is for Lindor to get healthy as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. The last thing they need is a lingering calf injury to the face of the franchise in preparation for a season in which a single misstep offensively could leave them exposed despite PECOTA's projections of a 97-win season. | Francisco Lindor is expected to miss seven to nine weeks with a calf injury. Lindor's injury is the latest in a long line of calf problems for the Indians. The Indians are hoping Lindor will be back in time for the start of the season. But they are preparing for the worst. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.cleveland.com/expo/sports/g66l-2019/02/558effecf62460/how-much-disruption-will-francisco-lindors-calf-injury-cause-the-cleveland-indians.html | 0.442308 |
What is autonomous sensory meridian response and does it work? | Nails clicking against the side of a glass. That release of air when a cap is twisted off a bottle. The fizz when the cold liquid is poured into a tall glass. The sounds from the Michelob Ultra beer commercial that aired during Super Bowl LIII were meant to illicit a physical or emotional response. The commercial even featured a gorgeous tropical setting and a seductive Zoe Kravitz whispering into a microphone for added effect. While there have been anecdotal claims that ASMR can help with insomnia, depression, anxiety and panic attacks, some researchers found that ASMR shares characteristics with misophonia, a disorder that can trigger a negative emotional or psychological response. ( Keith Beaty / Toronto Star File Photo ) The beer company was using autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), a type of video that uses sound to evoke a physical response from viewers. Some people feel tingles on the head and scalp that sometimes spread down the neck, arms or back. Others report feeling very relaxed. And some report no response. ASMR has been around for about a decade, according to Vox Media Inc. Article Continued Below Read More: Relax, you may have ASMR Why stressed-out pregnant women are turning to ASMR videos for relief It has been a huge hit on YouTube, where there have been more than 21 million views of a video of a woman whispering. There have been anecdotal claims that ASMR can help with insomnia, depression, anxiety and panic attacks. But very little scientific research has been done to support the claims. And those who have studied the effect of ASMR often end with the conclusion that more research is needed. In a study from Louisiana State University and the Agricultural and Mechanical College in Baton Rouge, researchers found that they do not understand why some individuals experience the ASMR phenomenon and others do not. They wonder whether those who experience the effects did so because they expected they would. In another study, researchers at the University of London found that ASMR shares characteristics with misophonia, a disorder that can trigger a negative emotional or psychological response. It would be like the feeling you get when you hear nails on a chalkboard. Article Continued Below Researchers in Cardiff, Wales, acknowledge that while there is little data, they believe that this intriguing phenomenon should be investigated further to explore its effects and potential as a therapy for sleep disorders, anxiety and depression. Of course, Michelob just wants to see if ASMR helps it sell beer. | The beer company was using autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), a type of video that uses sound to evoke a physical response from viewers. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.thestar.com/life/2019/02/08/what-is-autonomous-sensory-meridian-response-and-does-it-work.html | 0.211248 |
What is autonomous sensory meridian response and does it work? | Nails clicking against the side of a glass. That release of air when a cap is twisted off a bottle. The fizz when the cold liquid is poured into a tall glass. The sounds from the Michelob Ultra beer commercial that aired during Super Bowl LIII were meant to illicit a physical or emotional response. The commercial even featured a gorgeous tropical setting and a seductive Zoe Kravitz whispering into a microphone for added effect. While there have been anecdotal claims that ASMR can help with insomnia, depression, anxiety and panic attacks, some researchers found that ASMR shares characteristics with misophonia, a disorder that can trigger a negative emotional or psychological response. ( Keith Beaty / Toronto Star File Photo ) The beer company was using autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), a type of video that uses sound to evoke a physical response from viewers. Some people feel tingles on the head and scalp that sometimes spread down the neck, arms or back. Others report feeling very relaxed. And some report no response. ASMR has been around for about a decade, according to Vox Media Inc. Article Continued Below Read More: Relax, you may have ASMR Why stressed-out pregnant women are turning to ASMR videos for relief It has been a huge hit on YouTube, where there have been more than 21 million views of a video of a woman whispering. There have been anecdotal claims that ASMR can help with insomnia, depression, anxiety and panic attacks. But very little scientific research has been done to support the claims. And those who have studied the effect of ASMR often end with the conclusion that more research is needed. In a study from Louisiana State University and the Agricultural and Mechanical College in Baton Rouge, researchers found that they do not understand why some individuals experience the ASMR phenomenon and others do not. They wonder whether those who experience the effects did so because they expected they would. In another study, researchers at the University of London found that ASMR shares characteristics with misophonia, a disorder that can trigger a negative emotional or psychological response. It would be like the feeling you get when you hear nails on a chalkboard. Article Continued Below Researchers in Cardiff, Wales, acknowledge that while there is little data, they believe that this intriguing phenomenon should be investigated further to explore its effects and potential as a therapy for sleep disorders, anxiety and depression. Of course, Michelob just wants to see if ASMR helps it sell beer. | The beer company was using autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), a type of video that uses sound to evoke a physical response from viewers. There have been anecdotal claims that ASMR can help with insomnia, depression, anxiety and panic attacks. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.thestar.com/life/2019/02/08/what-is-autonomous-sensory-meridian-response-and-does-it-work.html | 0.300142 |
What is autonomous sensory meridian response and does it work? | Nails clicking against the side of a glass. That release of air when a cap is twisted off a bottle. The fizz when the cold liquid is poured into a tall glass. The sounds from the Michelob Ultra beer commercial that aired during Super Bowl LIII were meant to illicit a physical or emotional response. The commercial even featured a gorgeous tropical setting and a seductive Zoe Kravitz whispering into a microphone for added effect. While there have been anecdotal claims that ASMR can help with insomnia, depression, anxiety and panic attacks, some researchers found that ASMR shares characteristics with misophonia, a disorder that can trigger a negative emotional or psychological response. ( Keith Beaty / Toronto Star File Photo ) The beer company was using autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), a type of video that uses sound to evoke a physical response from viewers. Some people feel tingles on the head and scalp that sometimes spread down the neck, arms or back. Others report feeling very relaxed. And some report no response. ASMR has been around for about a decade, according to Vox Media Inc. Article Continued Below Read More: Relax, you may have ASMR Why stressed-out pregnant women are turning to ASMR videos for relief It has been a huge hit on YouTube, where there have been more than 21 million views of a video of a woman whispering. There have been anecdotal claims that ASMR can help with insomnia, depression, anxiety and panic attacks. But very little scientific research has been done to support the claims. And those who have studied the effect of ASMR often end with the conclusion that more research is needed. In a study from Louisiana State University and the Agricultural and Mechanical College in Baton Rouge, researchers found that they do not understand why some individuals experience the ASMR phenomenon and others do not. They wonder whether those who experience the effects did so because they expected they would. In another study, researchers at the University of London found that ASMR shares characteristics with misophonia, a disorder that can trigger a negative emotional or psychological response. It would be like the feeling you get when you hear nails on a chalkboard. Article Continued Below Researchers in Cardiff, Wales, acknowledge that while there is little data, they believe that this intriguing phenomenon should be investigated further to explore its effects and potential as a therapy for sleep disorders, anxiety and depression. Of course, Michelob just wants to see if ASMR helps it sell beer. | The beer company was using autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), a type of video that uses sound to evoke a physical response from viewers. Some people feel tingles on the head and scalp that sometimes spread down the neck, arms or back. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.thestar.com/life/2019/02/08/what-is-autonomous-sensory-meridian-response-and-does-it-work.html | 0.239657 |
