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Do Democrats want to take away Americans' hamburgers? | Democrats want to take away hamburgers from the American people, an ex-Trump aide has warned. The wild claim about a supposed plot to ban the national food came from onetime White House aide Sebastian Gorka at a conservative political jamboree. The humble ground-beef patty has become ammunition in a US cultural food fight since a Democrat argued Americans should eat fewer of the sandwiches. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been touting a climate change plan. Railing against Democrats, Mr Gorka told the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland on Thursday: "They want to take your pickup truck. "They want to rebuild your home. They want to take away your hamburgers." Perhaps even more dubiously, he added: "This is what Stalin dreamt about but never achieved." Ms Ocasio-Cortez provoked conservative scorn this month when she along with Senator Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, unveiled the Green New Deal. Their policy paper proposed to overhaul the US economy to tackle climate change. But it was a reference to "farting cows" in a since-retracted accompanying document that invited the ridicule of eager critics. "We set a goal to get to net-zero, rather than zero, emissions in 10 years because we aren't sure that we'll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast," the offending section said. There is no reference to banning cows in the text of the Green New Deal itself. But Republicans seized on it as evidence of a radical far-left agenda within the Democratic party. President Donald Trump suggested at a rally in El Paso, Texas, that "you're not allowed to own cows anymore". Republican members of the House Natural Resources Committee took to eating hamburgers on Capitol Hill to protest against the Green New Deal. The issue was quickly taken up on social media by conservatives, who shared photos of themselves cooking and eating beef. Addressing the controversy, Ms Ocasio-Cortez told a late-night talk show that nobody would be forced to "go vegan", but that "we've got to address factory farming". "Maybe we shouldn't be eating a hamburger for breakfast, lunch, and dinner," added the New York City congresswoman, a self-described democratic socialist. While bovine flatulence is often connected to climate change, a cow releases more greenhouse gasses through burping (around 600 litres of methane a day). Some suggested that even if the Green New Deal did call for a ban on burgers, it would be worth it to "save Earth". Skip Twitter post by @DerekTNG The Green New Deal doesn't ban hamburgers, obviously. But if it did, I'd give up burgers to save Earth. Derek Newton (@DerekTNG) February 28, 2019 Report Hamburger-gate raged on this week after Ms Ocasio-Cortez was photographed having dinner at a Washington restaurant with a colleague, who was caught eating the now-controversial meal. The photograph went viral, with some suggesting the congresswoman was a hypocrite. Ms Ocasio-Cortez's chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, joked that the photo proved a "vast conspiracy" to allow Americans to eat burgers. Americans eat nearly 50bn hamburgers a year, according to the Center for Investigative Reporting. | Ex-White House aide Sebastian Gorka said Democrats want to ban hamburgers. He said: "They want to take away your hamburgers" Claim came from onetime White House aide at a conservative political jamboree. Comes after Democrat argued Americans should eat fewer of the sandwiches. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-47394484 | 0.40117 |
How did Minnesota's indigenous people survive the extreme winters? | Rod Fisher spends a couple of Sundays each month during the winter hanging around a bonfire with some of his science teacher colleagues, maybe drinking an adult beverage and pondering the forces of nature. The colder the temperatures, the better. As the group gathered during last months steady stream of below freezing weather and unyielding snow, they pondered how the states Native American population survived the brutal elements centuries ago. The gentlemen realized the irony of their questions as they stood around in thermal clothing and just steps away from Fishers warm Eden Prairie home. Today kicks off Curious Minnesota, our community-driven reporting project that invites Star Tribune readers into the newsroom, letting us know what questions are important to you. Several readers posed the same one offered by Fisher, who admitted its pretty weird that he also likes to spend one night a year sleeping outside in the cold just to know what it feels like. Sharon Day, executive director of the Indigenous Peoples Task Force. When the Dakota, Ojibwa, Ho Chunk and other tribes lived throughout the state, meteorological studies suggest that from 1600 to 1850 the climate generally was colder and wetter than now. Minnesotas own Little Ice Age, the studies suggested. Sharon Day, 67, recalled hearing stories from her grandparents and living in several different houses as a young girl on the Bois Forte reservation near International Falls depending on the season. In the winter, the family lived on the western end where there were more trees to protect the house from the wind. In spring, they moved to an area with maple trees to harvest sap for sugar and syrup, she said. Summer was spent at a house by the lake. The houses were made out of birch bark, which never molds, said Day, executive director of the Indigenous Peoples Task Force. A pit would be built in the middle of the floor with rocks buried underneath the floor. When the rocks were heated, it would radiate the warmth. Our people were ingenious architects. While the houses on Days reservations had some variations, a typical lodge style house used by Native Americans would be constructed with trees natural to their region of the state. Sharpened logs were thrust into the ground and then bent and tied similar to that of an upside-down basket. The framework was covered with sheets of bark, and animal skins were used to cover the door as well as the chimney hole on the roof, said Day. Pole wigwams in the form of teepees were also constructed. Men and women greased themselves with oil and animal fat as a protection against the sun, cold and insects. The Athabaskan Indians of Alaska reportedly survived that climates 50-below temperatures by wearing caribou fur, which has a hollow, doubly-insulated fiber that sheds water and snow, according to the Alaska Native Knowledge Network at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Another way native people prepared for harsh storms was forecasting them. Generally speaking, there were always one or two elders who seemed to have a knack of understanding that. If the wind was bringing clouds from the north, it meant a blizzard. Other signs of nature were used to predict the weather, said the always trustworthy Farmers Almanac. Woodpeckers sharing one tree or one nest meant a harsh winter was coming. Indigenous people saw the cold as a living thing that deserved respect. Native Americans were extremely good at using animal parts. Once the meat had been eaten or dried, bones were used for tools. Hides were tanned and turned into everything from footwear to shelters. Gerald Vizenor, a renown American Indian writer from White Earth Reservation in northwestern Minnesota, suggested a unique item necessary to survive a harsh winter a good storyteller. Its something you want in adverse situations, and sitting around laughing makes you warm, he said. By the way, he now lives in Naples, Fla. --- If you'd like to submit a Curious Minnesota question, fill out the form below: | From 1600 to 1850, the climate in Minnesota was colder and wetter than now. Native Americans built houses out of birch bark and used animal parts for tools. Forecasters used woodpeckers to predict the weather. | ctrlsum | 1 | http://www.startribune.com/how-did-minnesota-natives-survive-our-extreme-winters-curious-minnesota-investigates/506217201/ | 0.188191 |
How did Minnesota's indigenous people survive the extreme winters? | Rod Fisher spends a couple of Sundays each month during the winter hanging around a bonfire with some of his science teacher colleagues, maybe drinking an adult beverage and pondering the forces of nature. The colder the temperatures, the better. As the group gathered during last months steady stream of below freezing weather and unyielding snow, they pondered how the states Native American population survived the brutal elements centuries ago. The gentlemen realized the irony of their questions as they stood around in thermal clothing and just steps away from Fishers warm Eden Prairie home. Today kicks off Curious Minnesota, our community-driven reporting project that invites Star Tribune readers into the newsroom, letting us know what questions are important to you. Several readers posed the same one offered by Fisher, who admitted its pretty weird that he also likes to spend one night a year sleeping outside in the cold just to know what it feels like. Sharon Day, executive director of the Indigenous Peoples Task Force. When the Dakota, Ojibwa, Ho Chunk and other tribes lived throughout the state, meteorological studies suggest that from 1600 to 1850 the climate generally was colder and wetter than now. Minnesotas own Little Ice Age, the studies suggested. Sharon Day, 67, recalled hearing stories from her grandparents and living in several different houses as a young girl on the Bois Forte reservation near International Falls depending on the season. In the winter, the family lived on the western end where there were more trees to protect the house from the wind. In spring, they moved to an area with maple trees to harvest sap for sugar and syrup, she said. Summer was spent at a house by the lake. The houses were made out of birch bark, which never molds, said Day, executive director of the Indigenous Peoples Task Force. A pit would be built in the middle of the floor with rocks buried underneath the floor. When the rocks were heated, it would radiate the warmth. Our people were ingenious architects. While the houses on Days reservations had some variations, a typical lodge style house used by Native Americans would be constructed with trees natural to their region of the state. Sharpened logs were thrust into the ground and then bent and tied similar to that of an upside-down basket. The framework was covered with sheets of bark, and animal skins were used to cover the door as well as the chimney hole on the roof, said Day. Pole wigwams in the form of teepees were also constructed. Men and women greased themselves with oil and animal fat as a protection against the sun, cold and insects. The Athabaskan Indians of Alaska reportedly survived that climates 50-below temperatures by wearing caribou fur, which has a hollow, doubly-insulated fiber that sheds water and snow, according to the Alaska Native Knowledge Network at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Another way native people prepared for harsh storms was forecasting them. Generally speaking, there were always one or two elders who seemed to have a knack of understanding that. If the wind was bringing clouds from the north, it meant a blizzard. Other signs of nature were used to predict the weather, said the always trustworthy Farmers Almanac. Woodpeckers sharing one tree or one nest meant a harsh winter was coming. Indigenous people saw the cold as a living thing that deserved respect. Native Americans were extremely good at using animal parts. Once the meat had been eaten or dried, bones were used for tools. Hides were tanned and turned into everything from footwear to shelters. Gerald Vizenor, a renown American Indian writer from White Earth Reservation in northwestern Minnesota, suggested a unique item necessary to survive a harsh winter a good storyteller. Its something you want in adverse situations, and sitting around laughing makes you warm, he said. By the way, he now lives in Naples, Fla. --- If you'd like to submit a Curious Minnesota question, fill out the form below: | From 1600 to 1850, the climate in Minnesota was colder and wetter than now. Native Americans built houses out of birch bark and used animal parts for tools. Forecasters used woodpeckers sharing one tree or one nest to predict a harsh winter was coming. | ctrlsum | 2 | http://www.startribune.com/how-did-minnesota-natives-survive-our-extreme-winters-curious-minnesota-investigates/506217201/ | 0.385866 |
Is Ted Cruz Emerging from the Shutdown a Winner? | In the wake of the government shutdown, its clear that Senator Ted Cruz has angered some members of his own party. In a lunch at The New Republic yesterday, Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist compared the last two weeks in the House of Representatives to rumspringa, in which Amish teenagers go to the big city and do sinful things, and then come home to more sensible ways of life (which he called Boehner-world). But as the dust settles, it seems Cruz has risen in the estimation of the vast majority of conservatives. Theres no such thing as bad press, as the saying goes. Some conservative staff on the Hill think the shutdown and debt debate have cemented Cruzs place as the Tea Partys wunderkind, according to The National Reviewa spot that was previously held by Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. This morning, the Review printed a collection of anonymous quotes from GOP aides saying disparaging things about Rubios supposedly conciliatory personality and, in particular, his push for comprehensive immigration reform, which so tarnished his standing on the right last spring. The base wants a leader who they feel is not going to sell them out, said one. Theyre deeply distrustful of the establishment, and immigration is one of those issues where the base feels they were sold out. Cruz, meanwhile, has proved himself to be the kind of guy who will take the party line and do conservatives one better (or, more accurately, one up). The Review notes glowingly that his voting record, as scored by Heritage Action, is a perfect 100 percent, compared to Rubios 86 percent. And while this doesnt sit well with all Republicans, it sits well with the ones who are at least nominally driving the ship: A Pew poll from earlier this week found that Cruzs antics had propelled his favorability up nearly 30 points among Tea Party Republicans and his unfavorability up 15 among non-Tea Partiers. Among Republicans as a whole, he had gained 11 points of positive feelingand a lot of visibility. With the crisis behind us, the 2016 predictions will be continuing apace, and it looks like Cruz will be leading the pack. The base is not looking for a conciliator, Al Cardenas, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, told the Review. Theyre not looking for someone who is good at compromising, who can make peace with the other side. Theyre looking for someone who will stand up to a very aggressive, disrespectful liberal opposition thats standing out there with bare knuckles winding up at us every chance they get. | Ted Cruz is emerging from the government shutdown as the Tea Party's wunderkind. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://newrepublic.com/article/115242/cruz-emerging-shutdown-winner | 0.2685 |
Is Ted Cruz Emerging from the Shutdown a Winner? | In the wake of the government shutdown, its clear that Senator Ted Cruz has angered some members of his own party. In a lunch at The New Republic yesterday, Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist compared the last two weeks in the House of Representatives to rumspringa, in which Amish teenagers go to the big city and do sinful things, and then come home to more sensible ways of life (which he called Boehner-world). But as the dust settles, it seems Cruz has risen in the estimation of the vast majority of conservatives. Theres no such thing as bad press, as the saying goes. Some conservative staff on the Hill think the shutdown and debt debate have cemented Cruzs place as the Tea Partys wunderkind, according to The National Reviewa spot that was previously held by Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. This morning, the Review printed a collection of anonymous quotes from GOP aides saying disparaging things about Rubios supposedly conciliatory personality and, in particular, his push for comprehensive immigration reform, which so tarnished his standing on the right last spring. The base wants a leader who they feel is not going to sell them out, said one. Theyre deeply distrustful of the establishment, and immigration is one of those issues where the base feels they were sold out. Cruz, meanwhile, has proved himself to be the kind of guy who will take the party line and do conservatives one better (or, more accurately, one up). The Review notes glowingly that his voting record, as scored by Heritage Action, is a perfect 100 percent, compared to Rubios 86 percent. And while this doesnt sit well with all Republicans, it sits well with the ones who are at least nominally driving the ship: A Pew poll from earlier this week found that Cruzs antics had propelled his favorability up nearly 30 points among Tea Party Republicans and his unfavorability up 15 among non-Tea Partiers. Among Republicans as a whole, he had gained 11 points of positive feelingand a lot of visibility. With the crisis behind us, the 2016 predictions will be continuing apace, and it looks like Cruz will be leading the pack. The base is not looking for a conciliator, Al Cardenas, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, told the Review. Theyre not looking for someone who is good at compromising, who can make peace with the other side. Theyre looking for someone who will stand up to a very aggressive, disrespectful liberal opposition thats standing out there with bare knuckles winding up at us every chance they get. | Ted Cruz's popularity has risen in the wake of the government shutdown. Some conservative staff on the Hill think the shutdown and debt debate have cemented Cruz's place as the Tea Partys wunderkind, according to The National Review. | bart | 1 | https://newrepublic.com/article/115242/cruz-emerging-shutdown-winner | 0.27486 |
Is Ted Cruz Emerging from the Shutdown a Winner? | In the wake of the government shutdown, its clear that Senator Ted Cruz has angered some members of his own party. In a lunch at The New Republic yesterday, Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist compared the last two weeks in the House of Representatives to rumspringa, in which Amish teenagers go to the big city and do sinful things, and then come home to more sensible ways of life (which he called Boehner-world). But as the dust settles, it seems Cruz has risen in the estimation of the vast majority of conservatives. Theres no such thing as bad press, as the saying goes. Some conservative staff on the Hill think the shutdown and debt debate have cemented Cruzs place as the Tea Partys wunderkind, according to The National Reviewa spot that was previously held by Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. This morning, the Review printed a collection of anonymous quotes from GOP aides saying disparaging things about Rubios supposedly conciliatory personality and, in particular, his push for comprehensive immigration reform, which so tarnished his standing on the right last spring. The base wants a leader who they feel is not going to sell them out, said one. Theyre deeply distrustful of the establishment, and immigration is one of those issues where the base feels they were sold out. Cruz, meanwhile, has proved himself to be the kind of guy who will take the party line and do conservatives one better (or, more accurately, one up). The Review notes glowingly that his voting record, as scored by Heritage Action, is a perfect 100 percent, compared to Rubios 86 percent. And while this doesnt sit well with all Republicans, it sits well with the ones who are at least nominally driving the ship: A Pew poll from earlier this week found that Cruzs antics had propelled his favorability up nearly 30 points among Tea Party Republicans and his unfavorability up 15 among non-Tea Partiers. Among Republicans as a whole, he had gained 11 points of positive feelingand a lot of visibility. With the crisis behind us, the 2016 predictions will be continuing apace, and it looks like Cruz will be leading the pack. The base is not looking for a conciliator, Al Cardenas, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, told the Review. Theyre not looking for someone who is good at compromising, who can make peace with the other side. Theyre looking for someone who will stand up to a very aggressive, disrespectful liberal opposition thats standing out there with bare knuckles winding up at us every chance they get. | Ted Cruz's popularity has risen in the wake of the government shutdown. Some conservative staff on the Hill think the shutdown and debt debate have cemented Cruz's place as the Tea Partys wunderkind. The National Review printed a collection of anonymous quotes from GOP aides saying disparaging things about Marco Rubio. | bart | 2 | https://newrepublic.com/article/115242/cruz-emerging-shutdown-winner | 0.327884 |
Is the Onions Film Criticism Better Than Its News Satire? | The Onion has gotten much attention over the past few months as its political op-eds have crept toward a bolder, buzzier kind of advocacy on subjects from Syria to sexism. In a lengthy reported piece in Slate last month, Farhad Manjoo argued that the site has gotten less funny as it has lost some of its slyness and become, under pressure from the viral age, more Jon-Stewart-esque: ultra-clever but also a little scoldy, oversmart, and lacking much nuance. But if thats the case, The Onions spirit of crafty subversion is alive and well in a quieter corner of the siteits film criticism. The weekly video feature Film Standard stars fake movie critic Peter K. Rosenthal, a quiet professorial type with a dignified tuft of gray hair and a wardrobe full of sweater vests. Each segment is off-kilter in a slightly different way. Rosenthal comments on a film with glazed seriousness, his analysis at first so sober that it is almost unrecognizable as satire, but gradually coming unhinged. Sometimes the segments lampoon the pretensions of film criticism, its blinkeredness and its overenthusiasm for symbolism. Sometimes they spoof the self-importance and epic ambitions of movies themselves. And granted, sometimes they belabor their jokes a bit too long. But on the whole The Onions film criticism manages to send up its subjects in ways that are subtle, surprising, and impressively weird. Gravity Review: Rosenthal describes Gravity as a space survival thriller so immersive and visually stunning it has driven everyone who has watched it violently mad, including myself. He then proceeds to go slowly insane while continuing his critical assessment. While 3D might be little more than a gimmick for some film-makers, Cuaron uses the extra dimension so flawlessly, it shut down the portions of my brain responsible for empathy, remorse, and basic reasoning, he declares. In the next shot, he is shirtless. As the films leads, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney do an amazing job, and I would like to eat both of them alive, he says. 12 Years a Slave Review: Again, Rosenthal starts slow, calling the movie a sprawling epic that chronicles an emotional story of hardship and survival. But the segment soon becomes a ridiculous pastiche of tour de force performances by black actors. For instance: Rosenthal cites a captivating performance from Denzel Washington, who appears as civil rights leader Malcolm X in his inspirational attempt to coach a racially divided high school football team in Alexandria, Virginia. Also: It is a sober film, but 12 Years a Slave is not without its moments of levity, provided mostly by Tyler Perrycut to an image of Perry in drag. | The Onions film criticism manages to send up its subjects in ways that are subtle, surprising, and impressively weird. | pegasus | 0 | https://newrepublic.com/article/115283/onions-film-criticism-better-its-news-satire | 0.107823 |
Can the Xavier Musketeers steal a spot in the NCAA Tournament? | CLOSE Naji Marshall poured in a career-high 31 points to help Xavier to a fifth straight win Thursday, 84-73 over St. John's Adam Baum, abaum@enquirer.com QUEENS, N.Y. No team likes to lose. Losing, though, can have a transformative effect. It can either break a team's back and fracture a season, or it can bind a team together. Xavier seems to have been inspired and empowered by what hasn't gone its way this season, and that's translated to a conversation about where the Musketeers sit in the postseason discussion. The answer right now is still complicated. But the fact that it's complicated is a wonder in and of itself. Xavier Musketeers guard Paul Scruggs (1) shoots a 3-pointer in the second half of the NCAA men's basketball game between Xavier Musketeers and Villanova Wildcats on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2019, at Cintas Center in Cincinnati. Xavier Musketeers defeated Villanova Wildcats 66-54. (Photo: Albert Cesare / The Enquirer) Less than three weeks ago, Xavier was 11-13 overall, 3-8 in league play and ranked at the bottom of the Big East Conference following six straight losses. After five straight wins, the Musketeers are the hottest team in the Big East, currently tied for third place with St. John's at 16-13 overall and 8-8 in the conference. During the current streak, Xavier's climbed from No. 107 in the KenPom national rankings up to 71 on Friday, following an 84-73 win Thursday at St. John's. KenPom is not the deciding factor for NCAA Tournament at-large bids, but it is a factor. It's the NCAA NET rankings that decide who's in and who's out. The good news: Xavier's also rated No. 71 in the NET with two regular-season games remaining Tuesday at Butler and March 9 at home against St. John's. Butler currently sits at No. 54 in the NET, meaning a Xavier win would qualify as another quadrant one win the best-looking win on a team's rsum. A quad one win is defined as a win at home against a team ranked 1-30 in the NET, or a win on a neutral court against a team ranked 1-50, or a true road win against a team ranked 1-75. With Xavier's dismantling of St. John's Thursday, the Red Storm fell to No. 59 in the NET. If Xavier can win its last two games on the schedule ahead of the Big East Tournament, the Musketeers would have a compelling case for the NCAA Tournament. Even if that plays out, Xavier's far from a lock. The most likely scenario is that Xavier's fate will be decided by how the Musketeers fair at Madison Square Garden March 13-16 in the Big East Tournament. Xavier's the hottest team in the conference right now, so maybe the uncertainty is a positive. It could mean that the motivated team currently on display hangs around for a few more weeks. NEWSLETTERS Get the Bengals Beat newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-876-4500. Delivery: Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Bengals Beat Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters The Naji Marshall wrecking ball Naji Marshall, not long after scoring a career-high 31 points in that upset of St. John's, emerged shoeless from the locker room for a series of interviews. In one of those interviews, the sophomore forward said the trials of this season have undoubtedly made them closer. "Nobody hung their heads," said Marshall, who's averaging 22.6 points per game during the win streak. "Everybody was with each other and for everybody to see that I think we all connected." That turnaround is something Xavier didn't need to verbalize. The Musketeers knew their backs were against the wall. "We don't talk very much about it," said Marshall. "We know what's going on. We lost six games in a row. There's a lot of teams out here that ain't losing and we know if we wanna make the tournament we gotta pick it up. We just got tired of people putting dirt on our name. We knew how good we were, we knew it was just us and we just turned it up to a different level." Travis Steele, who's basically been through the gambit of emotions in his first season as Xavier's head coach, said, "Man, I'm so happy for our guys. They stuck with it when things looked dark and gloomy they stuck with it and it's a process. Again, we just want to stick to the process of getting better, coming to practice with great energy, great effort and the guys have done that and I think our defensive identity on that end of the floor has really changed and helped change our season around." This is not the time for celebration. As good as Marshall and Xavier are playing, it's not about what's already happened, it's about the next game. "It's an unbelievable feeling but I try not to get too happy because we still got a long season left," said Marshall. "We got the Big East Tournament, hopefully, the NCAA Tournament, and there's many games to play left. That game's in the past now. It's all about the next." | Xavier Musketeers are the hottest team in the Big East. Xavier's climbed from No. 107 in the KenPom national rankings up to 71 on Friday. If Xavier can win its last two games on the schedule, the Musketeer would have a compelling case for the NCAA Tournament. | bart | 2 | https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/college/xavier/xaviersports/2019/03/01/ncaa-tournament-bubble-watch-can-xavier-find-way-bracket/3023632002/ | 0.18658 |
Why Aren't There More Female Libertarians? | Close your eyes and picture a libertarian. Maybe Rand Pauls grinning visage and satyr-like curls swim before your lids. Maybe you see that guy from college who hijacked a seminar on Madame Bovary by pontificating about laissez-faire economics. Either way, you are definitely picturing a white dude. Anything else would be pretty close to inaccurate, as a survey released by the Public Religion Research Institute earlier this week reminds us. Compared to the general population, the 7 percent of Americans who identify as libertarian (plus an additional 15 percent with libertarian leanings) are significantly more likely to be non-Hispanic white, male, and young. Nearly all libertarians are non-Hispanic whites (94%), more than two-thirds (68%) are men, and more than 6-in-10 (62%) are under the age of 50. A good deal has been written about why libertarianism is off-putting to so many people of color, especially after bigoted newsletters that were published in Ron Pauls name in the 1980s and 90s resurfaced in 2011. The thing about freedom is that its heights are limitless, and its lows are bottomless. Libertarians, I presume, look at that void and never consider that they will do anything but rise. And communalists, as the Research Institute dubbed the other end of the spectrum, probably look and are horrified by the many eventualities that could sink them. This is Thomas Hobbess "state of nature": The strong snap up all the firewood and nuts and berries and whatnot, and the weak die starving and shivering in the cold. In any state of nature that todays libertarians would like to return us to, women seem as well-equipped to succeed as men, their paucity of brute strength not being such an issue thanks to modern amenities. So the divide must be more between how women see themselves and how men, especially libertarian men, see themselvesnot how they actually are. That conclusion shouldnt come as a surprise to pretty much anybody, and beyond its intuitive familiarity, theres plenty of research to back it up. Of course, Sheryl Sandberg and her class of professional superwomen have drilled home the ways women sell themselves short in professional settings. As one Sandberg acolyte writes at Slate, A 2011 study by Carnegie Mellon University found that men were four times more likely to ask for a pay raise than women. Women were more likely to wait until a promotion or assignment was offered, rather than asking for it in advance. And this same confidence gap defines womens expectations of their personal prospects. According to a study, almost half of American women fear becoming bag ladies and living in destitution on the street. Forty-nine percent of women making $25,000 or more believe homeless is not outside the realm of possibility for themand 27 percent of women earning over $200,000 a year carry the same anxiety. The study didnt poll men, but Id hazard a guess that their responses wouldnt suggest the same level of self-doubt. | Survey: 7 percent of Americans who identify as libertarian are non-Hispanic white, male, and young. Peggy Drexler: Why aren't there more female Libertarians? She says the divide must be more between how women see themselves and how men, especially libertarian men, see themselves. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://newrepublic.com/article/115410/why-arent-there-more-female-libertarians | 0.285104 |
Was Oscar Wilde's Outlandish Personality More Influential Than His Writing? | Among those who knew Wilde, few, however hostile, failed in the recognition of his qualities so far as to agree with Henry James that he was nothing more than a "fatuous cad." Even W. E. Henley, who stood out against everything Wilde represented, called him "the sketch of a great man," and Charles Ricketts, an intimate friend who saw Wilde when the armour of public personality had been put aside, probably made the most perceptive estimate of Wilde's stature when he said: "In intellect and humanity he is the largest type I have come across. Other greater men in my time were great in some one thing, not large in their very texture." The men who knew Wilde best remembered him, significantly, as a personality and a conversationalist rather than as a writer. Bernard Shaw, when asked shortly before his own death what persons he would most like to meet, replied: "1 do not want to talk to anybody, alive or dead, but if I craved for entertaining conversation by a first-class raconteur, I should choose Oscar Wilde." Even George Moote, who hated Wilde with that peculiar intensity which Irishmen reserve for each other, agreed after a dinner where Wilde was present that the latter's conversation was one of the most delightful things in life. And Yeats, who thought little of Wilde as a writer, was unreserved in his praise of Wilde as a talker. This extraordinary conversational talent was not, as many of Wilde's critics have suggested, a matter of insubstantial playing with words. On the contrary, it seems often to have had an underlying seriousness of intention and always to have been supported by wide learning. The scientist, Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell, encountered Wilde during the latter's last years of exile, and was so impressed by this single conversation that very many years later he defended Wilde as "a man of wide information and interests, and of commanding intelligence." And the artist, William Rothenstein, confirmed this with the remark that Wilde had "an extraordinarily illuminating intellect. " Of the men whose opinions I have quoted, only one, Ricketts, was a close friend of Wilde, and two at least of the others were declared enemies, yet, with the curious exception of Henry James, they appear to have been unanimous in feeling that Wilde was not merely a brilliant talker, but also a personality who at least verged on greatness. It is this impression of a mental as well as a physical giant that explains, not merely the impression Wilde made on his contemporaries in the heyday of his success, but also the indelible interest his character retained in the minds of those who had known him. They may not, indeed, have seen him as a figure in symbolic relation to his age, but they did see him as something extraordinary in any era. It is not often that one is present at the fall of a titan, and it was clearly the magnitude of Wilde's personality, even more than the circumstances of his downfall, that crystallized his fate into so patent a legend. But this does not explain why, despite their manifest imperfections and excesses, his works are still read, often with impatience, rarely with indifference. The explanation for this is perhaps to be found in the fact that something at least of his largeness of personality enters into his writing and suffuses even so absurd a piece of pastiche as The Picture of Dorian Gray with a quality of daring that raises it above mediocrity. Arthur Symons, indeed, contended that it was Wilde's attitudes rather than his achievements that were important. This opinion is not wholly just to Wilde, since it ignores the fact that some at least of his writings are of enduring value, but it remains true that Wilde never fulfilled in writing the whole of his potentialities; it is more than suggestive that the work which contains most of himself should have been called Intentions, for it suggested the promise of all that was never achieved. | Few knew Wilde as a writer, but he was a great talker, writes Andrew Keen. He says Wilde's personality was more important than his writing. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://newrepublic.com/article/115196/george-woodcock-oscar-wildes-legacy | 0.264829 |
Are Unmarried People Bad for the Economy? | It's a Gallup poll that seems ripped from the deepest fantasies of conservatives: unmarried people are actually hurting the economy, and so more marriage might help the country's bottom line. Married Americans report a daily spending average of $102, followed by $98 among those who are living in domestic partnerships, $74 by divorced Americans, $67 by those who are single and never married, and $62 by those who are widowed. ... These results suggest that if more Americans are married, and fewer are single/never married, overall spending might increase. Similarly, if more Americans are in domestic partnerships and fewer are single, that too would appear to be related to higher spending. But, as Gallup correctly points out, one reason that unmarried people are spending less is that they make less. Marriage, for a whole host of messy cultural and socioeconomic reasons, has become a luxury item in America despite the fact that getting hitched (or simply moving in together) and splitting the cost of rent is one of the easiest ways to quickly acquire more spending money. That's why I don't think the real takeaway should neccessarily be that more cohabitation is the way to get Americans throwing around cash. Another way to get spending up is to get rent down, and in big, crowded cities like New York or D.C., that means developing and building more affordable housing options. It's certainly less scoldy and far more realistic than saying people ought to get hitched for the sake of the economy. | Married Americans report a daily spending average of $102, followed by $98 among those who are living in domestic partnerships. Gallup correctly points out that unmarried people are spending less because they make less. Getting hitched (or simply moving in together) and splitting the cost of rent is one of the easiest ways to quickly acquire more spending money. | pegasus | 2 | https://newrepublic.com/article/115381/are-unmarried-people-bad-economy | 0.118455 |
Why Are Critics So Squeamish About Rebel Wilson's Weight? | In one scene from Rebel Wilsons sitcom Super Fun Night, which premiered last night on ABC, Wilsons characteran attorney named Kimmie Boubiercareens screaming down the hallway as if fleeing a fire. Whats the rush? a colleague asks her. Someone just tweeted there were jelly donuts in the break room, she replies. Youve got the heart of a lion, in the body of a much larger lion, Kimmies skinny co-worker tells her in another scene. There are countless body-related gags in last nights episode alone. In one scene Kimmie gets her skirt stuck in an elevator and is left half-naked sipping a smoothie in front of her crush as the skirt unravels. Super Fun Night, for all Wilsons charms, is not a very funny show. But more entertaining than the sitcom itself has been seeing so many critics contort themselves into pretzels of political correctness while trying to review it. The Washington Post, The Star Ledger, and Flavorwire steered clear of any mentions of Wilsons weight, the Post opting instead to diagnose "the unsettling, split-personality narrative of today's post-feminist young women." The New York Daily News got euphemistic: A steady flow of easy body-parts jokes...distract us. The Miami Herald referred only to a plucky band of size 16s. The Denver Post dropped in one tentative reference to over-size Kimmie. The AV Club called Wilson and her co-stars less conventionally attractive women. Variety seemed to be tripping over itself to not to say the one thing on its mindshe finds herself in a vehicle that isnt as big and buoyant as her personality; the material is relatively slight; its a slim conceit. Clearly there were notable exceptions, like Willa Paskin's thorough review in Slate. But it was surprising to see how many critics handled Wilsons unapologetic emphasis on her own weight by avoiding the subject entirely. This feels like the opposite effect of what Wilson wanted. Part of the reason why the show is a tough one to review is that there is not much else like it; it is subversive as network sitcoms gogenuinely off-putting and aggressive in its abuse of Kimmie (the pilot, to be aired next week, even more so). Super Fun Night is broadly a comedy about a band of misfits embracing their own awkwardness, but it is also definitively about weight. The premiere ends with a long scene in which Wilson attempts to put a pair of Spanx on. But assessing the merit of jokes about women and weight still feels weirdly like a critical taboo. Mike and Molly, which premiered in 2010 and stars Melissa McCarthy, could hardly be a more different show: sweet and sensitive where Super Fun Night is brash. It prompted groan-inducing puns to the tune of Mike and Molly Displays a Healthy Appetite for Humor" and "In love, one size fits all." But for a show about a couple that meets at Weight Watchers, many reviewers were surprisingly coy in their criticism. (Entertainment Weekly summarized the plot as a Chicago cop and a fourth-grade teacher falling in love despite their own insecurities, which seems like a willful omission.) | Rebel Wilson's new ABC sitcom "Super Fun Night" premiered last night. The show is about a couple that meets at Weight Watchers, but it is also definitively about weight. Critics have been surprisingly coy in their criticism of the show. But assessing the merit of jokes about women and weight still feels weirdly like a critical taboo. | bart | 2 | https://newrepublic.com/article/114972/why-are-critics-so-squeamish-about-rebel-wilsons-weight | 0.12989 |
Is LeBreton Flats cursed? | That noise you just heard was Robert Randall, now about 250 years old, snorting a great guffaw from his Drummond Hill Cemetery grave in Niagara Falls. LeBreton Flats? you can hear him thunder across the miles and centuries. Let me tell you about LeBreton Flats! ITS CURSED! If you run your fingers over Randalls headstone (he spelled his name Randal in later years), you might still be able to make out the inscription that has been worn almost smooth by lifetimes of wind, rain, time and injustice: In memory of Robert Randal, Esq., M.P.P. The victim of colonial misrule, who died May 2nd, 1834, age 66 years. Let us be clear, Randall was no saint: he was the first American caught attempting to bribe Congress when he schemed to purchase 18 to 20 million acres of land in Michigan. But as the original titleholder of what later became known as LeBreton Flats, he watched helplessly as his 950 acres were unfairly swept out from under him in a sham of a court case. The accursed Flats, meanwhile, has yet to fully recover. Here are some of the events and people that have haunted the Flats over the years. Robert Randall Notwithstanding the Algonquin and other First Nations people who made it their meeting place long before Randalls forebears packed their bags and sailed to the New World, Randall (also spelled Randal) was the original titleholder of the Flats, then known as Richmond Landing. An entrepreneur with big ideas and small pockets, hed spent a little more than six years in debtors prison in Montreal and upon his release, a further three trying to settle the score with those who put him there. He won his case, which included an award of 10,000 pounds, but it was appealed. Having no money to pay Henry Boulton, his lawyer, Boulton launched an action against Randall in 1819, ultimately taking Randalls Bytown property, and selling it as soon as he could. John LeBreton Capt. John LeBreton had been eyeing Randalls property for some time, after overhearing plans to construct the Rideau Canal through it. For LeBreton, Randalls now Boultons land was a speculators dream, a way to a quick buck. He, however, didnt have the means with which to buy it, but knew a man, a Brockville lawyer named Levius P. Sherwood, who did. The two became partners. In 1820, in a poorly advertised sale, the pair bought the land for 499 pounds. For Boulton, the sum was far less than the land was worth, but much more than Randall originally owed him, and so everyone was happy (everyone, that is, but Randall, who when he heard of the deal, sued his former lawyer. He lost, however, with his new lawyer, Alexander Stewart, describing the court action that relieved his client of his property thusly: (A) more rascally proceeding never disgraced the administration of justice in any country.) LeBretons plans to make a quick killing were short-lived. He offered the land to the Crown for 3,000 pounds, and Lord Dalhousie, governor of British North America, was so galled by LeBretons indecent and shameful imposition that he and Colonel By redrew their plans for the canal, bypassing the Flats altogether. Fire! On the morning of April 26, 1900, a chimney fire broke out in a house in Hull, near the corner of where St. Rdempteur and Vaudreuil Streets now meet. Encouraged by nearby wooden houses, strong winds and massive stacks of lumber, the fire grew in size, eventually destroying half of Hull and about one-fifth of Ottawa, including pretty much everything on the Flats. If one could imagine a snow storm of particles of fire instead of snow, it would give some idea of the intensity, was how E.B. Eddy described it. In Ottawa, the fire travelled south along Division Street (now Booth Street) to Carling Avenue, where bucket brigades halted its progress. Seven people died in the conflagration, and more than 14,000 people were left homeless, including more than 8,000 on the Ottawa side. At the time, the Flats was a mix of industry, hotels, churches, schools and taverns, as well as the homes of workers and business owners alike, the latter including such notable builders as J.R. Booth. All the development that had shaped LeBreton Flats over the previous 75 years was wiped out in a couple of hours. Make way for progress After the Great Fire of 1900, the industrialists moved their homes to higher, more distant, and presumably safer ground, and the Flats was rebuilt. Many of the homes apartments and row homes were not built to any particular code. Over the years, as the buildings aged, many (mostly non-residents) felt the area, a working-class neighbourhood mixed with trainyards and light industry, had become an eyesore. Additionally, The Grber Report city plan of 1950, intended to make Ottawa a great national capital, recommended moving the citys railways and industry off the Ottawa River. So in April 1962, under the banner of urban renewal, the National Capital Commission announced plans to expropriate the Flats. Gone would be the junkyards and auto repair shops, the aging homes and noisy locomotive. In their place would be bright new government buildings, including a large headquarters for the Department of National Defence the Pentagon of the North, they promised. Almost 3,000 residents were forced to leave, their homes leveled as each departed. And then, for the next 40 years, nothing happened. The Badlands Little consensus could be reached on what to do with the Flats, a problem exacerbated by the plethora of stakeholders in its ownership, including the federal government, Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton and the City of Ottawa, and so it sat empty for decades. Or, rather, almost empty. Echoes of its past industrial use were still present in the form of contaminated soil. Meanwhile, its post-expropriation use as a city snow dump further harmed the Flats, with spring melt-water worsening the contamination. Much of the soil, it was discovered, would have to be scraped away and remediated before any development could take place. Life Returns to LeBreton By the end of the 20th century, some sort of life began returning to the Flats. Ottawas Bluesfest held its annual July music festival there for three years, beginning in 1999, and in 2007 returned to the Flats, which it has called home ever since. Meanwhile, the Canadian War Museum opened there in 2005, and the first residents moved into the expropriated lands in 2008, when the first condominiums were built. But the high winds that helped wreak such havoc in 1900 returned, too, most spectacularly in 2011 during Bluesfest, when a thunderstorm destroyed the venues main stage during a concert by Cheap Trick. According to the bands manager, Dave Frey, the 50-ton roof above the temporary stage fell about 20 metres in under a second, as fans scrambled for their lives. The bands equipment truck, parked directly behind the stage, may have prevented any fatalities from occurring: when the rig fell, it landed on the truck, leaving a two-metre gap between the roof and the stage. Three people were injured in the incident. Back to the Drawing Board Recent plans for LeBreton Flats fell apart when the relationship between RendezVous LeBreton development partners John Ruddy and Eugene Melnyk deteriorated to the point that each sued the other. Following failed mediation efforts to bring the two together and salvage their plans to build a new arena, library, cafes and office and condo highrises, the NCC this week declared the project dead. Robert Randall is probably still laughing. ALSO IN THE NEWS: City opts to ditch beeping snow-clearing machines, go with whoosh sound instead Ottawa Senators fire head coach Guy Boucher NCC cancels LeBreton deal but may salvage planning work in new process bdeachman@postmedia.com | LeBreton Flats has been cursed since the early 1800s. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/is-lebreton-flats-cursed | 0.624803 |