Are Microbes To Blame For The Loss Of Underwater Seaweed Forests? | Dense aggregations of tall, brown seaweeds are commonly found along temperate coastlines. These underwater kelp forests thrive in cool, nutrient-rich waters and are often teeming with life because their large, tree-like bodies form nooks and crannies for a wide variety of sea creatures to hide in. However, as the oceans warm, nutrients become harder to come by and the kelps begin to deteriorate, taking the habitat they create with them. And now, a new study shows that the microscopic life forms that live on the kelp ("microbes") may also be sensitive to changing ocean conditions, leaving the kelps vulnerable to infections and diseases. "Kelp forests are sensitive to warming because kelps are cold water species - they evolved to live in polar to temperate waters. Once kelps get above that temperature range, they can't function normally," says Dr. Christina Bonsell, a research associate at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. In a month-long laboratory experiment, the researchers exposed young kelps that were 12 - 24 inches tall to increased temperatures and acidity representative of ocean conditions in the year 2100. Within one week, the microbial communities on the kelp began to change and soon the kelps' tissues began to blister and bleach. Interestingly, the microbes associated with damaged kelps differed from those that lived on healthy kelps. However, as the kelps continued to degrade in response to changes in temperature and seawater chemistry during the second week of the experiment, the microbes exposed to both warming and increasing acidity began to revert back to a community that resembled those on the healthy kelps. "Some symbiotic relationships between kelps and their associated microbiomes, as well as for other organisms, including humans, are essential and provide a stable balance, " says Dr. Raquel Peixoto, professor of microbiology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and visiting professor at the University of California, Davis. "The microbiome can benefit the kelp, for example, by producing vitamins, enhancing nutrient uptake or degradation, avoiding colonization by pathogens ... and toxic compounds. If the microbial community is affected ... the symbiotic relationships, and consequently, the organism's health, are also affected." However, it remains unclear why the microbial community backslid into its healthy formation while the kelp hosts continued to degrade. Given the critical role that microbes play in ensuring that kelps can continue to provide habitat for numerous sea creatures, more research is necessary to understand how microbes and other seaweeds will respond to changing ocean conditions. "My research shows that California giant kelp is much more resistant to warming events than Chilean kelp," says Jordan Hollarsmith, a PhD candidate at UC Davis studying the impacts of climate change on kelp forests at different latitudes. "When it comes to understanding how kelp forests will respond to climate change, we need to incorporate information from as many species and populations as possible. This fascinating study is one more piece of the giant puzzle." | Underwater kelp forests thrive in cool, nutrient-rich waters. Microbes that live on the kelp ("microbes") may also be sensitive to changing ocean conditions, leaving the kelps vulnerable to infections and diseases. More research is necessary to understand how microbes and other seaweeds will respond to changing Ocean conditions. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/priyashukla/2019/02/09/are-microbes-to-blame-for-the-loss-of-underwater-seaweed-forests/ | 0.288705 |
Have National Enquirer and AMI met their match in Amazon's Jeff Bezos? | Supermarket tabloid National Enquirer has long employed hardball tactics in pursuit of salacious scoops about Hollywood celebrities and politicians, while simultaneously covering up embarrassing stories about its friends, including President Donald Trump and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the tabloid may have underestimated its latest target: the worlds richest man, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com and owner of the Washington Post. The National Enquirer last month revealed that Bezos had been engaged in an extramarital affair with Lauren Sanchez, a former local Fox TV anchor in Los Angeles and wife of a prominent Hollywood talent agent. Bezos unleashed private investigators, giving them an unlimited budget to learn how the tabloid got photos and text message exchanges between him and Sanchez. The Enquirer bristled over the investigation and tried to get Bezos to back down. Instead, Bezos published an extraordinary blog post this week, accusing the tabloid and its parent company, American Media Inc., of extortion and blackmail, alleging it threatened to publish more embarrassing pictures unless he abandoned his investigation of the leaks. I think they met their match in Bezos, said Dan Ives, a technology analyst with Wedbush Securities. This remains a heavyweight fight. The public, the broader tech industry, and D.C. insiders are watching closely. On Friday, American Media said it was investigating the billionaires allegations and that it believes fervently that it acted lawfully in the reporting of the Bezos story. David Pecker at Hotel Talleyrand in Paris on January 19, 2012. Federal prosecutors in New York also are examining Bezos allegations, according to two sources familiar with the review but not authorized to discuss it. Prosecutors are looking at whether AMI violated a recent agreement in which AMI pledged not to commit any crimes for three years. The Bezos drama quickly dragged American Media Chairman David Pecker, whose close ties with Trump already have come under scrutiny, back into the spotlight. AMI owns numerous supermarket tabloids and gossip magazines, including Us Weekly, the Star and the Globe. Bezos blog post noted that his ownership of the Post may have brought another level of complexity to the situation, and alleged that the coverage of his extramarital affair may have been politically motivated. Its unavoidable that certain powerful people who experience Washington Post news coverage will wrongly conclude I am their enemy, Bezos wrote in the post on the Medium website. President Trump is one of those people, obvious by his many tweets. Bezos also pointed out connections between Pecker and the Saudi government, and seemed to suggest that the Saudis may be involved, too. Bezos wrote that The Posts essential and unrelenting coverage of the murder of its columnist Jamal Khashoggi is undoubtedly unpopular in certain circles. Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Turkey in October. Whether American Media and its controversial accountant-turned-CEO broke the law is a pivotal question. The company reached a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorneys Office in Manhattan in December, but it admitted its role in a scheme that began two months after Trump announced his candidacy in 2015. Thats when Pecker offered to help suppress stories about Trumps relationship with other women, according to court filings. That case began after special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, passed information to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Manhattan about dealings between Pecker and Trump and his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen. Cohen said Trump ordered him to arrange hush money payments to two women the porn star Stormy Daniels and the former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal who said they had affairs with him years ago. The payments were made during Trumps presidential campaign. AMI acknowledged using a tabloid tactic called catch and kill, in which it would buy the rights to someones story and then not publish it. Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, among other crimes, because the payments were intended to influence the campaign and were not properly disclosed. Cohen, who was sentenced to three years in prison, made the $130,000 payment to Daniels. American Media paid $150,000 to McDougal. The McDougal arrangement is similar to one involving Schwarzenegger more than 15 years ago. The Los Angeles Times reported in 2005 that days after Schwarzenegger jumped into the race for governor in 2003, American Media promised to pay a Malibu woman $20,000 to keep quiet about an affair she alleged shed had with the star of The Terminator. The woman agreed to disclose to no one but American Media any information about her interactions with Schwarzenegger during his marriage to Maria Shriver. Others, including former presidential candidate John Edwards, a Democrat, received much different treatment. The Enquirer exposed the former senator from North Carolinas extramarital affair with Rielle Hunter, revealing that he had fathered her child. After Bezos post, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Ronan Farrow said in a Twitter message that he and another journalist involved in breaking stories about the National Enquirers arrangement with Trump fielded similar stop digging or well ruin you blackmail efforts from AMI. Legal experts said the National Enquirer has pushed the envelope with its hardball negotiations with Bezos and his legal team, but proving a crime of extortion may be difficult. That can be a murky line. The e-mails released suggest that line may have been crossed, said James Sammataro, head of the media and entertainment group at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan. High-profile criminal defense attorney Louis Shapiro said, This isnt your traditional extortion. It is usually if you dont give me something, then I will reveal or report something. The person usually wants money. The Enquirer has been sued by prominent figures and celebrities before, most notably Clint Eastwood and Carol Burnett. Most of the cases were settled out of court. Theres no reputational risk to the National Enquirer its been the butt of jokes in the media industry for the last century. But there could certainly be some criminal liability, said Gabriel Kahn, a University of Southern California Annenberg journalism professor. Clearly this is a media enterprise that evidence seems to indicate is running an extortion racket. Like other magazine publishers, American Media has lost advertising revenue. The 92-year-old Enquirer is operating with a skeleton crew and many of its staff writers have been let go, according to an individual with knowledge of the company. Possible financial difficulties added to the intrigue over AMIs publication of a 100-page glossy magazine last year, titled The New Kingdom, that extolled the leadership of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The magazine, which circulated in Hollywood, carried no ads. Something like that would not have happened without Saudi government involvement, said Shadi Hamid, senior fellow at the Brookings Institutions Center for Middle East Policy. Adel Jubeir, the Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, was in Washington on Friday. Asked if the Saudis had played a role, he said he doubted it. Then, he added, As far as I know: flat no. | National Enquirer and its parent company, American Media Inc., are investigating Jeff Bezos. | ctrlsum | 0 | http://www.startribune.com/have-national-enquirer-and-ami-met-their-match-in-bezos/505619592/ | 0.225731 |