Is LeBreton Flats cursed? | That noise you just heard was Robert Randall, now about 250 years old, snorting a great guffaw from his Drummond Hill Cemetery grave in Niagara Falls. LeBreton Flats? you can hear him thunder across the miles and centuries. Let me tell you about LeBreton Flats! ITS CURSED! If you run your fingers over Randalls headstone (he spelled his name Randal in later years), you might still be able to make out the inscription that has been worn almost smooth by lifetimes of wind, rain, time and injustice: In memory of Robert Randal, Esq., M.P.P. The victim of colonial misrule, who died May 2nd, 1834, age 66 years. Let us be clear, Randall was no saint: he was the first American caught attempting to bribe Congress when he schemed to purchase 18 to 20 million acres of land in Michigan. But as the original titleholder of what later became known as LeBreton Flats, he watched helplessly as his 950 acres were unfairly swept out from under him in a sham of a court case. The accursed Flats, meanwhile, has yet to fully recover. Here are some of the events and people that have haunted the Flats over the years. Robert Randall Notwithstanding the Algonquin and other First Nations people who made it their meeting place long before Randalls forebears packed their bags and sailed to the New World, Randall (also spelled Randal) was the original titleholder of the Flats, then known as Richmond Landing. An entrepreneur with big ideas and small pockets, hed spent a little more than six years in debtors prison in Montreal and upon his release, a further three trying to settle the score with those who put him there. He won his case, which included an award of 10,000 pounds, but it was appealed. Having no money to pay Henry Boulton, his lawyer, Boulton launched an action against Randall in 1819, ultimately taking Randalls Bytown property, and selling it as soon as he could. John LeBreton Capt. John LeBreton had been eyeing Randalls property for some time, after overhearing plans to construct the Rideau Canal through it. For LeBreton, Randalls now Boultons land was a speculators dream, a way to a quick buck. He, however, didnt have the means with which to buy it, but knew a man, a Brockville lawyer named Levius P. Sherwood, who did. The two became partners. In 1820, in a poorly advertised sale, the pair bought the land for 499 pounds. For Boulton, the sum was far less than the land was worth, but much more than Randall originally owed him, and so everyone was happy (everyone, that is, but Randall, who when he heard of the deal, sued his former lawyer. He lost, however, with his new lawyer, Alexander Stewart, describing the court action that relieved his client of his property thusly: (A) more rascally proceeding never disgraced the administration of justice in any country.) LeBretons plans to make a quick killing were short-lived. He offered the land to the Crown for 3,000 pounds, and Lord Dalhousie, governor of British North America, was so galled by LeBretons indecent and shameful imposition that he and Colonel By redrew their plans for the canal, bypassing the Flats altogether. Fire! On the morning of April 26, 1900, a chimney fire broke out in a house in Hull, near the corner of where St. Rdempteur and Vaudreuil Streets now meet. Encouraged by nearby wooden houses, strong winds and massive stacks of lumber, the fire grew in size, eventually destroying half of Hull and about one-fifth of Ottawa, including pretty much everything on the Flats. If one could imagine a snow storm of particles of fire instead of snow, it would give some idea of the intensity, was how E.B. Eddy described it. In Ottawa, the fire travelled south along Division Street (now Booth Street) to Carling Avenue, where bucket brigades halted its progress. Seven people died in the conflagration, and more than 14,000 people were left homeless, including more than 8,000 on the Ottawa side. At the time, the Flats was a mix of industry, hotels, churches, schools and taverns, as well as the homes of workers and business owners alike, the latter including such notable builders as J.R. Booth. All the development that had shaped LeBreton Flats over the previous 75 years was wiped out in a couple of hours. Make way for progress After the Great Fire of 1900, the industrialists moved their homes to higher, more distant, and presumably safer ground, and the Flats was rebuilt. Many of the homes apartments and row homes were not built to any particular code. Over the years, as the buildings aged, many (mostly non-residents) felt the area, a working-class neighbourhood mixed with trainyards and light industry, had become an eyesore. Additionally, The Grber Report city plan of 1950, intended to make Ottawa a great national capital, recommended moving the citys railways and industry off the Ottawa River. So in April 1962, under the banner of urban renewal, the National Capital Commission announced plans to expropriate the Flats. Gone would be the junkyards and auto repair shops, the aging homes and noisy locomotive. In their place would be bright new government buildings, including a large headquarters for the Department of National Defence the Pentagon of the North, they promised. Almost 3,000 residents were forced to leave, their homes leveled as each departed. And then, for the next 40 years, nothing happened. The Badlands Little consensus could be reached on what to do with the Flats, a problem exacerbated by the plethora of stakeholders in its ownership, including the federal government, Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton and the City of Ottawa, and so it sat empty for decades. Or, rather, almost empty. Echoes of its past industrial use were still present in the form of contaminated soil. Meanwhile, its post-expropriation use as a city snow dump further harmed the Flats, with spring melt-water worsening the contamination. Much of the soil, it was discovered, would have to be scraped away and remediated before any development could take place. Life Returns to LeBreton By the end of the 20th century, some sort of life began returning to the Flats. Ottawas Bluesfest held its annual July music festival there for three years, beginning in 1999, and in 2007 returned to the Flats, which it has called home ever since. Meanwhile, the Canadian War Museum opened there in 2005, and the first residents moved into the expropriated lands in 2008, when the first condominiums were built. But the high winds that helped wreak such havoc in 1900 returned, too, most spectacularly in 2011 during Bluesfest, when a thunderstorm destroyed the venues main stage during a concert by Cheap Trick. According to the bands manager, Dave Frey, the 50-ton roof above the temporary stage fell about 20 metres in under a second, as fans scrambled for their lives. The bands equipment truck, parked directly behind the stage, may have prevented any fatalities from occurring: when the rig fell, it landed on the truck, leaving a two-metre gap between the roof and the stage. Three people were injured in the incident. Back to the Drawing Board Recent plans for LeBreton Flats fell apart when the relationship between RendezVous LeBreton development partners John Ruddy and Eugene Melnyk deteriorated to the point that each sued the other. Following failed mediation efforts to bring the two together and salvage their plans to build a new arena, library, cafes and office and condo highrises, the NCC this week declared the project dead. Robert Randall is probably still laughing. ALSO IN THE NEWS: City opts to ditch beeping snow-clearing machines, go with whoosh sound instead Ottawa Senators fire head coach Guy Boucher NCC cancels LeBreton deal but may salvage planning work in new process bdeachman@postmedia.com | LeBreton Flats has been cursed since it was first purchased in 1820. The land has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the years. The Flats have also been the target of some of the world's most notorious criminals. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/is-lebreton-flats-cursed | 0.702343 |
Is GDP Growth Strong Or Are Our Expectations Low? | I think you can probably guess my answer already, but, let me back up a bit. New GDP growth data were released yesterday. Though they are preliminary, they indicate a slowdown in fourth quarter 2018 to 2.6% (compared to 3.4% in third quarter). This was not unexpected and was in fact more positive than some had hoped. But thats not what jumped out at me when reading the New York Times coverage. Rather, it was the treatment of 3% growth as a significant accomplishment. This is not unique to them. It has become the standard view and this is disturbing. Low growth has become the new normal. Consider this: from 1950 through 2000 (that end point being the conclusion of the long 1990s expansion), US inflation-adjusted GDP grew at an average rate of 3.77%. Since then, it has been 1.91%. This is a remarkable slowdown. But, the economics-savvy reader might interject here, this is probably because the second period includes the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Removing that might make a huge difference! Nope, not at all. To make it a fair comparison, I divided each period into recession and expansion years and then took those averages by themselves: 1950-2000 avg recessionary GDP growth rate: -1.24% avg expansionary GDP growth rate: 4.84% 2001-2018 avg recessionary GDP growth rate: -1.32% avg expansionary GDP growth rate: 2.49% As you can see, recessions in the second period were more severe, but barely so. Expansions, however, have been almost exactly half the strength since the end of the dot.com expansion. Not only is that a remarkable difference by itself, but dont forget that these are averages per year and they compound over time. Thats really bad news. There are myriad reasons, but I want to pick out just one because its the easiest to fix: the lackluster contributions by government spending to GDP. It is both unfair and unrealistic to expect the private sector to hire all those who are willing to work. For the private sector, labor is a cost. And, as labor-saving technologies advance, so this becomes an even greater challenge. We therefore need the government to play an increasingly active role in contributing to employment and spending. And we are doing just the opposite. The three charts below show the contributions of the various components of GDP to overall GDP growth. If that component helped, its above the line; if it hurt, its below the line. The relative impact is represented by the size of the bar for that particular quarter. Look at the pictures below (you may need to right click and open them in a separate window where they will be larger) and examine the purple bars, or the contributions of government spending to GDP growth (because 1950 to 2000 is a much longer period, I broke it into two pieces). Of the 168 quarters of expansion from 1950 through 2000, 41 bars show government spending as a net drag. This is 24%. Meanwhile, from 2001 through 2018 (a total of 61 quarters of expansion), government spending (or, rather, lack thereof) is a drag 23 times, or 38%. To make matters worse, all but three of the latter have come since the Financial Crisis and particularly under the Obama administration. That means that in the extremely sluggish expansion since June 2009 (38 quarters), weak government spending has served as a net drag 53% of the time. Deficit hysteria and fiscal responsibility are weighing us down like an anchor. The US government cant possibly default on debt denominated in dollars and government spending means money in the pocket of the private sector. The Republicans have done a much better job of not worrying about the debt than the Democrats (at least in practice, if not in rhetoric); hence President Obamas dismal record of 19 quarters of fiscal drag over 31 quarters of expansion. For President Trump, its only been two of eight quarters, and to be fair one of those should really be under Obama since it was first quarter 2017. Of course, we have yet to see the impact of the government shutdown. If President Trumps rocky presidency leaves us with a Democrat in the White House in 2021, wed better hope its one of Green New Deal variety. They understand not only how government budgeting actually works (unlike the rest of the Democratic Party), but that we cant expect the private sector to do all the heavy lifting (unlike the Republican Party). If not, we might want to start to adjust to being excited about 2% growth. | New GDP growth data were released yesterday. Though they are preliminary, they indicate a slowdown in fourth quarter 2018 to 2.6%. This was not unexpected and was in fact more positive than some had hoped. Low growth has become the new normal. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/johntharvey/2019/03/01/is-gdp-growth-strong-or-are-our-expectations-low/ | 0.208525 |
Is GDP Growth Strong Or Are Our Expectations Low? | I think you can probably guess my answer already, but, let me back up a bit. New GDP growth data were released yesterday. Though they are preliminary, they indicate a slowdown in fourth quarter 2018 to 2.6% (compared to 3.4% in third quarter). This was not unexpected and was in fact more positive than some had hoped. But thats not what jumped out at me when reading the New York Times coverage. Rather, it was the treatment of 3% growth as a significant accomplishment. This is not unique to them. It has become the standard view and this is disturbing. Low growth has become the new normal. Consider this: from 1950 through 2000 (that end point being the conclusion of the long 1990s expansion), US inflation-adjusted GDP grew at an average rate of 3.77%. Since then, it has been 1.91%. This is a remarkable slowdown. But, the economics-savvy reader might interject here, this is probably because the second period includes the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Removing that might make a huge difference! Nope, not at all. To make it a fair comparison, I divided each period into recession and expansion years and then took those averages by themselves: 1950-2000 avg recessionary GDP growth rate: -1.24% avg expansionary GDP growth rate: 4.84% 2001-2018 avg recessionary GDP growth rate: -1.32% avg expansionary GDP growth rate: 2.49% As you can see, recessions in the second period were more severe, but barely so. Expansions, however, have been almost exactly half the strength since the end of the dot.com expansion. Not only is that a remarkable difference by itself, but dont forget that these are averages per year and they compound over time. Thats really bad news. There are myriad reasons, but I want to pick out just one because its the easiest to fix: the lackluster contributions by government spending to GDP. It is both unfair and unrealistic to expect the private sector to hire all those who are willing to work. For the private sector, labor is a cost. And, as labor-saving technologies advance, so this becomes an even greater challenge. We therefore need the government to play an increasingly active role in contributing to employment and spending. And we are doing just the opposite. The three charts below show the contributions of the various components of GDP to overall GDP growth. If that component helped, its above the line; if it hurt, its below the line. The relative impact is represented by the size of the bar for that particular quarter. Look at the pictures below (you may need to right click and open them in a separate window where they will be larger) and examine the purple bars, or the contributions of government spending to GDP growth (because 1950 to 2000 is a much longer period, I broke it into two pieces). Of the 168 quarters of expansion from 1950 through 2000, 41 bars show government spending as a net drag. This is 24%. Meanwhile, from 2001 through 2018 (a total of 61 quarters of expansion), government spending (or, rather, lack thereof) is a drag 23 times, or 38%. To make matters worse, all but three of the latter have come since the Financial Crisis and particularly under the Obama administration. That means that in the extremely sluggish expansion since June 2009 (38 quarters), weak government spending has served as a net drag 53% of the time. Deficit hysteria and fiscal responsibility are weighing us down like an anchor. The US government cant possibly default on debt denominated in dollars and government spending means money in the pocket of the private sector. The Republicans have done a much better job of not worrying about the debt than the Democrats (at least in practice, if not in rhetoric); hence President Obamas dismal record of 19 quarters of fiscal drag over 31 quarters of expansion. For President Trump, its only been two of eight quarters, and to be fair one of those should really be under Obama since it was first quarter 2017. Of course, we have yet to see the impact of the government shutdown. If President Trumps rocky presidency leaves us with a Democrat in the White House in 2021, wed better hope its one of Green New Deal variety. They understand not only how government budgeting actually works (unlike the rest of the Democratic Party), but that we cant expect the private sector to do all the heavy lifting (unlike the Republican Party). If not, we might want to start to adjust to being excited about 2% growth. | New GDP growth data were released yesterday. Though they are preliminary, they indicate a slowdown in fourth quarter 2018 to 2.6% (compared to 3.4% in third quarter). Low growth has become the new normal. Low growth has become the standard view and this is disturbing. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/johntharvey/2019/03/01/is-gdp-growth-strong-or-are-our-expectations-low/ | 0.172117 |
Can Remote Work Reverse The Rural Brain Drain? | Rural Brain Drain. Its not a term that most of us are familiar with. Yet, its been going on for decades, if not more. Kids grow up in small towns across America. Some go to college, some do not. But, the big city lights beckon them and they move away, because big cities have more to offer. They want jobs that pay more; they want things. And they leave their native rural communities in decline. So, now we are looking at a new workplace climate, largely due to demands of Millennials and Gen Zers for work and life environments that are very different from traditional ones. Here are their important values that contribute to this new concept of work: 1. These generations want authentic eco-friendly lifestyles 2. They want quality of life based upon experiences, not things 3. Many believe that living off the grid is a valuable pursuit 4. The majority wants to sustain a healthy work/life balance and have flexible work hours. None of these values are fully satisfied by those big city lights. How businesses and technology are responding to shifting work trends Technology has now made it possible for employees to work from almost anywhere they choose. There is project management software, cloud computing, unified communication , video meetups, etc., all of which allow team members who are scattered all over the place to collaborate and get things done. And there's no need to be overwhelmed by the variety of options available; services like Top5BusinessVOIP exist that make comparing and choosing the right business VoIP and virtual phone easy. Businesses are seeing the value of remote work. There are significant cost reductions related to facilities, for one. Even if they need physical face-to-face meet ups from time to time, these can be arranged. It almost seems like a match made in heaven. On the one hand, we have current and rising generations that are no longer attracted by traditional corporate lifestyles in big cities. On the other hand, we have companies that are seeing the value of remote work environments. Further, we have declining rural towns that are looking for a way to revitalize their economies. And now, we have a rather national experiment going on something called The Rural Innovation Initiative a project of the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI). The concept is simple provide seed funding for the development of rural technology hubs for remote workers, pulling in financing from both public and private partnerships, including the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The goal of this initiative is to help revive rural areas that have suffered from a brain drain, appeal to the values of younger generations and progressive-looking businesses that have embraced remote working environments and establish centers of technology experts and innovators who can fulfill 21st century business needs. In the first round of this initiative, nine rural towns have been selected for such hub development in Missouri, Iowa, Michigan, Oregon, North Carolina, Minnesota, Kansas and Arkansas. All of the towns have met basic criteria, to wit: They have existing high-speed broadband They have real estate available that can qualify for such things as Opportunity Zones Opportunity Zones They are able to establish a partnership with a four-year college or university They have a non-profit organization that is willing and prepared to spearhead the initiative. As these projects move forward, there will be many eyes watching to gauge their success. And if that success occurs, they will obviously become models for other rural communities to apply to participate. CORI is counting on it and is already providing resources and advisement to small towns looking to re-vitalize and jump-start their economies. The future is upon us As we move further into the 21st century, the changing workplace environment will only continue to unfold and evolve. Already, corporations have individuals and teams of workers all over the globe. Having them within national borders is a non-issue. And as technology continues to improve the potential for collaboration and teamwork, the writing is on the proverbial wall. Reversing the rural brain drain is a reality in the making. Given the values and needs of this younger workforce, rural communities offer amazing havens; given the evolving concept of the work place on the part of businesses; and given the motivation of rural towns to revitalize their economies, there is a coming merger that almost seems inevitable. | The Rural Innovation Initiative provides seed funding for the development of rural technology hubs for remote workers. The goal of this initiative is to help revive rural areas that have suffered from a 'brain drain' In the first round of this initiative, nine rural towns have been selected for such hub development. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/abdullahimuhammed/2019/03/01/can-remote-work-reverse-the-rural-brain-drain/ | 0.253719 |
What's gone wrong at Weight Watchers? | Image copyright WW Image caption Oprah Winfrey is a shareholder and board member of WW For a business that now sees itself as being all about wellness and not just shedding pounds, the company formerly known as Weight Watchers looks like it has been on a crash diet. In the second half of its financial year, it dropped 600,000 subscribers. And at the beginning of its peak season - when Christmas overindulgence morphs into New Year virtuousness - membership is well below forecasts. The problem, it seems, is all in the name. After 56 years of trading as Weight Watchers, the company changed its name last September to WW, which, it says, doesn't stand for anything - not Weight Watchers, not even its new tagline "Wellness that Works". The intention, under new chief executive Mindy Grossman, was to modernise the brand amid a cultural shift to body positivity that now emphasises health and wellness as opposed to counting calories. But Ms Grossman this week admitted to analysts - when the company missed full-year forecasts and warned on profits - that using the word "weight" in its marketing actually carried, well, more weight. "I think it needed to be more weight-loss focused, especially in the January season," she said. She added that it needed to be made clearer that Weight Watchers is now WW. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mindy Grossman became chief executive of WW in July 2017 Yanhui Zhao, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, says that the rebranding of Weight Watchers to WW was "a risky move" in the first place. "A rebranding project may lead to losses in brand awareness and brand familiarity. "These risks were even bigger for WW, considering their almost 60-year brand history in the market. Firms should be especially cautious when abandoning a long-standing brand name." Not even the motivational tones of Oprah Winfrey - a board member, strategic adviser and owner of an 8% stake in WW - could lift subscriber numbers and avoid the 50m dent to operating profit in the first quarter following the name change. Despite introducing a voice over by Ms Winfrey to its advertising explaining that Weight Watchers is now WW, the company made a "soft start" to the year which, its chief financial officer Nick Hotchkin says, is "difficult to recover from". Camilla Butcher, strategist at branding company Siegel+Gale, questions whether the company should have changed the brand at all. "The name, if anything, for any brand is really sometimes the most important asset. That is what a brand is when it really comes down to it, it can be name, the meaning and the feelings that are associated with that name." She adds: "I think that we live in such a fast-moving time... and there's nothing more shifting than the diet and weight loss category." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption WW used to be known as Weight Watchers WW boss Ms Grossman says the company is operating in a "very competitive environment", with trends such as the high-fat, low carb "keto" diet becoming popular. But Ms Butcher says: "By nature, it is a whole industry of fads and things that come and go, and Weight Watchers' absolute strength was the fact that they had stood the test of time." Shareholders, it appears, also weren't too sold on the name change when it was announced back in September. In a study looking at the effects of rebranding on share price returns by University of Nebraska's Professor Zhao, in association with Prof Roger Calantone and Prof Clay Voorhees from Michigan State University, an examination of 215 announcements showed that on average, stocks rose 2.5%. But the research also found that 40% of the rebranding announcements were associated with negative shareholder reactions. For WW, Prof Zhao found that its share price fell 30% in the month after it said it was changing its name. While the name change may have puzzled some, the reasoning behind it makes sense. Ms Butcher says: "I think there are very valid conversations to be had about the term 'weight' and whether that is a helpful thing to be talking about any more." Also, the image of the company needed refreshing. says Prof Zhao: "Their previous brand image was outdated and was not appealing to millennials, males and many other demographics." In order to address this, WW recruited singer Robbie Williams and Instagram star DJ Khaled as "brand ambassadors". However, it was not the idea, but its execution that has hurt WW. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Instagram star DJ Khaled is a brand ambassador for WW "I just think it happened very quickly the timing was probably a mistake," Brian Nagel, senior equity analyst at Oppenheimer told CNBC. "They did this around October, November of last year, two months before the peak season." WW's peak first quarter season brings in about 40% of its annual recruits. While its total subscribers for 2018 rose by 22% on the previous year - helped by strong first half as it introduced its new WW Freestyle programme - recruitment numbers have fallen in the first quarter. Revenue for the first three months of the year will now be down by 10% and operating profit will drop by $50m compared to the same period last year. For the full year, sales will now be $1.4bn, down from $1.5bn in 2018, and WW will no longer meet its $2bn annual revenue target by 2020. Prof Zhao says: "Although rebranding was necessary for them, they probably shouldn't have acted so fast to change their brand name. "They should have started with a revised brand strategy and updated brand offerings, and then started to made small changes to their brand identity, such as brand logo and tagline. "Corporate name change should have been their very last step of rebranding." For its part, WW is sticking with its new name. Ms Grossman said: "We believe [in] the most WW and Wellness that Works for the long-term relevance and performance as a brand is the right thing to do. She added: "We are not giving up our leadership in healthy weight loss." | Weight Watchers lost 600,000 subscribers in the second half of its financial year. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47392730 | 0.203744 |
What's gone wrong at Weight Watchers? | Image copyright WW Image caption Oprah Winfrey is a shareholder and board member of WW For a business that now sees itself as being all about wellness and not just shedding pounds, the company formerly known as Weight Watchers looks like it has been on a crash diet. In the second half of its financial year, it dropped 600,000 subscribers. And at the beginning of its peak season - when Christmas overindulgence morphs into New Year virtuousness - membership is well below forecasts. The problem, it seems, is all in the name. After 56 years of trading as Weight Watchers, the company changed its name last September to WW, which, it says, doesn't stand for anything - not Weight Watchers, not even its new tagline "Wellness that Works". The intention, under new chief executive Mindy Grossman, was to modernise the brand amid a cultural shift to body positivity that now emphasises health and wellness as opposed to counting calories. But Ms Grossman this week admitted to analysts - when the company missed full-year forecasts and warned on profits - that using the word "weight" in its marketing actually carried, well, more weight. "I think it needed to be more weight-loss focused, especially in the January season," she said. She added that it needed to be made clearer that Weight Watchers is now WW. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mindy Grossman became chief executive of WW in July 2017 Yanhui Zhao, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, says that the rebranding of Weight Watchers to WW was "a risky move" in the first place. "A rebranding project may lead to losses in brand awareness and brand familiarity. "These risks were even bigger for WW, considering their almost 60-year brand history in the market. Firms should be especially cautious when abandoning a long-standing brand name." Not even the motivational tones of Oprah Winfrey - a board member, strategic adviser and owner of an 8% stake in WW - could lift subscriber numbers and avoid the 50m dent to operating profit in the first quarter following the name change. Despite introducing a voice over by Ms Winfrey to its advertising explaining that Weight Watchers is now WW, the company made a "soft start" to the year which, its chief financial officer Nick Hotchkin says, is "difficult to recover from". Camilla Butcher, strategist at branding company Siegel+Gale, questions whether the company should have changed the brand at all. "The name, if anything, for any brand is really sometimes the most important asset. That is what a brand is when it really comes down to it, it can be name, the meaning and the feelings that are associated with that name." She adds: "I think that we live in such a fast-moving time... and there's nothing more shifting than the diet and weight loss category." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption WW used to be known as Weight Watchers WW boss Ms Grossman says the company is operating in a "very competitive environment", with trends such as the high-fat, low carb "keto" diet becoming popular. But Ms Butcher says: "By nature, it is a whole industry of fads and things that come and go, and Weight Watchers' absolute strength was the fact that they had stood the test of time." Shareholders, it appears, also weren't too sold on the name change when it was announced back in September. In a study looking at the effects of rebranding on share price returns by University of Nebraska's Professor Zhao, in association with Prof Roger Calantone and Prof Clay Voorhees from Michigan State University, an examination of 215 announcements showed that on average, stocks rose 2.5%. But the research also found that 40% of the rebranding announcements were associated with negative shareholder reactions. For WW, Prof Zhao found that its share price fell 30% in the month after it said it was changing its name. While the name change may have puzzled some, the reasoning behind it makes sense. Ms Butcher says: "I think there are very valid conversations to be had about the term 'weight' and whether that is a helpful thing to be talking about any more." Also, the image of the company needed refreshing. says Prof Zhao: "Their previous brand image was outdated and was not appealing to millennials, males and many other demographics." In order to address this, WW recruited singer Robbie Williams and Instagram star DJ Khaled as "brand ambassadors". However, it was not the idea, but its execution that has hurt WW. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Instagram star DJ Khaled is a brand ambassador for WW "I just think it happened very quickly the timing was probably a mistake," Brian Nagel, senior equity analyst at Oppenheimer told CNBC. "They did this around October, November of last year, two months before the peak season." WW's peak first quarter season brings in about 40% of its annual recruits. While its total subscribers for 2018 rose by 22% on the previous year - helped by strong first half as it introduced its new WW Freestyle programme - recruitment numbers have fallen in the first quarter. Revenue for the first three months of the year will now be down by 10% and operating profit will drop by $50m compared to the same period last year. For the full year, sales will now be $1.4bn, down from $1.5bn in 2018, and WW will no longer meet its $2bn annual revenue target by 2020. Prof Zhao says: "Although rebranding was necessary for them, they probably shouldn't have acted so fast to change their brand name. "They should have started with a revised brand strategy and updated brand offerings, and then started to made small changes to their brand identity, such as brand logo and tagline. "Corporate name change should have been their very last step of rebranding." For its part, WW is sticking with its new name. Ms Grossman said: "We believe [in] the most WW and Wellness that Works for the long-term relevance and performance as a brand is the right thing to do. She added: "We are not giving up our leadership in healthy weight loss." | Weight Watchers dropped 600,000 subscribers in the second half of its financial year. At the beginning of its peak season - when Christmas overindulgence morphs into New Yearness - membership is well below virtuous forecasts. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47392730 | 0.196087 |
What's gone wrong at Weight Watchers? | Image copyright WW Image caption Oprah Winfrey is a shareholder and board member of WW For a business that now sees itself as being all about wellness and not just shedding pounds, the company formerly known as Weight Watchers looks like it has been on a crash diet. In the second half of its financial year, it dropped 600,000 subscribers. And at the beginning of its peak season - when Christmas overindulgence morphs into New Year virtuousness - membership is well below forecasts. The problem, it seems, is all in the name. After 56 years of trading as Weight Watchers, the company changed its name last September to WW, which, it says, doesn't stand for anything - not Weight Watchers, not even its new tagline "Wellness that Works". The intention, under new chief executive Mindy Grossman, was to modernise the brand amid a cultural shift to body positivity that now emphasises health and wellness as opposed to counting calories. But Ms Grossman this week admitted to analysts - when the company missed full-year forecasts and warned on profits - that using the word "weight" in its marketing actually carried, well, more weight. "I think it needed to be more weight-loss focused, especially in the January season," she said. She added that it needed to be made clearer that Weight Watchers is now WW. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mindy Grossman became chief executive of WW in July 2017 Yanhui Zhao, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, says that the rebranding of Weight Watchers to WW was "a risky move" in the first place. "A rebranding project may lead to losses in brand awareness and brand familiarity. "These risks were even bigger for WW, considering their almost 60-year brand history in the market. Firms should be especially cautious when abandoning a long-standing brand name." Not even the motivational tones of Oprah Winfrey - a board member, strategic adviser and owner of an 8% stake in WW - could lift subscriber numbers and avoid the 50m dent to operating profit in the first quarter following the name change. Despite introducing a voice over by Ms Winfrey to its advertising explaining that Weight Watchers is now WW, the company made a "soft start" to the year which, its chief financial officer Nick Hotchkin says, is "difficult to recover from". Camilla Butcher, strategist at branding company Siegel+Gale, questions whether the company should have changed the brand at all. "The name, if anything, for any brand is really sometimes the most important asset. That is what a brand is when it really comes down to it, it can be name, the meaning and the feelings that are associated with that name." She adds: "I think that we live in such a fast-moving time... and there's nothing more shifting than the diet and weight loss category." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption WW used to be known as Weight Watchers WW boss Ms Grossman says the company is operating in a "very competitive environment", with trends such as the high-fat, low carb "keto" diet becoming popular. But Ms Butcher says: "By nature, it is a whole industry of fads and things that come and go, and Weight Watchers' absolute strength was the fact that they had stood the test of time." Shareholders, it appears, also weren't too sold on the name change when it was announced back in September. In a study looking at the effects of rebranding on share price returns by University of Nebraska's Professor Zhao, in association with Prof Roger Calantone and Prof Clay Voorhees from Michigan State University, an examination of 215 announcements showed that on average, stocks rose 2.5%. But the research also found that 40% of the rebranding announcements were associated with negative shareholder reactions. For WW, Prof Zhao found that its share price fell 30% in the month after it said it was changing its name. While the name change may have puzzled some, the reasoning behind it makes sense. Ms Butcher says: "I think there are very valid conversations to be had about the term 'weight' and whether that is a helpful thing to be talking about any more." Also, the image of the company needed refreshing. says Prof Zhao: "Their previous brand image was outdated and was not appealing to millennials, males and many other demographics." In order to address this, WW recruited singer Robbie Williams and Instagram star DJ Khaled as "brand ambassadors". However, it was not the idea, but its execution that has hurt WW. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Instagram star DJ Khaled is a brand ambassador for WW "I just think it happened very quickly the timing was probably a mistake," Brian Nagel, senior equity analyst at Oppenheimer told CNBC. "They did this around October, November of last year, two months before the peak season." WW's peak first quarter season brings in about 40% of its annual recruits. While its total subscribers for 2018 rose by 22% on the previous year - helped by strong first half as it introduced its new WW Freestyle programme - recruitment numbers have fallen in the first quarter. Revenue for the first three months of the year will now be down by 10% and operating profit will drop by $50m compared to the same period last year. For the full year, sales will now be $1.4bn, down from $1.5bn in 2018, and WW will no longer meet its $2bn annual revenue target by 2020. Prof Zhao says: "Although rebranding was necessary for them, they probably shouldn't have acted so fast to change their brand name. "They should have started with a revised brand strategy and updated brand offerings, and then started to made small changes to their brand identity, such as brand logo and tagline. "Corporate name change should have been their very last step of rebranding." For its part, WW is sticking with its new name. Ms Grossman said: "We believe [in] the most WW and Wellness that Works for the long-term relevance and performance as a brand is the right thing to do. She added: "We are not giving up our leadership in healthy weight loss." | Weight Watchers dropped 600,000 subscribers in the second half of its financial year. At the beginning of its peak season - when Christmas overindulgence morphs into New Yearness - membership is well below virtuous forecasts. The company changed its name last September to WW, which it says, doesn't stand for anything. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47392730 | 0.171612 |
Can the Jonas Brothers really make a comeback? | By Keydra Manns The Brothers are back making sweet music! Jonas Brothers blew up Twitter when they announced they will be reuniting. They will be taking over The Late Late Show With James Corden, and Carpool Karaoke. But despite all the excitement, some critics worry the group may not be able to pull off the comeback. After all, the group hasnt performed together in years. Fans nearly gagged when the band announced they will be reuniting. When the news hit, the announcement quickly became the one of the top trends on Twitter. Sucker" is the groups first single in over five years. Casually finding out the Jonas Brothers are getting back together this fine morning pic.twitter.com/GeKzbsq9n7 Cole LaBrant (@Thesupercole) February 28, 2019 Jonas brothers getting back together, releasing new music and doing carpool karaoke Im not even ashamed to be excited!!! pic.twitter.com/2qFFzLGoI9 Georgia Thompson (@Georgia_1599) February 28, 2019 The brothers originally broke up in October 2013, just a couple of days before they were slated to go on tour. A spokesperson said the split happened due to a deep rift in the band. Critics argue the band may no longer be as good as it was in its heyday. Ok but what if the Jonas brothers suck now anita (@anitaksidhu) February 28, 2019 Jonas brother STILL SUCK. THERE I SAID IT #Its2019 !!! drobss (@dshaunrobs_) February 28, 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, wed love to hear what you have to say. | The Jonas Brothers announced they will be reuniting. Some critics worry the group may not be able to pull off the comeback. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/03/can-the-jonas-brothers-really-make-a-comeback.html | 0.180075 |
Can the Jonas Brothers really make a comeback? | By Keydra Manns The Brothers are back making sweet music! Jonas Brothers blew up Twitter when they announced they will be reuniting. They will be taking over The Late Late Show With James Corden, and Carpool Karaoke. But despite all the excitement, some critics worry the group may not be able to pull off the comeback. After all, the group hasnt performed together in years. Fans nearly gagged when the band announced they will be reuniting. When the news hit, the announcement quickly became the one of the top trends on Twitter. Sucker" is the groups first single in over five years. Casually finding out the Jonas Brothers are getting back together this fine morning pic.twitter.com/GeKzbsq9n7 Cole LaBrant (@Thesupercole) February 28, 2019 Jonas brothers getting back together, releasing new music and doing carpool karaoke Im not even ashamed to be excited!!! pic.twitter.com/2qFFzLGoI9 Georgia Thompson (@Georgia_1599) February 28, 2019 The brothers originally broke up in October 2013, just a couple of days before they were slated to go on tour. A spokesperson said the split happened due to a deep rift in the band. Critics argue the band may no longer be as good as it was in its heyday. Ok but what if the Jonas brothers suck now anita (@anitaksidhu) February 28, 2019 Jonas brother STILL SUCK. THERE I SAID IT #Its2019 !!! drobss (@dshaunrobs_) February 28, 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, wed love to hear what you have to say. | The Jonas Brothers announced they will be reuniting. Some critics worry the group may not be able to pull off the comeback. The brothers originally broke up in October 2013, just a couple of days before a tour. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/03/can-the-jonas-brothers-really-make-a-comeback.html | 0.230731 |
How Can Businesses Best Deal With Digital Disruption? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Michael Wade, Cisco Chair in Digital Business Transformation, on Quora: This is a question that we addressed in our previous book, Digital Vortex, and expanded in Orchestrating Transformation. We have identified four strategies for responding to digital disruption: Harvest, Retreat, Disrupt, and Occupy. We refer to these, collectively, as the Strategic Response Playbook. The first two options are defensive strategiesthey help to enhance or protect existing business lines. Defensive strategies are used to fend off value vampires, as well as more modest threats, and to maximize the useful lifespan of businesses under attack. The Harvest strategy is about learning from disruptors and improving core products and services. It can also involve blocking the disruptor, as we have seen with responses to disruptors like Uber and Airbnb. The Retreat strategy is really about deciding when to exit a sector under attack, or moving into a niche area where it is very hard for the disruptor to enter. Both Harvest and Retreat are very important approaches to extend the lifespan of a business under disruptive attack. Occupy is the battle win in the new marketplace created by disruption. Spotify looks in good shape, but it faces heady competition from Apple, Amazon, Google, Deezer, and others. Disruptors like Spotify do not always win the day. This is the Occupy battle. The final strategy is Disrupt, which is when a new technology or business model significantly impacts a sector by creating new forms of cost, experience, or platform value for customers. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | Michael Wade, Cisco Chair in Digital Business Transformation, on Quora: "How Can Businesses Best Deal With Digital Disruption?" Wade: "Harvest, Retreat, Disrupt, and Occupy are the Strategic Response Playbook" "Occupy" is the battle win in the new marketplace created by disruption. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/03/01/how-can-businesses-best-deal-with-digital-disruption/ | 0.199931 |
Is The 10,000 Hour Rule Just An Urban Myth? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Robert Frost, Professional instructional systems designer, on Quora: The research in Ericsson, Krampe, and Tesch-Romers paper The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance is good research and their conclusions are good conclusions. They have not been disproven. If there is an urban myth aspect, it is because people dont read well. An urban myth has developed that their paper says you can master something simply by doing it for 10,000 hours. That idea is nonsense and that idea is not expressed in their research. As the title of their paper makes clear, they were studying the role of deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is focused. It requires that the persons involved be motivated, it requires that they perform tasks that stress the areas in which they require improvement, and it requires immediate feedback and contemplation of performance. So, just playing basketball every day for four hours isnt going to turn you into Michael Jordan. Playing golf for four hours a day isnt going to turn you into Tiger Woods. Playing songs for four hours a day isnt going to make you a Beatle. Coding for four hours a day isnt going to make you another Bill Gates. Writing for four hours a day isnt going to make you Charles Dickens. You would need constant feedback and practice that focused on your weaknesses. In that paper, they also never explicitly say 10,000 hours. What they say is that their data indicates that people who are expert performers in some task got to that level by performing deliberate practice for up to 4 hours a day, five days a week for 10 years. 4 x 5 x 50 (assume they take two weeks of vacation) x 10 equals 10,000. Thats where Malcolm Gladwell got his tag line number 10,000 hours that he talks about in his book Outliers: The Story of Success. Gladwell may have come up with the sound bite that caused the confusion, but he does clearly describe what their research said, so again, people cant read. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | An urban myth has developed that you can master something simply by doing it for 10,000 hours. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/03/01/is-the-10000-hour-rule-just-an-urban-myth/ | 0.245751 |
Is The 10,000 Hour Rule Just An Urban Myth? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Robert Frost, Professional instructional systems designer, on Quora: The research in Ericsson, Krampe, and Tesch-Romers paper The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance is good research and their conclusions are good conclusions. They have not been disproven. If there is an urban myth aspect, it is because people dont read well. An urban myth has developed that their paper says you can master something simply by doing it for 10,000 hours. That idea is nonsense and that idea is not expressed in their research. As the title of their paper makes clear, they were studying the role of deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is focused. It requires that the persons involved be motivated, it requires that they perform tasks that stress the areas in which they require improvement, and it requires immediate feedback and contemplation of performance. So, just playing basketball every day for four hours isnt going to turn you into Michael Jordan. Playing golf for four hours a day isnt going to turn you into Tiger Woods. Playing songs for four hours a day isnt going to make you a Beatle. Coding for four hours a day isnt going to make you another Bill Gates. Writing for four hours a day isnt going to make you Charles Dickens. You would need constant feedback and practice that focused on your weaknesses. In that paper, they also never explicitly say 10,000 hours. What they say is that their data indicates that people who are expert performers in some task got to that level by performing deliberate practice for up to 4 hours a day, five days a week for 10 years. 4 x 5 x 50 (assume they take two weeks of vacation) x 10 equals 10,000. Thats where Malcolm Gladwell got his tag line number 10,000 hours that he talks about in his book Outliers: The Story of Success. Gladwell may have come up with the sound bite that caused the confusion, but he does clearly describe what their research said, so again, people cant read. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | An urban myth has developed that you can master something simply by doing it for 10,000 hours. That idea is nonsense and that idea is not expressed in their research. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/03/01/is-the-10000-hour-rule-just-an-urban-myth/ | 0.287369 |
Is The 10,000 Hour Rule Just An Urban Myth? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Answer by Robert Frost, Professional instructional systems designer, on Quora: The research in Ericsson, Krampe, and Tesch-Romers paper The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance is good research and their conclusions are good conclusions. They have not been disproven. If there is an urban myth aspect, it is because people dont read well. An urban myth has developed that their paper says you can master something simply by doing it for 10,000 hours. That idea is nonsense and that idea is not expressed in their research. As the title of their paper makes clear, they were studying the role of deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is focused. It requires that the persons involved be motivated, it requires that they perform tasks that stress the areas in which they require improvement, and it requires immediate feedback and contemplation of performance. So, just playing basketball every day for four hours isnt going to turn you into Michael Jordan. Playing golf for four hours a day isnt going to turn you into Tiger Woods. Playing songs for four hours a day isnt going to make you a Beatle. Coding for four hours a day isnt going to make you another Bill Gates. Writing for four hours a day isnt going to make you Charles Dickens. You would need constant feedback and practice that focused on your weaknesses. In that paper, they also never explicitly say 10,000 hours. What they say is that their data indicates that people who are expert performers in some task got to that level by performing deliberate practice for up to 4 hours a day, five days a week for 10 years. 4 x 5 x 50 (assume they take two weeks of vacation) x 10 equals 10,000. Thats where Malcolm Gladwell got his tag line number 10,000 hours that he talks about in his book Outliers: The Story of Success. Gladwell may have come up with the sound bite that caused the confusion, but he does clearly describe what their research said, so again, people cant read. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | An urban myth has developed that you can master something simply by doing it for 10,000 hours. That idea is nonsense and that idea is not expressed in their research. What they say is that people who are expert performers in some task got to that level by performing deliberate practice for up to 4 hours a day, five days a week for 10 years. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/03/01/is-the-10000-hour-rule-just-an-urban-myth/ | 0.349615 |
Why Do Big Companies Still Advertise On TV Instead Of Social Media? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Theres a saying used by a number of us here on Quora: Before you ask why, you must ask if. And in this case, I also think you must ask instead of or in addition to? Very few large public-facing companies these days advertise only in one medium. Chances are that any large company youre thinking of also advertises in some form on social media in addition to any television advertising that it is doing. You just may not have noticed it. There are a number of other possible reasons for your perception that big companies still advertise on TV instead of social media: It works. In some ways, your question may answer itself. I can think of no better proof of effectiveness than the fact that youre aware of their TV advertising and not of their social media advertising. Its part of a larger, so-called 360 campaign. Often television advertising is part of an overall advertising and marketing plan. And televisions role in that is very specific. Television is still an excellent way to generate large numbers in terms of reach (see next item) and brand awareness, while social media is often used in different strategic ways. They are both specific tools with specific applications and benefits in a much wider arsenal. TV has greater reach. Reach is the measure of how many different people a communication is seen by. It is complemented by frequency, which is the number of times the average person sees the message. As of 2018, the US had 304.5 million television viewers, which represents a 0.9% increase over 2017. And in 2017, the 301.7 million television viewers was an increase of 1.6% over 2016. So despite rumors to the contrary, TV viewership isnt dying. Its still growing. And the the percentage of U.S. homes with televisions receiving traditional TV signals on a TV set is currently at a whopping 96.5%. That was also an increase of 0.5% over 2018. US social media users were estimated at roughly 209 million, and they estimate about 7077% of the population accessed the internet at all, only some of which was for social media. So while social media penetration is huge, TV is quite a bit bigger. So more people can see the message. People watch TV primarily at home or during leisure time. This means that they can focus on the message and take it in, rather than having to divide their attention with their work at the same time. While 70+% of people in the US can access the internet, as stated above, a significant percentage of this is based on access at work. That is much less of a factor in television viewing. Television advertisers provide an immediate benefit/reward for viewing. Paid advertising supports the programs that it is surrounded by. This means not only that the viewer is likely to stick around through the ad or come back to the station afterward, but that they are aware of getting something they want (a show) in return for watching the ad. While viewers complain that they dont like commercials, research shows that many people actually choose to watch them and enjoy them. And at the very least they understand the deal they are making for getting the programming they want for free in return. Although some social media advertising also provides entertainment or a benefit, it is not part of the covenant and the viewer really has less reason to stay and watch or return. Social media advertising therefore doesnt promise to provide anything in return for viewing and really only benefits the advertiser. Television advertising confers legitimacy and prestige. Because of its higher cost and visibility, television immediately confers an element of prestige and legitimacy on the advertiser. Its an unspoken endorsement for the company just to be there. By contrast, social media advertising can be done at a smaller/cheaper scale and with lower investments in production costs. This is the same reason that some companies have been known to blow their entire advertising budget on one Super Bowl ad. Theres less noise. While there seems to be a lot of advertising on TV, in reality there are usually only 13 other ads running in a given commercial break alongside a companys TV commercial. Meanwhile, on social media, there is a constant slew of ads populating most peoples feeds, numbering in the dozens every few minutes. Its a captive/passive audience. If a viewer is watching a show, theres only one thing going on at any given moment on the TV. Its either the show or the ad. On social media, a users feed is a collection of dozens of items that the user can engage with or ignore. The social media user has to choose to engage with your ad, while the TV viewer just sits there and sees it in isolation without having to opt in. They have different demographics (and the television audience can be older/richer). While social media is renowned for its ability to target the younger target, television has the best penetration with older, wealthier targets, many of whom are very desirable to big companies as potential customers. Effectiveness means cost-effectiveness. Many large advertisers were lured into moving large amounts of their advertising budgets into social media based on fear of not being there. And also based on the misperception that it would cost them less. A lot of this was based on exciting presentations made by ad agencies and media sales organizations. But in the end, television advertising has a very good rate of converting viewers to users. In many cases, more so than social media does. So they get more for their dollars even if theyre higher. They can tell the story they want to. For some kinds of products and messages, the freedom of making a short film (which is what commercials really are) about the product or service is a better way to convey the message and meaning a company wants to. In many cases, on social media, the advertiser either has to use a more static print-style format or find some way to ensure that the user actually clicks through to see their video. While a television advertiser can just be promotional to their captive audience, social media advertisers have to entertain users first and convince them to select the ad for viewing if they want to show an actual filmed piece. Television and social media have different rules and restrictions. Depending on what is being advertised, and what the rules are for that particular category or genre, advertisers may be able to say things on television that they cant on social media. The message sometimes determines the medium. Television is a one way street. While the interactive aspect of social media can be very useful and powerful, it can also be risky. Many advertisers want to be able to say their message without having to deal with every comment that any random user wants to make about it. On social media, they cant always control acts of anger, vandalism, or random irrelevance that social media can generate. Often they dont want their message to appear alongside other messages they cant control. Just because companies sometimes want to hear from you doesnt mean they always do. Nor do they want to hand over control of their brands image to the general public. Bottom line: Its actually fairly unlikely that the large companies youre thinking of are actually advertising on TV instead of social media. They are probably doing it in addition to social media. And the reason they are doing that is that it is very effective for them, and works much better than social media alone for all of the reasons stated above. So much so that you have noticed their television advertising more than their other forms. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | TV is still an excellent way to generate large numbers in terms of reach and brand awareness. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/03/01/why-do-big-companies-still-advertise-on-tv-instead-of-social-media/ | 0.176849 |
Why Do Big Companies Still Advertise On TV Instead Of Social Media? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Theres a saying used by a number of us here on Quora: Before you ask why, you must ask if. And in this case, I also think you must ask instead of or in addition to? Very few large public-facing companies these days advertise only in one medium. Chances are that any large company youre thinking of also advertises in some form on social media in addition to any television advertising that it is doing. You just may not have noticed it. There are a number of other possible reasons for your perception that big companies still advertise on TV instead of social media: It works. In some ways, your question may answer itself. I can think of no better proof of effectiveness than the fact that youre aware of their TV advertising and not of their social media advertising. Its part of a larger, so-called 360 campaign. Often television advertising is part of an overall advertising and marketing plan. And televisions role in that is very specific. Television is still an excellent way to generate large numbers in terms of reach (see next item) and brand awareness, while social media is often used in different strategic ways. They are both specific tools with specific applications and benefits in a much wider arsenal. TV has greater reach. Reach is the measure of how many different people a communication is seen by. It is complemented by frequency, which is the number of times the average person sees the message. As of 2018, the US had 304.5 million television viewers, which represents a 0.9% increase over 2017. And in 2017, the 301.7 million television viewers was an increase of 1.6% over 2016. So despite rumors to the contrary, TV viewership isnt dying. Its still growing. And the the percentage of U.S. homes with televisions receiving traditional TV signals on a TV set is currently at a whopping 96.5%. That was also an increase of 0.5% over 2018. US social media users were estimated at roughly 209 million, and they estimate about 7077% of the population accessed the internet at all, only some of which was for social media. So while social media penetration is huge, TV is quite a bit bigger. So more people can see the message. People watch TV primarily at home or during leisure time. This means that they can focus on the message and take it in, rather than having to divide their attention with their work at the same time. While 70+% of people in the US can access the internet, as stated above, a significant percentage of this is based on access at work. That is much less of a factor in television viewing. Television advertisers provide an immediate benefit/reward for viewing. Paid advertising supports the programs that it is surrounded by. This means not only that the viewer is likely to stick around through the ad or come back to the station afterward, but that they are aware of getting something they want (a show) in return for watching the ad. While viewers complain that they dont like commercials, research shows that many people actually choose to watch them and enjoy them. And at the very least they understand the deal they are making for getting the programming they want for free in return. Although some social media advertising also provides entertainment or a benefit, it is not part of the covenant and the viewer really has less reason to stay and watch or return. Social media advertising therefore doesnt promise to provide anything in return for viewing and really only benefits the advertiser. Television advertising confers legitimacy and prestige. Because of its higher cost and visibility, television immediately confers an element of prestige and legitimacy on the advertiser. Its an unspoken endorsement for the company just to be there. By contrast, social media advertising can be done at a smaller/cheaper scale and with lower investments in production costs. This is the same reason that some companies have been known to blow their entire advertising budget on one Super Bowl ad. Theres less noise. While there seems to be a lot of advertising on TV, in reality there are usually only 13 other ads running in a given commercial break alongside a companys TV commercial. Meanwhile, on social media, there is a constant slew of ads populating most peoples feeds, numbering in the dozens every few minutes. Its a captive/passive audience. If a viewer is watching a show, theres only one thing going on at any given moment on the TV. Its either the show or the ad. On social media, a users feed is a collection of dozens of items that the user can engage with or ignore. The social media user has to choose to engage with your ad, while the TV viewer just sits there and sees it in isolation without having to opt in. They have different demographics (and the television audience can be older/richer). While social media is renowned for its ability to target the younger target, television has the best penetration with older, wealthier targets, many of whom are very desirable to big companies as potential customers. Effectiveness means cost-effectiveness. Many large advertisers were lured into moving large amounts of their advertising budgets into social media based on fear of not being there. And also based on the misperception that it would cost them less. A lot of this was based on exciting presentations made by ad agencies and media sales organizations. But in the end, television advertising has a very good rate of converting viewers to users. In many cases, more so than social media does. So they get more for their dollars even if theyre higher. They can tell the story they want to. For some kinds of products and messages, the freedom of making a short film (which is what commercials really are) about the product or service is a better way to convey the message and meaning a company wants to. In many cases, on social media, the advertiser either has to use a more static print-style format or find some way to ensure that the user actually clicks through to see their video. While a television advertiser can just be promotional to their captive audience, social media advertisers have to entertain users first and convince them to select the ad for viewing if they want to show an actual filmed piece. Television and social media have different rules and restrictions. Depending on what is being advertised, and what the rules are for that particular category or genre, advertisers may be able to say things on television that they cant on social media. The message sometimes determines the medium. Television is a one way street. While the interactive aspect of social media can be very useful and powerful, it can also be risky. Many advertisers want to be able to say their message without having to deal with every comment that any random user wants to make about it. On social media, they cant always control acts of anger, vandalism, or random irrelevance that social media can generate. Often they dont want their message to appear alongside other messages they cant control. Just because companies sometimes want to hear from you doesnt mean they always do. Nor do they want to hand over control of their brands image to the general public. Bottom line: Its actually fairly unlikely that the large companies youre thinking of are actually advertising on TV instead of social media. They are probably doing it in addition to social media. And the reason they are doing that is that it is very effective for them, and works much better than social media alone for all of the reasons stated above. So much so that you have noticed their television advertising more than their other forms. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | Few large public-facing companies these days advertise only in one medium. TV is still an excellent way to generate large numbers in terms of reach and brand awareness. | bart | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/03/01/why-do-big-companies-still-advertise-on-tv-instead-of-social-media/ | 0.272715 |
Why Do Big Companies Still Advertise On TV Instead Of Social Media? | originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. Theres a saying used by a number of us here on Quora: Before you ask why, you must ask if. And in this case, I also think you must ask instead of or in addition to? Very few large public-facing companies these days advertise only in one medium. Chances are that any large company youre thinking of also advertises in some form on social media in addition to any television advertising that it is doing. You just may not have noticed it. There are a number of other possible reasons for your perception that big companies still advertise on TV instead of social media: It works. In some ways, your question may answer itself. I can think of no better proof of effectiveness than the fact that youre aware of their TV advertising and not of their social media advertising. Its part of a larger, so-called 360 campaign. Often television advertising is part of an overall advertising and marketing plan. And televisions role in that is very specific. Television is still an excellent way to generate large numbers in terms of reach (see next item) and brand awareness, while social media is often used in different strategic ways. They are both specific tools with specific applications and benefits in a much wider arsenal. TV has greater reach. Reach is the measure of how many different people a communication is seen by. It is complemented by frequency, which is the number of times the average person sees the message. As of 2018, the US had 304.5 million television viewers, which represents a 0.9% increase over 2017. And in 2017, the 301.7 million television viewers was an increase of 1.6% over 2016. So despite rumors to the contrary, TV viewership isnt dying. Its still growing. And the the percentage of U.S. homes with televisions receiving traditional TV signals on a TV set is currently at a whopping 96.5%. That was also an increase of 0.5% over 2018. US social media users were estimated at roughly 209 million, and they estimate about 7077% of the population accessed the internet at all, only some of which was for social media. So while social media penetration is huge, TV is quite a bit bigger. So more people can see the message. People watch TV primarily at home or during leisure time. This means that they can focus on the message and take it in, rather than having to divide their attention with their work at the same time. While 70+% of people in the US can access the internet, as stated above, a significant percentage of this is based on access at work. That is much less of a factor in television viewing. Television advertisers provide an immediate benefit/reward for viewing. Paid advertising supports the programs that it is surrounded by. This means not only that the viewer is likely to stick around through the ad or come back to the station afterward, but that they are aware of getting something they want (a show) in return for watching the ad. While viewers complain that they dont like commercials, research shows that many people actually choose to watch them and enjoy them. And at the very least they understand the deal they are making for getting the programming they want for free in return. Although some social media advertising also provides entertainment or a benefit, it is not part of the covenant and the viewer really has less reason to stay and watch or return. Social media advertising therefore doesnt promise to provide anything in return for viewing and really only benefits the advertiser. Television advertising confers legitimacy and prestige. Because of its higher cost and visibility, television immediately confers an element of prestige and legitimacy on the advertiser. Its an unspoken endorsement for the company just to be there. By contrast, social media advertising can be done at a smaller/cheaper scale and with lower investments in production costs. This is the same reason that some companies have been known to blow their entire advertising budget on one Super Bowl ad. Theres less noise. While there seems to be a lot of advertising on TV, in reality there are usually only 13 other ads running in a given commercial break alongside a companys TV commercial. Meanwhile, on social media, there is a constant slew of ads populating most peoples feeds, numbering in the dozens every few minutes. Its a captive/passive audience. If a viewer is watching a show, theres only one thing going on at any given moment on the TV. Its either the show or the ad. On social media, a users feed is a collection of dozens of items that the user can engage with or ignore. The social media user has to choose to engage with your ad, while the TV viewer just sits there and sees it in isolation without having to opt in. They have different demographics (and the television audience can be older/richer). While social media is renowned for its ability to target the younger target, television has the best penetration with older, wealthier targets, many of whom are very desirable to big companies as potential customers. Effectiveness means cost-effectiveness. Many large advertisers were lured into moving large amounts of their advertising budgets into social media based on fear of not being there. And also based on the misperception that it would cost them less. A lot of this was based on exciting presentations made by ad agencies and media sales organizations. But in the end, television advertising has a very good rate of converting viewers to users. In many cases, more so than social media does. So they get more for their dollars even if theyre higher. They can tell the story they want to. For some kinds of products and messages, the freedom of making a short film (which is what commercials really are) about the product or service is a better way to convey the message and meaning a company wants to. In many cases, on social media, the advertiser either has to use a more static print-style format or find some way to ensure that the user actually clicks through to see their video. While a television advertiser can just be promotional to their captive audience, social media advertisers have to entertain users first and convince them to select the ad for viewing if they want to show an actual filmed piece. Television and social media have different rules and restrictions. Depending on what is being advertised, and what the rules are for that particular category or genre, advertisers may be able to say things on television that they cant on social media. The message sometimes determines the medium. Television is a one way street. While the interactive aspect of social media can be very useful and powerful, it can also be risky. Many advertisers want to be able to say their message without having to deal with every comment that any random user wants to make about it. On social media, they cant always control acts of anger, vandalism, or random irrelevance that social media can generate. Often they dont want their message to appear alongside other messages they cant control. Just because companies sometimes want to hear from you doesnt mean they always do. Nor do they want to hand over control of their brands image to the general public. Bottom line: Its actually fairly unlikely that the large companies youre thinking of are actually advertising on TV instead of social media. They are probably doing it in addition to social media. And the reason they are doing that is that it is very effective for them, and works much better than social media alone for all of the reasons stated above. So much so that you have noticed their television advertising more than their other forms. This question originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: | Very few large public-facing companies these days advertise only in one medium. TV is still an excellent way to generate large numbers in terms of reach and brand awareness. TV has greater reach. People watch TV primarily at home or during leisure time. Social media advertising doesnt promise to provide anything in return for viewing. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/03/01/why-do-big-companies-still-advertise-on-tv-instead-of-social-media/ | 0.492992 |
What Do the Kids of the Grey's Anatomy Cast Think of Their Parents' Success? | Many of the kids of the Grey's Anatomy cast have known no other life, since the show has been on for most of their entire lives. When E! News visited the set of the series for the milestone 332nd episode, when Grey's beat ER as the longest-running medical drama. The short answer is not really. "Being like a social media generation that they are, they kind of look at it from that perspective," Chandra Wilson tells us. "My girls are old enough that they knew a life before Grey's, whereas my son, that's all that he's known, so he's like, whatevs. I don't think he understands, as far as accomplishments are concerned, what that means." Wilson's daughters were born in 1992 and 1998, and her son was born in 2005, after Grey's was already on the air. "I think since they were such a young age when we started, they don't really know much. They're very happy for...hey, I'm paying for college," Justin Chambers says of his five kids, the oldest of whom was born in 1994 and the youngest in 2002. "But do they think you're cool?" Camilla Luddington asked, getting to the real important questions. "No," he said. "And nor should your child think their parent is too cool." | Kids of the Grey's Anatomy cast are happy for their parents' success. But do they think their parents are cool? "They don't really know much," Chandra Wilson says. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.eonline.com/au/news/1020120/what-do-the-kids-of-the-grey-s-anatomy-cast-think-of-their-parents-success | 0.168286 |
What Do the Kids of the Grey's Anatomy Cast Think of Their Parents' Success? | Many of the kids of the Grey's Anatomy cast have known no other life, since the show has been on for most of their entire lives. When E! News visited the set of the series for the milestone 332nd episode, when Grey's beat ER as the longest-running medical drama. The short answer is not really. "Being like a social media generation that they are, they kind of look at it from that perspective," Chandra Wilson tells us. "My girls are old enough that they knew a life before Grey's, whereas my son, that's all that he's known, so he's like, whatevs. I don't think he understands, as far as accomplishments are concerned, what that means." Wilson's daughters were born in 1992 and 1998, and her son was born in 2005, after Grey's was already on the air. "I think since they were such a young age when we started, they don't really know much. They're very happy for...hey, I'm paying for college," Justin Chambers says of his five kids, the oldest of whom was born in 1994 and the youngest in 2002. "But do they think you're cool?" Camilla Luddington asked, getting to the real important questions. "No," he said. "And nor should your child think their parent is too cool." | Kids of the Grey's Anatomy cast are happy for their parents' success. But do they think their parents are cool? "They don't really know much," Chandra Wilson says. "They're very happy for... hey, I'm paying for college," Justin Chambers says. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.eonline.com/au/news/1020120/what-do-the-kids-of-the-grey-s-anatomy-cast-think-of-their-parents-success | 0.350774 |
What has Jody Wilson-Raybould's testimony done to the Liberals? | Former attorney general Jody Wilson-Rayboulds stunning testimony on Wednesday appeared to deal some serious damage to the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government, but federal Liberals in B.C. say theyll stay the course. Gabe Garfinkel, the director of the Liberal Party of Canada in B.C., said he has been focused on listening to what grassroots Liberals have to say about Wilson-Rayboulds testimony, and encouraging their feedback and ideas. This open dialogue has been important and will ultimately help us work toward our common goal of maintaining the Liberal governments progress on housing affordability, creating jobs and protecting the environment, Garfinkel wrote in a text message to Postmedia News. Its also been important to Liberals across British Columbia for Jody Wilson-Raybould to speak openly at the justice committee, and supporters here were pleased she had the opportunity to do so. Tamara Taggart, a former CTV news anchor, said she is still seeking the federal Liberal nomination for the Vancouver Kingsway riding, held by the NDPs Don Davies since 2008. Wilson-Rayboulds testimony has not made her reconsider carrying the partys banner, she said. I think that Jody Wilson-Raybould is an amazing woman and I look up to her, Taggart said. I have deep respect for her and I have deep respect for the prime minister, and thats all I can really say, because I just watched it like every other Canadian did. But David Moscrop, a political scientist at the University of Ottawa, said the Liberals will now have a tough time selling their Sunny Ways slogan, should they plan to use it again for the Oct. 21 election. Fairly or unfairly, it (the partys alleged conduct) certainly undermines claims to be a great champion and defender of feminism, he said. That might not be an entirely fair point because you might say, look at Jane Philpott, look at Catherine McKenna, look at Kristy Duncan there are plenty of strong women in the cabinet who have an influence. But that doesnt mean people wont make that argument. Moscrop said the Liberals have also undermined their position as a party which champions reconciliation and supports Indigenous people. Thats the price you pay when you try to forefront an Indigenous woman as being core to your brand and then throw her under the bus, he said. Moscrop said it is too early to get a good sense of what past Liberal voters will do at the polls this fall. Theres still the potential for more information to come and for resignations, and its unclear how long the scandal will drag on. But, put it this way, it certainly has the makings of something that could do significant damage to the Liberals re-election prospects, he said. Claire Marshall, chair of the Vancouver Granville Liberal electoral district association, did not return emails before deadline. neagland@postmedia.com twitter.com/nickeagland | Former attorney general Jody Wilson-Rayboulds stunning testimony on Wednesday appeared to deal some serious damage to the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government. But federal Liberals in B.C. say theyll stay the course. | bart | 1 | https://vancouversun.com/news/politics/what-has-jody-wilson-rayboulds-testimony-done-to-the-liberals | 0.279948 |
What has Jody Wilson-Raybould's testimony done to the Liberals? | Former attorney general Jody Wilson-Rayboulds stunning testimony on Wednesday appeared to deal some serious damage to the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government, but federal Liberals in B.C. say theyll stay the course. Gabe Garfinkel, the director of the Liberal Party of Canada in B.C., said he has been focused on listening to what grassroots Liberals have to say about Wilson-Rayboulds testimony, and encouraging their feedback and ideas. This open dialogue has been important and will ultimately help us work toward our common goal of maintaining the Liberal governments progress on housing affordability, creating jobs and protecting the environment, Garfinkel wrote in a text message to Postmedia News. Its also been important to Liberals across British Columbia for Jody Wilson-Raybould to speak openly at the justice committee, and supporters here were pleased she had the opportunity to do so. Tamara Taggart, a former CTV news anchor, said she is still seeking the federal Liberal nomination for the Vancouver Kingsway riding, held by the NDPs Don Davies since 2008. Wilson-Rayboulds testimony has not made her reconsider carrying the partys banner, she said. I think that Jody Wilson-Raybould is an amazing woman and I look up to her, Taggart said. I have deep respect for her and I have deep respect for the prime minister, and thats all I can really say, because I just watched it like every other Canadian did. But David Moscrop, a political scientist at the University of Ottawa, said the Liberals will now have a tough time selling their Sunny Ways slogan, should they plan to use it again for the Oct. 21 election. Fairly or unfairly, it (the partys alleged conduct) certainly undermines claims to be a great champion and defender of feminism, he said. That might not be an entirely fair point because you might say, look at Jane Philpott, look at Catherine McKenna, look at Kristy Duncan there are plenty of strong women in the cabinet who have an influence. But that doesnt mean people wont make that argument. Moscrop said the Liberals have also undermined their position as a party which champions reconciliation and supports Indigenous people. Thats the price you pay when you try to forefront an Indigenous woman as being core to your brand and then throw her under the bus, he said. Moscrop said it is too early to get a good sense of what past Liberal voters will do at the polls this fall. Theres still the potential for more information to come and for resignations, and its unclear how long the scandal will drag on. But, put it this way, it certainly has the makings of something that could do significant damage to the Liberals re-election prospects, he said. Claire Marshall, chair of the Vancouver Granville Liberal electoral district association, did not return emails before deadline. neagland@postmedia.com twitter.com/nickeagland | Federal Liberals in B.C. say they'll stay the course in the wake of Jody Wilson-Raybould's testimony. But a political scientist says the party will now have a tough time selling their Sunny Ways slogan, should they plan to use it again for the Oct. 21 election. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://vancouversun.com/news/politics/what-has-jody-wilson-rayboulds-testimony-done-to-the-liberals | 0.329841 |
Should I buy a home now, or wait? | Rick Piette, owner of Premier Mortgage Lending Its one of the most common questions that mortgage lenders and Realtors in Las Vegas get: Are you sure I shouldnt wait to see if prices go down before I buy a home? For those who work in either industry, the answer to that question is this: No because this is the time to buy. For many reasons, one being the home you love today will be probably worth more in the next six, 12 or 24 months or more. So, the time to begin building equity is today. Thats precisely the answer that Rick Piette, owner of Premier Mortgage Lending, offers his clients daily. Perhaps, its because Ive been a mortgage lender in Las Vegas for so long, Piette said. Ive been witness to this housing market for over four decades now, and while there have been periods of time I might have agreed with that concern, this isnt one of them. This city is experiencing huge growth in construction, industry, gaming and entertainment and that will be going on for some time to come. Right now, waiting isnt the answer, he added. At least, not if you want to save money. For decades, Las Vegas was known as one of the fastest-growing housing markets in the country. Then came the crash. While the market was hit hard, it bounced back faster and more fully than anyone (who wasnt a local, anyway) expected. During the past five to six years, its slowly and steadily made gains until once again, Nevada is the fastest-growing state in the nation, and Las Vegas one of the fastest-growing cities. We all know bad headlines get far more attention than good news, Piette said. And those headlines about Las Vegas from 2008 were real attention-getters. But look at whats been happening since then. What Piette is referring to is the more than $15 billion in new construction underway in Las Vegas. These include the new Raiders Stadium, Resort World, The Drew, the MSG Sphere, Project Neon, Circa, the expansions of the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Downtown Grand, and the list goes on. In addition, the newest interstate in the country, I-11, has already opened its first 22 miles running from the Arizona state line to Henderson, and is planned eventually to stretch from Phoenix to Reno. Along with all that growth, of course, come people. Thats one reason that Nevada leads the nation in job creation because the jobs are here, and people are coming to town to fill them, Piette said. Plus, the news in housing is just as good and continues to be optimistic. In January of this year, the number of single-family residence listings increased once again to 7,254, with the median price of single-family resale homes hitting $300,000. In short, this is the moment in time that many people may look back at and say, I should have bought back then, Piette said. Helping people realize their dream of homeownership is what the mortgage brokers at Premier Mortgage Lending have been doing for years. Because just as important as finding the right home at the right price is getting a mortgage loan that doesnt cost you a cent more than it should. While many lenders like to use sleight of hand to bring you in the door for one loan, only to tell you what you qualify for will cost a lot more the team at Premier Mortgage does things differently, and in a good way. Buyers come in to fill out one application, and as a mortgage broker, Premier shops around until it finds the best deal for the least amount of money out of your pocket. The only tricky thing about mortgage loans, according to Rick Piette, is knowing what to look for. For example, at Premier we offer a true No Fee Loan. And buyers can see that on the loan estimate we provide. It literally shows $0 for the loan origination, underwriting, document and prep fees. Then once you compare the fees and the interest rates between lenders, you pretty much have all the information you need to know. Choose the one that saves you money which can add up to thousands of dollars and suddenly that new home youre buying becomes an even better deal. For additional information or to schedule an appointment to discuss the true No Fee mortgage loans available through Premier Mortgage Lending, call 702-485-6600. Or, apply at premiermortgagelending.com. To discover facts on how much a mortgage loan should cost you, visit KnowBeforeYouOweNevada.com. Premier Mortgage Lending, NMLS No. 393282, is at 701 N. Green Valley Parkway, Suite 125 in Henderson. The full-service lender is a member of the Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City chambers of commerce, Better Business Bureau and Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, as well as an affiliate member of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors. | The housing market in Las Vegas has bounced back from the 2008 crash. Rick Piette, owner of Premier Mortgage Lending, says now is the time to buy a home. He says the city is experiencing huge growth in construction, industry, gaming and entertainment, and that will continue. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.reviewjournal.com/homes/advertising-features/should-i-buy-a-home-now-or-wait-1608545/ | 0.128903 |
Why is Miamis Metrorail delayed? | Metrorail passengers were furious Friday after the county-funded rail system suffered significant delays and service disruptions during the afternoon rush hour. The transit agency announced technical difficulties in a Twitter post at 4:41 p.m., while passengers posted their own real-time updates of overflowing stations, missing trains and disrupted commutes. ALERT: Metrorail is experiencing a Northbound delay due to technical difficulties. Miami-Dade Transit (@IRideMDT) March 1, 2019 Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald Transit said the disruption came from the loss of our fiber network, the system that connects some computers and other equipment throughout the system. That prompted engineers to operate some systems manually, according to the agency. It interferes with our ability to control switches on the tracks, transit spokeswoman Karla Damian said Friday night. We have to operate manually and reduce train speed for safety reasons. Richard Hankins, a transit advocate trying to head south from Miami, reported Metrorail madness shortly after 5 p.m., posting photos of passengers crowding the platform at the Government Center station as a train filled to capacity was stopped but unable to take on more riders. A digital sign showed the next two northbound trains delayed, and the next southbound train scheduled to arrive in seven minutes. Once he boarded his southbound train about 50 minutes later, he reported it skipped three stops. Decided to walk from Government Center to Vizcaya due to the delays. Don't recall hearing a train go by until I was approaching the station. pic.twitter.com/WDIGEVpvea Steven Fishlock (@plutosknight) March 2, 2019 Metrorail said it was able to get trains running after the fiber-optics issue, but at a much slower speed than normal. The problems prompted Miami-Dade to shut down Metrorails service to Miami International Airport, the lone new route built with a half-percent sales tax voters approved in 2002 to improve transportation countywide. Shuttle buses were used to ferry passengers back and forth from MIA and the Earlington Heights station, the two stops on Metrorails Orange Line. (The rest of the system is the Green Line.) Metrorail madness at Government Center. All trains delayed at rush hour peak. Lots of frustrated commuters at the end of a long work day. Come on @IRideMDT, this is absurd! @TransitMIA @transitmiami pic.twitter.com/0S4yfPOBI5 Richard Hankins (@RichardPHankins) March 1, 2019 Metrorail has been plagued by delays and mechanical disruptions thanks to breakdowns of its original trains, which were part of the system launched during the 1980s. Miami-Dade is in the process of replacing the old trains with new ones as part of a $380 million upgrade of the Metrorail fleet. The countys 2019 budget shows transit reports needing $250 million to upgrade Metrorail train control, but there were not funds to meet the need. | Miami-Dade's Metrorail system suffered significant delays and service disruptions. The transit agency announced technical difficulties in a Twitter post at 4:41 p. | bart | 1 | https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article227005914.html | 0.276806 |
Why is Miamis Metrorail delayed? | Metrorail passengers were furious Friday after the county-funded rail system suffered significant delays and service disruptions during the afternoon rush hour. The transit agency announced technical difficulties in a Twitter post at 4:41 p.m., while passengers posted their own real-time updates of overflowing stations, missing trains and disrupted commutes. ALERT: Metrorail is experiencing a Northbound delay due to technical difficulties. Miami-Dade Transit (@IRideMDT) March 1, 2019 Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald Transit said the disruption came from the loss of our fiber network, the system that connects some computers and other equipment throughout the system. That prompted engineers to operate some systems manually, according to the agency. It interferes with our ability to control switches on the tracks, transit spokeswoman Karla Damian said Friday night. We have to operate manually and reduce train speed for safety reasons. Richard Hankins, a transit advocate trying to head south from Miami, reported Metrorail madness shortly after 5 p.m., posting photos of passengers crowding the platform at the Government Center station as a train filled to capacity was stopped but unable to take on more riders. A digital sign showed the next two northbound trains delayed, and the next southbound train scheduled to arrive in seven minutes. Once he boarded his southbound train about 50 minutes later, he reported it skipped three stops. Decided to walk from Government Center to Vizcaya due to the delays. Don't recall hearing a train go by until I was approaching the station. pic.twitter.com/WDIGEVpvea Steven Fishlock (@plutosknight) March 2, 2019 Metrorail said it was able to get trains running after the fiber-optics issue, but at a much slower speed than normal. The problems prompted Miami-Dade to shut down Metrorails service to Miami International Airport, the lone new route built with a half-percent sales tax voters approved in 2002 to improve transportation countywide. Shuttle buses were used to ferry passengers back and forth from MIA and the Earlington Heights station, the two stops on Metrorails Orange Line. (The rest of the system is the Green Line.) Metrorail madness at Government Center. All trains delayed at rush hour peak. Lots of frustrated commuters at the end of a long work day. Come on @IRideMDT, this is absurd! @TransitMIA @transitmiami pic.twitter.com/0S4yfPOBI5 Richard Hankins (@RichardPHankins) March 1, 2019 Metrorail has been plagued by delays and mechanical disruptions thanks to breakdowns of its original trains, which were part of the system launched during the 1980s. Miami-Dade is in the process of replacing the old trains with new ones as part of a $380 million upgrade of the Metrorail fleet. The countys 2019 budget shows transit reports needing $250 million to upgrade Metrorail train control, but there were not funds to meet the need. | Miami-Dade's Metrorail system suffered significant delays and service disruptions. The transit agency announced technical difficulties in a Twitter post at 4:41 p.m. Passengers posted their own real-time updates of overflowing stations, missing trains and disrupted commutes. | bart | 2 | https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article227005914.html | 0.270869 |
Who owns the fight for LGBT+ rights in the Arab world? | BEIRUT (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Westerners shouldnt be writing the Arab LGBT+ narrative, activists said on Friday, even while applauding Luxembourgs gay prime ministers confrontational remarks at a summit between European Union and Arab League leaders. Xavier Bettel, speaking in a closed session, called out homophobia in the Arab world by telling the delegates that his marriage to a man could lead to his execution in some of the nations represented in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, this week. The remarks were greeted with icy silence from some, quiet joy from others, according to a tweet by a German journalist who attended the meeting at Egypts Red Sea resort. LGBT+ relationships are illegal across most of the Middle East and North Africa, and gay people often risk fines, jail and even the possibility of death, according to the charity Human Rights Watch. Tarek Zeidan, executive director of Lebanese LGBT+ rights group Helem, said it is positive that LGBT+ issues in the Arab world were being talked about at big event - but he does not believe a Westerner should be leading the conversation. It is a very gray area - my gut feeling is that if you are going to Egypt on a global stage and do not mention human rights abuses then you are complicit, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. But, do I like the fact that we have to rely on a European politician to speak on our behalf agency is important. Zeidan said it is difficult to categorise Bettels comments as good or bad, but he did not believe the prime ministers remarks will cause extra harm for the LGBT+ community in Egypt and the Arab world. The idea that his remarks will make things worse for the LGBT community in the Arab world and for places like Egypt is ludicrous, because things are incredibly bad already, he said. In Egypt, homosexuality is not explicitly criminalised, but LGBT+ people have long been targeted under laws on debauchery. Noor, an Egyptian LGBT+ activist who declined to use her real name for safety reasons, was happy that Bettel took the opportunity to confront Arab leaders at an event in the global spotlight. It is a good step to show these leaders that LGBT identity and sexual orientation - its part of the daily life of any person, so its not something isolated, she said. A gay Qatari man, who declined to be named for reasons of safety, said the Arab leaders should be held liable for their treatment of LGBT+ people, but Westerners, and Western leaders should not be driving the narrative. They shouldnt be the ones trying to speak on our behalf. They should be the ones trying to assist us and reaching out, and trying to convey our suffering and our struggle and our hardship, and the fact this cant be tolerated, he said. In comments made to reporters at the summit Bettel said he was there to listen and not to tell Arab states what do, but said sexual orientation is among the subjects that should be raised. To say nothing was not an option for me, Bettel wrote on Twitter after the summit, signing his message with his initials. | LGBT+ relationships are illegal across most of the Middle East and North Africa. Gay people often risk fines, jail and even the possibility of death. Xavier Bettel called out homophobia in the Arab world at the summit. Bettel said he was there to listen and not to tell Arab states what do. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.reuters.com/article/lgbt-arab-eu/who-owns-the-fight-for-lgbt-rights-in-the-arab-world-idUSL1N20O1XO | 0.143604 |
Is Martellus Bennett eyeing Patriots comeback ... or just trolling us? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com News of Jason Witten's surprise return to the Dallas Cowboys (yes, as a player) had Martellus Bennett in a pot-stirring mood Thursday. Scroll to continue with content Ad Shortly after the Witten news broke, Bennett tweeted at the Cowboys asking if they needed a backup tight end, then insisted he was trolling. But that's not why you're here. "Heard this is the year of the comeback. What's up, Patriots?" a sweaty Bennett shouts in the video. "Yo (head coach) Bill (Belichick), (quarterback) Tom (Brady): Holler at your boy. You already know what's up." Bennett, who tagged tight end Rob Gronkowski in the tweet, also urges Rob Gronkowski not to retire: "Yo, Gronk, hold on! Your boy's on the way, Gronk!" Bennett did have two separate stints in New England, playing 16 games with the Patriots in 2016 and returning for two games in 2017 before announcing his retirement in March 2018. It sounds like the colorful 31-year-old has the itch to play again -- or he's just messing with all of us during a workout. Story continues Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | Martellus Bennett tweeted after Jason Witten's surprise return to the Cowboys. Bennett also tweeted about the Patriots, saying, "Heard this is the year of the comeback" Bennett retired from the NFL in March 2018. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/martellus-bennett-eyeing-patriots-comeback-191028012.html?src=rss | 0.172813 |
Is Martellus Bennett eyeing Patriots comeback ... or just trolling us? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com News of Jason Witten's surprise return to the Dallas Cowboys (yes, as a player) had Martellus Bennett in a pot-stirring mood Thursday. Scroll to continue with content Ad Shortly after the Witten news broke, Bennett tweeted at the Cowboys asking if they needed a backup tight end, then insisted he was trolling. But that's not why you're here. "Heard this is the year of the comeback. What's up, Patriots?" a sweaty Bennett shouts in the video. "Yo (head coach) Bill (Belichick), (quarterback) Tom (Brady): Holler at your boy. You already know what's up." Bennett, who tagged tight end Rob Gronkowski in the tweet, also urges Rob Gronkowski not to retire: "Yo, Gronk, hold on! Your boy's on the way, Gronk!" Bennett did have two separate stints in New England, playing 16 games with the Patriots in 2016 and returning for two games in 2017 before announcing his retirement in March 2018. It sounds like the colorful 31-year-old has the itch to play again -- or he's just messing with all of us during a workout. Story continues Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | Martellus Bennett tweeted after Jason Witten's surprise return to the Cowboys. Bennett also tweeted about the Patriots, saying, "Heard this is the year of the comeback" Bennett played two seasons with the Patriots before announcing his retirement in March 2018. He also tweeted a message to Rob Gronkowski, urging him not to retire. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/martellus-bennett-eyeing-patriots-comeback-191028012.html?src=rss | 0.284025 |
What Makes An App, An 'Enterprise' Application? | By now, in 2019, everyone knows what an app is. Thanks in no small part to the arrival of sophisticated smartphones and tablets over the last decade, even your grandparents probably know which apps they like most and which ones they find troublesome to use. But, functionality notwithstanding, pretty much everyone knows what an app is. No Angry Birds Firstly lets deal with the obvious, that is - an enterprise application is clearly an app that you might use at work, in an enterprise, obviously. Its not Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga or Pokmon Go. Second, lets appreciate the fact that there are non-enterprise applications that have graduated and progressed into some form of enterprise usage (such as Twitter or Facebook), where a commercial use case of the applications core function has evolved. Third, lets also remember that many casual users will use enterprise applications (such as Microsoft Word, Excel and perhaps Skype or various Adobe tools) for personal use. Were not talking about any of those core formats, iterations or instances of software use; were talking about hardcore enterprise applications that are built for mission critical use cases with a different kind of precision engineering. They are, if you will, enterprise applications that are enterprise-grade. If we look at what kinds of core features, engineering and characteristics make an app enterprise-grade, then perhaps we can start to understand why the technology industry tries to justify charging more for certain types of software. A key pointer is open source. Many of the open source applications and data services you will read about are offered in a) a Community Edition and b) an Enterprise Edition. The community version will very often be free for non-commercial use and its core libraries, dependencies and code base will often be essentially dynamic and changeable. Any enterprise edition of the same software will offer code that is locked down (i.e. non-dynamic) and will cost money, with that charge covering maintenance, service and support. But the core rationale and justification for enterprise-grade software goes deeper than whether or not you get support and updates; there is a difference in internal engineering. Deeper differentiating factors An enterprise application may offer a far deeper level of architectural consideration between development and operationalization (a state called production in software developer language). In other words, it will be built for speed, built for scale and built for all the down and dirty data flows it will have to shoulder in its post-operationalized state. Further, an enterprise application may offer a far deeper and far more fine-grained level of auditing. This will ensure that the data we (the business) feed into it can be more accurately checked for business reports that may relate to profit and loss, or may also extend into compliance regulations and so on. Further still, an enterprise application will often offer deeper levels of reliability, more far-reaching end-to-end encryption and will probably have undergone rigorous quality assurance and testing for improved stability. It will also often be pre-configured to meet the requirements of secure production environments. "We're seeing that our enterprise customers have very different needs from the average community user," said Max Mether, VP of server product management, MariaDB Corporation. "These customers are working on a completely different scale with a strong focus on stability and security. In order to be able to cater to these requirements, it is clear that we need to focus on a different solution by creating another version of [our software] specifically focused on enterprise production workloads." CEO of Platform.sh Fred Plais agrees that enterprise software development must be predictable, reliable, auditable and repeatable. He also suggests that we might not think much about the occasional glitch in consumer software, but enterprise softwareespecially ecommerceneeds to work every time. His firm specializes in handling the testing and deployment of customers applications to a cloud infrastructure. Continuous, automatic insight into the development process at all levels of the software stack, from infrastructure to code, is critical. The North Star for enterprise development - deploying constantly and without human intervention (and potential human error) enables smaller increments and thus less risk. Increasingly, automation helps mitigate risk and still implement major changes with confidence -- even on a Friday night," said Plais. Largely in agreement with Plais is Wael Elrifai, VP for solution engineering at Hitachi Vantara. Elrifai says that what it means to be enterprise-grade has certainly changed over the past few years -- just think about source-code availability. "In the [absolute] earliest days of business computing, all software was effectively open source. Shortly thereafter there was a trend towards 100 percent proprietary... and we've seen the pendulum swing partially back with the GNU Manifesto of the 1980s and with Linus Torvalds work to create Linux in the early 1990s. Even today, companies like Hortonworks (now Cloudera) would class enterprise-grade as a matter of follow-the-sun support and open source components amenable to complete customization. Id also expect enterprise-grade software to have robust system documentation as well as a regularly updated roadmap or vision, said Elrifai. Chief marketing officer at infrastructure, integration and analytics software company Tibco is Thomas Been. Arguing that enterprise apps need to not only deliver on their mission statement, Been reminds us that they also need to exhibit the robustness, scalability and agility that businesses require. "What really makes an enterprise application [and gives it enterprise status] is when a piece of software provides enough confidence for companies to run the most critical parts of their business with it. While this definition could have been provided 20 years ago as is, digital transformation is now taking the meaning of these words into uncharted territories. The most critical parts of a business spans across customer experience, operations and digital services. Robustness requires addressing a much broader audience in an instant way, while scalability requires addressing all relevant internal user personas with the right capabilities, such as relevant analytics," said Tibco's Been. Been also reminds that the agility is key for an enterprise app; he explains that enterprise software should be able to connect easily to the rest of the business, its customers and ecosystems. Architectural responsibilities So yes, you can use enterprise software at home and yes, you can even safely use consumer-grade software at work (in approved circumstances), but to build mission-critical software that is enterprise-grade, there are a number of architectural responsibilities that need to be met before we can run with them. Nobody appears to have yet found a business application use case for Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga or Pokmon Go, so thus far no enterprise edition of either is needed and please, dont necessarily try and find one. | Core features, engineering and characteristics make an app enterprise-grade. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/adrianbridgwater/2019/03/02/what-makes-an-app-an-enterprise-application/ | 0.436062 |