Is Billionaire Michael Bloomberg Really the Democrats Best Chance to Beat Trump in 2020? | Steven Rattner, a major Democratic donor, told Yahoo! Finance in a recent interview for the websites Influencers with Andy Serwer podcast that he thinks billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg could absolutely defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election as the Democratic nominee. Rattner, whose net worth is in the hundreds of millions of dollars according to public disclosures, is an investment financier who manages Michael Bloombergs personal and charitable wealth assets as the CEO of Willett Advisors LLC. He got his start in finance as a journalist reporting on business and economics for the New York Times, then became an investment banker, working for such infamous names on Wall Street as Morgan Stanley and the now-defunct Lehman Brothers. Read the full story on CCN.com. | Steven Rattner, a major Democratic donor, said he thinks former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg could absolutely defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/billionaire-michael-bloomberg-really-democrats-234708589.html | 0.306306 |
Is Billionaire Michael Bloomberg Really the Democrats Best Chance to Beat Trump in 2020? | Steven Rattner, a major Democratic donor, told Yahoo! Finance in a recent interview for the websites Influencers with Andy Serwer podcast that he thinks billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg could absolutely defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election as the Democratic nominee. Rattner, whose net worth is in the hundreds of millions of dollars according to public disclosures, is an investment financier who manages Michael Bloombergs personal and charitable wealth assets as the CEO of Willett Advisors LLC. He got his start in finance as a journalist reporting on business and economics for the New York Times, then became an investment banker, working for such infamous names on Wall Street as Morgan Stanley and the now-defunct Lehman Brothers. Read the full story on CCN.com. | Steven Rattner, a major Democratic donor, said he thinks former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg could absolutely defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Rattner is an investment financier who manages Michael Bloombergs personal and charitable wealth assets. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://news.yahoo.com/billionaire-michael-bloomberg-really-democrats-234708589.html | 0.391036 |
Does Nigeria's 'generation democracy' want to vote? | Nigeria's first presidential election with a generation of voters who have only known democracy takes place next weekend. Up until 20 years ago, the country was led by a succession of military rulers or short-lived civilian administrations. Some 18 to 20-year-olds in Lagos and Abeokuta spoke to the BBC: 'Nigerian politics is messed up' Emmanuel Odumade, artist, 19 When it comes to the elections, I did register to vote. But I won't lie, the registration process was so stressful, and we had to wait for two days to get the card. If it was up to me, I wouldn't have gone through the process, but people said that I needed to get the card to use it as an ID card. It's not that I'm not interested in politics but I would just say Nigerian politics is messed up. To me, I just feel like it's not sincere. It's not that your vote really counts. Main presidential contenders: Everything is just in a mess, we just need God's intervention. I am an artist - I discovered that I could draw because I fell in love with a girl at school. I was trying to impress her and every day I would go to school with a new portrait of her. At the end of the day, she didn't fall in love with me but I still had the talent. As I get older, I want to be someone who speaks for my people through my art. 'Are we practising democracy?' Monday Victory, hawker and designer, 19 I didn't register to take part in the election as I'm worried about violence. No-one is talking about it, but there is tension. I don't want to vote because I hate something that might cause a fight. I don't know what to say, but I don't think so. If we were practising democracy then there should be rules and regulations that people abide by. But I don't want military rule. I just want betterment for this country, not all this grab, grab, grab. It should be about showing your talents. And there are many things that need fixing. For example, for a long time there are places where the roads are bad. And also electricity, like in the place where I'm staying - they should bring light there. I am a fashion designer but I also help my aunt to sell groundnuts. I've finished school and I hope to study mass communication, but I'm struggling to get into university with the little money that I have. I am an orphan - my mum died in 2013 of a terrible illness and my dad died in 2005 - so they can't support me. 'We have to make our nation proud' Nasir Muhammad, gold trader, 19 It's important for me to take part in the election, to help get a good leader for the nation. To know the kind of person we are voting for, that will help us and give us a caring nation. By not voting you're not helping the nation. We have to come together and make our nation proud and strong. In this life, education is the key and I would like the government to pay our lecturers more and provide better equipment. There should also be better transportation and roads, good enough for vehicles and for people to walk along. More on Nigeria's vote: I prefer democracy to military rule as we have the right to speak our mind and talk about what's bothering us. If I was the president, I would make sure that corruption is finished in Nigeria, because people are always shouting "corruption, corruption, corruption". I help my dad in the gold trading business. It's a good business, which has paid for school fees and food for me and my eight siblings. I'm now done with my secondary school, and I'd like to go to university to study zoology. 'I want everything to cost less' Andrew Ogunnorin, furniture maker, 20 I wanted to register to vote to get the ID card but I didn't have the time. We start work at 07.30 and we close at 21:00 and I couldn't say to the boss that I wanted to go. But even if I had registered I wouldn't vote. There might be a fight afterwards and I don't want a fight. They'd be shooting guns, taking out cutlasses and I don't like that. I don't know anything about the people in charge, but I don't think the president does any work. Look at how much things cost. At one time if I wanted to buy a cup of rice it was 40 naira ($0.11; 0.09) - now it's 80 naira. The money that used to buy two cups, now buys one cup. I want everything to cost less like before. As an apprentice furniture maker I get 1,100 naira ($3; 2.30) a week. Also, there is no regular electricity. Since morning we haven't had power and nothing is working. I'd like to continue my schooling and learn technical engineering, but I don't have the money. My dad is a fisherman and my mum is a trader and they can't pay to support me. 'The leaders don't listen' Favour Ifadah, student, 20 I actually wanted to vote at first and went to register. But at the registration centre we had to spend hours waiting, waiting, waiting, and then we heard that the person responsible had not turned up. We were told to come another day and I got annoyed as I have a lot of things to do. I ended up abandoning efforts to get a voter's card. You may also be interested in: When I think about our leaders, I'm not saying they're bad, but one thing I've noticed is that they don't really listen to what the people have to say. These are the people that they are leading and they should be concerned about our affairs. The most popular definition of democracy is "the government of the people, for the people and by the people". But when we give this definition, it's obvious that even the government doesn't follow it. The people are suffering. I love democracy since it has to do with the people. It's about "we", it's not about the military imposing things on people saying: "You do this, you do this". 'Corruption is very, very bad' Adijat Balogun, laundry worker, 19 I didn't register to vote. I wanted to but I was so busy with work that I couldn't make the time. I want to join the air force and at the moment I'm just focusing on that application. All I want is for this country to be better. I'm a bit scared of the election and in the past I have heard that there have been killings. I don't really know about politics. I do think it's important to be involved but I'm just not ready yet. There are a lot of things to change. Corruption is very, very bad and there's poverty and hunger, and we want better jobs. But I don't know how to solve these things. I started as a laundry girl last year after finishing secondary school. I don't do the washing, my job is to collect the dirty clothes and deliver the clean ones. I make 15,000 naira ($41; 32) a month. It's not enough, but I have to keep on going. I'd like to join the air force because I want to be proud of myself. I love the uniform and there is respect. I pray to God that it works out. 'We need more and better jobs' Caleb Obiefunwa, 18, cloth seller I didn't go and register to vote. I'm not interested in politics. For me it's all about the business and making money. Now I need money to build my business, that's it. I hear about the election and I hear about the voting but at the end of the day it has already been decided who will win. This country needs more and better jobs. There are so many graduates without work and something should be done for them. I don't know anything about the time of military rule. I don't believe in history, I believe in tomorrow. At the moment, I'm an apprentice, but after six years my boss will set me up with my own shop. What I earn is enough for me. I hope that in 10 years' time, by God's grace, I will have what I need. I would like to be able to help the younger ones, if there is any way I can help I will do it. 