What Makes An App, An 'Enterprise' Application? | By now, in 2019, everyone knows what an app is. Thanks in no small part to the arrival of sophisticated smartphones and tablets over the last decade, even your grandparents probably know which apps they like most and which ones they find troublesome to use. But, functionality notwithstanding, pretty much everyone knows what an app is. No Angry Birds Firstly lets deal with the obvious, that is - an enterprise application is clearly an app that you might use at work, in an enterprise, obviously. Its not Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga or Pokmon Go. Second, lets appreciate the fact that there are non-enterprise applications that have graduated and progressed into some form of enterprise usage (such as Twitter or Facebook), where a commercial use case of the applications core function has evolved. Third, lets also remember that many casual users will use enterprise applications (such as Microsoft Word, Excel and perhaps Skype or various Adobe tools) for personal use. Were not talking about any of those core formats, iterations or instances of software use; were talking about hardcore enterprise applications that are built for mission critical use cases with a different kind of precision engineering. They are, if you will, enterprise applications that are enterprise-grade. If we look at what kinds of core features, engineering and characteristics make an app enterprise-grade, then perhaps we can start to understand why the technology industry tries to justify charging more for certain types of software. A key pointer is open source. Many of the open source applications and data services you will read about are offered in a) a Community Edition and b) an Enterprise Edition. The community version will very often be free for non-commercial use and its core libraries, dependencies and code base will often be essentially dynamic and changeable. Any enterprise edition of the same software will offer code that is locked down (i.e. non-dynamic) and will cost money, with that charge covering maintenance, service and support. But the core rationale and justification for enterprise-grade software goes deeper than whether or not you get support and updates; there is a difference in internal engineering. Deeper differentiating factors An enterprise application may offer a far deeper level of architectural consideration between development and operationalization (a state called production in software developer language). In other words, it will be built for speed, built for scale and built for all the down and dirty data flows it will have to shoulder in its post-operationalized state. Further, an enterprise application may offer a far deeper and far more fine-grained level of auditing. This will ensure that the data we (the business) feed into it can be more accurately checked for business reports that may relate to profit and loss, or may also extend into compliance regulations and so on. Further still, an enterprise application will often offer deeper levels of reliability, more far-reaching end-to-end encryption and will probably have undergone rigorous quality assurance and testing for improved stability. It will also often be pre-configured to meet the requirements of secure production environments. "We're seeing that our enterprise customers have very different needs from the average community user," said Max Mether, VP of server product management, MariaDB Corporation. "These customers are working on a completely different scale with a strong focus on stability and security. In order to be able to cater to these requirements, it is clear that we need to focus on a different solution by creating another version of [our software] specifically focused on enterprise production workloads." CEO of Platform.sh Fred Plais agrees that enterprise software development must be predictable, reliable, auditable and repeatable. He also suggests that we might not think much about the occasional glitch in consumer software, but enterprise softwareespecially ecommerceneeds to work every time. His firm specializes in handling the testing and deployment of customers applications to a cloud infrastructure. Continuous, automatic insight into the development process at all levels of the software stack, from infrastructure to code, is critical. The North Star for enterprise development - deploying constantly and without human intervention (and potential human error) enables smaller increments and thus less risk. Increasingly, automation helps mitigate risk and still implement major changes with confidence -- even on a Friday night," said Plais. Largely in agreement with Plais is Wael Elrifai, VP for solution engineering at Hitachi Vantara. Elrifai says that what it means to be enterprise-grade has certainly changed over the past few years -- just think about source-code availability. "In the [absolute] earliest days of business computing, all software was effectively open source. Shortly thereafter there was a trend towards 100 percent proprietary... and we've seen the pendulum swing partially back with the GNU Manifesto of the 1980s and with Linus Torvalds work to create Linux in the early 1990s. Even today, companies like Hortonworks (now Cloudera) would class enterprise-grade as a matter of follow-the-sun support and open source components amenable to complete customization. Id also expect enterprise-grade software to have robust system documentation as well as a regularly updated roadmap or vision, said Elrifai. Chief marketing officer at infrastructure, integration and analytics software company Tibco is Thomas Been. Arguing that enterprise apps need to not only deliver on their mission statement, Been reminds us that they also need to exhibit the robustness, scalability and agility that businesses require. "What really makes an enterprise application [and gives it enterprise status] is when a piece of software provides enough confidence for companies to run the most critical parts of their business with it. While this definition could have been provided 20 years ago as is, digital transformation is now taking the meaning of these words into uncharted territories. The most critical parts of a business spans across customer experience, operations and digital services. Robustness requires addressing a much broader audience in an instant way, while scalability requires addressing all relevant internal user personas with the right capabilities, such as relevant analytics," said Tibco's Been. Been also reminds that the agility is key for an enterprise app; he explains that enterprise software should be able to connect easily to the rest of the business, its customers and ecosystems. Architectural responsibilities So yes, you can use enterprise software at home and yes, you can even safely use consumer-grade software at work (in approved circumstances), but to build mission-critical software that is enterprise-grade, there are a number of architectural responsibilities that need to be met before we can run with them. Nobody appears to have yet found a business application use case for Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga or Pokmon Go, so thus far no enterprise edition of either is needed and please, dont necessarily try and find one. | Core features, engineering and characteristics make an app 'enterprise-grade' An enterprise application may offer a far deeper level of architectural consideration between development and operationalization. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/adrianbridgwater/2019/03/02/what-makes-an-app-an-enterprise-application/ | 0.505793 |
What Makes An App, An 'Enterprise' Application? | By now, in 2019, everyone knows what an app is. Thanks in no small part to the arrival of sophisticated smartphones and tablets over the last decade, even your grandparents probably know which apps they like most and which ones they find troublesome to use. But, functionality notwithstanding, pretty much everyone knows what an app is. No Angry Birds Firstly lets deal with the obvious, that is - an enterprise application is clearly an app that you might use at work, in an enterprise, obviously. Its not Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga or Pokmon Go. Second, lets appreciate the fact that there are non-enterprise applications that have graduated and progressed into some form of enterprise usage (such as Twitter or Facebook), where a commercial use case of the applications core function has evolved. Third, lets also remember that many casual users will use enterprise applications (such as Microsoft Word, Excel and perhaps Skype or various Adobe tools) for personal use. Were not talking about any of those core formats, iterations or instances of software use; were talking about hardcore enterprise applications that are built for mission critical use cases with a different kind of precision engineering. They are, if you will, enterprise applications that are enterprise-grade. If we look at what kinds of core features, engineering and characteristics make an app enterprise-grade, then perhaps we can start to understand why the technology industry tries to justify charging more for certain types of software. A key pointer is open source. Many of the open source applications and data services you will read about are offered in a) a Community Edition and b) an Enterprise Edition. The community version will very often be free for non-commercial use and its core libraries, dependencies and code base will often be essentially dynamic and changeable. Any enterprise edition of the same software will offer code that is locked down (i.e. non-dynamic) and will cost money, with that charge covering maintenance, service and support. But the core rationale and justification for enterprise-grade software goes deeper than whether or not you get support and updates; there is a difference in internal engineering. Deeper differentiating factors An enterprise application may offer a far deeper level of architectural consideration between development and operationalization (a state called production in software developer language). In other words, it will be built for speed, built for scale and built for all the down and dirty data flows it will have to shoulder in its post-operationalized state. Further, an enterprise application may offer a far deeper and far more fine-grained level of auditing. This will ensure that the data we (the business) feed into it can be more accurately checked for business reports that may relate to profit and loss, or may also extend into compliance regulations and so on. Further still, an enterprise application will often offer deeper levels of reliability, more far-reaching end-to-end encryption and will probably have undergone rigorous quality assurance and testing for improved stability. It will also often be pre-configured to meet the requirements of secure production environments. "We're seeing that our enterprise customers have very different needs from the average community user," said Max Mether, VP of server product management, MariaDB Corporation. "These customers are working on a completely different scale with a strong focus on stability and security. In order to be able to cater to these requirements, it is clear that we need to focus on a different solution by creating another version of [our software] specifically focused on enterprise production workloads." CEO of Platform.sh Fred Plais agrees that enterprise software development must be predictable, reliable, auditable and repeatable. He also suggests that we might not think much about the occasional glitch in consumer software, but enterprise softwareespecially ecommerceneeds to work every time. His firm specializes in handling the testing and deployment of customers applications to a cloud infrastructure. Continuous, automatic insight into the development process at all levels of the software stack, from infrastructure to code, is critical. The North Star for enterprise development - deploying constantly and without human intervention (and potential human error) enables smaller increments and thus less risk. Increasingly, automation helps mitigate risk and still implement major changes with confidence -- even on a Friday night," said Plais. Largely in agreement with Plais is Wael Elrifai, VP for solution engineering at Hitachi Vantara. Elrifai says that what it means to be enterprise-grade has certainly changed over the past few years -- just think about source-code availability. "In the [absolute] earliest days of business computing, all software was effectively open source. Shortly thereafter there was a trend towards 100 percent proprietary... and we've seen the pendulum swing partially back with the GNU Manifesto of the 1980s and with Linus Torvalds work to create Linux in the early 1990s. Even today, companies like Hortonworks (now Cloudera) would class enterprise-grade as a matter of follow-the-sun support and open source components amenable to complete customization. Id also expect enterprise-grade software to have robust system documentation as well as a regularly updated roadmap or vision, said Elrifai. Chief marketing officer at infrastructure, integration and analytics software company Tibco is Thomas Been. Arguing that enterprise apps need to not only deliver on their mission statement, Been reminds us that they also need to exhibit the robustness, scalability and agility that businesses require. "What really makes an enterprise application [and gives it enterprise status] is when a piece of software provides enough confidence for companies to run the most critical parts of their business with it. While this definition could have been provided 20 years ago as is, digital transformation is now taking the meaning of these words into uncharted territories. The most critical parts of a business spans across customer experience, operations and digital services. Robustness requires addressing a much broader audience in an instant way, while scalability requires addressing all relevant internal user personas with the right capabilities, such as relevant analytics," said Tibco's Been. Been also reminds that the agility is key for an enterprise app; he explains that enterprise software should be able to connect easily to the rest of the business, its customers and ecosystems. Architectural responsibilities So yes, you can use enterprise software at home and yes, you can even safely use consumer-grade software at work (in approved circumstances), but to build mission-critical software that is enterprise-grade, there are a number of architectural responsibilities that need to be met before we can run with them. Nobody appears to have yet found a business application use case for Angry Birds, Candy Crush Saga or Pokmon Go, so thus far no enterprise edition of either is needed and please, dont necessarily try and find one. | Enterprise applications are built for mission critical use cases with a different kind of precision engineering. An enterprise application may offer a far deeper level of architectural consideration between development and operationalization. It will be built for speed, built for scale and built for all the down and dirty data flows it will have to shoulder. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/adrianbridgwater/2019/03/02/what-makes-an-app-an-enterprise-application/ | 0.516535 |
What exactly is a 'smart' device anyway? | (Photo: Getty Images) Not too long ago, maybe you remember, most at-home tasks were done by hand. From vacuuming the carpet and cooking dinner to turning on the lights and adjusting the temperature in the room, all the day-to-day domestic drudgery required some degree of manual labor. Those days are fleeting as the rapidly evolving tech industry continues to unveil new convenience contraptions that are triggered by sensors, computers, timers and the sound of our voices. "Smart" this and "connected" that. It's easy to use the terms smart and connected interchangeably, but the truth is they're not exactly the same thing. Here are the differences between these similar technology terms: Connected vs. Smart Stay informed: How a smart home works for you all day In November 2014, Michael E. Porter, professor of business administration at Harvard, and James E. Heppelmann, CEO of computer software company PTC Inc., broke down the differences between connected and smart technologies in the Harvard Business Review. CLOSE Some of the worlds biggest car makers debuted future technology at the annual Las Vegas show. Marc Saltzman for USA TODAY Connected devices, as described by the duo, have ports, antennae and protocols that facilitate communication between a product and its operating environment. Simply put, "a connected device can share data directly with other devices or over a network," said Rick Kowalski, senior manager of Industry and Business Intelligence at the Consumer Technology Association. "The data transmission can be one way or two way." A simple door or window sensor that tracks the state of your home's entryways is an example of a connected device, Kowalski said. These devices solely let you know if a window or door is ajar. Smart tech, on the other hand, is often more complex. These gadgets contain sensors, microprocessors, data storage, controls, software, and, typically, an embedded operating system. "Smart devices enable more than just connectivity," said Kowalski. "A smart device typically has an operating system that will let you connect with other information services, entertainment services or apps." Take a smartphone, for example. Not only does the device allow you to browse the internet and make calls, but it also lets you connect to apps that unlock endless possibilities. New rules: 'Don't call me before you text' and other rules of the digital era Some wireless home speakers are solely connected, allowing you to play music from your smartphone via Bluetooth connection, while others that can be controlled by, say, Amazon's cloud-based voice assistant (Alexa) are considered smart. "Speakers didnt become smart until they added digital assistants that gave us answers to our questions, access to our music services, and the ability to control our smart home devices," Kowalski said. CLOSE USA TODAY Tech contributor Jennifer Jolly gave us a tour of a prototype of the smart homes of the future, called KB Home ProjeKt, which features moving walls, 400-plus smart appliances and much more. USA TODAY Smart home vs connected home Crossing wires: A smart home sounds like a great idea. The terms smart home and connected home have evolved to be used interchangeably, Kowalski, a consumer tech expert, said. A truly smart home is equipped with lighting, heating, or electronic devices that can be controlled remotely as in when you're away from your home by a computer, tablet or smartphone. Using the technology within the home, you can control and see what is going on in your house, even when youre not there by using websites or apps on a smartphone, tablet or computer. For instance, if you're expecting a delivery while you're away, you can install a home camera that allows you to check in on your front porch. That way you can see when your package arrives or interact with people who come to your door even when you're away. Smart thermostats are intelligent because they can make calculated decisions based on other system components, such as the owner's previous room temperature adjustments, built-in algorithms, and sensors. A breeze: Staying cool with my new learning thermostat Smart TV vs Regular TV Smart TV tracking features: How to turn them off if you want some privacy There are two major differences between smart and non-smart televisions. Smart televisions can access the internet and they can be boosted with appsjust like a smartphone or tablet. "Dumb" or regular TVs aren't manufactured with those capabilities. Similar to regular TVs, however, smart ones come in many shapes and sizes and you can get an LCD or Plasma. Connected TV's are seeing rapid adoption. (Photo: Getty Images) You used to have to connect a computer or laptop to a conventional TV if you wanted to access Internet-based content. Nowadays, thanks to third-party hardware devices like Google Chromecast, Apple TV and Roku, regular TVs can become smart-er. Still, truly smart TVs have access to streaming services like Netflix and YouTube built in. Internet of Things Also known as IoT, it's the umbrella term that refers to the connection of devices to the internet. These devices broadly encompass connected appliances, connected cars, wearable tech, smart health and fitness, security cameras, smart TVs, smart clothing, smart homes, smart cities and all of the services that are layered on top of those. As the Internet of Things grows over the coming years, more devices will join that list. Follow Dalvin Brown on Twitter: @Dalvin_Brown CLOSE Out of the 4,400 exhibitors in Las Vegas for the massive consumer tech show, here are the best ones we found. Marc Saltzman, For USA TODAY Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/03/02/smart-home-vs-connected-home-there-difference/2538115002/ | Connected devices have ports, antennae and protocols that facilitate communication between a product and its operating environment. Smart devices enable more than just connectivity. A truly smart home is equipped with lighting, heating, or electronic devices that can be controlled remotely. | bart | 1 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/03/02/smart-home-vs-connected-home-there-difference/2538115002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-techtopstories | 0.116349 |
What exactly is a 'smart' device anyway? | (Photo: Getty Images) Not too long ago, maybe you remember, most at-home tasks were done by hand. From vacuuming the carpet and cooking dinner to turning on the lights and adjusting the temperature in the room, all the day-to-day domestic drudgery required some degree of manual labor. Those days are fleeting as the rapidly evolving tech industry continues to unveil new convenience contraptions that are triggered by sensors, computers, timers and the sound of our voices. "Smart" this and "connected" that. It's easy to use the terms smart and connected interchangeably, but the truth is they're not exactly the same thing. Here are the differences between these similar technology terms: Connected vs. Smart Stay informed: How a smart home works for you all day In November 2014, Michael E. Porter, professor of business administration at Harvard, and James E. Heppelmann, CEO of computer software company PTC Inc., broke down the differences between connected and smart technologies in the Harvard Business Review. CLOSE Some of the worlds biggest car makers debuted future technology at the annual Las Vegas show. Marc Saltzman for USA TODAY Connected devices, as described by the duo, have ports, antennae and protocols that facilitate communication between a product and its operating environment. Simply put, "a connected device can share data directly with other devices or over a network," said Rick Kowalski, senior manager of Industry and Business Intelligence at the Consumer Technology Association. "The data transmission can be one way or two way." A simple door or window sensor that tracks the state of your home's entryways is an example of a connected device, Kowalski said. These devices solely let you know if a window or door is ajar. Smart tech, on the other hand, is often more complex. These gadgets contain sensors, microprocessors, data storage, controls, software, and, typically, an embedded operating system. "Smart devices enable more than just connectivity," said Kowalski. "A smart device typically has an operating system that will let you connect with other information services, entertainment services or apps." Take a smartphone, for example. Not only does the device allow you to browse the internet and make calls, but it also lets you connect to apps that unlock endless possibilities. New rules: 'Don't call me before you text' and other rules of the digital era Some wireless home speakers are solely connected, allowing you to play music from your smartphone via Bluetooth connection, while others that can be controlled by, say, Amazon's cloud-based voice assistant (Alexa) are considered smart. "Speakers didnt become smart until they added digital assistants that gave us answers to our questions, access to our music services, and the ability to control our smart home devices," Kowalski said. CLOSE USA TODAY Tech contributor Jennifer Jolly gave us a tour of a prototype of the smart homes of the future, called KB Home ProjeKt, which features moving walls, 400-plus smart appliances and much more. USA TODAY Smart home vs connected home Crossing wires: A smart home sounds like a great idea. The terms smart home and connected home have evolved to be used interchangeably, Kowalski, a consumer tech expert, said. A truly smart home is equipped with lighting, heating, or electronic devices that can be controlled remotely as in when you're away from your home by a computer, tablet or smartphone. Using the technology within the home, you can control and see what is going on in your house, even when youre not there by using websites or apps on a smartphone, tablet or computer. For instance, if you're expecting a delivery while you're away, you can install a home camera that allows you to check in on your front porch. That way you can see when your package arrives or interact with people who come to your door even when you're away. Smart thermostats are intelligent because they can make calculated decisions based on other system components, such as the owner's previous room temperature adjustments, built-in algorithms, and sensors. A breeze: Staying cool with my new learning thermostat Smart TV vs Regular TV Smart TV tracking features: How to turn them off if you want some privacy There are two major differences between smart and non-smart televisions. Smart televisions can access the internet and they can be boosted with appsjust like a smartphone or tablet. "Dumb" or regular TVs aren't manufactured with those capabilities. Similar to regular TVs, however, smart ones come in many shapes and sizes and you can get an LCD or Plasma. Connected TV's are seeing rapid adoption. (Photo: Getty Images) You used to have to connect a computer or laptop to a conventional TV if you wanted to access Internet-based content. Nowadays, thanks to third-party hardware devices like Google Chromecast, Apple TV and Roku, regular TVs can become smart-er. Still, truly smart TVs have access to streaming services like Netflix and YouTube built in. Internet of Things Also known as IoT, it's the umbrella term that refers to the connection of devices to the internet. These devices broadly encompass connected appliances, connected cars, wearable tech, smart health and fitness, security cameras, smart TVs, smart clothing, smart homes, smart cities and all of the services that are layered on top of those. As the Internet of Things grows over the coming years, more devices will join that list. Follow Dalvin Brown on Twitter: @Dalvin_Brown CLOSE Out of the 4,400 exhibitors in Las Vegas for the massive consumer tech show, here are the best ones we found. Marc Saltzman, For USA TODAY Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/03/02/smart-home-vs-connected-home-there-difference/2538115002/ | It's easy to use the terms smart and connected interchangeably, but they're not exactly the same thing. Connected devices have ports, antennae and protocols that facilitate communication between a product and its operating environment. Smart tech, on the other hand, is often more complex. These gadgets contain sensors, microprocessors, data storage, controls, software. | bart | 2 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/03/02/smart-home-vs-connected-home-there-difference/2538115002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-techtopstories | 0.105098 |
Who From Trump World Do House Democrats Want To Talk To Next? | Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images Alex Wong/Getty Images Michael Cohen was just the beginning. President Trump's former personal lawyer named names when he testified before the House oversight committee on Wednesday. He told the panel about Trump Organization personnel with knowledge of what Cohen alleged are criminal or questionable actions within the business. Cohen's knowledge about the inner workings of the Trump Organization is expansive. The former lawyer, now disbarred in the state of New York, once maintained an office close to Trump's in New York City's Trump Tower. Now congressional Democrats are turning their attention to other figures in the Trump Organization. Here are the names you need to know. Felix Sater Enlarge this image toggle caption Will Ragozzino/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Will Ragozzino/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Sater is a real estate developer and longtime Trump business associate who was involved in the Trump Organization's efforts to build a Trump Tower project in Moscow. He is scheduled to testify in an open hearing before the House intelligence committee on March 14. Sater is notable for his previous connections to organized crime and the work he also has reportedly done on behalf of the U.S. government as an undercover informer. It was Sater who suggested to Cohen and Trump that one way to clear the way for Trump Tower in Moscow might be to offer Russian President Vladimir Putin a free penthouse, according to Cohen. Republicans battered Cohen over his credibility and they are likely to do the same with Sater, a man from whom Trump has tried in the past to distance himself. Allen Weisselberg Enlarge this image toggle caption Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images The chief financial officer of the Trump Organization has been a key player in all of Trump's business and other dealings. Weisselberg and Donald Trump Jr., for example, signed one of the checks repaying Cohen for the money Cohen paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet ahead of Election Day in 2016. Weisselberg is so important to the investigations of Trump that prosecutors in Manhattan have reportedly offered him immunity in order to get his cooperation with their efforts. So it may be some time before the Justice Department could authorize him to talk to Congress but that isn't stopping lawmakers from asking for him. Politics Rep. Eric Swalwell: 'There Is At Least One Indictment Waiting For President Trump' Rep. Eric Swalwell: 'There Is At Least One Indictment Waiting For President Trump' Listen 4:16 4:16 "Mr. Weisselberg is a relevant witness for many committees he knows where the money in the Trump Organization went to, and, you know, money that came in," Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat on the House intelligence committee, told NPR. "We have a Trump Organization that, for a very long time, has wanted to do business in Russia and has also had Russians invest in Trump Tower in the United States. ... So it's to really find out if this president is financially compromised by the Russians." David Pecker, Barry Levine and Dylan Howard toggle caption Marion Curtis/AP Trump enlisted a number of people to help with his alleged dirty work, including those who didn't directly work for him, Cohen said. Trump's friend David Pecker, for example, CEO of American Media, Inc. (AMI) which publishes the National Enquirer, would have AMI "catch and kill" stories that might be embarrassing for Trump by paying people involved for the exclusive rights to them then never publish them. Sometimes Trump reimbursed AMI but sometimes he didn't, Cohen said which made Pecker angry. That's what happened with former Playboy model Karen McDougal before Election Day in 2016, when Trump's camp feared she might talk publicly about the alleged sexual relationship she'd had with Trump. (Trump has denied ever having any such relationship with McDougal or with Daniels.) AMI bought McDougal's "life rights." AMI later entered into an agreement with prosecutors in New York in which it escaped charges in exchange for cooperating with the investigation. But there was evidently a great deal more to the relationship between Trump and Pecker/AMI than the McDougal case, Cohen said. Pecker's company worked many times to buy embarrassing stories about Trump, even ones that weren't true, which enabled AMI to compile a "treasure trove" of potentially damaging material. Cohen was so interested in what AMI had accumulated that when Pecker was negotiating to potentially take another important publishing job, Cohen wanted to buy the Trump archive on behalf of his client to ensure it was kept safe. Former National Enquirer editor Barry Levine would, he said, as well as a vice president of AMI, Dylan Howard, Cohen responded. Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. Enlarge this image toggle caption Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images The president's three oldest children are among his top advisers and have been a part of all the family's major business dealings, Cohen told lawmakers. That includes the potential Trump Tower Moscow real estate project. Ivanka Trump and her brother, Donald Trump Jr., both were briefed about it repeatedly, Cohen said. The chairman of the House oversight committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said that Americans following these investigations should follow the names Cohen gave, and also that his panel would be interested in interviewing them. It isn't clear whether Cummings actually has requested to hear from Ivanka or Donald Trump Jr., but the oversight committee chairman did complain on Friday that other requests for interviews and documents from the White House have received only silence. Ron Lieberman and Matthew Calamari toggle caption Drew Angerer/Getty Images Lieberman is an executive vice president in Trump's company who's responsible for managing many of its subsidiary enterprises, according to his Bloomberg bio. That includes modeling agencies, real estate and golf courses, and it was in discussing these operations that his name came up in Cohen's testimony, along with that that of chief operating officer Calamari. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., asked Cohen about practices he'd described involved with inflating the value of assets held by Trump or his companies. Sometimes Trump overstated the value of his properties to make them appear more valuable and himself seem more wealthy, Cohen said. Sometimes, Cohen said, Trump submitted information to authorities that made his properties seem much less valuable than they actually were, reducing the amount in taxes he'd have to pay. Yes, Cohen said. When asked who could give the committee more information, he recommended Weisselberg, Lieberman and Calamari. If Cummings' comments were any indication, they may all soon have their time under the spotlight. | House Democrats want to talk to Felix Sater, Allen Weisselberg, David Pecker. They want to know what they know about the inner workings of the Trump Organization. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.npr.org/2019/03/02/699309857/who-from-trump-world-do-house-democrats-likely-want-to-talk-to-next?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news | 0.486691 |
Who From Trump World Do House Democrats Want To Talk To Next? | Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images Alex Wong/Getty Images Michael Cohen was just the beginning. President Trump's former personal lawyer named names when he testified before the House oversight committee on Wednesday. He told the panel about Trump Organization personnel with knowledge of what Cohen alleged are criminal or questionable actions within the business. Cohen's knowledge about the inner workings of the Trump Organization is expansive. The former lawyer, now disbarred in the state of New York, once maintained an office close to Trump's in New York City's Trump Tower. Now congressional Democrats are turning their attention to other figures in the Trump Organization. Here are the names you need to know. Felix Sater Enlarge this image toggle caption Will Ragozzino/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Will Ragozzino/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Sater is a real estate developer and longtime Trump business associate who was involved in the Trump Organization's efforts to build a Trump Tower project in Moscow. He is scheduled to testify in an open hearing before the House intelligence committee on March 14. Sater is notable for his previous connections to organized crime and the work he also has reportedly done on behalf of the U.S. government as an undercover informer. It was Sater who suggested to Cohen and Trump that one way to clear the way for Trump Tower in Moscow might be to offer Russian President Vladimir Putin a free penthouse, according to Cohen. Republicans battered Cohen over his credibility and they are likely to do the same with Sater, a man from whom Trump has tried in the past to distance himself. Allen Weisselberg Enlarge this image toggle caption Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images The chief financial officer of the Trump Organization has been a key player in all of Trump's business and other dealings. Weisselberg and Donald Trump Jr., for example, signed one of the checks repaying Cohen for the money Cohen paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet ahead of Election Day in 2016. Weisselberg is so important to the investigations of Trump that prosecutors in Manhattan have reportedly offered him immunity in order to get his cooperation with their efforts. So it may be some time before the Justice Department could authorize him to talk to Congress but that isn't stopping lawmakers from asking for him. Politics Rep. Eric Swalwell: 'There Is At Least One Indictment Waiting For President Trump' Rep. Eric Swalwell: 'There Is At Least One Indictment Waiting For President Trump' Listen 4:16 4:16 "Mr. Weisselberg is a relevant witness for many committees he knows where the money in the Trump Organization went to, and, you know, money that came in," Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat on the House intelligence committee, told NPR. "We have a Trump Organization that, for a very long time, has wanted to do business in Russia and has also had Russians invest in Trump Tower in the United States. ... So it's to really find out if this president is financially compromised by the Russians." David Pecker, Barry Levine and Dylan Howard toggle caption Marion Curtis/AP Trump enlisted a number of people to help with his alleged dirty work, including those who didn't directly work for him, Cohen said. Trump's friend David Pecker, for example, CEO of American Media, Inc. (AMI) which publishes the National Enquirer, would have AMI "catch and kill" stories that might be embarrassing for Trump by paying people involved for the exclusive rights to them then never publish them. Sometimes Trump reimbursed AMI but sometimes he didn't, Cohen said which made Pecker angry. That's what happened with former Playboy model Karen McDougal before Election Day in 2016, when Trump's camp feared she might talk publicly about the alleged sexual relationship she'd had with Trump. (Trump has denied ever having any such relationship with McDougal or with Daniels.) AMI bought McDougal's "life rights." AMI later entered into an agreement with prosecutors in New York in which it escaped charges in exchange for cooperating with the investigation. But there was evidently a great deal more to the relationship between Trump and Pecker/AMI than the McDougal case, Cohen said. Pecker's company worked many times to buy embarrassing stories about Trump, even ones that weren't true, which enabled AMI to compile a "treasure trove" of potentially damaging material. Cohen was so interested in what AMI had accumulated that when Pecker was negotiating to potentially take another important publishing job, Cohen wanted to buy the Trump archive on behalf of his client to ensure it was kept safe. Former National Enquirer editor Barry Levine would, he said, as well as a vice president of AMI, Dylan Howard, Cohen responded. Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. Enlarge this image toggle caption Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images The president's three oldest children are among his top advisers and have been a part of all the family's major business dealings, Cohen told lawmakers. That includes the potential Trump Tower Moscow real estate project. Ivanka Trump and her brother, Donald Trump Jr., both were briefed about it repeatedly, Cohen said. The chairman of the House oversight committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said that Americans following these investigations should follow the names Cohen gave, and also that his panel would be interested in interviewing them. It isn't clear whether Cummings actually has requested to hear from Ivanka or Donald Trump Jr., but the oversight committee chairman did complain on Friday that other requests for interviews and documents from the White House have received only silence. Ron Lieberman and Matthew Calamari toggle caption Drew Angerer/Getty Images Lieberman is an executive vice president in Trump's company who's responsible for managing many of its subsidiary enterprises, according to his Bloomberg bio. That includes modeling agencies, real estate and golf courses, and it was in discussing these operations that his name came up in Cohen's testimony, along with that that of chief operating officer Calamari. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., asked Cohen about practices he'd described involved with inflating the value of assets held by Trump or his companies. Sometimes Trump overstated the value of his properties to make them appear more valuable and himself seem more wealthy, Cohen said. Sometimes, Cohen said, Trump submitted information to authorities that made his properties seem much less valuable than they actually were, reducing the amount in taxes he'd have to pay. Yes, Cohen said. When asked who could give the committee more information, he recommended Weisselberg, Lieberman and Calamari. If Cummings' comments were any indication, they may all soon have their time under the spotlight. | House Democrats want to talk to Felix Sater, Allen Weisselberg, David Pecker. They want to know what they know about the inner workings of the Trump Organization. Sater is a longtime Trump business associate who was involved in the Trump Tower project in Moscow. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.npr.org/2019/03/02/699309857/who-from-trump-world-do-house-democrats-likely-want-to-talk-to-next?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news | 0.545667 |
Can Lady Gaga Score The No. 1 Song And Album After Her Oscar Win? | At the moment, Ariana Grande currently controls both the Billboard 200 and the Hot 100 charts with her record Thank U, Next and her single 7 Rings, respectively. Shes been in charge of the two tallies for a few weeks now, and at the beginning of this tracking frame, it looked like she was headed for another spin at No. 1 on both listings...but a lot can change in just a few days in the music industry, and she may now be forced to cede her lead to another superstar. It looks like pop singer and actress Lady Gaga is headed to the top of both the albums and the songs rankings, giving her the highly-coveted (and still somewhat rare) chart double. But, she doesnt have anything new out...so why does it appear shell be at No. Hot 100 Billboard has already suggested that Gagas single Shallow from A Star Is Born could rocket up the ranking and finally claim the No. 1 position on the Hot 100 singles chart months after it was first released. The singer performed the track at the Oscars with Bradley Cooper (who is also credited on the recording) in one of the most talked-about moments of the evening, and then she went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song a short time later. All the attention that a high-profile performance and an emotional speech brings to a tune has driven sales and streams of the track, both on proper audio streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, as well as YouTube, where the duet is available to watch in full. All those clicks and purchases might just be enough to topple Grandes 7 Rings, which has now been in charge for a while. Billboard 200 Just as winning an Oscar and delivering a truly show-stopping rendition of a ballad will help Shallow rise once again, the album it is featured on will also benefit. All the streams the song receives will help the A Star Is Born soundtrack lift, but Gaga and company arent taking any chances. The album has been discounted at almost all digital retailers, and the singer herself even tweeted that it could now be purchased for just a few dollars, which should convince a sizable group of Oscar watchers to pick up a copy. While Shallow is sitting just below the top 20 on the Hot 100, A Star Is Born doesnt have quite as far to go to rule, as its currently sitting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and is not facing stiff competition from any new entrants. The results should be revealed tomorrow and Monday, when Billboard shares which albums and songs made it into the top 10 this coming frame. | Ariana Grande currently controls both the Billboard 200 and the Hot 100 charts. It looks like Lady Gaga is headed to the top of both the albums and the songs rankings. The singer performed the track at the Oscars with Bradley Cooper. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2019/03/02/can-lady-gaga-score-the-no-1-song-and-album-after-her-oscar-triumph/ | 0.172525 |
What Are These Ice Tsunamis In Recent Viral Videos? | The winter of 2019 in the United States has lived up to its name. There have been record cold temperatures, Polar Vortex intrusions, strange rotating ice discs, and the requisite snowstorms. This week I noticed viral videos getting around of massive chunks of ice invading the shores of the Great Lakes region. My colleague Professor Joann Mossa at the University of Florida suggested that I write about this process. I agreed. The videos show something called "ice shoves." The more "click bait" or media friendly term is "ice tsunami." They have also been called "ice pushes," "ice heaves," or "ice surges." I am going to refer to them as ice shoves herein. As I casually browsed my social media feed this week, I saw a video by Anthony Lamonte in Buffalo. You can watch his video by clicking on this link. I should caution you that there is some unsavory language. According to an article on buffalonews.com, LaMonte, 59, had a gut feeling that a thick layer of Lake Erie ice would be powerful enough to overwhelm the ice boom, then to move along the Niagara River and hit the banks with such force that blocks of ice that sometimes seemed as big as grand pianos would flip into the air, landing on shore with an impact like the footfall of a giant. He acted on his instincts and set out to film it. The definition of an ice shove in the NOAA National Weather Service glossary is rather simple: "In hydrologic terms, on-shore ice push caused by wind, and currents, changes in temperature, etc." In order to understand ice shoves, I have to explain some basic concepts of physics. If you think back to high school physics, you probably learned about momentum. Momentum is a vector quantity that has magnitude and direction. Scientists like me calculate momentum of an object by multiplying its mass and velocity. If an elephant and a person are running toward you at the same speed, the elephant has more momentum. The other concept is friction. Friction is simply resistance that an object or surface experiences when moving over a different surface or object. If you rub your hands together to warm them, you are relying on friction. A ball rolling on a carpet is eventually slowed or stopped because of friction. In an ice shove, winds are relatively strong and sustained. The constant "shove" of the winds allows chunks of ice to overcome the friction of the land. Since some of the chunks of ice are relatively large, they carry quite a bit of momentum. In some cases, the momentum is enough to cause damage. In most causes, it is just one of those "oh wow get the camera moments." The conditions required for an ice shove include strong winds, partial thaw of the water body (which is why early spring is a good time to observe one), and a gentle slope of the beach. This is the time of year in which ice growth is quite active in the Great Lakes region, but it is also in a transition phase as spring approaches. The Great Lakes Outlook issued by the National Weather Service-Cleveland on March 1st reads, Ice formation will be aided on the northern lakes tonight and Saturday by light flow with winds generally under 15 knots although tracks in fast ice should hold. Ice growth will become moderate to rapid across the northern lakes Sunday through Wednesday as Arctic air sweeps across the lakes from the northwest. Expect moderate ice growth across the southern lakes. Flow should remain below 20 knots Saturday night through through Sunday night, again aiding in ice formation but preserving tracks in fast ice. As of March 1st, the Great Lakes Environmental Surface Analysis shows that total ice cover for the lakes is 74.2% (graphic above). The current wind speeds and directions on the Great Lakes (graphic below) suggest that a few more viral ice shove videos are likely possible in the coming days | Viral videos show massive chunks of ice invading the shores of the Great Lakes region. The videos show something called "ice shoves" The more "click bait" or media friendly term is "ice tsunami" The conditions required for an ice shove include strong winds, partial thaw of the water body. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2019/03/02/what-are-these-ice-tsunamis-in-recent-viral-videos/ | 0.289946 |
Should we get rid of the college Greek system? | By Jessie Blaeser Greek life on college campuses has existed for nearly as long as the United States have been a country. Many fraternity and sorority members argue this long-standing tradition is part of the traditional American college experience and membership offers a number of benefits, including camaraderie. Others cite tragic incidents in which Greek life has resulted in the death of members as one of many reasons why the collegiate Greek system should be abolished. According to TIME's Lisa Wade, concern about fraternities is nothing new. In 1863, a group of college presidents "described fraternities as a 'plague' and 'un-American.'" Wade expands: Young rich men invented social fraternities to isolate themselves from their middle-class peers, thumb their nose at the religious values of their professors and wrest control away from the administrators who set their schedules, curricula and objectives. As would be expected, the result of this invention has been poisonous. Not only does the Greek life further an elitist system on college campuses, but so-called traditions have become so extreme, that some students have lost their lives as a direct result of yielding to pressure to follow such customs. Wade describes the death of 19-year-old Timothy Piazza during a fraternity party put on by Penn States Beta Theta Pi chapter. Piazza fell twice down the stairs after being instructed to drink what a forensic pathologist called a life-threatening amount of alcohol. She writes: In the aftermath of Piazzas death, Penn States president wrote a heart-wrenching open letter. He detailed the facts about Greek life: excessive drinking, high rates of sexual assault, hazardous initiation rites and fatal accidents. He also listed the well-intended and genuine efforts by Penn State to change Greek culture efforts that dont seem to be working and wondered if the right answer is abolition. To Wade there is only one solution to ending this kind of tragedy: Abolish Greek life on college campuses. Despite these tragedies, some claim the good fraternities and sororities do not get nearly enough media attention as the bad. Nevertheless, the good exists. According to CNN's Alexandra Robbins, fraternities, in particular, maintain the "goal of making their brothers 'better men' as helping them to become better people." Surely, the goal of making each other better through brother or sisterhood is one to be commended. Robbins reports on her experience speaking with fraternity brothers: They believed it was their responsibility to hold brothers to high standards of tolerance and cooperation. They were able to create a subculture in which members were rewarded for being good guys...They encouraged members to open up to each other and to give unconditional support. Some students told me that their fraternity friendships and accountability saved their lives. Centuries of corruption hide behind the veil of Greek life on college campuses. Not only has the system influenced the spread of power in business and politics in the real world, but it has also resulted in the unacceptable abuse of college students. As The Atlantic's Caitlin Flanagan bluntly puts it: Lawsuits against fraternities are becoming a growing matter of public interest, in part because they record such lurid events, some of them ludicrous, many more of them horrendous. For every butt bomb, theres a complaint of manslaughter, rape, sexual torture, psychological trauma. Flanagan refers to Bloomberg Newss David Glovin and John Hechingers reporting, saying that since 2005, more than 60 people the majority of them students have died in incidents linked to fraternities. She expands: ...a sobering number in itself, but one that is dwarfed by the numbers of serious injuries, assaults, and sexual crimes that regularly take place in these houses. After a yearlong investigation, Flanagan concludes that fraternities are mightier than universities themselves a dangerous truth that the country must face. Penn State pledges at least $2 million for research center to reform Greek life after student died The university promised to match an additional $3 million to launch the center, which will be named after Timothy J. Piazza, who died nearly two years ago. But if you ask many of the current members of fraternities and sororities, they will likely tell you that the friendships theyve found in Greek life are unique, and therefore something to be protected. Mics Teddy Bommarito explains four key benefits of the Greek system, including camaraderie and academics. Bommarito writes: Although the word camaraderie is a clich defense of fraternities and sororities, the bond that is created between members as a result is certainly visible, durable and genuine; the relationships between brothers and sisters are bonds that last a lifetime. Furthermore, the Greek system includes organizations beyond the traditional fraternities and sororities you might be thinking of from TV or movies. Multicultural Greek organizations prioritize diversity and understanding through the mission of promoting justice. The National Pan-Hellenic Council, formed at Howard University in 1930, contains nine historically African American, international Greek fraternities and sororities and promote unity, educational progress and cultural uplift. There are also service-oriented Greek organizations, whose express mission is to perform community service. Theres no question that the Greek system is in grave need of reform, but it would be a shame to ignore the great unity that has come to fruition as a result of the system itself. 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, wed love to hear what you have to say. | Fraternity and sorority members argue this long-standing tradition is part of the traditional American college experience. Many cite tragic incidents in which Greek life has resulted in the death of members as one of many reasons why the collegiate Greek system should be abolished. | bart | 1 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/03/should-we-get-rid-of-the-college-greek-system.html | 0.202521 |
When do the clocks spring forward for 2019? | Daylight Saving Time 2019 begins at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 10. At that time you should set your clocks and watches forward to 3 a.m., if they don't do it themselves. Daylight Saving Time 2019 will end on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 a.m. local time Daylight Saving Time is observed everywhere in the U.S. except Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Arizona, except the Navajo Indian Reservation, which does observe DST. Many credit the idea of Daylight Saving Time to Benjamin Franklin, but the idea really got going as an energy-saving measure during World War I. The U.S. began turning the clocks back in 1918. Daylight Saving Time is also a good reminder to check smoke detectors and replace batteries. Time zone commission says Massachusetts should spring forward... forever The report recommends moving to year-round daylight savings time - but only if a majority of other northeastern states do as well. In 2017, a Massachusetts commission considering changing the Bay States time zone recommended keeping Daylight Saving Time year-round, but only if a majority of Northeast states also wanted to. The Florida Legislature voted overwhelmingly last year to keep Daylight Saving Time year-round, and the bill was signed by Gov. Rick Scott. But Florida has to change to standard time with everyone else next weekend because only Congress can OK keeping Daylight Saving Time year-round, and that hasnt happened so far for Florida. Californians voted in November in favor of permanent Daylight Saving Time, a measure called Proposition 7. But to take effect, the California legislature and U.S. Congress would have to approve it. Lawmakers in Texas are also considering permanent Daylight Saving Time. More info: National Institute of Standards and Technology Daylight Saving Time rules U.S. Naval Observatory Daylight Time timeanddate.com sunrise and sunset calculator Daylight Saving Time worldwide Uniform Time Act of 1966 [pdf] | Daylight Saving Time 2019 begins at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 10. | bart | 0 | https://www.nola.com/news/2019/03/when-do-the-clocks-spring-forward-for-2019.html | 0.193281 |
When do the clocks spring forward for 2019? | Daylight Saving Time 2019 begins at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 10. At that time you should set your clocks and watches forward to 3 a.m., if they don't do it themselves. Daylight Saving Time 2019 will end on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 a.m. local time Daylight Saving Time is observed everywhere in the U.S. except Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Arizona, except the Navajo Indian Reservation, which does observe DST. Many credit the idea of Daylight Saving Time to Benjamin Franklin, but the idea really got going as an energy-saving measure during World War I. The U.S. began turning the clocks back in 1918. Daylight Saving Time is also a good reminder to check smoke detectors and replace batteries. Time zone commission says Massachusetts should spring forward... forever The report recommends moving to year-round daylight savings time - but only if a majority of other northeastern states do as well. In 2017, a Massachusetts commission considering changing the Bay States time zone recommended keeping Daylight Saving Time year-round, but only if a majority of Northeast states also wanted to. The Florida Legislature voted overwhelmingly last year to keep Daylight Saving Time year-round, and the bill was signed by Gov. Rick Scott. But Florida has to change to standard time with everyone else next weekend because only Congress can OK keeping Daylight Saving Time year-round, and that hasnt happened so far for Florida. Californians voted in November in favor of permanent Daylight Saving Time, a measure called Proposition 7. But to take effect, the California legislature and U.S. Congress would have to approve it. Lawmakers in Texas are also considering permanent Daylight Saving Time. More info: National Institute of Standards and Technology Daylight Saving Time rules U.S. Naval Observatory Daylight Time timeanddate.com sunrise and sunset calculator Daylight Saving Time worldwide Uniform Time Act of 1966 [pdf] | Daylight Saving Time 2019 begins at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 10. Daylight Saving Time is observed everywhere in the U.S. except Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Arizona. | bart | 1 | https://www.nola.com/news/2019/03/when-do-the-clocks-spring-forward-for-2019.html | 0.337579 |
Is Dan Crenshaw the Future of the GOP? | John McCormack is a reporter in Washington. NATIONAL HARBOR, MarylandIts 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the first day of the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conferencenot exactly a prime speaking slotbut a standing room-only crowd has gathered to hear from freshman Congressman Dan Crenshaw. While we wait for the 34-year-old Texan, who is running late due to a vote in the House, the first person I talk to at the back of the Eastern Shore meeting room is Jacob Foster, an 18-year-old high-school student at Gann Academy outside Boston, who is attending CPAC for the third time in his young life. Foster is something of an endangered species at the conference: a conservative who likes a lot of the policies advanced by President Donald Trump yet doesnt intend to vote for him in 2020 because of Trumps character. But Crenshaw gives Foster hope. The glaring difference is hes not facing accusations of sexual assault, he hasnt had three marriages, he didnt dodge the Vietnam draft, Foster says. On policy issues, there are meaningful differences. On trade, hes not as quick to use tariffs. Story Continued Below When Crenshaw arrives, the former Navy SEAL speaks about how to inspire people back home to embrace conservative valuespersonal responsibility, limited government, virtue, libertyover a culture of outrage. A society full of people who are easily enraged by every tweet they see, or some news story that comes outso susceptible to outrage culture, so ready to be offendedits not a sustainable society. Its a society at each others throats, he says. Crenshaw doesnt mention Trump once. The only politician cited by name is John Adams. The Constitution is wholly inadequate for any other people but a moral people, says Crenshaw, paraphrasing the Founding Father. Meanwhile, Trump fixer Michael Cohen is across the Potomac testifying to Congress. Afterward, Foster says it was a phenomenal speech that gets to the core of the more enduring part of conservatism. But Trump fans find something to like, too. Crenshaw is kind of like a more youthful version of Trump, says 20-year-old Jeremiah Childs, a University of Maine student in a red MAGA cap. Hes a more family-friendly version of Trump, he continues, searching for the right comparison. Childs calls Trump critics Mitt Romney and Jeff Flake dinosaurs whose day is done in the GOP. Hes young. Hes exciting. He has a great story. Like, Trumps a billionaire, and hes the soldier, you know? Childs says. Its two different things that are part of the ethos of the Republican Party. And he also sort of has that pop-culture brand. That pop-culture brand is something Crenshaw attained last November, when his gracious response to Saturday Night Lives mockery of his war wound went viral. In just the few months since, he has established himself as one of his partys most prominent communicators. As comfortable on Face the Nation and Morning Joe as he is on Fox News, Crenshaw has written op-eds for the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. He might not have Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs millions of Twitter followers, but his more than 500,000 total followers make him the most popular Republican House member on Twitter, where his tweetswhether hes slamming his Democratic colleagues, speaking fluent Spanish in a video supporting the Venezuelan people or humble-bragging about his double ax-throwing skillsare frequently shared and liked by thousands or tens of thousands of people. Crenshaws social media stardom and his unlikely path to victoryhe had no electoral experience and no money when he upset the Texas GOP establishment on his way to win the Republican nomination in his district in 2018invite comparison to the Democrats most media-savvy new member, @AOC. She always seems like shes having a good time, and you get that same impression from Dan, says conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, host of one of the countrys most popular political podcasts. Hes an authentic person. Crenshaw might be the congressional GOPs best answer to AOC, but he decidedly doesnt want to be seen as a Republican version of the 29-year-old New York Democrat, who is always trying to embrace radicalism, he told me during a recent interview in his new office on the fourth floor of the Cannon House Office Building. He wants to take his party in a more traditionalnot radicaldirection. We have to make conservatism cool and exciting again, is how he described his mission in politics when I first met him a year ago. We have to bring back that Reagan optimism. Crenshaws combination of traditional conservatism and rising popularity put him in an unusual position in Congress. He describes himself as a plain old conservativehe supports free trade, wants to reform Medicare and Social Security, and thinks American troops should stay in Afghanistan (where an IED took one of the veterans eyes) as long as theyre needed to prevent another 9/11. That puts him at odds with Trump, whom Crenshaw has been unafraid to criticize, going so far as to call his rhetoric insane and hateful during the 2016 presidential campaign. But Crenshaw is more Sometimes Trump than Never Trump. He is not pushing for a 2020 Republican primary challenge and is not trying to write off Trumps wing of the partyhence, his warm reception at CPAC. In fact, Crenshaw has praised the president for his policies on immigration, even recently voting in support of Trumps declaration of a national emergency to build a border wall, a move many conservatives opposed. One type of success in todays Republican Party involves becoming a Trump booster, like Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, a 36-year-old in his second term who unfailingly defends the president on TV. Crenshaw is showing that its not the only way. The mainstream conservative is the House GOPs one rising star to emerge from the midterms, whereas true Trump nationalists like Corey Stewart, Roy Moore and Kelli Ward have met electoral defeat. Crenshaw is only two months into the job, but he might just offer the possibility that the future of the Republican Party could be more conservative than Trumpistif he can chart his own course in Washington. *** When Crenshaw first grabbed the national spotlight, he seemed to succeed, at least for one night, in his improbable mission to prove that a conservative politician could be cool. The weekend before the 2018 midterm elections, Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson mocked Crenshaws physical appearance, saying the wounded veterans eye patch made him look like a hitman in a porno movie. When SNL invited Crenshaw on the show the next week, he agreed and, after ribbing Davidson, provided a rare moment of political unity. Americans can forgive one another. We can remember what brings us together, Crenshaw said, before telling viewers to never forget the sacrifices of veterans past and present, and never forget those we lost on 9/11, heroes like Petes father, a firefighter who died trying to save those trapped in the World Trade Center. I thought that he had a lot of maturity and gentleness in his response to it, which seems increasingly rare nowadays, says Foster, the 18-year-old Trump critic at CPAC, who recently accepted an appointment to attend West Point. Dan Crenshaw started the week as a punchline and ended it as a star, the headline of a Washington Post profile declared. By the time the SNL spot aired, Crenshaw had already won. But it had not been an easy road. Although he had worked in politics briefly, as a military legislative assistant for Representative Pete Sessions of Texas, he was still a relative outsider, having taken a medical retirement from the Navy in 2016 and then completed a masters degree in public policy at Harvard. In the fall of 2017, John Noonan, a Senate aide to Tom Cotton of Arkansas, persuaded Crenshaw to run for a seat that had opened up with the retirement of Representative Ted Poe. We were building the plane as we were heading down the runway, Crenshaw campaign consultant Brendan Steinhauser says of the candidates brief GOP primary campaign in Texas 2nd Congressional District, home to parts of Houston. With no money for TV ads, Crenshaw relied on digital and earned media. In February 2018, he ran 100 miles through his suburban district to draw attention to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and his own campaign. He made it to the GOP runoff by 155 voteshis margin over multi-millionaire Kathaleen Wall, a self-styled female Trump who spent $6 million of her own money and had the backing of Senator Ted Cruz and Governor Greg Abbott. Hes proof that personal story and charisma can overcome just about any amount of money in a primary setting, says David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report. Voters just liked him. Congressman Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who lost an eye in an explosion in Afghanistan, stands alongside fellow Republicans as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address on February 5. | M. Scott Mahaskey for Politico Magazine In the runoff, Crenshaws GOP opponent, state Representative Kevin Roberts, focused on a December 2015 Facebook post in which Crenshaw had blasted candidate-Trumps proposed ban on all Muslims entering the United States. Trumps insane rhetoric is hateful, Crenshaw had written. On the one hand you have idiots like Trump, and on the other you have equally ignorant liberals. In response, Crenshaw emphasized that he had supported Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016. But he never recanted. He went on to defeat his GOP opponent 70 percent to 30 percent and won the general election by 7 points. In Harris Countypart of his district that is increasingly diverse, young and wealthyCrenshaw ran 12 percentage points ahead of Cruz. I dont know. Thats not a useful emotion. You know, you learn lessons. Thats a better way to look at life. *** Crenshaw was sworn in as a new member of Congress on January 3 in the midst of the government shutdown. The standoff wasnt exactly conducive to producing moments of unity like his SNL appearance. Nor does Crenshaw seem particularly interested in forging friendships with his young, progressive counterparts. The new face of the Democratic Party is coming out in favor of [Venezuelan dictator] Nicols Maduro. Its anti-Israel, he says. And thats a change. Thats a new normal. These are the ones who get elevated. But now that hes in Washington, Crenshaw has also continued to criticize his ownwhether Congressman Steve King of Iowa (We dont need guys like that, Crenshaw told me when asked whether King should leave Congress) or Donald Trump. Two weeks before he took office, Crenshaw wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post urging the president to reverse his decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from the fight against ISIS in Syria. I have a background in this. I have experience in this, Crenshaw told me. I understand pretty well what the mission is and why it should continue. Crenshaw also believes, in defiance of Trump, that Congress should take back the authority it ceded long ago to the executive branch to impose tariffs. But Crenshaw is happy to support the president, or challenge his critics, when the two agree. He has taken, from what I can see, the same approach that I have taken, Ben Shapiro says of the congressman. Hes not going to be in the business of pretending Trump is something hes not, but hes also not going to dump on Trump for the sake of a little bit of strange new respect from the left. Crenshaw, who has met with Trump once at the White House, greets talk of a potential 2020 Republican primary challenge with a rhetorical shrug. Its democracy, so its going to be what its going to be. I dont know, he says. I think its pretty safe to predict hell be our nominee, and I think thats perfectly fine. We know what were getting with the president. In addition to saying he is proud to stand with the Trump administration in support of the Venezuelan people, Crenshaw has been an enthusiastic advocate for Trumps push to build a wall on the Southern border. In videos on Twitter and in TV appearances, he has made the case for a physical barrier as a common-sense security measure, and has pinned Democratic opposition to the policy on hatred of the president. But when Trump went so far as to declare a national emergency in February in order to divert military and other funding for border-wall construction, many mainstream conservatives objected. The question was no longer simply about the policy of a border wall but whether the president was flouting the rule of law and setting a dangerous precedent that a future Democratic president could use to his or her own ends. Crenshaw seemed to find himself in a bit of a bind. In a written statement on February 15, he expressed both hesitation and praise for the emergency declaration. I share his frustration with the position we are in now, Crenshaws statement said. While Im hopeful that this option will start to address the problems at our border, I remain wary of the precedent it sets. This is simply the result of Congress not doing its job. Crenshaws office declined for a week say how he would vote on a resolution rescinding the national emergency, but the congressman had an answer over the phone this past Monday. Ill certainly be voting in favor of the presidents policy, he said. Through the emergency declaration, he argues, Trump is merely appropriating additional funds to enforce the federal law prohibiting illegal border crossings. Hes not changing any laws. Hes not changing any policies. He is simply putting more money towards his faithful execution of the law than was allowed by Congress, Crenshaw says. He argues that a Democratic president closely following Trumps precedent wouldnt be so bad, as long as he or she were only putting more money toward the enforcement of existing laws. A significant number of conservatives sharply disagree with Crenshaws support for the emergency declaration. The same congressional Republicans who joined me in blasting Pres. Obamas executive overreach now cry out for a king to usurp legislative powers, Michigan GOP Congressman Justin Amash wrote on Twitter. If your faithfulness to the Constitution depends on which party controls the White House, then you are not faithful to it. When the roll was called in the House to terminate the national emergency declaration, Amash was one of just 13 Republicans to vote for it. Crenshaw was among the 182 Republicans who sided with Trump. *** Crenshaw is still getting settled into his new job. He is pleased to have landed assignments on the Homeland Security and Budget committees. He has a fresh coat of navy blue paint on the sparsely decorated walls in his office. He has found a small apartment near Navy Yard and works out at the gym there (he doesnt want to pay the fee for the members gym and says the group that does P90X gets up too early). His wife, Tara, sometimes travels with him to D.C., but they havent yet gotten into a rhythm. Stuck in the minority, Crenshaw seems less intent on passing legislation than being an effective messenger for his party, including trying to convince younger voters that conservatism and Trump arent one and the same. Its my goal to help them see: Think what you want about him, but please focus on the policies and the general approach to governance were taking, Crenshaw says. Its a role he is carefully cultivating; none of his social media posts go up without his involvement, he told me. Think what you want about [Trump], but please focus on the policies and the general approach to governance were taking, says Crenshaw, shown at his congressional office in Washington. | M. Scott Mahaskey for Politico Magazine So far, Crenshaw has managed to earn praise from both Republican Trump loyalists and skeptics in Washington. Andrew Surabian, a former Trump White House official who worked under Steve Bannon, says of Crenshaw: While he has some views that are different from the president, he has put himself in a position where he is still an ally to the administration on the whole. Liz Mair, a NeverTrump Republican consultant, says politicians who share Crenshaws ideology struggle to get traction a lot of the time because they just seem like boring, mainstream, conservative Republican dudes, but Crenshaw could become a much bigger player in the party if he chooses to. As his experience on the national emergency shows, however, its not easy taking a middle-ground approach to Trump. The president will surely present Crenshaw with more opportunities to alienate Trump supporters or opponents. And it remains to be seen whether Crenshaw can navigate his first two years in office without turning off voters who backed both him and Beto ORourke, Ted Cruzs Democratic Senate opponent, in 2018. But the Trump-skeptical conservatives left in the Republican Party dont seem to have written off Crenshaw because of his support for the emergency declaration. Ben Shapiro, who supports rescinding the emergency, wrote in a text message: Theres a legitimate difference of opinion on the issue. At CPAC, Jacob Foster, who also opposed the emergency declaration, told me he thinks Crenshaw was representing his constituents and wouldnt set such a dangerous precedent if he were president. I think hes got an incredible future, says Shapiro, who would be happy to see Crenshaw launch a presidential campaign before turning 40. Why the hell not? he says. The more good people running in 2024 the better. Ruair Arrieta-Kenna contributed to this report. | Rep. Dan Crenshaw is a rising star in the Republican Party. He spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/03/02/is-dan-crenshaw-the-future-of-the-gop-225257 | 0.248262 |
Is Dan Crenshaw the Future of the GOP? | John McCormack is a reporter in Washington. NATIONAL HARBOR, MarylandIts 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the first day of the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conferencenot exactly a prime speaking slotbut a standing room-only crowd has gathered to hear from freshman Congressman Dan Crenshaw. While we wait for the 34-year-old Texan, who is running late due to a vote in the House, the first person I talk to at the back of the Eastern Shore meeting room is Jacob Foster, an 18-year-old high-school student at Gann Academy outside Boston, who is attending CPAC for the third time in his young life. Foster is something of an endangered species at the conference: a conservative who likes a lot of the policies advanced by President Donald Trump yet doesnt intend to vote for him in 2020 because of Trumps character. But Crenshaw gives Foster hope. The glaring difference is hes not facing accusations of sexual assault, he hasnt had three marriages, he didnt dodge the Vietnam draft, Foster says. On policy issues, there are meaningful differences. On trade, hes not as quick to use tariffs. Story Continued Below When Crenshaw arrives, the former Navy SEAL speaks about how to inspire people back home to embrace conservative valuespersonal responsibility, limited government, virtue, libertyover a culture of outrage. A society full of people who are easily enraged by every tweet they see, or some news story that comes outso susceptible to outrage culture, so ready to be offendedits not a sustainable society. Its a society at each others throats, he says. Crenshaw doesnt mention Trump once. The only politician cited by name is John Adams. The Constitution is wholly inadequate for any other people but a moral people, says Crenshaw, paraphrasing the Founding Father. Meanwhile, Trump fixer Michael Cohen is across the Potomac testifying to Congress. Afterward, Foster says it was a phenomenal speech that gets to the core of the more enduring part of conservatism. But Trump fans find something to like, too. Crenshaw is kind of like a more youthful version of Trump, says 20-year-old Jeremiah Childs, a University of Maine student in a red MAGA cap. Hes a more family-friendly version of Trump, he continues, searching for the right comparison. Childs calls Trump critics Mitt Romney and Jeff Flake dinosaurs whose day is done in the GOP. Hes young. Hes exciting. He has a great story. Like, Trumps a billionaire, and hes the soldier, you know? Childs says. Its two different things that are part of the ethos of the Republican Party. And he also sort of has that pop-culture brand. That pop-culture brand is something Crenshaw attained last November, when his gracious response to Saturday Night Lives mockery of his war wound went viral. In just the few months since, he has established himself as one of his partys most prominent communicators. As comfortable on Face the Nation and Morning Joe as he is on Fox News, Crenshaw has written op-eds for the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. He might not have Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs millions of Twitter followers, but his more than 500,000 total followers make him the most popular Republican House member on Twitter, where his tweetswhether hes slamming his Democratic colleagues, speaking fluent Spanish in a video supporting the Venezuelan people or humble-bragging about his double ax-throwing skillsare frequently shared and liked by thousands or tens of thousands of people. Crenshaws social media stardom and his unlikely path to victoryhe had no electoral experience and no money when he upset the Texas GOP establishment on his way to win the Republican nomination in his district in 2018invite comparison to the Democrats most media-savvy new member, @AOC. She always seems like shes having a good time, and you get that same impression from Dan, says conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, host of one of the countrys most popular political podcasts. Hes an authentic person. Crenshaw might be the congressional GOPs best answer to AOC, but he decidedly doesnt want to be seen as a Republican version of the 29-year-old New York Democrat, who is always trying to embrace radicalism, he told me during a recent interview in his new office on the fourth floor of the Cannon House Office Building. He wants to take his party in a more traditionalnot radicaldirection. We have to make conservatism cool and exciting again, is how he described his mission in politics when I first met him a year ago. We have to bring back that Reagan optimism. Crenshaws combination of traditional conservatism and rising popularity put him in an unusual position in Congress. He describes himself as a plain old conservativehe supports free trade, wants to reform Medicare and Social Security, and thinks American troops should stay in Afghanistan (where an IED took one of the veterans eyes) as long as theyre needed to prevent another 9/11. That puts him at odds with Trump, whom Crenshaw has been unafraid to criticize, going so far as to call his rhetoric insane and hateful during the 2016 presidential campaign. But Crenshaw is more Sometimes Trump than Never Trump. He is not pushing for a 2020 Republican primary challenge and is not trying to write off Trumps wing of the partyhence, his warm reception at CPAC. In fact, Crenshaw has praised the president for his policies on immigration, even recently voting in support of Trumps declaration of a national emergency to build a border wall, a move many conservatives opposed. One type of success in todays Republican Party involves becoming a Trump booster, like Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, a 36-year-old in his second term who unfailingly defends the president on TV. Crenshaw is showing that its not the only way. The mainstream conservative is the House GOPs one rising star to emerge from the midterms, whereas true Trump nationalists like Corey Stewart, Roy Moore and Kelli Ward have met electoral defeat. Crenshaw is only two months into the job, but he might just offer the possibility that the future of the Republican Party could be more conservative than Trumpistif he can chart his own course in Washington. *** When Crenshaw first grabbed the national spotlight, he seemed to succeed, at least for one night, in his improbable mission to prove that a conservative politician could be cool. The weekend before the 2018 midterm elections, Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson mocked Crenshaws physical appearance, saying the wounded veterans eye patch made him look like a hitman in a porno movie. When SNL invited Crenshaw on the show the next week, he agreed and, after ribbing Davidson, provided a rare moment of political unity. Americans can forgive one another. We can remember what brings us together, Crenshaw said, before telling viewers to never forget the sacrifices of veterans past and present, and never forget those we lost on 9/11, heroes like Petes father, a firefighter who died trying to save those trapped in the World Trade Center. I thought that he had a lot of maturity and gentleness in his response to it, which seems increasingly rare nowadays, says Foster, the 18-year-old Trump critic at CPAC, who recently accepted an appointment to attend West Point. Dan Crenshaw started the week as a punchline and ended it as a star, the headline of a Washington Post profile declared. By the time the SNL spot aired, Crenshaw had already won. But it had not been an easy road. Although he had worked in politics briefly, as a military legislative assistant for Representative Pete Sessions of Texas, he was still a relative outsider, having taken a medical retirement from the Navy in 2016 and then completed a masters degree in public policy at Harvard. In the fall of 2017, John Noonan, a Senate aide to Tom Cotton of Arkansas, persuaded Crenshaw to run for a seat that had opened up with the retirement of Representative Ted Poe. We were building the plane as we were heading down the runway, Crenshaw campaign consultant Brendan Steinhauser says of the candidates brief GOP primary campaign in Texas 2nd Congressional District, home to parts of Houston. With no money for TV ads, Crenshaw relied on digital and earned media. In February 2018, he ran 100 miles through his suburban district to draw attention to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and his own campaign. He made it to the GOP runoff by 155 voteshis margin over multi-millionaire Kathaleen Wall, a self-styled female Trump who spent $6 million of her own money and had the backing of Senator Ted Cruz and Governor Greg Abbott. Hes proof that personal story and charisma can overcome just about any amount of money in a primary setting, says David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report. Voters just liked him. Congressman Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who lost an eye in an explosion in Afghanistan, stands alongside fellow Republicans as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address on February 5. | M. Scott Mahaskey for Politico Magazine In the runoff, Crenshaws GOP opponent, state Representative Kevin Roberts, focused on a December 2015 Facebook post in which Crenshaw had blasted candidate-Trumps proposed ban on all Muslims entering the United States. Trumps insane rhetoric is hateful, Crenshaw had written. On the one hand you have idiots like Trump, and on the other you have equally ignorant liberals. In response, Crenshaw emphasized that he had supported Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016. But he never recanted. He went on to defeat his GOP opponent 70 percent to 30 percent and won the general election by 7 points. In Harris Countypart of his district that is increasingly diverse, young and wealthyCrenshaw ran 12 percentage points ahead of Cruz. I dont know. Thats not a useful emotion. You know, you learn lessons. Thats a better way to look at life. *** Crenshaw was sworn in as a new member of Congress on January 3 in the midst of the government shutdown. The standoff wasnt exactly conducive to producing moments of unity like his SNL appearance. Nor does Crenshaw seem particularly interested in forging friendships with his young, progressive counterparts. The new face of the Democratic Party is coming out in favor of [Venezuelan dictator] Nicols Maduro. Its anti-Israel, he says. And thats a change. Thats a new normal. These are the ones who get elevated. But now that hes in Washington, Crenshaw has also continued to criticize his ownwhether Congressman Steve King of Iowa (We dont need guys like that, Crenshaw told me when asked whether King should leave Congress) or Donald Trump. Two weeks before he took office, Crenshaw wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post urging the president to reverse his decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from the fight against ISIS in Syria. I have a background in this. I have experience in this, Crenshaw told me. I understand pretty well what the mission is and why it should continue. Crenshaw also believes, in defiance of Trump, that Congress should take back the authority it ceded long ago to the executive branch to impose tariffs. But Crenshaw is happy to support the president, or challenge his critics, when the two agree. He has taken, from what I can see, the same approach that I have taken, Ben Shapiro says of the congressman. Hes not going to be in the business of pretending Trump is something hes not, but hes also not going to dump on Trump for the sake of a little bit of strange new respect from the left. Crenshaw, who has met with Trump once at the White House, greets talk of a potential 2020 Republican primary challenge with a rhetorical shrug. Its democracy, so its going to be what its going to be. I dont know, he says. I think its pretty safe to predict hell be our nominee, and I think thats perfectly fine. We know what were getting with the president. In addition to saying he is proud to stand with the Trump administration in support of the Venezuelan people, Crenshaw has been an enthusiastic advocate for Trumps push to build a wall on the Southern border. In videos on Twitter and in TV appearances, he has made the case for a physical barrier as a common-sense security measure, and has pinned Democratic opposition to the policy on hatred of the president. But when Trump went so far as to declare a national emergency in February in order to divert military and other funding for border-wall construction, many mainstream conservatives objected. The question was no longer simply about the policy of a border wall but whether the president was flouting the rule of law and setting a dangerous precedent that a future Democratic president could use to his or her own ends. Crenshaw seemed to find himself in a bit of a bind. In a written statement on February 15, he expressed both hesitation and praise for the emergency declaration. I share his frustration with the position we are in now, Crenshaws statement said. While Im hopeful that this option will start to address the problems at our border, I remain wary of the precedent it sets. This is simply the result of Congress not doing its job. Crenshaws office declined for a week say how he would vote on a resolution rescinding the national emergency, but the congressman had an answer over the phone this past Monday. Ill certainly be voting in favor of the presidents policy, he said. Through the emergency declaration, he argues, Trump is merely appropriating additional funds to enforce the federal law prohibiting illegal border crossings. Hes not changing any laws. Hes not changing any policies. He is simply putting more money towards his faithful execution of the law than was allowed by Congress, Crenshaw says. He argues that a Democratic president closely following Trumps precedent wouldnt be so bad, as long as he or she were only putting more money toward the enforcement of existing laws. A significant number of conservatives sharply disagree with Crenshaws support for the emergency declaration. The same congressional Republicans who joined me in blasting Pres. Obamas executive overreach now cry out for a king to usurp legislative powers, Michigan GOP Congressman Justin Amash wrote on Twitter. If your faithfulness to the Constitution depends on which party controls the White House, then you are not faithful to it. When the roll was called in the House to terminate the national emergency declaration, Amash was one of just 13 Republicans to vote for it. Crenshaw was among the 182 Republicans who sided with Trump. *** Crenshaw is still getting settled into his new job. He is pleased to have landed assignments on the Homeland Security and Budget committees. He has a fresh coat of navy blue paint on the sparsely decorated walls in his office. He has found a small apartment near Navy Yard and works out at the gym there (he doesnt want to pay the fee for the members gym and says the group that does P90X gets up too early). His wife, Tara, sometimes travels with him to D.C., but they havent yet gotten into a rhythm. Stuck in the minority, Crenshaw seems less intent on passing legislation than being an effective messenger for his party, including trying to convince younger voters that conservatism and Trump arent one and the same. Its my goal to help them see: Think what you want about him, but please focus on the policies and the general approach to governance were taking, Crenshaw says. Its a role he is carefully cultivating; none of his social media posts go up without his involvement, he told me. Think what you want about [Trump], but please focus on the policies and the general approach to governance were taking, says Crenshaw, shown at his congressional office in Washington. | M. Scott Mahaskey for Politico Magazine So far, Crenshaw has managed to earn praise from both Republican Trump loyalists and skeptics in Washington. Andrew Surabian, a former Trump White House official who worked under Steve Bannon, says of Crenshaw: While he has some views that are different from the president, he has put himself in a position where he is still an ally to the administration on the whole. Liz Mair, a NeverTrump Republican consultant, says politicians who share Crenshaws ideology struggle to get traction a lot of the time because they just seem like boring, mainstream, conservative Republican dudes, but Crenshaw could become a much bigger player in the party if he chooses to. As his experience on the national emergency shows, however, its not easy taking a middle-ground approach to Trump. The president will surely present Crenshaw with more opportunities to alienate Trump supporters or opponents. And it remains to be seen whether Crenshaw can navigate his first two years in office without turning off voters who backed both him and Beto ORourke, Ted Cruzs Democratic Senate opponent, in 2018. But the Trump-skeptical conservatives left in the Republican Party dont seem to have written off Crenshaw because of his support for the emergency declaration. Ben Shapiro, who supports rescinding the emergency, wrote in a text message: Theres a legitimate difference of opinion on the issue. At CPAC, Jacob Foster, who also opposed the emergency declaration, told me he thinks Crenshaw was representing his constituents and wouldnt set such a dangerous precedent if he were president. I think hes got an incredible future, says Shapiro, who would be happy to see Crenshaw launch a presidential campaign before turning 40. Why the hell not? he says. The more good people running in 2024 the better. Ruair Arrieta-Kenna contributed to this report. | Rep. Dan Crenshaw is a rising star in the Republican Party. He spoke Wednesday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland. Some conservatives see him as a younger, family-friendly version of President Trump. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/03/02/is-dan-crenshaw-the-future-of-the-gop-225257 | 0.257045 |
Is Dan Crenshaw the Future of the GOP? | John McCormack is a reporter in Washington. NATIONAL HARBOR, MarylandIts 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the first day of the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conferencenot exactly a prime speaking slotbut a standing room-only crowd has gathered to hear from freshman Congressman Dan Crenshaw. While we wait for the 34-year-old Texan, who is running late due to a vote in the House, the first person I talk to at the back of the Eastern Shore meeting room is Jacob Foster, an 18-year-old high-school student at Gann Academy outside Boston, who is attending CPAC for the third time in his young life. Foster is something of an endangered species at the conference: a conservative who likes a lot of the policies advanced by President Donald Trump yet doesnt intend to vote for him in 2020 because of Trumps character. But Crenshaw gives Foster hope. The glaring difference is hes not facing accusations of sexual assault, he hasnt had three marriages, he didnt dodge the Vietnam draft, Foster says. On policy issues, there are meaningful differences. On trade, hes not as quick to use tariffs. Story Continued Below When Crenshaw arrives, the former Navy SEAL speaks about how to inspire people back home to embrace conservative valuespersonal responsibility, limited government, virtue, libertyover a culture of outrage. A society full of people who are easily enraged by every tweet they see, or some news story that comes outso susceptible to outrage culture, so ready to be offendedits not a sustainable society. Its a society at each others throats, he says. Crenshaw doesnt mention Trump once. The only politician cited by name is John Adams. The Constitution is wholly inadequate for any other people but a moral people, says Crenshaw, paraphrasing the Founding Father. Meanwhile, Trump fixer Michael Cohen is across the Potomac testifying to Congress. Afterward, Foster says it was a phenomenal speech that gets to the core of the more enduring part of conservatism. But Trump fans find something to like, too. Crenshaw is kind of like a more youthful version of Trump, says 20-year-old Jeremiah Childs, a University of Maine student in a red MAGA cap. Hes a more family-friendly version of Trump, he continues, searching for the right comparison. Childs calls Trump critics Mitt Romney and Jeff Flake dinosaurs whose day is done in the GOP. Hes young. Hes exciting. He has a great story. Like, Trumps a billionaire, and hes the soldier, you know? Childs says. Its two different things that are part of the ethos of the Republican Party. And he also sort of has that pop-culture brand. That pop-culture brand is something Crenshaw attained last November, when his gracious response to Saturday Night Lives mockery of his war wound went viral. In just the few months since, he has established himself as one of his partys most prominent communicators. As comfortable on Face the Nation and Morning Joe as he is on Fox News, Crenshaw has written op-eds for the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. He might not have Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs millions of Twitter followers, but his more than 500,000 total followers make him the most popular Republican House member on Twitter, where his tweetswhether hes slamming his Democratic colleagues, speaking fluent Spanish in a video supporting the Venezuelan people or humble-bragging about his double ax-throwing skillsare frequently shared and liked by thousands or tens of thousands of people. Crenshaws social media stardom and his unlikely path to victoryhe had no electoral experience and no money when he upset the Texas GOP establishment on his way to win the Republican nomination in his district in 2018invite comparison to the Democrats most media-savvy new member, @AOC. She always seems like shes having a good time, and you get that same impression from Dan, says conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, host of one of the countrys most popular political podcasts. Hes an authentic person. Crenshaw might be the congressional GOPs best answer to AOC, but he decidedly doesnt want to be seen as a Republican version of the 29-year-old New York Democrat, who is always trying to embrace radicalism, he told me during a recent interview in his new office on the fourth floor of the Cannon House Office Building. He wants to take his party in a more traditionalnot radicaldirection. We have to make conservatism cool and exciting again, is how he described his mission in politics when I first met him a year ago. We have to bring back that Reagan optimism. Crenshaws combination of traditional conservatism and rising popularity put him in an unusual position in Congress. He describes himself as a plain old conservativehe supports free trade, wants to reform Medicare and Social Security, and thinks American troops should stay in Afghanistan (where an IED took one of the veterans eyes) as long as theyre needed to prevent another 9/11. That puts him at odds with Trump, whom Crenshaw has been unafraid to criticize, going so far as to call his rhetoric insane and hateful during the 2016 presidential campaign. But Crenshaw is more Sometimes Trump than Never Trump. He is not pushing for a 2020 Republican primary challenge and is not trying to write off Trumps wing of the partyhence, his warm reception at CPAC. In fact, Crenshaw has praised the president for his policies on immigration, even recently voting in support of Trumps declaration of a national emergency to build a border wall, a move many conservatives opposed. One type of success in todays Republican Party involves becoming a Trump booster, like Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, a 36-year-old in his second term who unfailingly defends the president on TV. Crenshaw is showing that its not the only way. The mainstream conservative is the House GOPs one rising star to emerge from the midterms, whereas true Trump nationalists like Corey Stewart, Roy Moore and Kelli Ward have met electoral defeat. Crenshaw is only two months into the job, but he might just offer the possibility that the future of the Republican Party could be more conservative than Trumpistif he can chart his own course in Washington. *** When Crenshaw first grabbed the national spotlight, he seemed to succeed, at least for one night, in his improbable mission to prove that a conservative politician could be cool. The weekend before the 2018 midterm elections, Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson mocked Crenshaws physical appearance, saying the wounded veterans eye patch made him look like a hitman in a porno movie. When SNL invited Crenshaw on the show the next week, he agreed and, after ribbing Davidson, provided a rare moment of political unity. Americans can forgive one another. We can remember what brings us together, Crenshaw said, before telling viewers to never forget the sacrifices of veterans past and present, and never forget those we lost on 9/11, heroes like Petes father, a firefighter who died trying to save those trapped in the World Trade Center. I thought that he had a lot of maturity and gentleness in his response to it, which seems increasingly rare nowadays, says Foster, the 18-year-old Trump critic at CPAC, who recently accepted an appointment to attend West Point. Dan Crenshaw started the week as a punchline and ended it as a star, the headline of a Washington Post profile declared. By the time the SNL spot aired, Crenshaw had already won. But it had not been an easy road. Although he had worked in politics briefly, as a military legislative assistant for Representative Pete Sessions of Texas, he was still a relative outsider, having taken a medical retirement from the Navy in 2016 and then completed a masters degree in public policy at Harvard. In the fall of 2017, John Noonan, a Senate aide to Tom Cotton of Arkansas, persuaded Crenshaw to run for a seat that had opened up with the retirement of Representative Ted Poe. We were building the plane as we were heading down the runway, Crenshaw campaign consultant Brendan Steinhauser says of the candidates brief GOP primary campaign in Texas 2nd Congressional District, home to parts of Houston. With no money for TV ads, Crenshaw relied on digital and earned media. In February 2018, he ran 100 miles through his suburban district to draw attention to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and his own campaign. He made it to the GOP runoff by 155 voteshis margin over multi-millionaire Kathaleen Wall, a self-styled female Trump who spent $6 million of her own money and had the backing of Senator Ted Cruz and Governor Greg Abbott. Hes proof that personal story and charisma can overcome just about any amount of money in a primary setting, says David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report. Voters just liked him. Congressman Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who lost an eye in an explosion in Afghanistan, stands alongside fellow Republicans as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address on February 5. | M. Scott Mahaskey for Politico Magazine In the runoff, Crenshaws GOP opponent, state Representative Kevin Roberts, focused on a December 2015 Facebook post in which Crenshaw had blasted candidate-Trumps proposed ban on all Muslims entering the United States. Trumps insane rhetoric is hateful, Crenshaw had written. On the one hand you have idiots like Trump, and on the other you have equally ignorant liberals. In response, Crenshaw emphasized that he had supported Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016. But he never recanted. He went on to defeat his GOP opponent 70 percent to 30 percent and won the general election by 7 points. In Harris Countypart of his district that is increasingly diverse, young and wealthyCrenshaw ran 12 percentage points ahead of Cruz. I dont know. Thats not a useful emotion. You know, you learn lessons. Thats a better way to look at life. *** Crenshaw was sworn in as a new member of Congress on January 3 in the midst of the government shutdown. The standoff wasnt exactly conducive to producing moments of unity like his SNL appearance. Nor does Crenshaw seem particularly interested in forging friendships with his young, progressive counterparts. The new face of the Democratic Party is coming out in favor of [Venezuelan dictator] Nicols Maduro. Its anti-Israel, he says. And thats a change. Thats a new normal. These are the ones who get elevated. But now that hes in Washington, Crenshaw has also continued to criticize his ownwhether Congressman Steve King of Iowa (We dont need guys like that, Crenshaw told me when asked whether King should leave Congress) or Donald Trump. Two weeks before he took office, Crenshaw wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post urging the president to reverse his decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from the fight against ISIS in Syria. I have a background in this. I have experience in this, Crenshaw told me. I understand pretty well what the mission is and why it should continue. Crenshaw also believes, in defiance of Trump, that Congress should take back the authority it ceded long ago to the executive branch to impose tariffs. But Crenshaw is happy to support the president, or challenge his critics, when the two agree. He has taken, from what I can see, the same approach that I have taken, Ben Shapiro says of the congressman. Hes not going to be in the business of pretending Trump is something hes not, but hes also not going to dump on Trump for the sake of a little bit of strange new respect from the left. Crenshaw, who has met with Trump once at the White House, greets talk of a potential 2020 Republican primary challenge with a rhetorical shrug. Its democracy, so its going to be what its going to be. I dont know, he says. I think its pretty safe to predict hell be our nominee, and I think thats perfectly fine. We know what were getting with the president. In addition to saying he is proud to stand with the Trump administration in support of the Venezuelan people, Crenshaw has been an enthusiastic advocate for Trumps push to build a wall on the Southern border. In videos on Twitter and in TV appearances, he has made the case for a physical barrier as a common-sense security measure, and has pinned Democratic opposition to the policy on hatred of the president. But when Trump went so far as to declare a national emergency in February in order to divert military and other funding for border-wall construction, many mainstream conservatives objected. The question was no longer simply about the policy of a border wall but whether the president was flouting the rule of law and setting a dangerous precedent that a future Democratic president could use to his or her own ends. Crenshaw seemed to find himself in a bit of a bind. In a written statement on February 15, he expressed both hesitation and praise for the emergency declaration. I share his frustration with the position we are in now, Crenshaws statement said. While Im hopeful that this option will start to address the problems at our border, I remain wary of the precedent it sets. This is simply the result of Congress not doing its job. Crenshaws office declined for a week say how he would vote on a resolution rescinding the national emergency, but the congressman had an answer over the phone this past Monday. Ill certainly be voting in favor of the presidents policy, he said. Through the emergency declaration, he argues, Trump is merely appropriating additional funds to enforce the federal law prohibiting illegal border crossings. Hes not changing any laws. Hes not changing any policies. He is simply putting more money towards his faithful execution of the law than was allowed by Congress, Crenshaw says. He argues that a Democratic president closely following Trumps precedent wouldnt be so bad, as long as he or she were only putting more money toward the enforcement of existing laws. A significant number of conservatives sharply disagree with Crenshaws support for the emergency declaration. The same congressional Republicans who joined me in blasting Pres. Obamas executive overreach now cry out for a king to usurp legislative powers, Michigan GOP Congressman Justin Amash wrote on Twitter. If your faithfulness to the Constitution depends on which party controls the White House, then you are not faithful to it. When the roll was called in the House to terminate the national emergency declaration, Amash was one of just 13 Republicans to vote for it. Crenshaw was among the 182 Republicans who sided with Trump. *** Crenshaw is still getting settled into his new job. He is pleased to have landed assignments on the Homeland Security and Budget committees. He has a fresh coat of navy blue paint on the sparsely decorated walls in his office. He has found a small apartment near Navy Yard and works out at the gym there (he doesnt want to pay the fee for the members gym and says the group that does P90X gets up too early). His wife, Tara, sometimes travels with him to D.C., but they havent yet gotten into a rhythm. Stuck in the minority, Crenshaw seems less intent on passing legislation than being an effective messenger for his party, including trying to convince younger voters that conservatism and Trump arent one and the same. Its my goal to help them see: Think what you want about him, but please focus on the policies and the general approach to governance were taking, Crenshaw says. Its a role he is carefully cultivating; none of his social media posts go up without his involvement, he told me. Think what you want about [Trump], but please focus on the policies and the general approach to governance were taking, says Crenshaw, shown at his congressional office in Washington. | M. Scott Mahaskey for Politico Magazine So far, Crenshaw has managed to earn praise from both Republican Trump loyalists and skeptics in Washington. Andrew Surabian, a former Trump White House official who worked under Steve Bannon, says of Crenshaw: While he has some views that are different from the president, he has put himself in a position where he is still an ally to the administration on the whole. Liz Mair, a NeverTrump Republican consultant, says politicians who share Crenshaws ideology struggle to get traction a lot of the time because they just seem like boring, mainstream, conservative Republican dudes, but Crenshaw could become a much bigger player in the party if he chooses to. As his experience on the national emergency shows, however, its not easy taking a middle-ground approach to Trump. The president will surely present Crenshaw with more opportunities to alienate Trump supporters or opponents. And it remains to be seen whether Crenshaw can navigate his first two years in office without turning off voters who backed both him and Beto ORourke, Ted Cruzs Democratic Senate opponent, in 2018. But the Trump-skeptical conservatives left in the Republican Party dont seem to have written off Crenshaw because of his support for the emergency declaration. Ben Shapiro, who supports rescinding the emergency, wrote in a text message: Theres a legitimate difference of opinion on the issue. At CPAC, Jacob Foster, who also opposed the emergency declaration, told me he thinks Crenshaw was representing his constituents and wouldnt set such a dangerous precedent if he were president. I think hes got an incredible future, says Shapiro, who would be happy to see Crenshaw launch a presidential campaign before turning 40. Why the hell not? he says. The more good people running in 2024 the better. Ruair Arrieta-Kenna contributed to this report. | Rep. Dan Crenshaw is a rising star in the Republican Party. He spoke Wednesday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland. Some conservatives see him as a younger, more family-friendly version of President Donald Trump. He says he wants to inspire "people back home" to embrace conservative values. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/03/02/is-dan-crenshaw-the-future-of-the-gop-225257 | 0.305688 |