'No country is without problems' Aribide Abiodun, cloth dyer, 19 I registered to vote and the process was good, everything went smoothly, and I'm going to vote. People talk about the problems but I think the economy of Nigeria is good. There is no country that hasn't had problems. I went to Cotonou in Benin last week and I saw over there that they have issues. And I can see on my phone that there is a problem in Togo. So all we need is to be praying for the economy to be better and everything's going to be good. I think the president has been trying to get rid of the bad things in Nigeria. For example, the anti-corruption people are getting back stolen money. My cloth dyeing business is going fine and I make about 10,000 naira ($28; 21) a week. I was born into this and have been working here since primary school. When someone is working they are not going to suffer. In Nigeria, some of the youths don't want to work, and because they don't want to work, they get involved in things like internet fraud. The only thing is to work and move closer to God. Pictures by Grace Ekpu, BBC | Some 18 to 20-year-olds in Lagos and Abeokuta spoke to the BBC. They say Nigeria's 'generation democracy' want to vote for the first time. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-47122192 | 0.31125 |
Does Nigeria's 'generation democracy' want to vote? | Nigeria's first presidential election with a generation of voters who have only known democracy takes place next weekend. Up until 20 years ago, the country was led by a succession of military rulers or short-lived civilian administrations. Some 18 to 20-year-olds in Lagos and Abeokuta spoke to the BBC: 'Nigerian politics is messed up' Emmanuel Odumade, artist, 19 When it comes to the elections, I did register to vote. But I won't lie, the registration process was so stressful, and we had to wait for two days to get the card. If it was up to me, I wouldn't have gone through the process, but people said that I needed to get the card to use it as an ID card. It's not that I'm not interested in politics but I would just say Nigerian politics is messed up. To me, I just feel like it's not sincere. It's not that your vote really counts. Main presidential contenders: Everything is just in a mess, we just need God's intervention. I am an artist - I discovered that I could draw because I fell in love with a girl at school. I was trying to impress her and every day I would go to school with a new portrait of her. At the end of the day, she didn't fall in love with me but I still had the talent. As I get older, I want to be someone who speaks for my people through my art. 'Are we practising democracy?' Monday Victory, hawker and designer, 19 I didn't register to take part in the election as I'm worried about violence. No-one is talking about it, but there is tension. I don't want to vote because I hate something that might cause a fight. I don't know what to say, but I don't think so. If we were practising democracy then there should be rules and regulations that people abide by. But I don't want military rule. I just want betterment for this country, not all this grab, grab, grab. It should be about showing your talents. And there are many things that need fixing. For example, for a long time there are places where the roads are bad. And also electricity, like in the place where I'm staying - they should bring light there. I am a fashion designer but I also help my aunt to sell groundnuts. I've finished school and I hope to study mass communication, but I'm struggling to get into university with the little money that I have. I am an orphan - my mum died in 2013 of a terrible illness and my dad died in 2005 - so they can't support me. 'We have to make our nation proud' Nasir Muhammad, gold trader, 19 It's important for me to take part in the election, to help get a good leader for the nation. To know the kind of person we are voting for, that will help us and give us a caring nation. By not voting you're not helping the nation. We have to come together and make our nation proud and strong. In this life, education is the key and I would like the government to pay our lecturers more and provide better equipment. There should also be better transportation and roads, good enough for vehicles and for people to walk along. More on Nigeria's vote: I prefer democracy to military rule as we have the right to speak our mind and talk about what's bothering us. If I was the president, I would make sure that corruption is finished in Nigeria, because people are always shouting "corruption, corruption, corruption". I help my dad in the gold trading business. It's a good business, which has paid for school fees and food for me and my eight siblings. I'm now done with my secondary school, and I'd like to go to university to study zoology. 'I want everything to cost less' Andrew Ogunnorin, furniture maker, 20 I wanted to register to vote to get the ID card but I didn't have the time. We start work at 07.30 and we close at 21:00 and I couldn't say to the boss that I wanted to go. But even if I had registered I wouldn't vote. There might be a fight afterwards and I don't want a fight. They'd be shooting guns, taking out cutlasses and I don't like that. I don't know anything about the people in charge, but I don't think the president does any work. Look at how much things cost. At one time if I wanted to buy a cup of rice it was 40 naira ($0.11; 0.09) - now it's 80 naira. The money that used to buy two cups, now buys one cup. I want everything to cost less like before. As an apprentice furniture maker I get 1,100 naira ($3; 2.30) a week. Also, there is no regular electricity. Since morning we haven't had power and nothing is working. I'd like to continue my schooling and learn technical engineering, but I don't have the money. My dad is a fisherman and my mum is a trader and they can't pay to support me. 'The leaders don't listen' Favour Ifadah, student, 20 I actually wanted to vote at first and went to register. But at the registration centre we had to spend hours waiting, waiting, waiting, and then we heard that the person responsible had not turned up. We were told to come another day and I got annoyed as I have a lot of things to do. I ended up abandoning efforts to get a voter's card. You may also be interested in: When I think about our leaders, I'm not saying they're bad, but one thing I've noticed is that they don't really listen to what the people have to say. These are the people that they are leading and they should be concerned about our affairs. The most popular definition of democracy is "the government of the people, for the people and by the people". But when we give this definition, it's obvious that even the government doesn't follow it. The people are suffering. I love democracy since it has to do with the people. It's about "we", it's not about the military imposing things on people saying: "You do this, you do this". 'Corruption is very, very bad' Adijat Balogun, laundry worker, 19 I didn't register to vote. I wanted to but I was so busy with work that I couldn't make the time. I want to join the air force and at the moment I'm just focusing on that application. All I want is for this country to be better. I'm a bit scared of the election and in the past I have heard that there have been killings. I don't really know about politics. I do think it's important to be involved but I'm just not ready yet. There are a lot of things to change. Corruption is very, very bad and there's poverty and hunger, and we want better jobs. But I don't know how to solve these things. I started as a laundry girl last year after finishing secondary school. I don't do the washing, my job is to collect the dirty clothes and deliver the clean ones. I make 15,000 naira ($41; 32) a month. It's not enough, but I have to keep on going. I'd like to join the air force because I want to be proud of myself. I love the uniform and there is respect. I pray to God that it works out. 'We need more and better jobs' Caleb Obiefunwa, 18, cloth seller I didn't go and register to vote. I'm not interested in politics. For me it's all about the business and making money. Now I need money to build my business, that's it. I hear about the election and I hear about the voting but at the end of the day it has already been decided who will win. This country needs more and better jobs. There are so many graduates without work and something should be done for them. I don't know anything about the time of military rule. I don't believe in history, I believe in tomorrow. At the moment, I'm an apprentice, but after six years my boss will set me up with my own shop. What I earn is enough for me. I hope that in 10 years' time, by God's grace, I will have what I need. I would like to be able to help the younger ones, if there is any way I can help I will do it. 'No country is without problems' Aribide Abiodun, cloth dyer, 19 I registered to vote and the process was good, everything went smoothly, and I'm going to vote. People talk about the problems but I think the economy of Nigeria is good. There is no country that hasn't had problems. I went to Cotonou in Benin last week and I saw over there that they have issues. And I can see on my phone that there is a problem in Togo. So all we need is to be praying for the economy to be better and everything's going to be good. I think the president has been trying to get rid of the bad things in Nigeria. For example, the anti-corruption people are getting back stolen money. My cloth dyeing business is going fine and I make about 10,000 naira ($28; 21) a week. I was born into this and have been working here since primary school. When someone is working they are not going to suffer. In Nigeria, some of the youths don't want to work, and because they don't want to work, they get involved in things like internet fraud. The only thing is to work and move closer to God. Pictures by Grace Ekpu, BBC | Some 18 to 20-year-olds in Lagos and Abeokuta spoke to the BBC. They are part of Nigeria's 'generation democracy' They say they are worried about violence if they vote for the wrong person. They also want better roads, electricity and better education. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-47122192 | 0.216884 |