Could this year's Phillies starting 8 be better than the 2008 Phillies lineup? | originally appeared on nbcsportsphiladelphia.com The 2008 Phillies will forever have a place in the heart of every Phillies fan, for one obvious reason: they won it all. A big reason they were able to win the World Series is the strength of their offense. Led by Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins, the 2008 Phillies led the National League with 214 home runs, and finished second in the NL with a .438 team slugging percentage. Scroll to continue with content Ad But the Phillies' offseason shopping spree netted them three starting position players who all made the All-Star Game last season, the first time that has happened in MLB history. It also gave them perhaps the most dangerous lineup in the game today. Let's take it position-by-position. Catcher: Carlos Ruiz vs. J.T. Realmuto Make no mistake: we all love Chooch. But as much as we value him and his place in the Phillies' golden run, he was not strong offensively, especially in 2008, when he hit just .219 in 117 games. Ruiz managed four homers and 31 RBI on the season, numbers I expect Realmuto to eclipse by about May 15. Verdict: 2019 First Base: Ryan Howard vs. Rhys Hoskins Hoskins has a lot of potential, especially with the protection that will be around him in this lineup, but Ryan Howard in his prime was a force of nature. Fourty-eight homers, 146 RBI. Just an absolute monster out of the cleanup spot. Verdict: 2008 Story continues Second Base: Chase Utley vs. Cesar Hernandez This one is also not close. Utley hit 33 homers and had his fourth straight 100-RBI season in 2008. Hernandez is a good player, and a nice on-base guy at the top of the lineup, but you can't argue this one. Verdict: 2008 Third base: Pedro Feliz vs. Maikel Franco The only reason Feliz didn't hit eighth in the 2008 Phillies lineup is because Carlos Ruiz was also playing that day. Meanwhile, Franco quietly has been productive. Three straight seasons with at least 22 homers, and he also led the Phillies in batting average last season (not a huge feat, but .270 is a good average) Verdict: 2019 Shortstop: Jimmy Rollins vs. Jean Segura Fairly even matchup here. Both Rollins and Segura have pop, and a lot of speed. I'll give the nod to J-Roll here, because he has more of both. And Jimmy could always bring it when the red light was on. Verdict: 2008 Left field: Pat Burrell vs. Andrew McCutchen McCutchen is a former NL MVP and a five-time All-Star, but I'm giving the edge to The Bat here. Thirty-three homers, 86 RBI, 102 walks, and an OPS that was just a few ticks behind Howard's for the season (.875, compared to .881 for Howard). This was Burrell's last good season, and he was an underrated force in the middle of the lineup. Verdict: 2008 Center field: Shane Victorino vs. Odubel Herrera The image of Victorino leaping on top of the pile following the final out in the World Series is indelible. But this one is closer to me than you may think. I feel like these two players are similar. Streaky hitters, good speed-power combo, even down to the occasional mental errors on the field. I'm hopeful Herrera shakes off last year's second half and gives the team more of what we saw in early 2018. Verdict: Push Right field: Jayson Werth vs. Bryce Harper We are through the looking glass here. A player who left the Phillies to head south to D.C. against the new addition, who did the opposite this week. I don't think this is a close race. While Werth was a significant cog in the 2008 machine, Harper gives you so much more offensively that it's not a fair fight. Verdict: 2019 Based on the individual matchups, I'm giving a slight edge to the 2008 team. I will say that the fac it's close enough to argue will make for a fun spring and summer, with the hopes for many more to come. Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device. More on the Phillies | The 2008 Phillies won the World Series on the strength of their offense. This year's Phillies starting line-up features three players who all made the All-Star Game last season. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-years-phillies-starting-8-174014302.html?src=rss | 0.206889 |
Could this year's Phillies starting 8 be better than the 2008 Phillies lineup? | originally appeared on nbcsportsphiladelphia.com The 2008 Phillies will forever have a place in the heart of every Phillies fan, for one obvious reason: they won it all. A big reason they were able to win the World Series is the strength of their offense. Led by Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins, the 2008 Phillies led the National League with 214 home runs, and finished second in the NL with a .438 team slugging percentage. Scroll to continue with content Ad But the Phillies' offseason shopping spree netted them three starting position players who all made the All-Star Game last season, the first time that has happened in MLB history. It also gave them perhaps the most dangerous lineup in the game today. Let's take it position-by-position. Catcher: Carlos Ruiz vs. J.T. Realmuto Make no mistake: we all love Chooch. But as much as we value him and his place in the Phillies' golden run, he was not strong offensively, especially in 2008, when he hit just .219 in 117 games. Ruiz managed four homers and 31 RBI on the season, numbers I expect Realmuto to eclipse by about May 15. Verdict: 2019 First Base: Ryan Howard vs. Rhys Hoskins Hoskins has a lot of potential, especially with the protection that will be around him in this lineup, but Ryan Howard in his prime was a force of nature. Fourty-eight homers, 146 RBI. Just an absolute monster out of the cleanup spot. Verdict: 2008 Story continues Second Base: Chase Utley vs. Cesar Hernandez This one is also not close. Utley hit 33 homers and had his fourth straight 100-RBI season in 2008. Hernandez is a good player, and a nice on-base guy at the top of the lineup, but you can't argue this one. Verdict: 2008 Third base: Pedro Feliz vs. Maikel Franco The only reason Feliz didn't hit eighth in the 2008 Phillies lineup is because Carlos Ruiz was also playing that day. Meanwhile, Franco quietly has been productive. Three straight seasons with at least 22 homers, and he also led the Phillies in batting average last season (not a huge feat, but .270 is a good average) Verdict: 2019 Shortstop: Jimmy Rollins vs. Jean Segura Fairly even matchup here. Both Rollins and Segura have pop, and a lot of speed. I'll give the nod to J-Roll here, because he has more of both. And Jimmy could always bring it when the red light was on. Verdict: 2008 Left field: Pat Burrell vs. Andrew McCutchen McCutchen is a former NL MVP and a five-time All-Star, but I'm giving the edge to The Bat here. Thirty-three homers, 86 RBI, 102 walks, and an OPS that was just a few ticks behind Howard's for the season (.875, compared to .881 for Howard). This was Burrell's last good season, and he was an underrated force in the middle of the lineup. Verdict: 2008 Center field: Shane Victorino vs. Odubel Herrera The image of Victorino leaping on top of the pile following the final out in the World Series is indelible. But this one is closer to me than you may think. I feel like these two players are similar. Streaky hitters, good speed-power combo, even down to the occasional mental errors on the field. I'm hopeful Herrera shakes off last year's second half and gives the team more of what we saw in early 2018. Verdict: Push Right field: Jayson Werth vs. Bryce Harper We are through the looking glass here. A player who left the Phillies to head south to D.C. against the new addition, who did the opposite this week. I don't think this is a close race. While Werth was a significant cog in the 2008 machine, Harper gives you so much more offensively that it's not a fair fight. Verdict: 2019 Based on the individual matchups, I'm giving a slight edge to the 2008 team. I will say that the fac it's close enough to argue will make for a fun spring and summer, with the hopes for many more to come. Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device. More on the Phillies | The 2008 Phillies won the World Series on the strength of their offense. This year's Phillies starting line-up features three players who all made the All-Star Game last season. The 2008 team hit 214 home runs and finished second in the NL with a.438 team slugging percentage. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-years-phillies-starting-8-174014302.html?src=rss | 0.307881 |
Who was Stephon Clark, man shot, killed by Sacramento police? | Stephon Clark. The name has become a symbol. Protestors have shouted it in the streets, calling for racial justice. Legislators invoke it in their efforts to reform police deadly force laws. And Sacramentos mayor devoted his State of the City speech last month to what that name says about a citys need to become a better place for its residents. Family and friends say Stephon Alonzo Clark was a good kid from a rough background who loved his two young sons and had a special spark for life, but who yearned to be loved and sometimes felt abandoned. Court records and a just-released district attorneys report offer a view of a more troubled young man who on several occasions committed domestic abuse, served jail time and appeared to be in emotional trauma with suicidal thoughts in the days and hours leading up to his death. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee Clark was shot to death by two Sacramento police officers who responding to calls of someone breaking windows confronted him in a darkened south Sacramento backyard on Sunday, March 18, 2018. In a dramatic and detailed report issued Saturday, District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said Clark allegedly had punched his girlfriend two nights before, on a Friday night, and feared his probation for previous battery convictions would be revoked, sending him back to jail or possibly to state prison. Cell phone data show that Clark, 22, called his girlfriend, Salena Manni, 76 times following day, the DA said. Manni, the mother of his two sons, texted him that shed report him to police and that hell be locked in a cage the rest of his life and never see his kids grow up, according cell-phone screenshots obtained by the DA. The DA said Clark then conducted internet searches Saturday on how to commit suicide. Clark grew up in south Sacramento. His father was mostly absent. He and his siblings were raised by their mother and grandmother. When Clark was 10, his stepbrother, 16, died of an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot, according to coroners records. Stephon Clark, right, with brother Stevante Clark. Stephon Clark attended Sacramento High School. Stevante Clark Sonia Lewis, a relative by marriage, said the young man yearned to be loved. He yearned for family. I think he felt abandoned at times. Friends say he had a spark. He has always been a special person, said Kiahre Rodriguez-Fuller. He was meant to do something in this world, in some kind of way. He dressed stylishly, down to his sneakers. He was goofy, he was funny, he was loving, his brother Stevante told The Sacramento Bee. He was a playboy, he was smart, he was an athlete. Clark attended Calvary Christian Center as a child, where his mother went through the drug counseling program. Pastor Phillip Goudeaux said Clark volunteered with the centers youth program, where Goudeaux remembers Clark counseling a young American Idol aspirant to never give up on her hopes. Clark attended Sacramento High School where he played football. Assistant principal Patrick Durant described him as a friendly kid with great manners and a great smile. SHARE COPY LINK Sacramento police shot and killed 22-year-old Stephon Clark Sunday night, March 18, 2018. Clark was unarmed and holding only a cell phone. He got an A on every single test I gave him, history teacher Paul Schwin said. He always explained history in a funny, accessible way. He was someone who made first period fun. He left Sacramento High during his senior year and earned a high school diploma through an adult education program, Rodriguez-Fuller said. For a while, he lived with Rodriguez-Fullers family after having a fight with his mother. He thought about being a psychologist, and applied to San Diego State University, in part because Rodriguez-Fuller was in college in the area, but was not admitted. He attended Sacramento City College in 2013, 2014 and 2015, officials there said. At that time, though, he began to run into trouble with the law. In 2014, records show, Clark was charged with robbery and assault and endangering the life of a child. He pleaded no contest and spent a year on a sheriffs work project. In 2015, he was charged with loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution after deputies stopped him and a woman while they were driving in North Highlands. He pleaded no contest. In 2016 and 2017, he was twice charged with domestic violence. In both cases, according to the DAs report, the victim was his girlfriend Manni. In one instance, he allegedly hit her in the face. He spent 120 days in jail and completed a batterers treatment program, records show. Family members and activists say Clarks criminal past is irrelevant to what happened to him on March 18. Family members have sued for at least $20 million, saying the shooting was wrong and inexcusable. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time in his own backyard? his grandmother Sequita Thompson told the The Bee two days after the shooting. Come on now, they didnt have to do that. That night, police responded to calls of a person breaking car windows in Meadowview. They confronted Clark and chased him into the backyard of his grandparents home, where they shot him. Officers said they thought he had a gun. It turned out to be a cell phone. At the time, Clark was living part-time at his mothers Elk Grove home and at his grandparents home. He had recently converted from Christianity to Islam, which is Mannis faith, friends said. He was applying for a job at a Sysco food warehouse. Pictures showing Stephon Clark and his wife Salena Manni, and sons Aiden Clark, 3, and Cairo Clark, 1, rest on a table inside his grandmother Sequita Thompsons home in Sacramento, Calif., on Tues., March 20, 2018. Renee C. Byer rbyer@sacbee.com He left behind two sons, Aiden, now 4, and Cairo, 2. He was so proud of them, Lewis said. On a Twitter account linked to Manni, a photograph last year showed her, Clark and their two boys. Beneath it was written: Our babies will forever live in you. I love you my sweet angel. Watch over us. Manni has since moved with the two boys to the Los Angeles area, where she has family. | Stephon Alonzo Clark, 22, was shot and killed by two Sacramento police officers. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article226865434.html | 0.194713 |
Who was Stephon Clark, man shot, killed by Sacramento police? | Stephon Clark. The name has become a symbol. Protestors have shouted it in the streets, calling for racial justice. Legislators invoke it in their efforts to reform police deadly force laws. And Sacramentos mayor devoted his State of the City speech last month to what that name says about a citys need to become a better place for its residents. Family and friends say Stephon Alonzo Clark was a good kid from a rough background who loved his two young sons and had a special spark for life, but who yearned to be loved and sometimes felt abandoned. Court records and a just-released district attorneys report offer a view of a more troubled young man who on several occasions committed domestic abuse, served jail time and appeared to be in emotional trauma with suicidal thoughts in the days and hours leading up to his death. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee Clark was shot to death by two Sacramento police officers who responding to calls of someone breaking windows confronted him in a darkened south Sacramento backyard on Sunday, March 18, 2018. In a dramatic and detailed report issued Saturday, District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said Clark allegedly had punched his girlfriend two nights before, on a Friday night, and feared his probation for previous battery convictions would be revoked, sending him back to jail or possibly to state prison. Cell phone data show that Clark, 22, called his girlfriend, Salena Manni, 76 times following day, the DA said. Manni, the mother of his two sons, texted him that shed report him to police and that hell be locked in a cage the rest of his life and never see his kids grow up, according cell-phone screenshots obtained by the DA. The DA said Clark then conducted internet searches Saturday on how to commit suicide. Clark grew up in south Sacramento. His father was mostly absent. He and his siblings were raised by their mother and grandmother. When Clark was 10, his stepbrother, 16, died of an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot, according to coroners records. Stephon Clark, right, with brother Stevante Clark. Stephon Clark attended Sacramento High School. Stevante Clark Sonia Lewis, a relative by marriage, said the young man yearned to be loved. He yearned for family. I think he felt abandoned at times. Friends say he had a spark. He has always been a special person, said Kiahre Rodriguez-Fuller. He was meant to do something in this world, in some kind of way. He dressed stylishly, down to his sneakers. He was goofy, he was funny, he was loving, his brother Stevante told The Sacramento Bee. He was a playboy, he was smart, he was an athlete. Clark attended Calvary Christian Center as a child, where his mother went through the drug counseling program. Pastor Phillip Goudeaux said Clark volunteered with the centers youth program, where Goudeaux remembers Clark counseling a young American Idol aspirant to never give up on her hopes. Clark attended Sacramento High School where he played football. Assistant principal Patrick Durant described him as a friendly kid with great manners and a great smile. SHARE COPY LINK Sacramento police shot and killed 22-year-old Stephon Clark Sunday night, March 18, 2018. Clark was unarmed and holding only a cell phone. He got an A on every single test I gave him, history teacher Paul Schwin said. He always explained history in a funny, accessible way. He was someone who made first period fun. He left Sacramento High during his senior year and earned a high school diploma through an adult education program, Rodriguez-Fuller said. For a while, he lived with Rodriguez-Fullers family after having a fight with his mother. He thought about being a psychologist, and applied to San Diego State University, in part because Rodriguez-Fuller was in college in the area, but was not admitted. He attended Sacramento City College in 2013, 2014 and 2015, officials there said. At that time, though, he began to run into trouble with the law. In 2014, records show, Clark was charged with robbery and assault and endangering the life of a child. He pleaded no contest and spent a year on a sheriffs work project. In 2015, he was charged with loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution after deputies stopped him and a woman while they were driving in North Highlands. He pleaded no contest. In 2016 and 2017, he was twice charged with domestic violence. In both cases, according to the DAs report, the victim was his girlfriend Manni. In one instance, he allegedly hit her in the face. He spent 120 days in jail and completed a batterers treatment program, records show. Family members and activists say Clarks criminal past is irrelevant to what happened to him on March 18. Family members have sued for at least $20 million, saying the shooting was wrong and inexcusable. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time in his own backyard? his grandmother Sequita Thompson told the The Bee two days after the shooting. Come on now, they didnt have to do that. That night, police responded to calls of a person breaking car windows in Meadowview. They confronted Clark and chased him into the backyard of his grandparents home, where they shot him. Officers said they thought he had a gun. It turned out to be a cell phone. At the time, Clark was living part-time at his mothers Elk Grove home and at his grandparents home. He had recently converted from Christianity to Islam, which is Mannis faith, friends said. He was applying for a job at a Sysco food warehouse. Pictures showing Stephon Clark and his wife Salena Manni, and sons Aiden Clark, 3, and Cairo Clark, 1, rest on a table inside his grandmother Sequita Thompsons home in Sacramento, Calif., on Tues., March 20, 2018. Renee C. Byer rbyer@sacbee.com He left behind two sons, Aiden, now 4, and Cairo, 2. He was so proud of them, Lewis said. On a Twitter account linked to Manni, a photograph last year showed her, Clark and their two boys. Beneath it was written: Our babies will forever live in you. I love you my sweet angel. Watch over us. Manni has since moved with the two boys to the Los Angeles area, where she has family. | Stephon Alonzo Clark, 22, was shot and killed by two Sacramento police officers. Family and friends say he was a good kid from a rough background who loved his two young sons. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article226865434.html | 0.213799 |
Who was Stephon Clark, man shot, killed by Sacramento police? | Stephon Clark. The name has become a symbol. Protestors have shouted it in the streets, calling for racial justice. Legislators invoke it in their efforts to reform police deadly force laws. And Sacramentos mayor devoted his State of the City speech last month to what that name says about a citys need to become a better place for its residents. Family and friends say Stephon Alonzo Clark was a good kid from a rough background who loved his two young sons and had a special spark for life, but who yearned to be loved and sometimes felt abandoned. Court records and a just-released district attorneys report offer a view of a more troubled young man who on several occasions committed domestic abuse, served jail time and appeared to be in emotional trauma with suicidal thoughts in the days and hours leading up to his death. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee Clark was shot to death by two Sacramento police officers who responding to calls of someone breaking windows confronted him in a darkened south Sacramento backyard on Sunday, March 18, 2018. In a dramatic and detailed report issued Saturday, District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said Clark allegedly had punched his girlfriend two nights before, on a Friday night, and feared his probation for previous battery convictions would be revoked, sending him back to jail or possibly to state prison. Cell phone data show that Clark, 22, called his girlfriend, Salena Manni, 76 times following day, the DA said. Manni, the mother of his two sons, texted him that shed report him to police and that hell be locked in a cage the rest of his life and never see his kids grow up, according cell-phone screenshots obtained by the DA. The DA said Clark then conducted internet searches Saturday on how to commit suicide. Clark grew up in south Sacramento. His father was mostly absent. He and his siblings were raised by their mother and grandmother. When Clark was 10, his stepbrother, 16, died of an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot, according to coroners records. Stephon Clark, right, with brother Stevante Clark. Stephon Clark attended Sacramento High School. Stevante Clark Sonia Lewis, a relative by marriage, said the young man yearned to be loved. He yearned for family. I think he felt abandoned at times. Friends say he had a spark. He has always been a special person, said Kiahre Rodriguez-Fuller. He was meant to do something in this world, in some kind of way. He dressed stylishly, down to his sneakers. He was goofy, he was funny, he was loving, his brother Stevante told The Sacramento Bee. He was a playboy, he was smart, he was an athlete. Clark attended Calvary Christian Center as a child, where his mother went through the drug counseling program. Pastor Phillip Goudeaux said Clark volunteered with the centers youth program, where Goudeaux remembers Clark counseling a young American Idol aspirant to never give up on her hopes. Clark attended Sacramento High School where he played football. Assistant principal Patrick Durant described him as a friendly kid with great manners and a great smile. SHARE COPY LINK Sacramento police shot and killed 22-year-old Stephon Clark Sunday night, March 18, 2018. Clark was unarmed and holding only a cell phone. He got an A on every single test I gave him, history teacher Paul Schwin said. He always explained history in a funny, accessible way. He was someone who made first period fun. He left Sacramento High during his senior year and earned a high school diploma through an adult education program, Rodriguez-Fuller said. For a while, he lived with Rodriguez-Fullers family after having a fight with his mother. He thought about being a psychologist, and applied to San Diego State University, in part because Rodriguez-Fuller was in college in the area, but was not admitted. He attended Sacramento City College in 2013, 2014 and 2015, officials there said. At that time, though, he began to run into trouble with the law. In 2014, records show, Clark was charged with robbery and assault and endangering the life of a child. He pleaded no contest and spent a year on a sheriffs work project. In 2015, he was charged with loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution after deputies stopped him and a woman while they were driving in North Highlands. He pleaded no contest. In 2016 and 2017, he was twice charged with domestic violence. In both cases, according to the DAs report, the victim was his girlfriend Manni. In one instance, he allegedly hit her in the face. He spent 120 days in jail and completed a batterers treatment program, records show. Family members and activists say Clarks criminal past is irrelevant to what happened to him on March 18. Family members have sued for at least $20 million, saying the shooting was wrong and inexcusable. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time in his own backyard? his grandmother Sequita Thompson told the The Bee two days after the shooting. Come on now, they didnt have to do that. That night, police responded to calls of a person breaking car windows in Meadowview. They confronted Clark and chased him into the backyard of his grandparents home, where they shot him. Officers said they thought he had a gun. It turned out to be a cell phone. At the time, Clark was living part-time at his mothers Elk Grove home and at his grandparents home. He had recently converted from Christianity to Islam, which is Mannis faith, friends said. He was applying for a job at a Sysco food warehouse. Pictures showing Stephon Clark and his wife Salena Manni, and sons Aiden Clark, 3, and Cairo Clark, 1, rest on a table inside his grandmother Sequita Thompsons home in Sacramento, Calif., on Tues., March 20, 2018. Renee C. Byer rbyer@sacbee.com He left behind two sons, Aiden, now 4, and Cairo, 2. He was so proud of them, Lewis said. On a Twitter account linked to Manni, a photograph last year showed her, Clark and their two boys. Beneath it was written: Our babies will forever live in you. I love you my sweet angel. Watch over us. Manni has since moved with the two boys to the Los Angeles area, where she has family. | Stephon Alonzo Clark, 22, was shot and killed by two Sacramento police officers. Family and friends say he was a good kid from a rough background who loved his two young sons and had a special spark for life, but who yearned to be loved and sometimes felt abandoned. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article226865434.html | 0.257993 |
Will Chinese firm use steel company deal to steal secrets, endangering US national security? | Trump administration officials are abandoning their threat to raise tariffs to 25 percent on $200 billion of Chinese goods. Many people are now expecting that a new trade deal between U.S. and China is imminent. While the Chinese tariff issue may be receding, a real sticking point between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will remain and fester: whether the Chinese are compromising U.S. national security. A clear example of those concerns surfaced this week. A group of grass-roots conservative leaders led by Morton Blackwell of the Weyrich Group and Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots has just sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin demanding an immediate security review of a joint venture between a Pittsburgh specialty steel maker and a Chinese firm that is the worlds largest stainless steel producer. JOHN STOSSEL: MR. TRUMP, IF YOU RAISE TARIFFS ON STEEL AND ALUMINUM, YOU PUNISH CONSUMERS Allegheny Technologies hopes to use the joint venture to import 336,000 metric tons of stainless steel slabs every year from an Indonesian mill owned by Chinas Tsingshan Group. The slabs which would be free of any tariffs would then be turned into 60-inch-wide steel sheets. About 100 new jobs would be created at an Allegheny plant in Midland, Pennsylvania. The conservative leaders say the joint venture between Allegheny and Tsingshan hasnt yet been reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Chinas history of stealthy intellectual property theft triggers immediate concerns, they write. ATI possesses sensitive intellectual property that China could seek to extract and transfer in order to undercut U.S. economic and military advantages. The conservative leaders point out that in 2014, hackers from the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army were charged with cyber intrusions and economic espionage aimed at three U.S. steel producers, including Allegheny. The concern over such espionage is heightened because Allegheny has publicly testified that virtually every major military aerospace system contains an ATI specialty steel or alloy. The concern is that the Chinese could gain access to sensitive information through the back door of a joint venture that they couldnt obtain through hacking. For its part, Allegheny says such worries are overblown. Executive Vice President Robert Wetherbee told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the Chinese will not have access to cutting-edge technology because of the joint venture. Indeed, Wetherbee contends that the project will be a plus to national security, not a negative because it will strengthen Alleghenys long-term financial viability as a supplier to the U.S. defense industry. Wetherbee says the firm has provided U.S. officials with all of the information on the proposed joint venture and is willing to cooperate with any investigation. Supporters of free trade make a good case that too often objections to trade deals involve little more than special-interest pleading or sketchy national security claims. But I suspect the Allegheny deal will ring alarm bells in the Trump administration for a couple of specific reasons. One is the clear record of Tsingshans involvement with the Chinese military establishment. Indeed, the firm helped produce Chinas first aircraft carrier. There is no such thing as an independent Chinese producer of strategic materials, says Gordon Chang, an expert on the Chinese economy. They all cooperate or are in bed with the Communist government. Second, Alleghenys competitors have a case that the firm has other options than trying to circumvent tariffs by importing steel slabs from Tsingshans Indonesian plants. North American Stainless, a producer of stainless steel in Kentucky, says that Allegheny closed a Midland, Pennsylvania steel making plant in 2015 that could have produced the slabs the company now wants to import tariff-free. North American Stainless accuses Allegheny of consciously deciding to abandon its melt shop workers and refusing to invest in reopening its facilities and supporting Chinese-controlled foreign slab production. Allegheny responds that reopening the Midland facility isnt viable because it would cost as much as $75 million and take three to five years. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Whether thats true or not, the political and geopolitical situation has changed since Allegheny shut down the Midland plant in 2015. Donald Trump won Pennsylvania and the presidency in 2016 in part because of blue-collar anger at U.S. companies closing down domestic plants and relying on greater foreign imports. That may have made economic sense at the time, but the new trade winds coming from the Trump White House make it clear decision like Alleghenys will now go under a regulatory microscope. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY JOHN FUND | A group of conservative leaders want a review of a joint venture between a Pittsburgh specialty steel maker and a Chinese firm. The concern is that the Chinese could gain access to sensitive information through the back door of the joint venture. John Avlon: The deal will raise alarm bells in the Trump administration. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/will-chinese-firm-use-steel-company-deal-to-steal-secrets-that-endanger-us-national-security | 0.165204 |
Is a remote naval center in Russia's nuclear crosshairs? | SEATTLE (AP) A Russian state television broadcaster asserts that one of his country's top targets for attack in the event of nuclear war would be a 4,700-acre site east of Arlington that encompasses a key transmission center for the Pacific submarine fleet and a forested recreational area for military personnel. Naval Radio Station Jim Creek is a forested expanse of land near Arlington that hosts a major communications hub for the Pacific submarine fleet that a Russian broadcaster asserts would be among the top U.S. targets in event of nuclear war. In a Sunday evening broadcast, Dmitry Kiselyov featured a map of the United States that listed Jim Creek along with the Pentagon and the presidential retreat at Camp David as initial strike targets Russian would want to hit, according to a report from Reuters. Kiselyov is a high-profile journalist tapped by the Russian government to head a weekly news show called "Vesti Nedeli." But Kiselyov's credentials as a Kremlin insider appear to be diminished by his inclusion on the map aired Sunday of Fort Ritchie, a military training center in Maryland that closed in 1998, and McClellan Air Force Base in California, which was shuttered in 2001. Kiselyov claimed that hypersonic missiles Russia is developing could hit the U.S. targets within five minutes of launch. The Reuters news report described Kiselyov's segment as "unusual even by the bellicose standards of Russian state TV." Asked to comment Monday, a Kremlin spokesperson said it did not interfere with state TV editorial policy, according to Reuters. Kiselyov remarks come amid concerns about a renewed nuclear arms race. The Trump administration earlier this year announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Force Treaty, which could open the door to eventually deploying such missiles in Europe. Putin has said that could lead to Russia placing hypersonic missiles on Russian nuclear submarines that could strike U.S. targets. Jim Creek, the Washington state target spotlighted in Kiselyov's Sunday broadcast, is a relatively obscure U.S. military site, located about 60 miles from Seattle. Jim Creek is currently under the command of Naval Station Everett, and a spokeswoman for the naval station declined to comment Monday on the Russian television broadcast. She referred a reporter to the Defense Department for comment. "Every time Putin issues bombastic threats and touts his new doomsday devices, he should know he only deepens NATO's resolve to work together to ensure our collective security," said Eric Pahon, a Defense Department spokesman at the Pentagon. "These reports on Russian state-owned television are a continuation of Russia's propaganda effort to avoid responsibility for Russia's actions in violation of the INF (Intermediate-range Nuclear Force) Treaty." When the Navy opened Jim Creek back in 1953, it was hailed as the most powerful radio station in the world. Currently, it has a network of radio antennas that span 980 acres, and is "still among only a handful of radio stations capable of providing more than one million watts of power allowing the U.S. Navy to communicate with ships, submarines and aircraft anywhere around the world," according to a 2017 Navy public affairs posting about the site. Jim Creek's major focus is providing operational command, control and communication for the Pacific submarine fleet. That fleet includes the Trident submarines homeported at Naval Base Kitsap in Bangor, which is the site of a strategic nuclear weapons facility. The Jim Creek radio network is supported by six 200-foot-tall towers, and more than 360 miles of copper cable conductors form the antenna. All of this is maintained by federal civilian personnel, who keep the radio station operating 24 hours a day, according to the Navy public affairs posting. While access to the radio station is largely restricted, an adjacent recreational area open to military personnel and their families includes a campsite with recreational hookups, lakes stocked with trout, trails through old-growth forests and a fitness center. | A Russian state television broadcaster says Naval Radio Station Jim Creek would be a top U.S. target in a nuclear war. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Is-a-remote-naval-center-in-Russia-s-nuclear-13657847.php | 0.116044 |
Is a remote naval center in Russia's nuclear crosshairs? | SEATTLE (AP) A Russian state television broadcaster asserts that one of his country's top targets for attack in the event of nuclear war would be a 4,700-acre site east of Arlington that encompasses a key transmission center for the Pacific submarine fleet and a forested recreational area for military personnel. Naval Radio Station Jim Creek is a forested expanse of land near Arlington that hosts a major communications hub for the Pacific submarine fleet that a Russian broadcaster asserts would be among the top U.S. targets in event of nuclear war. In a Sunday evening broadcast, Dmitry Kiselyov featured a map of the United States that listed Jim Creek along with the Pentagon and the presidential retreat at Camp David as initial strike targets Russian would want to hit, according to a report from Reuters. Kiselyov is a high-profile journalist tapped by the Russian government to head a weekly news show called "Vesti Nedeli." But Kiselyov's credentials as a Kremlin insider appear to be diminished by his inclusion on the map aired Sunday of Fort Ritchie, a military training center in Maryland that closed in 1998, and McClellan Air Force Base in California, which was shuttered in 2001. Kiselyov claimed that hypersonic missiles Russia is developing could hit the U.S. targets within five minutes of launch. The Reuters news report described Kiselyov's segment as "unusual even by the bellicose standards of Russian state TV." Asked to comment Monday, a Kremlin spokesperson said it did not interfere with state TV editorial policy, according to Reuters. Kiselyov remarks come amid concerns about a renewed nuclear arms race. The Trump administration earlier this year announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Force Treaty, which could open the door to eventually deploying such missiles in Europe. Putin has said that could lead to Russia placing hypersonic missiles on Russian nuclear submarines that could strike U.S. targets. Jim Creek, the Washington state target spotlighted in Kiselyov's Sunday broadcast, is a relatively obscure U.S. military site, located about 60 miles from Seattle. Jim Creek is currently under the command of Naval Station Everett, and a spokeswoman for the naval station declined to comment Monday on the Russian television broadcast. She referred a reporter to the Defense Department for comment. "Every time Putin issues bombastic threats and touts his new doomsday devices, he should know he only deepens NATO's resolve to work together to ensure our collective security," said Eric Pahon, a Defense Department spokesman at the Pentagon. "These reports on Russian state-owned television are a continuation of Russia's propaganda effort to avoid responsibility for Russia's actions in violation of the INF (Intermediate-range Nuclear Force) Treaty." When the Navy opened Jim Creek back in 1953, it was hailed as the most powerful radio station in the world. Currently, it has a network of radio antennas that span 980 acres, and is "still among only a handful of radio stations capable of providing more than one million watts of power allowing the U.S. Navy to communicate with ships, submarines and aircraft anywhere around the world," according to a 2017 Navy public affairs posting about the site. Jim Creek's major focus is providing operational command, control and communication for the Pacific submarine fleet. That fleet includes the Trident submarines homeported at Naval Base Kitsap in Bangor, which is the site of a strategic nuclear weapons facility. The Jim Creek radio network is supported by six 200-foot-tall towers, and more than 360 miles of copper cable conductors form the antenna. All of this is maintained by federal civilian personnel, who keep the radio station operating 24 hours a day, according to the Navy public affairs posting. While access to the radio station is largely restricted, an adjacent recreational area open to military personnel and their families includes a campsite with recreational hookups, lakes stocked with trout, trails through old-growth forests and a fitness center. | A Russian state television broadcaster says Naval Radio Station Jim Creek would be a top U.S. target in a nuclear war. The Washington state site is a key communications hub for the Pacific submarine fleet. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Is-a-remote-naval-center-in-Russia-s-nuclear-13657847.php | 0.117708 |
Is a remote naval center in Russia's nuclear crosshairs? | SEATTLE (AP) A Russian state television broadcaster asserts that one of his country's top targets for attack in the event of nuclear war would be a 4,700-acre site east of Arlington that encompasses a key transmission center for the Pacific submarine fleet and a forested recreational area for military personnel. Naval Radio Station Jim Creek is a forested expanse of land near Arlington that hosts a major communications hub for the Pacific submarine fleet that a Russian broadcaster asserts would be among the top U.S. targets in event of nuclear war. In a Sunday evening broadcast, Dmitry Kiselyov featured a map of the United States that listed Jim Creek along with the Pentagon and the presidential retreat at Camp David as initial strike targets Russian would want to hit, according to a report from Reuters. Kiselyov is a high-profile journalist tapped by the Russian government to head a weekly news show called "Vesti Nedeli." But Kiselyov's credentials as a Kremlin insider appear to be diminished by his inclusion on the map aired Sunday of Fort Ritchie, a military training center in Maryland that closed in 1998, and McClellan Air Force Base in California, which was shuttered in 2001. Kiselyov claimed that hypersonic missiles Russia is developing could hit the U.S. targets within five minutes of launch. The Reuters news report described Kiselyov's segment as "unusual even by the bellicose standards of Russian state TV." Asked to comment Monday, a Kremlin spokesperson said it did not interfere with state TV editorial policy, according to Reuters. Kiselyov remarks come amid concerns about a renewed nuclear arms race. The Trump administration earlier this year announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Force Treaty, which could open the door to eventually deploying such missiles in Europe. Putin has said that could lead to Russia placing hypersonic missiles on Russian nuclear submarines that could strike U.S. targets. Jim Creek, the Washington state target spotlighted in Kiselyov's Sunday broadcast, is a relatively obscure U.S. military site, located about 60 miles from Seattle. Jim Creek is currently under the command of Naval Station Everett, and a spokeswoman for the naval station declined to comment Monday on the Russian television broadcast. She referred a reporter to the Defense Department for comment. "Every time Putin issues bombastic threats and touts his new doomsday devices, he should know he only deepens NATO's resolve to work together to ensure our collective security," said Eric Pahon, a Defense Department spokesman at the Pentagon. "These reports on Russian state-owned television are a continuation of Russia's propaganda effort to avoid responsibility for Russia's actions in violation of the INF (Intermediate-range Nuclear Force) Treaty." When the Navy opened Jim Creek back in 1953, it was hailed as the most powerful radio station in the world. Currently, it has a network of radio antennas that span 980 acres, and is "still among only a handful of radio stations capable of providing more than one million watts of power allowing the U.S. Navy to communicate with ships, submarines and aircraft anywhere around the world," according to a 2017 Navy public affairs posting about the site. Jim Creek's major focus is providing operational command, control and communication for the Pacific submarine fleet. That fleet includes the Trident submarines homeported at Naval Base Kitsap in Bangor, which is the site of a strategic nuclear weapons facility. The Jim Creek radio network is supported by six 200-foot-tall towers, and more than 360 miles of copper cable conductors form the antenna. All of this is maintained by federal civilian personnel, who keep the radio station operating 24 hours a day, according to the Navy public affairs posting. While access to the radio station is largely restricted, an adjacent recreational area open to military personnel and their families includes a campsite with recreational hookups, lakes stocked with trout, trails through old-growth forests and a fitness center. | A Russian broadcaster says Jim Creek is a top U.S. target in event of nuclear war. The remote naval radio station is a communications hub for the Pacific submarine fleet. The Pentagon says the report is part of Russia's "propaganda effort" to avoid responsibility. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Is-a-remote-naval-center-in-Russia-s-nuclear-13657847.php | 0.143712 |
Can KSUs Dalton Risner be a first-round NFL Draft pick? | Its been a long time since Roger Goodell has had to pronounce the name, Kansas State, at the NFL Draft. Thats because its been 10 years since the Wildcats have had a first-round pick in Aprils draft, with quarterback Josh Freeman being the last player the program had to shake the commissioners hand and pose with a No. 1 jersey in his hands. But the streak could end in a few months as former Kansas State offfensive lineman Dalton Risner poses the best chance in recent years to break the streak. Risner had a strong performance at the Senior Bowl in January and had a number of teams seeking formal meetings with him this week in Indy. Hes the toughest lineman in the draft, said Alex Barnes, former KSU tailback and Risners teammate. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Kansas City Star Risner ran a 4.52 in the 20-yard shuttle, a major drill that teams use to evaluate offensive lineman. His time ranked third at his position. He also ran a 7.69 in the three-cone drill at the combine, which had him tied for eleventh at his position. The Chiefs and Eagles were among a few teams that Risner formally met with, and the Colorado native admitted he had a hard time letting go of Andy Reids hand when he introduced himself. Risner lost to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes multiple times when the NFL MVP was at Texas Tech and considers Chiefs tackle Mitch Schwartz a role model for him. It would be awesome to block for him and watch him make plays, Risner said. I love to block for an offense like that. Risner is selling teams on his diversity and believes he can play all five offensive-line positions in the NFL. Originally a center, Risner played right tackle at Kansas State and got looks at both guard spots and left tackle at the Senior Bowl and in practice over the years. He has no preference on a position and said hes also selling teams on his background, which he thinks contains no red flags. Im not any kind of liability, Risner said. Theres no backgrounds checks on me, no issues with drugs, alcohol. Current mock drafts have him all over the board, with some projecting him as high as the first round while others have him going in the second or third. Risner admitted that during his meeting with teams, he was unable to get a good idea of his range as a prospect. I have no idea where I will go, Risner said. A strong pro day could help Risners draft stock, while his diversity on the line already gives him an advantage with teams that want their players to be able to move around. Despite his lack of clarity on his draft stock, Risner was brimming with confidence during his press conference on Thursday and reiterated that hes ready for the challenge of professional football and understands what hes getting into. Whatever club I get drafted to, Im going to try and take that mans position, he said. Im sure he has a family at home. And next year someone will try and take mine. The key word there is try. | It's been 10 years since Kansas State had a first-round pick in the NFL draft. Former KSU lineman Dalton Risner poses the best chance in recent years to break the streak. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/kansas-state/article227041599.html | 0.224565 |
Can KSUs Dalton Risner be a first-round NFL Draft pick? | Its been a long time since Roger Goodell has had to pronounce the name, Kansas State, at the NFL Draft. Thats because its been 10 years since the Wildcats have had a first-round pick in Aprils draft, with quarterback Josh Freeman being the last player the program had to shake the commissioners hand and pose with a No. 1 jersey in his hands. But the streak could end in a few months as former Kansas State offfensive lineman Dalton Risner poses the best chance in recent years to break the streak. Risner had a strong performance at the Senior Bowl in January and had a number of teams seeking formal meetings with him this week in Indy. Hes the toughest lineman in the draft, said Alex Barnes, former KSU tailback and Risners teammate. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Kansas City Star Risner ran a 4.52 in the 20-yard shuttle, a major drill that teams use to evaluate offensive lineman. His time ranked third at his position. He also ran a 7.69 in the three-cone drill at the combine, which had him tied for eleventh at his position. The Chiefs and Eagles were among a few teams that Risner formally met with, and the Colorado native admitted he had a hard time letting go of Andy Reids hand when he introduced himself. Risner lost to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes multiple times when the NFL MVP was at Texas Tech and considers Chiefs tackle Mitch Schwartz a role model for him. It would be awesome to block for him and watch him make plays, Risner said. I love to block for an offense like that. Risner is selling teams on his diversity and believes he can play all five offensive-line positions in the NFL. Originally a center, Risner played right tackle at Kansas State and got looks at both guard spots and left tackle at the Senior Bowl and in practice over the years. He has no preference on a position and said hes also selling teams on his background, which he thinks contains no red flags. Im not any kind of liability, Risner said. Theres no backgrounds checks on me, no issues with drugs, alcohol. Current mock drafts have him all over the board, with some projecting him as high as the first round while others have him going in the second or third. Risner admitted that during his meeting with teams, he was unable to get a good idea of his range as a prospect. I have no idea where I will go, Risner said. A strong pro day could help Risners draft stock, while his diversity on the line already gives him an advantage with teams that want their players to be able to move around. Despite his lack of clarity on his draft stock, Risner was brimming with confidence during his press conference on Thursday and reiterated that hes ready for the challenge of professional football and understands what hes getting into. Whatever club I get drafted to, Im going to try and take that mans position, he said. Im sure he has a family at home. And next year someone will try and take mine. The key word there is try. | Dalton Risner is a former Kansas State offensive lineman. Risner had a strong performance at the Senior Bowl in January. He is selling teams on his diversity and believes he can play all five offensive-line positions. Current mock drafts have him all over the board, with some projecting him as high as the first round. | bart | 2 | https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/kansas-state/article227041599.html | 0.310308 |
Who is Stephon Clarks girlfriend Salena Manni? | Salena Mohamed Manni didnt ask for the spotlight, but thats where she finds herself after Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schuberts press conference Saturday announcing the police officers who fatally shot her boyfriend Stephon Clark wont face criminal charges. Mannis tumultous relationship with Clark, the father of her two young children Aiden and Cairo, was highlighted throughout the press conference as Schubert explained Clarks state of mind the night of March 18. He was shot in his grandparents backyard that night by two Sacramento Police Department officers who mistakenly thought he was holding a gun, kicking off weeks of high-profile protests throughout the city. When Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee paid tribute to Clark before Congress on April 5, she talked about how he loved to watch football and Netflix shows with Manni. The two had met five years prior to his death and planned to get married, Manni said in an April 2018 interview on The Intercept podcast Deconstructed. Manni grew up in a two-parent household, she told Deconstructed host Mehdi Hasan, while Clark grew up staying with his mother, his grandparents and high school friends at different points in time. She wanted to give their kids what she had growing up; he wanted to give them what he lacked, she told Hasan. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee We made sure our love was strong for our kids, Manni said. Our bond was strong for our kids. We were just happy as a whole. As long as we were together as a family, there was nothing that can break us. We were inseparable. Schuberts report on Saturday, however, painted a contrasting image of their relationship. Manni was a repeated victim of domestic violence at Clarks hands, even up to the nights before he was killed, according to Schuberts report. At about 12:47 a.m. on March 1, 2018, one of Mannis neighbors called 911 to report that a man had dragged a woman down a hallway in the apartment she shared with Clark. When police arrived, the neighbor told them he had knocked on the apartment door after hearing a woman scream for help. Looking through the window, he saw a black man straddling a black woman on the floor while holding her arms down and yelling in her face, all while a small child cried next to them, according to Schuberts report Officers knocked on the apartment door, and Manni and Clark emerged after after a significant delay. They denied arguing, and with no visible injuries and no signs Manni had been crying, the officers left the apartment. Shortly before midnight on March 16, another neighbor called police about Clark and Manni. Clark was gone by the time they arrived, but Manni spoke in an interview recorded on a responding officers body camera. Clark had hit Manni four or five times in the face, she told police, sometimes with an open palm and sometimes with a closed fist. He threw her head against the wall and choked her with both hands, she said. Police later found a hole in the wall three inches in diameter with long, dark hair coming out of it. Manni hid in a closet, crying, for about 10-15 minutes before Clark came into the closet and took her to their bed, she told police. When she refused to respond to him, he allegedly started hitting her again and calling her derogatory names. She escaped the apartment as Clark went to get some clothes and asked the neighbor to call police. SHARE COPY LINK The left side of Mannis face was swollen, particularly around her eye, cheekbone and lip, and she was crying and breathing heavily, according to the report. She also told police that she had lied to them about the fight earlier that month in fear of Clark, who she said was responsible for a welt on the back of her leg. Clark was on probation for two other incidents of domestic violence against Manni as well as one loitering for prostitution case and one robbery case. Manni, too, was on probation for a 2014 conviction of assault with a deadly weapon, according to Sacramento County Superior Court records. Clark hid from law enforcement but tried desperately to get in contact with Manni records show he called her 76 times in the 48 hours between when she accused him of domestic violence and when he was shot by police. Manni blocked Clarks number by hitting *67 at one point, and none of their conversations lasted more than a few seconds. He also tried to contact his probation officer, but couldnt get through over the weekend. Support local journalism The Bee is your go-to source for in-depth coverage of the Stephon Clark investigation. And today, we continue to bring you coverage of news that affects your life, your communities and our region coverage you cant get anywhere else. We believe in our communities. Believe in and support The Sacramento Bee, your trusted local news source. Click to subscribe The couples conflict continued over text messages, records show, with Clark professing his innocence and Manni saying she would make sure he went to jail for a long time. He eventually texted other ex-girlfriends seeking drugs, shot back a message saying that he would kill himself if they couldnt piece their family back together and drafted an email to the DAs office and his probation officer explaining his side of the dispute. The rose gold iPhone Clark was holding the night he was shot the item police thought was a gun belonged to Manni. She was in bed with their kids the night he was killed, she told Hasan, and found out in a frantic phone call from his grandmother Sequita Thompson. I want to be able to explain to them who their dad really was, and that he actually loved them and was there for them, and that he actually wanted to be there in their lives. He wanted to be the best father he could be, Manni told Hasan. Whatevers out on the media, too, is not who their dad is. | Salena Mohamed Manni is the girlfriend of Stephon Clark, who was fatally shot by police. Manni told a podcast that she and Clark were inseparable. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article227037509.html | 0.265714 |
Who is Stephon Clarks girlfriend Salena Manni? | Salena Mohamed Manni didnt ask for the spotlight, but thats where she finds herself after Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schuberts press conference Saturday announcing the police officers who fatally shot her boyfriend Stephon Clark wont face criminal charges. Mannis tumultous relationship with Clark, the father of her two young children Aiden and Cairo, was highlighted throughout the press conference as Schubert explained Clarks state of mind the night of March 18. He was shot in his grandparents backyard that night by two Sacramento Police Department officers who mistakenly thought he was holding a gun, kicking off weeks of high-profile protests throughout the city. When Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee paid tribute to Clark before Congress on April 5, she talked about how he loved to watch football and Netflix shows with Manni. The two had met five years prior to his death and planned to get married, Manni said in an April 2018 interview on The Intercept podcast Deconstructed. Manni grew up in a two-parent household, she told Deconstructed host Mehdi Hasan, while Clark grew up staying with his mother, his grandparents and high school friends at different points in time. She wanted to give their kids what she had growing up; he wanted to give them what he lacked, she told Hasan. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee We made sure our love was strong for our kids, Manni said. Our bond was strong for our kids. We were just happy as a whole. As long as we were together as a family, there was nothing that can break us. We were inseparable. Schuberts report on Saturday, however, painted a contrasting image of their relationship. Manni was a repeated victim of domestic violence at Clarks hands, even up to the nights before he was killed, according to Schuberts report. At about 12:47 a.m. on March 1, 2018, one of Mannis neighbors called 911 to report that a man had dragged a woman down a hallway in the apartment she shared with Clark. When police arrived, the neighbor told them he had knocked on the apartment door after hearing a woman scream for help. Looking through the window, he saw a black man straddling a black woman on the floor while holding her arms down and yelling in her face, all while a small child cried next to them, according to Schuberts report Officers knocked on the apartment door, and Manni and Clark emerged after after a significant delay. They denied arguing, and with no visible injuries and no signs Manni had been crying, the officers left the apartment. Shortly before midnight on March 16, another neighbor called police about Clark and Manni. Clark was gone by the time they arrived, but Manni spoke in an interview recorded on a responding officers body camera. Clark had hit Manni four or five times in the face, she told police, sometimes with an open palm and sometimes with a closed fist. He threw her head against the wall and choked her with both hands, she said. Police later found a hole in the wall three inches in diameter with long, dark hair coming out of it. Manni hid in a closet, crying, for about 10-15 minutes before Clark came into the closet and took her to their bed, she told police. When she refused to respond to him, he allegedly started hitting her again and calling her derogatory names. She escaped the apartment as Clark went to get some clothes and asked the neighbor to call police. SHARE COPY LINK The left side of Mannis face was swollen, particularly around her eye, cheekbone and lip, and she was crying and breathing heavily, according to the report. She also told police that she had lied to them about the fight earlier that month in fear of Clark, who she said was responsible for a welt on the back of her leg. Clark was on probation for two other incidents of domestic violence against Manni as well as one loitering for prostitution case and one robbery case. Manni, too, was on probation for a 2014 conviction of assault with a deadly weapon, according to Sacramento County Superior Court records. Clark hid from law enforcement but tried desperately to get in contact with Manni records show he called her 76 times in the 48 hours between when she accused him of domestic violence and when he was shot by police. Manni blocked Clarks number by hitting *67 at one point, and none of their conversations lasted more than a few seconds. He also tried to contact his probation officer, but couldnt get through over the weekend. Support local journalism The Bee is your go-to source for in-depth coverage of the Stephon Clark investigation. And today, we continue to bring you coverage of news that affects your life, your communities and our region coverage you cant get anywhere else. We believe in our communities. Believe in and support The Sacramento Bee, your trusted local news source. Click to subscribe The couples conflict continued over text messages, records show, with Clark professing his innocence and Manni saying she would make sure he went to jail for a long time. He eventually texted other ex-girlfriends seeking drugs, shot back a message saying that he would kill himself if they couldnt piece their family back together and drafted an email to the DAs office and his probation officer explaining his side of the dispute. The rose gold iPhone Clark was holding the night he was shot the item police thought was a gun belonged to Manni. She was in bed with their kids the night he was killed, she told Hasan, and found out in a frantic phone call from his grandmother Sequita Thompson. I want to be able to explain to them who their dad really was, and that he actually loved them and was there for them, and that he actually wanted to be there in their lives. He wanted to be the best father he could be, Manni told Hasan. Whatevers out on the media, too, is not who their dad is. | Salena Mohamed Manni is the girlfriend of Stephon Clark, who was fatally shot by police. Manni told a podcast she and Clark were inseparable and planned to get married. The DA's report painted a contrasting image of their relationship, saying Manni was a repeated victim of domestic violence at Clark's hands. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article227037509.html | 0.331413 |
Why have Cleveland area water, sewer bills doubled in a decade? | CLEVELAND, Ohio If it seems that your monthly water and sewer bills are taking a larger chunk out of your bank account than ever before, its not your imagination. The Greater Cleveland area has the highest water and sewer rates of the six largest cities in the Great Lakes region, according to a recent story aired by National Public Radio. The rates have more than doubled over the past decade, to an average of $1,317 a year for a family of four, utility officials said. For some, the increase has been an onerous expense thats difficult to afford. Qwendolyn Alexander, a 54-year-old mother of two sons from Maple Heights, had to turn to the water and sewer departments discount programs to avoid service shutoffs. Not having water and sewer is not an option, Alexander said. I have to be able to keep myself clean and do my dishes. Otherwise, Id have to sell my house and move to an apartment where the water and sewer was part of the rent. Ten years ago, about the same time the Cleveland area water and sewer bills began ballooning, Alexander lost her job as a research administrator at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, which she had held for 22 years. She continued to do contract consulting for Case, but the work was sporadic, and she ran into economic problems about five years ago. She reached out to CHN Housing Partners. Shes been hustling to make ends meet, but needed our help with crisis payment plans, said Laura Boustani of CHN, a community development corporation dedicated to helping low-income residents with housing needs. These are problems that can apply to anybody. She didnt want to lose her home. After Qwendolyn Alexander lost her full time job, she relied on discount programs offered by the water and sewer utilities to save her from having to sell her house. Photo courtesy of Qwendolyn Alexander The regions skyrocketing utility rates can be attributed to massive capital improvement projects to repair and replace aging pipes, some of which are a century old, and to construct sewage infrastructure required by a federal consent decree to reduce the amount of pollution entering Lake Erie. The largest piece of area residents sewer bills, about 40 percent, goes toward the cost of Project Clean Lake, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer Districts $3 billion, 25-year pipe-building program. When completed, the project should reduce the flow of raw sewage during heavy rains into the lake by 4 billion gallons a year. An additional monthly sewer charge, averaging about $5.15 a month, helps pay for a $42 million-a-year stormwater project to repair eroding hillsides and riverbeds, and to clear obstructions from pipes and channels in the Sewer Districts 355-square mile service area. Who pays what Cleveland Water Departments usage rates are divided into four zones, with prices determined by customers distance and elevation from the lake. The farther away from the lake, the higher the rates because it costs more to pump the water, said water department spokesman Jason Wood. Ninety-eight percent of the departments customers are on an updated meter-reading system, which allows for remote water-usage readings. The system has dramatically reduced the number of estimated bills, which caused inaccurate readings and brought a deluge of complaints about 10 years ago. The new meter-reading system also helps to alert the department to potential water leaks. In 2014, for example, the department sent 70,000 courtesy leak notices to customers, resulting in a 90 percent resolution within a few days of the first notice, Wood said. A common cause was a leaking or running toilet, which was easily fixed. Clevelands Water Department has spent $1.7 billion over the past 30 years to modernize and repair its water-treatment and delivery system, the ninth largest in the nation. Much of that $630 million went toward modernizing and rebuilding Clevelands four water-treatment plants, which freed up funds for the ongoing capital improvement pipe repair and replacement programs. Nearly half of customers monthly water bills are earmarked for the $26 million the department spends annually to repair and replace its aging water pipes, which stretch for 5,300 miles and burst an average of 1,800 times a year. Nearly half of customers monthly water bills are earmarked for the $26 million the department spends annually to repair and replace its aging water pipes, which burst an average of 1,800 times a year. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer Nationwide, Cleveland area water and sewer customers bills are about average, said Jean Smith, a Sewer District spokeswoman. New York City and Philadelphia, for instance, are slightly lower; Atlanta and San Francisco are among the highest in the country, averaging $2,000 a year per household, she said. Federal money that once paid up to 63 percent of total spending on water and sewer projects kept rates artificially low for decades. But in recent years, federal funds have practically disappeared, Smith and Wood said. With the exception of stimulus money, we havent received a single penny of federal money in the past decade, Smith said. Almost all of our funding comes from ratepayers, Wood said. Its a complicated system, but at the end of the day its simple: Were taking water from the lake, were making it safe, and were sending it to your home. Affordability is an issue But whether the city departments 440,000 customers spread over 80 communities can afford to pay the ballooning costs for their water and sewer services is an entirely different matter. Hundreds of thousands of customers around the Great Lakes are having their water service shut off due to nonpayment of bills, according to the NPR story. That includes more than 40,000 homes and businesses in Cleveland over the past eight years, Wood said. Not surprisingly, the majority of these shutoffs were in Clevelands poorest neighborhoods. Preventing shutoffs and restarting water service for those who have been shutoff is a vital concern of the water department, Wood said. Were not in the water shutoff business, he said. Well work with customers, to help them apply for discount programs and payment plans. Those plans include the Homestead Program, which provides a lower fixed charge and consumption rate for senior homeowners with a household income less than $33,500, and the Water Affordability Program, which provides a 40 percent discount for qualifying needy homeowners, such as Qwendolyn Alexander. If a customer responds after receiving a shutoff notice, they typically are signed up for a payment plan or discount program, Wood said. If the customer fails to respond to a shutoff notice, it could lead to service termination. Very few people enrolled in the two discount programs get disconnected, Wood said. About 27,000 customers are signed up for the programs. The Sewer District rarely shuts off service to delinquent paying customers, and offers five discount and payment programs, Smith said. A typical household pays an average sewer bill of about $59 a month, or nearly twice the average Cleveland area water bill of $32.50. Scheduled rate increases are expected to increase the average sewer bill to $76 by 2021, and water bills by $1 to $2 this year. Although Sewer District revenues have been decreasing due to water conservation measures, declining economic activity and a shrinking population in its 400,000-customer service area, that has not been the case with the Cleveland Water Department. Our revenues in good shape, and our number of customers remains stable, Wood said. Ward 8 Councilman Mike Polensek said the water departments revenues are beyond good shape, citing a recent utility budget report that showed the Division of Water had a $198 million cash carryover balance from last year. This was a result of an 82 percent increase in the cost of Cleveland water, Polensek said. Thats outrageous. To me, they could not justify that increase. I voted against it. City Council approved the water rate increase, spread over a five-year period, by a 10-8 vote in 2011. Polensek said increasing water and sewer bills are having a major impact on people with fixed incomes, the elderly and the poor. The utilities thought theyd help [customers] by breaking up quarterly water and sewer bills to month-to-month. But believe me, that hasnt softened the hit. | Greater Cleveland area has the highest water and sewer rates of the six largest cities. The rates have more than doubled over the past decade. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2019/02/why-have-cleveland-area-water-sewer-bills-doubled-in-a-decade.html | 0.101402 |
Why have Cleveland area water, sewer bills doubled in a decade? | CLEVELAND, Ohio If it seems that your monthly water and sewer bills are taking a larger chunk out of your bank account than ever before, its not your imagination. The Greater Cleveland area has the highest water and sewer rates of the six largest cities in the Great Lakes region, according to a recent story aired by National Public Radio. The rates have more than doubled over the past decade, to an average of $1,317 a year for a family of four, utility officials said. For some, the increase has been an onerous expense thats difficult to afford. Qwendolyn Alexander, a 54-year-old mother of two sons from Maple Heights, had to turn to the water and sewer departments discount programs to avoid service shutoffs. Not having water and sewer is not an option, Alexander said. I have to be able to keep myself clean and do my dishes. Otherwise, Id have to sell my house and move to an apartment where the water and sewer was part of the rent. Ten years ago, about the same time the Cleveland area water and sewer bills began ballooning, Alexander lost her job as a research administrator at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, which she had held for 22 years. She continued to do contract consulting for Case, but the work was sporadic, and she ran into economic problems about five years ago. She reached out to CHN Housing Partners. Shes been hustling to make ends meet, but needed our help with crisis payment plans, said Laura Boustani of CHN, a community development corporation dedicated to helping low-income residents with housing needs. These are problems that can apply to anybody. She didnt want to lose her home. After Qwendolyn Alexander lost her full time job, she relied on discount programs offered by the water and sewer utilities to save her from having to sell her house. Photo courtesy of Qwendolyn Alexander The regions skyrocketing utility rates can be attributed to massive capital improvement projects to repair and replace aging pipes, some of which are a century old, and to construct sewage infrastructure required by a federal consent decree to reduce the amount of pollution entering Lake Erie. The largest piece of area residents sewer bills, about 40 percent, goes toward the cost of Project Clean Lake, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer Districts $3 billion, 25-year pipe-building program. When completed, the project should reduce the flow of raw sewage during heavy rains into the lake by 4 billion gallons a year. An additional monthly sewer charge, averaging about $5.15 a month, helps pay for a $42 million-a-year stormwater project to repair eroding hillsides and riverbeds, and to clear obstructions from pipes and channels in the Sewer Districts 355-square mile service area. Who pays what Cleveland Water Departments usage rates are divided into four zones, with prices determined by customers distance and elevation from the lake. The farther away from the lake, the higher the rates because it costs more to pump the water, said water department spokesman Jason Wood. Ninety-eight percent of the departments customers are on an updated meter-reading system, which allows for remote water-usage readings. The system has dramatically reduced the number of estimated bills, which caused inaccurate readings and brought a deluge of complaints about 10 years ago. The new meter-reading system also helps to alert the department to potential water leaks. In 2014, for example, the department sent 70,000 courtesy leak notices to customers, resulting in a 90 percent resolution within a few days of the first notice, Wood said. A common cause was a leaking or running toilet, which was easily fixed. Clevelands Water Department has spent $1.7 billion over the past 30 years to modernize and repair its water-treatment and delivery system, the ninth largest in the nation. Much of that $630 million went toward modernizing and rebuilding Clevelands four water-treatment plants, which freed up funds for the ongoing capital improvement pipe repair and replacement programs. Nearly half of customers monthly water bills are earmarked for the $26 million the department spends annually to repair and replace its aging water pipes, which stretch for 5,300 miles and burst an average of 1,800 times a year. Nearly half of customers monthly water bills are earmarked for the $26 million the department spends annually to repair and replace its aging water pipes, which burst an average of 1,800 times a year. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer Nationwide, Cleveland area water and sewer customers bills are about average, said Jean Smith, a Sewer District spokeswoman. New York City and Philadelphia, for instance, are slightly lower; Atlanta and San Francisco are among the highest in the country, averaging $2,000 a year per household, she said. Federal money that once paid up to 63 percent of total spending on water and sewer projects kept rates artificially low for decades. But in recent years, federal funds have practically disappeared, Smith and Wood said. With the exception of stimulus money, we havent received a single penny of federal money in the past decade, Smith said. Almost all of our funding comes from ratepayers, Wood said. Its a complicated system, but at the end of the day its simple: Were taking water from the lake, were making it safe, and were sending it to your home. Affordability is an issue But whether the city departments 440,000 customers spread over 80 communities can afford to pay the ballooning costs for their water and sewer services is an entirely different matter. Hundreds of thousands of customers around the Great Lakes are having their water service shut off due to nonpayment of bills, according to the NPR story. That includes more than 40,000 homes and businesses in Cleveland over the past eight years, Wood said. Not surprisingly, the majority of these shutoffs were in Clevelands poorest neighborhoods. Preventing shutoffs and restarting water service for those who have been shutoff is a vital concern of the water department, Wood said. Were not in the water shutoff business, he said. Well work with customers, to help them apply for discount programs and payment plans. Those plans include the Homestead Program, which provides a lower fixed charge and consumption rate for senior homeowners with a household income less than $33,500, and the Water Affordability Program, which provides a 40 percent discount for qualifying needy homeowners, such as Qwendolyn Alexander. If a customer responds after receiving a shutoff notice, they typically are signed up for a payment plan or discount program, Wood said. If the customer fails to respond to a shutoff notice, it could lead to service termination. Very few people enrolled in the two discount programs get disconnected, Wood said. About 27,000 customers are signed up for the programs. The Sewer District rarely shuts off service to delinquent paying customers, and offers five discount and payment programs, Smith said. A typical household pays an average sewer bill of about $59 a month, or nearly twice the average Cleveland area water bill of $32.50. Scheduled rate increases are expected to increase the average sewer bill to $76 by 2021, and water bills by $1 to $2 this year. Although Sewer District revenues have been decreasing due to water conservation measures, declining economic activity and a shrinking population in its 400,000-customer service area, that has not been the case with the Cleveland Water Department. Our revenues in good shape, and our number of customers remains stable, Wood said. Ward 8 Councilman Mike Polensek said the water departments revenues are beyond good shape, citing a recent utility budget report that showed the Division of Water had a $198 million cash carryover balance from last year. This was a result of an 82 percent increase in the cost of Cleveland water, Polensek said. Thats outrageous. To me, they could not justify that increase. I voted against it. City Council approved the water rate increase, spread over a five-year period, by a 10-8 vote in 2011. Polensek said increasing water and sewer bills are having a major impact on people with fixed incomes, the elderly and the poor. The utilities thought theyd help [customers] by breaking up quarterly water and sewer bills to month-to-month. But believe me, that hasnt softened the hit. | The Greater Cleveland area has the highest water and sewer rates of the six largest cities in the Great Lakes region. The rates have more than doubled over the past decade, to an average of $1,317 a year for a family of four. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2019/02/why-have-cleveland-area-water-sewer-bills-doubled-in-a-decade.html | 0.137615 |
Why have Cleveland area water, sewer bills doubled in a decade? | CLEVELAND, Ohio If it seems that your monthly water and sewer bills are taking a larger chunk out of your bank account than ever before, its not your imagination. The Greater Cleveland area has the highest water and sewer rates of the six largest cities in the Great Lakes region, according to a recent story aired by National Public Radio. The rates have more than doubled over the past decade, to an average of $1,317 a year for a family of four, utility officials said. For some, the increase has been an onerous expense thats difficult to afford. Qwendolyn Alexander, a 54-year-old mother of two sons from Maple Heights, had to turn to the water and sewer departments discount programs to avoid service shutoffs. Not having water and sewer is not an option, Alexander said. I have to be able to keep myself clean and do my dishes. Otherwise, Id have to sell my house and move to an apartment where the water and sewer was part of the rent. Ten years ago, about the same time the Cleveland area water and sewer bills began ballooning, Alexander lost her job as a research administrator at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, which she had held for 22 years. She continued to do contract consulting for Case, but the work was sporadic, and she ran into economic problems about five years ago. She reached out to CHN Housing Partners. Shes been hustling to make ends meet, but needed our help with crisis payment plans, said Laura Boustani of CHN, a community development corporation dedicated to helping low-income residents with housing needs. These are problems that can apply to anybody. She didnt want to lose her home. After Qwendolyn Alexander lost her full time job, she relied on discount programs offered by the water and sewer utilities to save her from having to sell her house. Photo courtesy of Qwendolyn Alexander The regions skyrocketing utility rates can be attributed to massive capital improvement projects to repair and replace aging pipes, some of which are a century old, and to construct sewage infrastructure required by a federal consent decree to reduce the amount of pollution entering Lake Erie. The largest piece of area residents sewer bills, about 40 percent, goes toward the cost of Project Clean Lake, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer Districts $3 billion, 25-year pipe-building program. When completed, the project should reduce the flow of raw sewage during heavy rains into the lake by 4 billion gallons a year. An additional monthly sewer charge, averaging about $5.15 a month, helps pay for a $42 million-a-year stormwater project to repair eroding hillsides and riverbeds, and to clear obstructions from pipes and channels in the Sewer Districts 355-square mile service area. Who pays what Cleveland Water Departments usage rates are divided into four zones, with prices determined by customers distance and elevation from the lake. The farther away from the lake, the higher the rates because it costs more to pump the water, said water department spokesman Jason Wood. Ninety-eight percent of the departments customers are on an updated meter-reading system, which allows for remote water-usage readings. The system has dramatically reduced the number of estimated bills, which caused inaccurate readings and brought a deluge of complaints about 10 years ago. The new meter-reading system also helps to alert the department to potential water leaks. In 2014, for example, the department sent 70,000 courtesy leak notices to customers, resulting in a 90 percent resolution within a few days of the first notice, Wood said. A common cause was a leaking or running toilet, which was easily fixed. Clevelands Water Department has spent $1.7 billion over the past 30 years to modernize and repair its water-treatment and delivery system, the ninth largest in the nation. Much of that $630 million went toward modernizing and rebuilding Clevelands four water-treatment plants, which freed up funds for the ongoing capital improvement pipe repair and replacement programs. Nearly half of customers monthly water bills are earmarked for the $26 million the department spends annually to repair and replace its aging water pipes, which stretch for 5,300 miles and burst an average of 1,800 times a year. Nearly half of customers monthly water bills are earmarked for the $26 million the department spends annually to repair and replace its aging water pipes, which burst an average of 1,800 times a year. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer Nationwide, Cleveland area water and sewer customers bills are about average, said Jean Smith, a Sewer District spokeswoman. New York City and Philadelphia, for instance, are slightly lower; Atlanta and San Francisco are among the highest in the country, averaging $2,000 a year per household, she said. Federal money that once paid up to 63 percent of total spending on water and sewer projects kept rates artificially low for decades. But in recent years, federal funds have practically disappeared, Smith and Wood said. With the exception of stimulus money, we havent received a single penny of federal money in the past decade, Smith said. Almost all of our funding comes from ratepayers, Wood said. Its a complicated system, but at the end of the day its simple: Were taking water from the lake, were making it safe, and were sending it to your home. Affordability is an issue But whether the city departments 440,000 customers spread over 80 communities can afford to pay the ballooning costs for their water and sewer services is an entirely different matter. Hundreds of thousands of customers around the Great Lakes are having their water service shut off due to nonpayment of bills, according to the NPR story. That includes more than 40,000 homes and businesses in Cleveland over the past eight years, Wood said. Not surprisingly, the majority of these shutoffs were in Clevelands poorest neighborhoods. Preventing shutoffs and restarting water service for those who have been shutoff is a vital concern of the water department, Wood said. Were not in the water shutoff business, he said. Well work with customers, to help them apply for discount programs and payment plans. Those plans include the Homestead Program, which provides a lower fixed charge and consumption rate for senior homeowners with a household income less than $33,500, and the Water Affordability Program, which provides a 40 percent discount for qualifying needy homeowners, such as Qwendolyn Alexander. If a customer responds after receiving a shutoff notice, they typically are signed up for a payment plan or discount program, Wood said. If the customer fails to respond to a shutoff notice, it could lead to service termination. Very few people enrolled in the two discount programs get disconnected, Wood said. About 27,000 customers are signed up for the programs. The Sewer District rarely shuts off service to delinquent paying customers, and offers five discount and payment programs, Smith said. A typical household pays an average sewer bill of about $59 a month, or nearly twice the average Cleveland area water bill of $32.50. Scheduled rate increases are expected to increase the average sewer bill to $76 by 2021, and water bills by $1 to $2 this year. Although Sewer District revenues have been decreasing due to water conservation measures, declining economic activity and a shrinking population in its 400,000-customer service area, that has not been the case with the Cleveland Water Department. Our revenues in good shape, and our number of customers remains stable, Wood said. Ward 8 Councilman Mike Polensek said the water departments revenues are beyond good shape, citing a recent utility budget report that showed the Division of Water had a $198 million cash carryover balance from last year. This was a result of an 82 percent increase in the cost of Cleveland water, Polensek said. Thats outrageous. To me, they could not justify that increase. I voted against it. City Council approved the water rate increase, spread over a five-year period, by a 10-8 vote in 2011. Polensek said increasing water and sewer bills are having a major impact on people with fixed incomes, the elderly and the poor. The utilities thought theyd help [customers] by breaking up quarterly water and sewer bills to month-to-month. But believe me, that hasnt softened the hit. | Greater Cleveland area has the highest water and sewer rates of the six largest cities. The rates have more than doubled over the past decade, to an average of $1,317 a year for a family of four. The regions skyrocketing utility rates can be attributed to massive capital improvement projects. | bart | 2 | https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2019/02/why-have-cleveland-area-water-sewer-bills-doubled-in-a-decade.html | 0.576137 |
Could Floridas Jachai Polite be the next Jevon Kearse for Titans? | INDIANAPOLIS Back in 1999, the Titans selected an edge rusher from Florida in the first round of the NFL draft, an instant-impact presence who helped lift the team from good to great. Twenty years later, theyre in position to do something similar. But Jachai Polite hasnt really looked up to Jevon Kearse, despite the similar background. Nah, Polite said Saturday at the 2019 NFL scouting combine. It was really Dante Fowler. Fowler, the No. 3 pick in 2015 and a current free agent, makes sense as a football role model for someone near in age like Polite. But regarding Kearse the 1999 AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year whom the Titans drafted with the 16th overall pick forgive Polite. Hes only 20. Kearse was a bit before his time. Still, Polite in Nashville which hosts the 2019 NFL draft in April adds up. Hes projecting to go in the middle of the first round, and several mock drafts have the Titans taking him at No. 19. The Titans' biggest need is arguably improving on the edge and getting to the quarterback, and Polite, with his speed and ability to bend around the corner, satisfies that need to a T. And for whatever its worth, the Titans have already won some points with Polite. He said hes had 19 formal meetings with teams this week, most of which were part of the bashing crew as in teams that were quick to criticize flaws in his game, specifically his technique stopping the run. "Thats probably it. Thats probably the only flaw of my game, Polite said. They know you have good plays. Thats why were here. So everybodys going to pull up your bad plays. ...Thats their job. Theyre trying to get my character out. Theyre trying to make me feel uncomfortable. See the way I react. So them bashing me, thats their job. Theyre about to invest millions probably I hope. So I have to take it. The questions had a similar theme. Like, Why? Polite recalled. Why? Oct 7, 2017; Gainesville, FL, USA;Florida Gators defensive lineman Jachai Polite (99) gets the fans pumped up against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports (Photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports) But not the Titans. "Nah, not really," said Polite, who mentioned the Los Angeles Rams were the team whose interview he most enjoyed. "They didnt. I remember all the teams. But like they didnt at all. Why? They were just trying to see who I was because they really didnt do background checks on me, they said. So I was like, OK, cool.' Theyre getting to actually just know who I am. Not ask 'why' questions and stuff. Thats how I thought it was going to be in all the meetings." It wasn't the first time this week where Polite's expectations didn't align with reality. His roommate, Ohio State's Nick Bosa, who is the projected No. 1 overall pick. "Hes so cool," Polite said. "Probably going No. 1. Thats crazy. I never imagined Id be in the same room as him, literally. Its just crazy. Im very blessed to be a part of this draft class." And perhaps he's the next Jevon Kearse for the Titans. Even if he's a few inches shorter, the potential seems to be there for Polite, who had 11 sacks and six forced fumbles this past season for the Gators. NEWSLETTERS Get the Sports newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Top and trending sports headlines you need to know for your busy day. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-342-8237. Delivery: Daily Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Sports Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters "I stay humble, but I got to talk myself up," Polite said with a smile. "Ive got to believe in myself first. I feel like I am the most athletic guy in this class." Reach Erik Bacharach at ebacharach@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ErikBacharach. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get Titans news about the NFL draft from The Tennessean on your mobile device REPORT: Titans among 3 teams most interested in Antonio Brown NFL DRAFT: T.J. Hockenson to the Titans at No. Iowa TE is downplaying the hype | The Tennessee Titans selected Jevon Kearse with the 16th overall pick in 1999. Florida's Jachai Polite is projected to go in the middle of the first round in the 2019 NFL draft. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nfl/titans/2019/03/03/nfl-combine-titans-draft-florida-football-jachai-polite/3042962002/ | 0.220293 |
Could Floridas Jachai Polite be the next Jevon Kearse for Titans? | INDIANAPOLIS Back in 1999, the Titans selected an edge rusher from Florida in the first round of the NFL draft, an instant-impact presence who helped lift the team from good to great. Twenty years later, theyre in position to do something similar. But Jachai Polite hasnt really looked up to Jevon Kearse, despite the similar background. Nah, Polite said Saturday at the 2019 NFL scouting combine. It was really Dante Fowler. Fowler, the No. 3 pick in 2015 and a current free agent, makes sense as a football role model for someone near in age like Polite. But regarding Kearse the 1999 AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year whom the Titans drafted with the 16th overall pick forgive Polite. Hes only 20. Kearse was a bit before his time. Still, Polite in Nashville which hosts the 2019 NFL draft in April adds up. Hes projecting to go in the middle of the first round, and several mock drafts have the Titans taking him at No. 19. The Titans' biggest need is arguably improving on the edge and getting to the quarterback, and Polite, with his speed and ability to bend around the corner, satisfies that need to a T. And for whatever its worth, the Titans have already won some points with Polite. He said hes had 19 formal meetings with teams this week, most of which were part of the bashing crew as in teams that were quick to criticize flaws in his game, specifically his technique stopping the run. "Thats probably it. Thats probably the only flaw of my game, Polite said. They know you have good plays. Thats why were here. So everybodys going to pull up your bad plays. ...Thats their job. Theyre trying to get my character out. Theyre trying to make me feel uncomfortable. See the way I react. So them bashing me, thats their job. Theyre about to invest millions probably I hope. So I have to take it. The questions had a similar theme. Like, Why? Polite recalled. Why? Oct 7, 2017; Gainesville, FL, USA;Florida Gators defensive lineman Jachai Polite (99) gets the fans pumped up against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports (Photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports) But not the Titans. "Nah, not really," said Polite, who mentioned the Los Angeles Rams were the team whose interview he most enjoyed. "They didnt. I remember all the teams. But like they didnt at all. Why? They were just trying to see who I was because they really didnt do background checks on me, they said. So I was like, OK, cool.' Theyre getting to actually just know who I am. Not ask 'why' questions and stuff. Thats how I thought it was going to be in all the meetings." It wasn't the first time this week where Polite's expectations didn't align with reality. His roommate, Ohio State's Nick Bosa, who is the projected No. 1 overall pick. "Hes so cool," Polite said. "Probably going No. 1. Thats crazy. I never imagined Id be in the same room as him, literally. Its just crazy. Im very blessed to be a part of this draft class." And perhaps he's the next Jevon Kearse for the Titans. Even if he's a few inches shorter, the potential seems to be there for Polite, who had 11 sacks and six forced fumbles this past season for the Gators. NEWSLETTERS Get the Sports newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Top and trending sports headlines you need to know for your busy day. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-342-8237. Delivery: Daily Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Sports Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters "I stay humble, but I got to talk myself up," Polite said with a smile. "Ive got to believe in myself first. I feel like I am the most athletic guy in this class." Reach Erik Bacharach at ebacharach@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ErikBacharach. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get Titans news about the NFL draft from The Tennessean on your mobile device REPORT: Titans among 3 teams most interested in Antonio Brown NFL DRAFT: T.J. Hockenson to the Titans at No. Iowa TE is downplaying the hype | The Tennessee Titans selected Jevon Kearse with the 16th overall pick in 1999. Florida's Jachai Polite is projected to go in the middle of the first round in the 2019 NFL draft. Polite said he's had 19 formal meetings with teams this week. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nfl/titans/2019/03/03/nfl-combine-titans-draft-florida-football-jachai-polite/3042962002/ | 0.295348 |