Will A.I. Put Lawyers Out Of Business? | Codified instructions proscribing dos and dontsifs and thens. The legal system, on the other hand, is not as straightforward as coding. Just consider the complicated state of justice today, whether it be problems stemming from backlogged courts, overburdened public defenders, and swathes of defendants disproportionately accused of crimes. Very much so. Law firms are already using AI to more efficiently perform due diligence, conduct research and bill hours. But some expect the impact of AI to be much more transformational. Its predicted AI will eliminate most paralegal and legal research positions within the next decade. My coauthor Michael Ashley and I spoke to experts about AIs impact on the legal system for our upcoming book, Own the A.I. Revolution: Unlock Your Artificial Intelligence Strategy to Disrupt Your Competition. It may even be considered legal malpractice not to use AI one day, says Tom Girardi, renowned civil litigator and the real-life inspiration for the lawyer in the movie, Erin Brockovich. It would be analogous to a lawyer in the late twentieth century still doing everything by hand when this person could use a computer. There are many reasons to believe AI could benefit the legal industry in ways as meaningful as the personal computer. Currently, the legal system relies on armies of paralegals and researchers to discover, index, and process information. For law firms at present, this reliance can be expensive, driving up the rates they charge. And in understaffed public defender offices, investigators can only spend a few minutes interviewing each of their clients, greatly diminishing the service they can provide. However, for just a fraction of the time and expense, AI could be used to conduct time-consuming research, reducing the burdens on courts and legal services and accelerating the judicial process. There are also situations where using AI might be preferable to interacting with a human, such as for client interviews. For instance, its been demonstrated people are more likely to be honest with a machine than with a person, since a machine isnt capable of judgment. Of course, AI cant replace all means of collecting information. There are instances in which depositions would be more conducive to fact-gathering. Still, when preparing for a cross-examination of an expert witness, AI could be effectively deployed to determine every case in which a particular witness testified, what his/her opinions were, and how juries reacted, much faster and more thoroughly than any human investigator ever could. Not according to Girardi. He believes those firms willing to adopt AI will possess a strategic advantage. Its a lawyers job to solve a problem as quickly and inexpensively as possible, Girardi explains. AI will be a godsend because itll give lawyers the information they need to resolve conflicts faster. Yes, AI-wielding lawyers wouldnt be able to technically bill as many hours since the AI would work much faster than they ever could; however, according to Girardi, these attorneys enhanced effectiveness would likely garner repeat business and lead to more clients. If a lawyer can use AI to win a case and do it for less than someone without AI, who do you think the client will choose to work with next time? says Girardi. Accordingly, the promise for law firms using AI is that they will still be able to generate the same amount or even more revenue while expanding their client rosters. Conversely, firms too slow to adapt to AI and automation will suffer a competitive disadvantage. While conventional wisdom still suggests job security for lawyers and judges is more secure than other professions, there have been calls to relieve our backlogged court system by outsourcing minor cases to AI. To this end, some courts are even considering using AI to determine eligibility for bail by detecting behavioral patterns indicating flight risk a decision flesh-and-blood judges traditionally made in the past. Courtrooms are likely to transform in other meaningful ways due to technological advances. Girardi believes courts might one day welcome AI technology to aid with jury selection. If a civil dispute concerns a matter of factDid the doctor cut off the wrong leg?today, its largely settled out of court, says Girardi. Did a doctor make a bad judgment call?the case can go to trial, which is why the philosophical makeup of a jury is so important. AI could be valuable in a trial setting because it could predict such philosophical makeups. Adept at rapidly collecting important information, it could gather data about potential jurors, including their accident history, if they have served before, the verdicts of those trials, and a jurors political and charitable affiliations. AI could also be used to analyze facial reactions and body language indicating how a potential juror feels about an issue. Before a potential juror even answers a question, the movement of his or her eyes, a change in skin coloration, or a shift in body positioning could nonverbally communicate an emotional response demonstrating a positive or negative bias. Such data could be used for optimal jury selection, facilitating greater fairness. In spite of such developments inside the courtroom, its nonetheless hard to imagine how trial lawyers might be replaced by artificial intelligence. For now, a humans unique ability to create empathy with jurors and judges alike makes them indispensable to legal deliberations. After all, we know humans are fallible creatures, prone to prejudices and biases. Song Richardson, Dean of the University of California-Irvine School of Law, worries about just this possibility. Its certainly not to become a cog in the wheel of an assembly line system of justice. The fact that we have backlogs resulting in a failure to give people the individualized attention they deserve tells us theres something fundamentally wrong with our justice system. Expediting the mass processing of people using AI isnt the answer. Its the opposite of justice. Richardson believes AI can benefit the legal profession, yet she cautions us to be careful how we implement it. Even the best AI needs to be taught, which means it can only be as objective as the people who teach it. People often view AI and algorithms as being objective without considering the origins of the data being used in the machine-learning process, says Richardson, who specializes in the dangers of unconscious bias. Biased data is going to lead to biased AI. When training people for the legal profession, we need to help future lawyers and judges understand how AI works and its implications in our field. In spite of these concerns, Richardson still believes the net impact of new technology will be positive. Lawyers and judges are only as good as the information they receive, and AI has the potential to significantly increase the quality of information. Still, no matter how sophisticated the technology becomes, she and Girardi both agree it will never be a substitute for the judgment and decision-making only humans can provide. AI isnt going to replace the need for critical thinking. We still need to prepare students to think like lawyers, and I dont think thats ever going to change, says Richardson. Though no consensus exists yet as to how AI will ultimately shape the legal profession, we do know AI is poised to transform nearly every facet of our lives, and the new technologies its powering will create a host of unprecedented legal issues, including ownership, liability, privacy and policing. The very fact these are complicated issues soon to be exacerbated by unprecedented technology reveals the need for more lawyers, but not just any kind of lawyers. We need those capable of making sense of our rapidly evolving society. What worries me is that we wont have lawyers who understand algorithms and AI well enough to even know what questions to ask, nor judges who feel comfortable enough with these new technologies to rule on cases involving them, says Richardson. In light of such valid concerns, it is becoming increasingly clear our law schools must prepare tomorrows lawyers to use the new technology. But even this isnt enough. We also need todays practicing counsel and judges to grasp AI and all it promises to better serve and protect our fellow humans. | Law firms are already using AI to more efficiently perform due diligence, conduct research and bill hours. | bart | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/02/09/will-a-i-put-lawyers-out-of-business/ | 0.142251 |
Will A.I. Put Lawyers Out Of Business? | Codified instructions proscribing dos and dontsifs and thens. The legal system, on the other hand, is not as straightforward as coding. Just consider the complicated state of justice today, whether it be problems stemming from backlogged courts, overburdened public defenders, and swathes of defendants disproportionately accused of crimes. Very much so. Law firms are already using AI to more efficiently perform due diligence, conduct research and bill hours. But some expect the impact of AI to be much more transformational. Its predicted AI will eliminate most paralegal and legal research positions within the next decade. My coauthor Michael Ashley and I spoke to experts about AIs impact on the legal system for our upcoming book, Own the A.I. Revolution: Unlock Your Artificial Intelligence Strategy to Disrupt Your Competition. It may even be considered legal malpractice not to use AI one day, says Tom Girardi, renowned civil litigator and the real-life inspiration for the lawyer in the movie, Erin Brockovich. It would be analogous to a lawyer in the late twentieth century still doing everything by hand when this person could use a computer. There are many reasons to believe AI could benefit the legal industry in ways as meaningful as the personal computer. Currently, the legal system relies on armies of paralegals and researchers to discover, index, and process information. For law firms at present, this reliance can be expensive, driving up the rates they charge. And in understaffed public defender offices, investigators can only spend a few minutes interviewing each of their clients, greatly diminishing the service they can provide. However, for just a fraction of the time and expense, AI could be used to conduct time-consuming research, reducing the burdens on courts and legal services and accelerating the judicial process. There are also situations where using AI might be preferable to interacting with a human, such as for client interviews. For instance, its been demonstrated people are more likely to be honest with a machine than with a person, since a machine isnt capable of judgment. Of course, AI cant replace all means of collecting information. There are instances in which depositions would be more conducive to fact-gathering. Still, when preparing for a cross-examination of an expert witness, AI could be effectively deployed to determine every case in which a particular witness testified, what his/her opinions were, and how juries reacted, much faster and more thoroughly than any human investigator ever could. Not according to Girardi. He believes those firms willing to adopt AI will possess a strategic advantage. Its a lawyers job to solve a problem as quickly and inexpensively as possible, Girardi explains. AI will be a godsend because itll give lawyers the information they need to resolve conflicts faster. Yes, AI-wielding lawyers wouldnt be able to technically bill as many hours since the AI would work much faster than they ever could; however, according to Girardi, these attorneys enhanced effectiveness would likely garner repeat business and lead to more clients. If a lawyer can use AI to win a case and do it for less than someone without AI, who do you think the client will choose to work with next time? says Girardi. Accordingly, the promise for law firms using AI is that they will still be able to generate the same amount or even more revenue while expanding their client rosters. Conversely, firms too slow to adapt to AI and automation will suffer a competitive disadvantage. While conventional wisdom still suggests job security for lawyers and judges is more secure than other professions, there have been calls to relieve our backlogged court system by outsourcing minor cases to AI. To this end, some courts are even considering using AI to determine eligibility for bail by detecting behavioral patterns indicating flight risk a decision flesh-and-blood judges traditionally made in the past. Courtrooms are likely to transform in other meaningful ways due to technological advances. Girardi believes courts might one day welcome AI technology to aid with jury selection. If a civil dispute concerns a matter of factDid the doctor cut off the wrong leg?today, its largely settled out of court, says Girardi. Did a doctor make a bad judgment call?the case can go to trial, which is why the philosophical makeup of a jury is so important. AI could be valuable in a trial setting because it could predict such philosophical makeups. Adept at rapidly collecting important information, it could gather data about potential jurors, including their accident history, if they have served before, the verdicts of those trials, and a jurors political and charitable affiliations. AI could also be used to analyze facial reactions and body language indicating how a potential juror feels about an issue. Before a potential juror even answers a question, the movement of his or her eyes, a change in skin coloration, or a shift in body positioning could nonverbally communicate an emotional response demonstrating a positive or negative bias. Such data could be used for optimal jury selection, facilitating greater fairness. In spite of such developments inside the courtroom, its nonetheless hard to imagine how trial lawyers might be replaced by artificial intelligence. For now, a humans unique ability to create empathy with jurors and judges alike makes them indispensable to legal deliberations. After all, we know humans are fallible creatures, prone to prejudices and biases. Song Richardson, Dean of the University of California-Irvine School of Law, worries about just this possibility. Its certainly not to become a cog in the wheel of an assembly line system of justice. The fact that we have backlogs resulting in a failure to give people the individualized attention they deserve tells us theres something fundamentally wrong with our justice system. Expediting the mass processing of people using AI isnt the answer. Its the opposite of justice. Richardson believes AI can benefit the legal profession, yet she cautions us to be careful how we implement it. Even the best AI needs to be taught, which means it can only be as objective as the people who teach it. People often view AI and algorithms as being objective without considering the origins of the data being used in the machine-learning process, says Richardson, who specializes in the dangers of unconscious bias. Biased data is going to lead to biased AI. When training people for the legal profession, we need to help future lawyers and judges understand how AI works and its implications in our field. In spite of these concerns, Richardson still believes the net impact of new technology will be positive. Lawyers and judges are only as good as the information they receive, and AI has the potential to significantly increase the quality of information. Still, no matter how sophisticated the technology becomes, she and Girardi both agree it will never be a substitute for the judgment and decision-making only humans can provide. AI isnt going to replace the need for critical thinking. We still need to prepare students to think like lawyers, and I dont think thats ever going to change, says Richardson. Though no consensus exists yet as to how AI will ultimately shape the legal profession, we do know AI is poised to transform nearly every facet of our lives, and the new technologies its powering will create a host of unprecedented legal issues, including ownership, liability, privacy and policing. The very fact these are complicated issues soon to be exacerbated by unprecedented technology reveals the need for more lawyers, but not just any kind of lawyers. We need those capable of making sense of our rapidly evolving society. What worries me is that we wont have lawyers who understand algorithms and AI well enough to even know what questions to ask, nor judges who feel comfortable enough with these new technologies to rule on cases involving them, says Richardson. In light of such valid concerns, it is becoming increasingly clear our law schools must prepare tomorrows lawyers to use the new technology. But even this isnt enough. We also need todays practicing counsel and judges to grasp AI and all it promises to better serve and protect our fellow humans. | Some expect the impact of AI to be much more transformational. Its predicted AI will eliminate most paralegal and legal research positions within the next decade. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/02/09/will-a-i-put-lawyers-out-of-business/ | 0.178783 |
Will A.I. Put Lawyers Out Of Business? | Codified instructions proscribing dos and dontsifs and thens. The legal system, on the other hand, is not as straightforward as coding. Just consider the complicated state of justice today, whether it be problems stemming from backlogged courts, overburdened public defenders, and swathes of defendants disproportionately accused of crimes. Very much so. Law firms are already using AI to more efficiently perform due diligence, conduct research and bill hours. But some expect the impact of AI to be much more transformational. Its predicted AI will eliminate most paralegal and legal research positions within the next decade. My coauthor Michael Ashley and I spoke to experts about AIs impact on the legal system for our upcoming book, Own the A.I. Revolution: Unlock Your Artificial Intelligence Strategy to Disrupt Your Competition. It may even be considered legal malpractice not to use AI one day, says Tom Girardi, renowned civil litigator and the real-life inspiration for the lawyer in the movie, Erin Brockovich. It would be analogous to a lawyer in the late twentieth century still doing everything by hand when this person could use a computer. There are many reasons to believe AI could benefit the legal industry in ways as meaningful as the personal computer. Currently, the legal system relies on armies of paralegals and researchers to discover, index, and process information. For law firms at present, this reliance can be expensive, driving up the rates they charge. And in understaffed public defender offices, investigators can only spend a few minutes interviewing each of their clients, greatly diminishing the service they can provide. However, for just a fraction of the time and expense, AI could be used to conduct time-consuming research, reducing the burdens on courts and legal services and accelerating the judicial process. There are also situations where using AI might be preferable to interacting with a human, such as for client interviews. For instance, its been demonstrated people are more likely to be honest with a machine than with a person, since a machine isnt capable of judgment. Of course, AI cant replace all means of collecting information. There are instances in which depositions would be more conducive to fact-gathering. Still, when preparing for a cross-examination of an expert witness, AI could be effectively deployed to determine every case in which a particular witness testified, what his/her opinions were, and how juries reacted, much faster and more thoroughly than any human investigator ever could. Not according to Girardi. He believes those firms willing to adopt AI will possess a strategic advantage. Its a lawyers job to solve a problem as quickly and inexpensively as possible, Girardi explains. AI will be a godsend because itll give lawyers the information they need to resolve conflicts faster. Yes, AI-wielding lawyers wouldnt be able to technically bill as many hours since the AI would work much faster than they ever could; however, according to Girardi, these attorneys enhanced effectiveness would likely garner repeat business and lead to more clients. If a lawyer can use AI to win a case and do it for less than someone without AI, who do you think the client will choose to work with next time? says Girardi. Accordingly, the promise for law firms using AI is that they will still be able to generate the same amount or even more revenue while expanding their client rosters. Conversely, firms too slow to adapt to AI and automation will suffer a competitive disadvantage. While conventional wisdom still suggests job security for lawyers and judges is more secure than other professions, there have been calls to relieve our backlogged court system by outsourcing minor cases to AI. To this end, some courts are even considering using AI to determine eligibility for bail by detecting behavioral patterns indicating flight risk a decision flesh-and-blood judges traditionally made in the past. Courtrooms are likely to transform in other meaningful ways due to technological advances. Girardi believes courts might one day welcome AI technology to aid with jury selection. If a civil dispute concerns a matter of factDid the doctor cut off the wrong leg?today, its largely settled out of court, says Girardi. Did a doctor make a bad judgment call?the case can go to trial, which is why the philosophical makeup of a jury is so important. AI could be valuable in a trial setting because it could predict such philosophical makeups. Adept at rapidly collecting important information, it could gather data about potential jurors, including their accident history, if they have served before, the verdicts of those trials, and a jurors political and charitable affiliations. AI could also be used to analyze facial reactions and body language indicating how a potential juror feels about an issue. Before a potential juror even answers a question, the movement of his or her eyes, a change in skin coloration, or a shift in body positioning could nonverbally communicate an emotional response demonstrating a positive or negative bias. Such data could be used for optimal jury selection, facilitating greater fairness. In spite of such developments inside the courtroom, its nonetheless hard to imagine how trial lawyers might be replaced by artificial intelligence. For now, a humans unique ability to create empathy with jurors and judges alike makes them indispensable to legal deliberations. After all, we know humans are fallible creatures, prone to prejudices and biases. Song Richardson, Dean of the University of California-Irvine School of Law, worries about just this possibility. Its certainly not to become a cog in the wheel of an assembly line system of justice. The fact that we have backlogs resulting in a failure to give people the individualized attention they deserve tells us theres something fundamentally wrong with our justice system. Expediting the mass processing of people using AI isnt the answer. Its the opposite of justice. Richardson believes AI can benefit the legal profession, yet she cautions us to be careful how we implement it. Even the best AI needs to be taught, which means it can only be as objective as the people who teach it. People often view AI and algorithms as being objective without considering the origins of the data being used in the machine-learning process, says Richardson, who specializes in the dangers of unconscious bias. Biased data is going to lead to biased AI. When training people for the legal profession, we need to help future lawyers and judges understand how AI works and its implications in our field. In spite of these concerns, Richardson still believes the net impact of new technology will be positive. Lawyers and judges are only as good as the information they receive, and AI has the potential to significantly increase the quality of information. Still, no matter how sophisticated the technology becomes, she and Girardi both agree it will never be a substitute for the judgment and decision-making only humans can provide. AI isnt going to replace the need for critical thinking. We still need to prepare students to think like lawyers, and I dont think thats ever going to change, says Richardson. Though no consensus exists yet as to how AI will ultimately shape the legal profession, we do know AI is poised to transform nearly every facet of our lives, and the new technologies its powering will create a host of unprecedented legal issues, including ownership, liability, privacy and policing. The very fact these are complicated issues soon to be exacerbated by unprecedented technology reveals the need for more lawyers, but not just any kind of lawyers. We need those capable of making sense of our rapidly evolving society. What worries me is that we wont have lawyers who understand algorithms and AI well enough to even know what questions to ask, nor judges who feel comfortable enough with these new technologies to rule on cases involving them, says Richardson. In light of such valid concerns, it is becoming increasingly clear our law schools must prepare tomorrows lawyers to use the new technology. But even this isnt enough. We also need todays practicing counsel and judges to grasp AI and all it promises to better serve and protect our fellow humans. | Law firms are already using AI to more efficiently perform due diligence, conduct research and bill hours. Its predicted AI will eliminate most paralegal and legal research positions within the next decade. It may even be considered legal malpractice not to use AI one day, says Tom Girardi. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/02/09/will-a-i-put-lawyers-out-of-business/ | 0.251986 |
Will Frank Gehrys Wimbledon concert hall outshine 300m City rival? | Weeks after the Centre for Music was announced at the Barbican, another world-class venue is being discussed in London You wait decades for a city to get a world-class concert hall and two come along at once. Last month plans were revealed for the Centre for Music in the City of London by the New York architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro. But there is now another project to build a 1,250-seat venue in the suburb better known for its tennis Wimbledon to be designed by the celebrated Los Angeles architect Frank Gehry. The plan is driven by Anthony Wilkinson, founder and director of the Wimbledon international music festival, an annual event of nearly 200 concerts held mostly in local churches. He felt that the area could do better, while also addressing the capitals notorious shortage of acoustically outstanding large concert halls. The Albert Hall and the Royal Festival Hall are both flawed. After rehearsing for half an hour in the Royal Festival Hall, the conductor Simon Rattle once said, you lose the will to live. Gehry, who was shortlisted in the competition to design the 288m Barbican project, and Wilkinson are keen to stress that the two new concert halls are complementary, not rivals. One doesnt have to negate the other, Gehry told the Observer. There could be a win-win for both. With 2,000 seats the Centre for Music is significantly larger. The Wimbledon hall, Gehry said, was small enough that it could attract creative stuff to happen that probably couldnt be afforded at the Barbican. Wilkinson has recruited the dancer Darcey Bussell, who lives locally, and the conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen to act as patrons of the project. The internationally renowned acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota is to work on the design. The Philharmonia Orchestra, Classical Opera, the London Mozart Players, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra have all expressed interest in performing there. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Darcey Bussell, who lives locally, is a patron of the Wimbledon project. Photograph: David M Benett/Getty Images As well as the main hall it is to have a 300-seat flexible space. The complex is to be multi-genre, serving very good quality pop groups as well as classical music. It is to be available to local groups as well as international ensembles. Wilkinson said the building should hum throughout the day. I want it to be in the centre of the community. The project draws on a longstanding desire to build a replacement for an auditorium that was part of Wimbledons old town hall, demolished to make way for the Centre Court shopping centre in 1987. The local council promised to build one at the time, but it has yet to happen. The intended site is the Hartfield Road car park in the town centre, which belongs to the London borough of Merton. It is adjacent to another shopping complex, containing a Morrisons supermarket and an Odeon cinema, which a big property company is hoping to redevelop. Wilkinson is in discussion with the company on working in partnership on the two sites. Wilkinson, a former film-maker who lived in Los Angeles for seven years, said he has always admired Gehry his architecture has a sense of humour and a soul to it. After visiting Gehrys building for the New World Symphony in Miami he wrote to the architect about the Wimbledon project. Gehry phoned him back. Ive always wanted to do a concert hall in London, Wilkinson recalled him saying, lets talk about it. In an interview, Gehry, whose musical projects include the Disney hall in Los Angeles and the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, said he liked the idea of being in a commercial centre. It could be very productive on both sides. It could make the concert hall unique. It would be part of the downtown, part of the community. He has produced outline designs showing how the concert hall could be combined with the larger redevelopment of the Morrisons and the Odeon. What the project now needs to progress is fundraising its construction cost is put at 60m-65m and a commitment from the council that its car park can be used in this way. Merton acknowledged that there has been a long-held ambition by the community for a new performance concert hall in Wimbledon. It said it was working with the Wimbledon Concert Hall Group to determine if there is a credible, sustainable and viable business case for a multipurpose cultural venue in Wimbledon. Wilkinson would like a clearer signal that it supports the project so the fundraising can go ahead. Whatever conditions they give us we dont really care. Ive got people queueing up to say they will donate, but they ask whats the councils position? Its hard to realise pledges without a site and Merton is reluctant to commit the site without pledges. The councils caution with public assets is understandable but the hall would be a major coup for the borough. It is to be hoped the council uses some imagination to get the project to the next stage. | Plans revealed for Centre for Music in the City of London last month. But there is now another project to build a 1,250-seat venue in Wimbledon. Gehry was shortlisted in the competition to design the 288m Barbican project, and says the two new concert halls are complementary, not rivals. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/feb/10/two-world-class-concert-halls-london-centre-for-music-barbican-wimbledon | 0.183824 |
How did Netflix get away with not paying income tax in 2018? | Netflix has made a lot of news this past week, and its not because of the Ted Bundy documentary or all those fools doing the Bird Box challenge. No, its something that is even more galling, particularly to those who oppose corporate greed and income inequality: the company paid virtually no US taxes in 2018. We shouldn't declare Trump's $1tn tax cut a failure just yet | Gene Marks Read more According to a blogpost from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the company posted its largest ever profit in 2018 $845m but paid no federal (or state) income tax. After a year of speculation and spin, the public is getting its first hard look at how corporate tax law changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affected the tax-paying habits of corporations, senior fellow Mathew Gardner wrote. The law sharply reduced the federal corporate rate, expanded some tax breaks and curtailed others. The new tax law took effect at the beginning of 2018, which means that companies are just now closing the books on their first full year under the new rules. This story kind of validates a post I wrote last week about how the beneficial effects of the 2017 tax reform really wont kick in until this year, when companies and people start doing their 2018 returns. We can debate these issues and whether these companies will use their savings to reinvest or hire more people. But for now what Id like to explain is how. The company hasnt disclosed a lot of details so I can only make a few educated hunches. Its publicly available information has certainly given us some clues. In fact, when you look at Netflixs reported deferred tax assets which represent the future tax savings that will someday be realized the answer starts to clarify. The explanation has to do with just two words: tax credits. Remember, a tax credit is not a deduction. You apply a credit directly against the tax you owe. If you dont use the credit it can carry forward to future years. Which is why even though when Netflix actually paid $131m in foreign taxes during 2018 which would be about 15.5% of its income (the US corporate tax rate is now 21 %) it didnt have to do the same in this country. US tax law going well back before the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has allowed for companies (and individuals) to claim a tax credit on certain foreign earnings to avoid double taxation. I dont know, and that would make an interesting story. But the bottom line is that Netflix still paid taxes, just not in the US. | Netflix posted its largest ever profit in 2018 but paid no federal (or state) income tax. The explanation has to do with just two words: tax credits. | bart | 1 | https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/feb/10/netflix-income-tax-2018-didnt-pay | 0.360405 |
How did Netflix get away with not paying income tax in 2018? | Netflix has made a lot of news this past week, and its not because of the Ted Bundy documentary or all those fools doing the Bird Box challenge. No, its something that is even more galling, particularly to those who oppose corporate greed and income inequality: the company paid virtually no US taxes in 2018. We shouldn't declare Trump's $1tn tax cut a failure just yet | Gene Marks Read more According to a blogpost from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the company posted its largest ever profit in 2018 $845m but paid no federal (or state) income tax. After a year of speculation and spin, the public is getting its first hard look at how corporate tax law changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act affected the tax-paying habits of corporations, senior fellow Mathew Gardner wrote. The law sharply reduced the federal corporate rate, expanded some tax breaks and curtailed others. The new tax law took effect at the beginning of 2018, which means that companies are just now closing the books on their first full year under the new rules. This story kind of validates a post I wrote last week about how the beneficial effects of the 2017 tax reform really wont kick in until this year, when companies and people start doing their 2018 returns. We can debate these issues and whether these companies will use their savings to reinvest or hire more people. But for now what Id like to explain is how. The company hasnt disclosed a lot of details so I can only make a few educated hunches. Its publicly available information has certainly given us some clues. In fact, when you look at Netflixs reported deferred tax assets which represent the future tax savings that will someday be realized the answer starts to clarify. The explanation has to do with just two words: tax credits. Remember, a tax credit is not a deduction. You apply a credit directly against the tax you owe. If you dont use the credit it can carry forward to future years. Which is why even though when Netflix actually paid $131m in foreign taxes during 2018 which would be about 15.5% of its income (the US corporate tax rate is now 21 %) it didnt have to do the same in this country. US tax law going well back before the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has allowed for companies (and individuals) to claim a tax credit on certain foreign earnings to avoid double taxation. I dont know, and that would make an interesting story. But the bottom line is that Netflix still paid taxes, just not in the US. | Netflix posted its largest ever profit in 2018 but paid no federal (or state) income tax. The explanation has to do with just two words: tax credits. Netflix actually paid $131m in foreign taxes during 2018 which would be about 15.5% of its income. | bart | 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/feb/10/netflix-income-tax-2018-didnt-pay | 0.445801 |
What Now for Aphria After Its Board Tells Green Growth to Take a Hike? | If Aphria (NYSE: APHA) selected a theme song for the last few days, it would probably be Ray Charles' classic "Hit the Road, Jack." The Canadian marijuana producer's board of directors firmly rejected the hostile takeover bid by Green Growth Brands (NASDAQOTH: GGBXF). Aphria's shares enjoyed a nice run after Green Growth first announced its intent to acquire Aphria in December. But Aphria stock fell after the news of its board's recommendation against the offer. Business people doing a thumbs-down. More Image source: Getty Images. No way, no how Aphria's board listed several reasons behind its decision to rebuff Green Growth Brands' proposed acquisition. First and foremost, the price wasn't anywhere close to what it needed to be. Actually, Aphria shareholders would have to sell their stock at a significant discount to the current share price. Any board that would have been in favor of that deal would have probably been told to take a hike themselves. There was also a serious consequence of Green Growth buying Aphria. Green Growth is a U.S.-based cannabis producer. Aphria can't maintain its listings on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and conduct operations in the U.S. as long as marijuana remains illegal at the federal level. An acquisition of Aphria by Green Growth would have caused Aphria to be delisted from both exchanges. Green Growth Brands, by the way, trades on the smaller and less prestigious Canadian Securities Exchange in Canada and over the counter in the U.S. Even if the issues of the ridiculously low offer and delisting threat didn't exist, it was abundantly clear that Aphria's board simply didn't like Green Growth Brands. Aphria Chairman Irwin Simon said that Green Growth is "an illiquid company with limited operating history, minimal assets, and no track record in the cannabis industry." In addition, Aphria's board expressed its belief that the company's outlook is bright without accepting a substandard offer like the one Green Growth proposed. The board cited Aphria's strong revenue growth, its expansion efforts that will boost annual production capacity to 255,000 kilograms, and its global operations as positive indications of the company's ability to succeed. Now what It's technically possible that Aphria shareholders could tender their shares to Green Growth Brands in support of the hostile takeover attempt. It's also technically possible that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will run as Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate in 2020. Don't hold your breath for either scenario. There are a couple of loose ends for Aphria's board of directors that aren't directly related to the Green Growth bid. One is for the special committee consisting of independent board members to complete its review of allegations that Aphria significantly overpaid for its acquisition of LATAM Holdings. These allegations were the primary reason why Aphria stock fell so low that Green Growth saw a window of opportunity. The board is also looking for a new CEO. Vic Neufeld announced in January that he and co-founder Cole Cacciavillani are stepping down from their executive positions at Aphria. Both Neufeld and Cacciavillani, however, will retain their positions on the company's board of directors. | Aphria's board of directors firmly rejected the hostile takeover bid by Green Growth Brands. Green Growth is a U.S.-based cannabis producer. Aphria shareholders would have to sell their stock at a significant discount to the current share price. | bart | 1 | https://news.yahoo.com/now-aphria-board-tells-green-140000014.html | 0.271355 |
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