What to make of Anthony Davis' trade comments on LeBron James' show? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Anthony Davis offered a glimpse at NBA All-Star Weekend into how he really feels about the trade rumors and reports swirling around him. Scroll to continue with content Ad On Friday night, he opened on the subject in a discussion with one of the central figures of those rumors. Here's Davis and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James discussing the New Orleans Pelicans star's public trade demand on James' HBO show, "The Shop." "I'll say what I wanna say and do what I wanna do. I got the power." @AntDavis23 doesn't need your approval in reclaiming his career. #TheShopHBO pic.twitter.com/IKATt6Mekc HBO (@HBO) March 2, 2019 "As the CEO of my own business, I got the power," Davis says. "I'm doing what I wanna do and not what somebody's telling me to do." There's a hint of irony in Davis' statement. His agent, Klutch Sports' Rich Paul (who also represents James), has driven much of the conversation around his trade request and reportedly leaked several details about Davis' trade preferences while trying to drive his client to the Lakers prior to the NBA trade deadline. It's possible Davis is pushing back against those leaks; with the trade deadline gone, he'll be fair game for any NBA team this offseason -- including the Boston Celtics, who are expected to make an aggressive push for the 25-year-old. Story continues Davis said at All-Star Weekend that every team is on his list and that he just wants to win, comments which bode well for the Celtics' odds of landing the superstar forward if he really wants to act in his best interests. Expect James to make his own strong pitch for Davis, though. The Lakers star offered praise for Davis on the show phrased as looking out for the big man's best interests. "Seven years in the league, nobody's ever said ... anything negative about AD," James said, as transcribed by Bleacher Report. "But you can tell when the narrative changed when you don't do what they want you to do." Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | Anthony Davis opened up about the trade rumors on LeBron James' HBO show. "I'm doing what I wanna do and not somebody what's telling me to do," Davis said. | pegasus | 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/anthony-davis-trade-comments-lebron-164412843.html?src=rss | 0.161806 |
What to make of Anthony Davis' trade comments on LeBron James' show? | originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Anthony Davis offered a glimpse at NBA All-Star Weekend into how he really feels about the trade rumors and reports swirling around him. Scroll to continue with content Ad On Friday night, he opened on the subject in a discussion with one of the central figures of those rumors. Here's Davis and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James discussing the New Orleans Pelicans star's public trade demand on James' HBO show, "The Shop." "I'll say what I wanna say and do what I wanna do. I got the power." @AntDavis23 doesn't need your approval in reclaiming his career. #TheShopHBO pic.twitter.com/IKATt6Mekc HBO (@HBO) March 2, 2019 "As the CEO of my own business, I got the power," Davis says. "I'm doing what I wanna do and not what somebody's telling me to do." There's a hint of irony in Davis' statement. His agent, Klutch Sports' Rich Paul (who also represents James), has driven much of the conversation around his trade request and reportedly leaked several details about Davis' trade preferences while trying to drive his client to the Lakers prior to the NBA trade deadline. It's possible Davis is pushing back against those leaks; with the trade deadline gone, he'll be fair game for any NBA team this offseason -- including the Boston Celtics, who are expected to make an aggressive push for the 25-year-old. Story continues Davis said at All-Star Weekend that every team is on his list and that he just wants to win, comments which bode well for the Celtics' odds of landing the superstar forward if he really wants to act in his best interests. Expect James to make his own strong pitch for Davis, though. The Lakers star offered praise for Davis on the show phrased as looking out for the big man's best interests. "Seven years in the league, nobody's ever said ... anything negative about AD," James said, as transcribed by Bleacher Report. "But you can tell when the narrative changed when you don't do what they want you to do." Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. | Anthony Davis opened up about his trade request to LeBron James on HBO's "The Shop" "I'm doing what I wanna do and not what somebody's telling me to do," Davis said. The Boston Celtics are expected to make an aggressive push for Davis. | bart | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/anthony-davis-trade-comments-lebron-164412843.html?src=rss | 0.223356 |
What if Gov. Doug Ducey can't get his way with Republican lawmakers? | CLOSE The Arizona governor is used to getting his way. But growing rifts on the budget could lead to a showdown, columnist Robert Robb says. Diana Payan, The Republic | azcentral.com Opinion: The Republican governor is used to getting his way by holding his ground. That might not work this session. Gov. Doug Ducey is used to getting his way at the Arizona Legislature. This session might be different. In fact, there is a growing potential for a significant rift between Republican lawmakers and the governor on fundamental tax and spending issues. The state has an estimated surplus of $1.1 billion and revenue growth continues to be strong. The star proposal in Duceys budget was to increase the rainy-day fund to $1 billion. That would use up roughly $540 million of the surplus. There is a case to be made for that. Although the national and state economies are performing well now, a future downturn is inevitable. The current rainy-day fund is on the low side of what fiscal wonks recommend. However, there are many competitive ideas percolating in the Legislature and there are probably more developing. And these do not represent minor differences. They have major differences on taxes Start on the revenue side. Although the income tax filing deadline is less than two months away, the state still hasnt decided what people owe for 2018. This is mostly Duceys fault for ducking the issue last year. If the state conforms to changes at the federal level, that would produce a revenue windfall of an estimated $155 million. Ducey wants to pocket the money, at least for the 2018 tax year. GOP legislators, correctly, see that as a tax increase and want to give the money back or not collect it. Ducey has already vetoed one proposal to do that. Then there is the highway safety fee that was enacted last session and would produce in the neighborhood of $185 million next fiscal year, which begins in July. Theres been a strong public backlash against the new fee and a repealer passed the Senate by a veto-proof margin. Again, Ducey wants to keep the money. And different spending priorities There are also different priorities being expressed about spending. NEWSLETTERS Get the Opinions Newsletter newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Our best and latest in commentary in daily digest form. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Opinions Newsletter Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters In coping with the recession, the state skipped three monthly payments to the schools over a period of time. This didnt actually reduce what the schools could spend. But it did create cash flow issues for them. The total amount in arrears is $930 million. A proposal to pay back $620 million has made progress in the House. Duceys budget proposed just $35 million in additional operational funding for the universities. Given the rhapsodic praise heaped upon Duceys paltry offer by the university presidents and the board of regents, in a clearly orchestrated act of sycophancy, it would be political poetic justice to stick them with it. But the universities were severely cut back during the recession, and the state is rolling in dough. A bill to increase university funding by over $100 million this year, growing to over $300 million in three years, has made some headway in the Senate. There is also the proposal to refer to voters an increase in the education sales tax to benefit K-12 education and higher ed. That has some legislative life. Ducey has been oddly silent about it, but he presumably would like to see it get lost somewhere before the session ends. Although it hasnt been formalized in a bill, presumably the idea of restoring K-12 funding for additional assistance faster than the governors five-year timetable will get some traction. At least I hope it does. These are differences of hundreds of millions of dollars, on both the revenue and spending side. The governor has the stronger hand in budget negotiations. Thats because he knows what he wants. The Legislature, having abandoned actually developing a budget through the give-and-take of deliberations in the Appropriations Committees and on the floors, really doesnt. But among GOP lawmakers, the view of the governor as the titular head of the party and a conservative thought leader has dimmed. He wont get the benefit of the customary deference. This will be a new test for Ducey. Hes used to simply stating his position and holding his ground until the Legislature gives him what he wants. That might not work this session. Reach Robb at robert.robb@arizonarepublic.com. Click here to subscribe to azcentral.com. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/robertrobb/2019/03/03/gov-doug-ducey-republican-lawmakers-growing-rift-arizona-budget/3022228002/ | Robert Robb: Gov. Doug Ducey is used to getting his way at the Arizona Legislature. He says there is a growing potential for a significant rift between Republican lawmakers and the governor. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/robertrobb/2019/03/03/gov-doug-ducey-republican-lawmakers-growing-rift-arizona-budget/3022228002/ | 0.198684 |
What if Gov. Doug Ducey can't get his way with Republican lawmakers? | CLOSE The Arizona governor is used to getting his way. But growing rifts on the budget could lead to a showdown, columnist Robert Robb says. Diana Payan, The Republic | azcentral.com Opinion: The Republican governor is used to getting his way by holding his ground. That might not work this session. Gov. Doug Ducey is used to getting his way at the Arizona Legislature. This session might be different. In fact, there is a growing potential for a significant rift between Republican lawmakers and the governor on fundamental tax and spending issues. The state has an estimated surplus of $1.1 billion and revenue growth continues to be strong. The star proposal in Duceys budget was to increase the rainy-day fund to $1 billion. That would use up roughly $540 million of the surplus. There is a case to be made for that. Although the national and state economies are performing well now, a future downturn is inevitable. The current rainy-day fund is on the low side of what fiscal wonks recommend. However, there are many competitive ideas percolating in the Legislature and there are probably more developing. And these do not represent minor differences. They have major differences on taxes Start on the revenue side. Although the income tax filing deadline is less than two months away, the state still hasnt decided what people owe for 2018. This is mostly Duceys fault for ducking the issue last year. If the state conforms to changes at the federal level, that would produce a revenue windfall of an estimated $155 million. Ducey wants to pocket the money, at least for the 2018 tax year. GOP legislators, correctly, see that as a tax increase and want to give the money back or not collect it. Ducey has already vetoed one proposal to do that. Then there is the highway safety fee that was enacted last session and would produce in the neighborhood of $185 million next fiscal year, which begins in July. Theres been a strong public backlash against the new fee and a repealer passed the Senate by a veto-proof margin. Again, Ducey wants to keep the money. And different spending priorities There are also different priorities being expressed about spending. NEWSLETTERS Get the Opinions Newsletter newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Our best and latest in commentary in daily digest form. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Opinions Newsletter Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters In coping with the recession, the state skipped three monthly payments to the schools over a period of time. This didnt actually reduce what the schools could spend. But it did create cash flow issues for them. The total amount in arrears is $930 million. A proposal to pay back $620 million has made progress in the House. Duceys budget proposed just $35 million in additional operational funding for the universities. Given the rhapsodic praise heaped upon Duceys paltry offer by the university presidents and the board of regents, in a clearly orchestrated act of sycophancy, it would be political poetic justice to stick them with it. But the universities were severely cut back during the recession, and the state is rolling in dough. A bill to increase university funding by over $100 million this year, growing to over $300 million in three years, has made some headway in the Senate. There is also the proposal to refer to voters an increase in the education sales tax to benefit K-12 education and higher ed. That has some legislative life. Ducey has been oddly silent about it, but he presumably would like to see it get lost somewhere before the session ends. Although it hasnt been formalized in a bill, presumably the idea of restoring K-12 funding for additional assistance faster than the governors five-year timetable will get some traction. At least I hope it does. These are differences of hundreds of millions of dollars, on both the revenue and spending side. The governor has the stronger hand in budget negotiations. Thats because he knows what he wants. The Legislature, having abandoned actually developing a budget through the give-and-take of deliberations in the Appropriations Committees and on the floors, really doesnt. But among GOP lawmakers, the view of the governor as the titular head of the party and a conservative thought leader has dimmed. He wont get the benefit of the customary deference. This will be a new test for Ducey. Hes used to simply stating his position and holding his ground until the Legislature gives him what he wants. That might not work this session. Reach Robb at robert.robb@arizonarepublic.com. Click here to subscribe to azcentral.com. Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/robertrobb/2019/03/03/gov-doug-ducey-republican-lawmakers-growing-rift-arizona-budget/3022228002/ | Robert Robb: Gov. Doug Ducey is used to getting his way at the Arizona Legislature. He says there is a growing potential for a significant rift between Republican lawmakers and the governor. Robb: The state has an estimated surplus of $1.1 billion and revenue growth continues to be strong. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/robertrobb/2019/03/03/gov-doug-ducey-republican-lawmakers-growing-rift-arizona-budget/3022228002/ | 0.322211 |
Is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, too modern for the British press? | Seventeen years ago, I was pregnant in New York and some lovely friends held a baby shower. One American mate bought me some tiny Gucci bootees: I still have them, pristine and boxed, as a memento of a lovely, mad time. I remembered them when I read some of the reactions to the trip to New York by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, when her not just generous, but wildly wealthy, friends such as Serena Williams and the Clooneys coughed up a reported 330,000 for a baby shower in a top Manhattan hotel. No public money was spent on Meghans party, unless you count the security detail for members of the royal family. Yet Libby Purves, in a fabulously damning piece in the Times, wrote that while such daft flaunting of wealth was to be expected among stars, the clash comes when a free-spending American TV celebrity, the independent Ms Markle, becomes the British Queens granddaughter-in-law. Just consider the adjectives in that sentence; Markle is not just flashing the cash (free-spending) but foreign, famous and, possibly worst of all, an independent Ms. For hire: the former royal hangers-on who are hounding Meghan Read more It has all underlined the growing sense in much of the British media that Meghan is somehow just not one of us. The relationship between the royals and the press could, perhaps, withstand the relentless scrutiny of Meghans body last week we learned, courtesy of Mail Online, that her belly button has been pushed out by the baby but not the publication of a five-page handwritten letter written from Meghan to her father. Kensington Palace is now considering legal action against the Mail on Sunday similar to that brought successfully by Prince Charles when the paper published his diaries in 2006. Yet less than a year ago the marriage of Harry to this mixed-race divorcee with a successful career was being held up as a joyous coming-together of old and new. The event was heralded as the start of a new era by the New York Times and a breath of fresh air showing just how progressive and open British society could be. How clever of The Firm to reinvigorate itself in this way with a sprinkling of Hollywood glamour. Now it seems that a woman praised for modernising the monarchy is perhaps just a bit too modern, a bit too full of herself, a bit too independent. Piers Morgan, a man never known to avoid a social dog fight when he sniffs one, condemned her for acting her way to the top after she refused to return his calls, as if she needed an excuse. Keep her mouth shut. In the space of a few months, Meghan has gone from teaching the royals new ways, to apparently finding herself in breach of royal protocol by showing too much shoulder. Kate, once dismissed as an airhead oik in search of a rich husband, lest we forget, is somehow allowed to show some shoulder, a double standard seized on by the US press, of course, as it allows them to lambast their hidebound British peers, while benefiting from the ensuing sales lift provided by the most photogenic royals. For anyone who believes Meghans media treatment is no different to other royals, I give you Mike Tindall. While the former actor has been forced to drop her online blog and acting career, the member of a World Cup-winning rugby team, and another outsider to marry a royal grandchild, has continued with his former career and appeared on TV survival programmes since marrying Zara Phillips. Whats more, his treatment by the press appears overwhelmingly positive despite two lengthy drink-driving bans. The racial undertones first mentioned by Prince Harry in a letter asking the press to desist in its treatment of his then girlfriend in 2016 also bedevil the coverage. This was brought home to me last week when I was told by a tabloid sage of rumours that Meghan was no longer using skin lightening lotions because she was pregnant. In all seriousness. About a woman who said magazines which change her skin tone or airbrush out her freckles are her pet peeve.In a moving 2015 piece for Elle magazine about growing up the daughter of an African-American woman and Caucasian man, Markle described the hateful online reaction to the decision by the producers of Suits to cast a black man as her father. I used to think she was hot. She moves to the UK and, as well as spiteful Fleet Street gossip, Kensington Palace has to moderate comments on its official online feeds to stop racist and sexist abuse. A respected Times journalist, meanwhile, described any suggestion that Markle was being pursued and vilified, as her dead mother-in-law was, as utter fantasy. No one is spying on her in the gym, he opined. No one is listening in on her phone calls. Post-Leveson, much has changed, but it seems the bar is still quite low. Owning our independence When it emerged last week that a Saudi investor had bought a 30 % stake in the Evening Standard for an estimated 25m to match his 2017 investment in the Independent, there was little fanfare. The Financial Times identified the investor as Sultan Mohamed Abuljadayel, an employee of NCB Capital, the investment banking arm of Saudi Arabias National Commercial Bank, which is majority owned by the Saudi government; the regime which dwells at the bottom of press freedom league tables and is implicated in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Oh, and that the investment was made via a Cayman Islands offshoot long beloved of thriller writers looking for signs of covert ops. Move along, nothing to see here. The Standard, now edited by former chancellor George Osborne, insists its editorial freedom is safeguarded. They point to the papers coverage of Russia since it was bought by former KGB officer Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny in 2010. The younger Lebedev, who now has British citizenship, has spent some time with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, and shows an interest in the Middle East, posing on Instagram with Saudi-backed militias in Yemen while accompanying Evening Standard journalists there on assignment, for his birthday last May. The Independent can be rightly proud of its history of journalism about the Saudi regime, while the Standard can argue that the actions of Putin are not really its core area of concern. It did however publish pictures of the Russian president greeting the Saudi crown prince just weeks after the Khashoggi murder at the G20 with a very smiley high five. The argument, made by David Puttnam among others, that British newspaper owners should all be domestic tax payers, has largely been dismissed for failing to understand that, without foreign ownership, newspapers would have died. The Barclay brothers-owned Telegraph, already accused by a former columnist of killing stories critical of advertisers, has a 750,000-a-year deal to include a supplement from the Communist party of Chinas daily newspaper. One newspaper executive said last week there was no difference between the Saudis or Russians owning a newspaper and a football club. Which would be true if the British media was just a vehicle for identity politics, fun and games rather than a time-honoured way of holding the powerful to account. | Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been criticised for spending too much on a baby shower. The Duchess has been praised for modernising the monarchy with a sprinkling of Hollywood glamour. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.theguardian.com/media/commentisfree/2019/mar/03/is-meghan-duchess-of-sussex-too-modern-for-the-british-press | 0.199252 |
Is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, too modern for the British press? | Seventeen years ago, I was pregnant in New York and some lovely friends held a baby shower. One American mate bought me some tiny Gucci bootees: I still have them, pristine and boxed, as a memento of a lovely, mad time. I remembered them when I read some of the reactions to the trip to New York by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, when her not just generous, but wildly wealthy, friends such as Serena Williams and the Clooneys coughed up a reported 330,000 for a baby shower in a top Manhattan hotel. No public money was spent on Meghans party, unless you count the security detail for members of the royal family. Yet Libby Purves, in a fabulously damning piece in the Times, wrote that while such daft flaunting of wealth was to be expected among stars, the clash comes when a free-spending American TV celebrity, the independent Ms Markle, becomes the British Queens granddaughter-in-law. Just consider the adjectives in that sentence; Markle is not just flashing the cash (free-spending) but foreign, famous and, possibly worst of all, an independent Ms. For hire: the former royal hangers-on who are hounding Meghan Read more It has all underlined the growing sense in much of the British media that Meghan is somehow just not one of us. The relationship between the royals and the press could, perhaps, withstand the relentless scrutiny of Meghans body last week we learned, courtesy of Mail Online, that her belly button has been pushed out by the baby but not the publication of a five-page handwritten letter written from Meghan to her father. Kensington Palace is now considering legal action against the Mail on Sunday similar to that brought successfully by Prince Charles when the paper published his diaries in 2006. Yet less than a year ago the marriage of Harry to this mixed-race divorcee with a successful career was being held up as a joyous coming-together of old and new. The event was heralded as the start of a new era by the New York Times and a breath of fresh air showing just how progressive and open British society could be. How clever of The Firm to reinvigorate itself in this way with a sprinkling of Hollywood glamour. Now it seems that a woman praised for modernising the monarchy is perhaps just a bit too modern, a bit too full of herself, a bit too independent. Piers Morgan, a man never known to avoid a social dog fight when he sniffs one, condemned her for acting her way to the top after she refused to return his calls, as if she needed an excuse. Keep her mouth shut. In the space of a few months, Meghan has gone from teaching the royals new ways, to apparently finding herself in breach of royal protocol by showing too much shoulder. Kate, once dismissed as an airhead oik in search of a rich husband, lest we forget, is somehow allowed to show some shoulder, a double standard seized on by the US press, of course, as it allows them to lambast their hidebound British peers, while benefiting from the ensuing sales lift provided by the most photogenic royals. For anyone who believes Meghans media treatment is no different to other royals, I give you Mike Tindall. While the former actor has been forced to drop her online blog and acting career, the member of a World Cup-winning rugby team, and another outsider to marry a royal grandchild, has continued with his former career and appeared on TV survival programmes since marrying Zara Phillips. Whats more, his treatment by the press appears overwhelmingly positive despite two lengthy drink-driving bans. The racial undertones first mentioned by Prince Harry in a letter asking the press to desist in its treatment of his then girlfriend in 2016 also bedevil the coverage. This was brought home to me last week when I was told by a tabloid sage of rumours that Meghan was no longer using skin lightening lotions because she was pregnant. In all seriousness. About a woman who said magazines which change her skin tone or airbrush out her freckles are her pet peeve.In a moving 2015 piece for Elle magazine about growing up the daughter of an African-American woman and Caucasian man, Markle described the hateful online reaction to the decision by the producers of Suits to cast a black man as her father. I used to think she was hot. She moves to the UK and, as well as spiteful Fleet Street gossip, Kensington Palace has to moderate comments on its official online feeds to stop racist and sexist abuse. A respected Times journalist, meanwhile, described any suggestion that Markle was being pursued and vilified, as her dead mother-in-law was, as utter fantasy. No one is spying on her in the gym, he opined. No one is listening in on her phone calls. Post-Leveson, much has changed, but it seems the bar is still quite low. Owning our independence When it emerged last week that a Saudi investor had bought a 30 % stake in the Evening Standard for an estimated 25m to match his 2017 investment in the Independent, there was little fanfare. The Financial Times identified the investor as Sultan Mohamed Abuljadayel, an employee of NCB Capital, the investment banking arm of Saudi Arabias National Commercial Bank, which is majority owned by the Saudi government; the regime which dwells at the bottom of press freedom league tables and is implicated in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Oh, and that the investment was made via a Cayman Islands offshoot long beloved of thriller writers looking for signs of covert ops. Move along, nothing to see here. The Standard, now edited by former chancellor George Osborne, insists its editorial freedom is safeguarded. They point to the papers coverage of Russia since it was bought by former KGB officer Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny in 2010. The younger Lebedev, who now has British citizenship, has spent some time with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, and shows an interest in the Middle East, posing on Instagram with Saudi-backed militias in Yemen while accompanying Evening Standard journalists there on assignment, for his birthday last May. The Independent can be rightly proud of its history of journalism about the Saudi regime, while the Standard can argue that the actions of Putin are not really its core area of concern. It did however publish pictures of the Russian president greeting the Saudi crown prince just weeks after the Khashoggi murder at the G20 with a very smiley high five. The argument, made by David Puttnam among others, that British newspaper owners should all be domestic tax payers, has largely been dismissed for failing to understand that, without foreign ownership, newspapers would have died. The Barclay brothers-owned Telegraph, already accused by a former columnist of killing stories critical of advertisers, has a 750,000-a-year deal to include a supplement from the Communist party of Chinas daily newspaper. One newspaper executive said last week there was no difference between the Saudis or Russians owning a newspaper and a football club. Which would be true if the British media was just a vehicle for identity politics, fun and games rather than a time-honoured way of holding the powerful to account. | Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has been criticised for spending too much on a baby shower. The Duchess has been praised for modernising the monarchy with a sprinkling of Hollywood glamour, but now it seems she is perhaps just a bit too modern, a bitToo full of herself, a little too independent. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.theguardian.com/media/commentisfree/2019/mar/03/is-meghan-duchess-of-sussex-too-modern-for-the-british-press | 0.32182 |
How can we make Mardi Gras greener and cleaner? | Theres nothing better during Mardi Gras than the catch. You make eye contact with a masked rider on a float and score a piece of Carnival treasure. For two weeks, you fill bags with pounds of glittery beads, hula hoops, glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces and blinky rings. Then, at the end, youve got to figure out what to do with all that plastic, most of which youll never put on again. Some throws are usable, like the zippered pouches and mini-notebooks from Muses, the cellphone lanyard from Nyx or the glass beads some krewes have started throwing again. Some are coveted keepsakes, like the Zulu coconut, Muses shoes and Nyx purses. Or, the yellow flags tossed to the crowd Thursday night with Never Been Thrown, Float 20 printed on them. Thats definitely a keeper. Some people use beads for their art, and some sort their loot and take it to ARC of Greater New Orleans to be repackaged and reused. But most of those strings of plastic go into landfills or, as New Orleanians have learned, into our storm drains. Tons of beads and other trinkets never make it home with anyone. They litter the streets and sidewalks and are scooped up and sent to landfills by the street-cleaning crews who follow parades. We cant go on this way. Or, we shouldnt. The city found 46 tons of Mardi Gras beads in New Orleans drainage system along five blocks of St. Charles Avenue in 2018. Thats 92,000 pounds on just one small section of the parade route. Street-cleaning crews scoop up about 900 tons of waste on average during the Mardi Gras season. Last year, that number was nearly 1,200 tons, according to the city. We have to face the consequences at the end of the parade, Howard Mielke, a Tulane University pharmacology professor, told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reporter Maria Clark. Watching the gigantic sanitation trucks come by at the end visually, its spectacular to see that take place. It is impressive how quickly that happens and how clean the route is afterward. But that feat covers up the fact that we are putting tons of waste into our environment that isnt going to break down and could have toxins in it. Mielke has researched the amount of lead in Mardi Gras beads picked up along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street. His 2013 study found lead in four bead samples, including small green beads, large green beads, non-metalized black beads and non-metalized small red beads. That small number might reassure some people. But he also found higher traces of lead accumulated in the ground along the parade routes. Thats old soil that has had years and years of exposure to lead. Kids pick beads up off the ground and dont know they have been contaminated by the parade route itself, Mielke said. Verdi Gras, a group formed in 2011 to increase recycling of Mardi Gras throws, commissioned a separate study in 2013. Researchers with The Ecology Center, a non-profit environmental organization in Ann Arbor, Michigan, screened 87 Mardi Gras bead necklaces, bracelets and other accessories. Fifty-six out of the 87 products tested had concentrations of lead above 100 ppm, which is the limit for childrens products set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The highest amount of lead detected was far beyond that limit 29,864 ppm in a green, round bead necklace. The necklaces arent necessarily a threat, at least when they are new. But as they degrade and the finish wears off, lead exposure is possible, the lead researcher said. There are alternatives being developed. An LSU biological sciences professor has a patent pending on biodegradable beads made from algae. Misti and Aron Medders, who live Uptown, have started making environmentally-friendly throws to sell. They planned to make 550 dozen of their No-Call Nola necklaces made with black and white recyclable plastic beads and a little yellow penalty flag. Recycling efforts are growing, and the city is putting bumpers across some storm drains to keep the beads out. That is a start, but we need to do much more. South Louisiana is one of the most environmentally fragile places on earth. It needs to be better protected from pollution. No one wants to lose the thrill of the catch, but we should be more thoughtful and careful about what gets tossed off a float. | Tons of beads and other trinkets never make it home with anyone. They litter the streets and sidewalks and are scooped up and sent to landfills. Street-cleaning crews scoop up about 900 tons of waste on average during Mardi Gras season. | bart | 2 | https://www.nola.com/opinions/2019/03/how-can-we-make-mardi-gras-greener-and-cleaner.html | 0.113834 |
Can Houston's Ed Oliver break paradigms like Kyler Murray? | INDIANAPOLIS The five-star prospect from Texas arrived on campus with prodigious hype, dominated collegiate competition and emerged as a compelling and divisive NFL prospect. Everything fits motor, production and speed except for place amid the leagues long-established archetypes. The fundamental tension between outsized production and atypical size has been the dominant narrative of quarterback Kyler Murray, the Heisman Trophy winner who has become the upcoming NFL drafts most compelling figure. Murray has received so much attention that his height measurement 5-foot-10 1/8 recorded on Thursday was arguably the most anticipated measurement in NFL scouting combine history. Scroll to continue with content Ad But theres another NFL draft unicorn Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver that fits Murrays draft narrative of an elite talent who is outside of the typical NFL size paradigms. The size of Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver will be scrutinized this week at the NFL scouting combine. (AP) In scouting circles, Olivers physical measurements and potentially ridiculous 40-yard dash are being greeted with an equal amount of intrigue. Since starting the season being hailed as the potential No. 1 pick, Oliver is now better cast as a guaranteed first-rounder. Some of that has to do with the historic defensive line depth in this class. But theres also size concerns, as Oliver played last season at around 272 pounds even if he was listed at 292 and looks more like a linebacker than a defensive tackle. Oliver is believed to be 6-1, which would make him exponentially shorter and smaller than a typical NFL defensive tackle. (His official measurement on Friday: 6-1 7/8 and 287 pounds.) Story continues But Oliver has a raging motor, freaky physical traits and speed thats expected to test in the 4.5 range that would essentially give him the jets of an average receiver. And theres also high-end production, which included 53 tackles for loss in three seasons. The tension with Oliver lies in how NFL teams will treat his anomalous size. Before Friday, Oliver managed to evade giving the NFL and its scouting services an official height and weight. Oliver is a tough conversation because most of us cant wait to see what his height and weight is this week because we dont even know, said Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock. He added: If you look at historic data, at analytics, it tells you that the height and weight probably shouldnt work in the NFL. He arrived at the University of Houston as the highest recruited player in school history. He earned freshman All-American and as a sophomore became the first underclassman to win the Outland Trophy award for the countrys top interior lineman. Oliver was so confident in his NFL future that he declared hed be entering the NFL draft before the start of his junior season, a decision that offers a window into Olivers endearing braggadocio. Twice during his career, Oliver was the target of dirty hits that resulted in knee injuries with opponents from Temple (2017) and Navy (2018) diving into his knee while he was engaged. (He missed 4.5 games in 2018.) The 2017 hit, in part, led to the NCAA to changing its rules to prevent similar blocks. This slow-mo of block on Ed Oliver from Navy game was shown during Saturdays game. Had not seen this angle pic.twitter.com/a75Q8BV21i Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) November 5, 2018 Former Houston coach Tom Herman, now at Texas, recruited Oliver and coached him for a year there. He watched him as a freshman sack both Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson twice in seismic Houston upsets, as both Oklahoma and Louisville were ranked No. 3 in the country at the time. I think with him, the strength and explosiveness is what overcomes his lack of mass, Herman said in a phone interview on Thursday. Hes never going to be a 325-pound guy. But hes just so strong and quick and explosive that its hard to even get your hands on him. Herman still marvels at Olivers ability to contort his body, as he recalled him running drills where linemen are working on leaning their body to rush the passer. His shoulder pad would be a few inches off the ground, Herman said. It was silly the way he was able to bend while still moving. No one will argue with Olivers freakiness, but there are vexing questions about him. Hes rare in that hes more of a run stuffer than a pass rusher, making it more difficult to justify a high draft choice. The most often used comparison to Aaron Donald Olivers favorite player isnt necessarily a fair one as Donald was much more refined in his technique, especially with his hands, and a more accomplished pass rusher. Olivers position coach at Houston for his final two seasons was also his high school position coach, which stagnated his development. Much like NFL coaches and schemes have recently adjusted to quarterbacks coming from college and not fitting their NFL archetype Murray, Deshaun Watson and Mayfield thered have to be some schematic adjustment for Oliver as well. The general feeling is that you get a movable piece in the front seven with whom you can find matchups and attack, said a source familiar with Oliver. Itd be a disservice to the kid to plug him in and keep him on one spot on the interior of the defensive line. He doesnt fit prototypes, but hes such a good athlete, he can play on his feet and play on the edge. There are no critical character flaws with Oliver, as he wasnt a partier, generally worked hard and went to class and didnt raise any off-field red flags. But there are general questions around Oliver involving his emotional maturity, as he showed at times in his Houston career that he could be temperamental and struggled with coaching. That was epitomized by the great jacket flap this season that led to a wave of social media vitriol for former Houston coach Major Applewhite. In a game against Tulane in November, Oliver screamed at Applewhite on the sideline after the coach attempted to enforce a rule that injured players couldnt wear jackets on the sideline. All that will start with Fridays measurement. It will take a bold and creative team to pick him, which is why he has lost traction in some mock drafts. Well get a better clue when he steps on a scale Friday. Height is a little bit overrated, I think hes a top-10 pick, said a veteran NFL executive. His quickness and disruptiveness translates really well to the modern game. Subscribe to The Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast Apple Podcasts Stitcher Google Podcasts More from Yahoo Sports: The NFL combines biggest question is answered Ole Miss fans trash court after controversial loss Westbrook lectures kid, requests protection from fans Haynes: LeBron has a message for the haters | Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver fits Kyler Murray's draft narrative of an elite talent who is outside of the typical NFL size paradigms. | bart | 0 | https://sports.yahoo.com/can-houstons-ed-oliver-break-paradigms-like-kyler-murray-033332257.html?src=rss | 0.384801 |
Can Houston's Ed Oliver break paradigms like Kyler Murray? | INDIANAPOLIS The five-star prospect from Texas arrived on campus with prodigious hype, dominated collegiate competition and emerged as a compelling and divisive NFL prospect. Everything fits motor, production and speed except for place amid the leagues long-established archetypes. The fundamental tension between outsized production and atypical size has been the dominant narrative of quarterback Kyler Murray, the Heisman Trophy winner who has become the upcoming NFL drafts most compelling figure. Murray has received so much attention that his height measurement 5-foot-10 1/8 recorded on Thursday was arguably the most anticipated measurement in NFL scouting combine history. Scroll to continue with content Ad But theres another NFL draft unicorn Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver that fits Murrays draft narrative of an elite talent who is outside of the typical NFL size paradigms. The size of Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver will be scrutinized this week at the NFL scouting combine. (AP) In scouting circles, Olivers physical measurements and potentially ridiculous 40-yard dash are being greeted with an equal amount of intrigue. Since starting the season being hailed as the potential No. 1 pick, Oliver is now better cast as a guaranteed first-rounder. Some of that has to do with the historic defensive line depth in this class. But theres also size concerns, as Oliver played last season at around 272 pounds even if he was listed at 292 and looks more like a linebacker than a defensive tackle. Oliver is believed to be 6-1, which would make him exponentially shorter and smaller than a typical NFL defensive tackle. (His official measurement on Friday: 6-1 7/8 and 287 pounds.) Story continues But Oliver has a raging motor, freaky physical traits and speed thats expected to test in the 4.5 range that would essentially give him the jets of an average receiver. And theres also high-end production, which included 53 tackles for loss in three seasons. The tension with Oliver lies in how NFL teams will treat his anomalous size. Before Friday, Oliver managed to evade giving the NFL and its scouting services an official height and weight. Oliver is a tough conversation because most of us cant wait to see what his height and weight is this week because we dont even know, said Oakland Raiders general manager Mike Mayock. He added: If you look at historic data, at analytics, it tells you that the height and weight probably shouldnt work in the NFL. He arrived at the University of Houston as the highest recruited player in school history. He earned freshman All-American and as a sophomore became the first underclassman to win the Outland Trophy award for the countrys top interior lineman. Oliver was so confident in his NFL future that he declared hed be entering the NFL draft before the start of his junior season, a decision that offers a window into Olivers endearing braggadocio. Twice during his career, Oliver was the target of dirty hits that resulted in knee injuries with opponents from Temple (2017) and Navy (2018) diving into his knee while he was engaged. (He missed 4.5 games in 2018.) The 2017 hit, in part, led to the NCAA to changing its rules to prevent similar blocks. This slow-mo of block on Ed Oliver from Navy game was shown during Saturdays game. Had not seen this angle pic.twitter.com/a75Q8BV21i Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) November 5, 2018 Former Houston coach Tom Herman, now at Texas, recruited Oliver and coached him for a year there. He watched him as a freshman sack both Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson twice in seismic Houston upsets, as both Oklahoma and Louisville were ranked No. 3 in the country at the time. I think with him, the strength and explosiveness is what overcomes his lack of mass, Herman said in a phone interview on Thursday. Hes never going to be a 325-pound guy. But hes just so strong and quick and explosive that its hard to even get your hands on him. Herman still marvels at Olivers ability to contort his body, as he recalled him running drills where linemen are working on leaning their body to rush the passer. His shoulder pad would be a few inches off the ground, Herman said. It was silly the way he was able to bend while still moving. No one will argue with Olivers freakiness, but there are vexing questions about him. Hes rare in that hes more of a run stuffer than a pass rusher, making it more difficult to justify a high draft choice. The most often used comparison to Aaron Donald Olivers favorite player isnt necessarily a fair one as Donald was much more refined in his technique, especially with his hands, and a more accomplished pass rusher. Olivers position coach at Houston for his final two seasons was also his high school position coach, which stagnated his development. Much like NFL coaches and schemes have recently adjusted to quarterbacks coming from college and not fitting their NFL archetype Murray, Deshaun Watson and Mayfield thered have to be some schematic adjustment for Oliver as well. The general feeling is that you get a movable piece in the front seven with whom you can find matchups and attack, said a source familiar with Oliver. Itd be a disservice to the kid to plug him in and keep him on one spot on the interior of the defensive line. He doesnt fit prototypes, but hes such a good athlete, he can play on his feet and play on the edge. There are no critical character flaws with Oliver, as he wasnt a partier, generally worked hard and went to class and didnt raise any off-field red flags. But there are general questions around Oliver involving his emotional maturity, as he showed at times in his Houston career that he could be temperamental and struggled with coaching. That was epitomized by the great jacket flap this season that led to a wave of social media vitriol for former Houston coach Major Applewhite. In a game against Tulane in November, Oliver screamed at Applewhite on the sideline after the coach attempted to enforce a rule that injured players couldnt wear jackets on the sideline. All that will start with Fridays measurement. It will take a bold and creative team to pick him, which is why he has lost traction in some mock drafts. Well get a better clue when he steps on a scale Friday. Height is a little bit overrated, I think hes a top-10 pick, said a veteran NFL executive. His quickness and disruptiveness translates really well to the modern game. Subscribe to The Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast Apple Podcasts Stitcher Google Podcasts More from Yahoo Sports: The NFL combines biggest question is answered Ole Miss fans trash court after controversial loss Westbrook lectures kid, requests protection from fans Haynes: LeBron has a message for the haters | Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver fits Kyler Murray's draft narrative of an elite talent who is outside of the typical NFL size paradigms. Oliver is believed to be 6-1, which would make him exponentially shorter and smaller than a typical NFL defensive tackle. | bart | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/can-houstons-ed-oliver-break-paradigms-like-kyler-murray-033332257.html?src=rss | 0.527722 |
Will police chief fire officers who shot Stephon Clark? | Sacramento Police Chief Dan Hahn said he intends to conduct a fast internal review in the coming weeks of whether his officers failed to follow police procedures the night they chased down and shot Stephon Clark. Any outcome is possible, he said, including the officers getting fired. Speaking to The Sacramento Bee late Saturday, Hahn said he was not sure how much of the internal review he would reveal to the public, but said he planned to disclose as much as his lawyers say he can. The two officers, initially called to investigate reports of someone breaking car windows, confronted Clark, 22, in the side yard of his grandparents Meadowview home and chased him into the backyard, where they fired 20 rounds at him, mistakenly believing the cell phone in his hand was a gun. Hahn expressed regret about the shooting, saying his department is working on changes to prevent an incident like this from happening again. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee If I could turn back the hands of time, if I could bring back Stephon Clark, anybody would do that, he said. If all the things were known then that we know now, but that is not realistic in the moment. Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced on Saturday her offices investigation determined the officers were justified in the shooting and would not face criminal charges. Officers have the legal right, she said, to use deadly force if they believe at the time that their lives are in danger, even if that later turns out not to be true. Support local journalism The Bee is your go-to source for in-depth coverage of the Stephon Clark investigation. And today, we continue to bring you coverage of news that affects your life, your communities and our region coverage you cant get anywhere else. We believe in our communities. Believe in and support The Sacramento Bee, your trusted local news source. Click to subscribe Angry with the DAs decision not to prosecute, members of Black Lives Matter, the NAACP and other community leaders, including representatives of the Clark family, are demanding that the officers be fired. We need to speak to our city leaders to empower the termination of those two officers, NAACP Sacramento chapter head Betty Williams said. Both officers, Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet, are still on the force. Hahn said his department will launch its internal review of the officers actions once he gets the investigative report from the DA and a separate investigation report from the state Attorney General. Hahn said he expects to receive the AG report soon, but has not been told exactly when. The internal police investigation will focus on whether the officers followed police department policy. The resulting department actions can run the whole gamut, Hahn said. It could range from that they were (acting) within policy. It could be termination. Tim Davis, president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association, said the Clark shooting illustrates how complicated and dynamic a request for police service can be. The officers in this case were clearly afraid for their life, and were legally justified in their use of force, Davis said in a written statement. Stevante Clark, talks with Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn before the city council meeting on Tuesday April 10, 2018 at City Hall in Sacramento. His brother, Stephon Clark, was unarmed when he was fatally shot by Sacramento Police in the backyard of his grandparents home. Paul Kitagaki Jr. pkitagaki@sacbee.com In cases where an officer is fired, Hahn said he would make a recommendation to City Manager Howard Chan, who has the final say. Hahn declined to say how long he will take to do his review. I dont want to give a specific date, but we want to do that really quick. It wont be months down the road unless something comes up. Hahn said he will seek legal advice on how much of the review to disclose. I am committed to releasing everything we are required by law, he said. The attorneys would tell us specifically what to release, but I believe at the outset there is something that would be released. A new state law, SB 1421, requires the disclosure of internal investigations regarding police shootings, sexual misconduct and professional dishonesty. Law enforcement officials and news media have been sparring in court over the extent of the new law, and some law agencies have refused to disclose information. Hahn said the department has been working with the Attorney General and other policing experts on modifying police policies, including creating a more analytical pursuit policy. The department will be working with UC Berkeley, he said, on an ongoing implicit bias training program designed to teach officers about the subconscious biases they may carry. Hahn said the past 10 months since the shooting have been tough on the police and the community, but especially the Clark family. I cant comprehend what that family has gone through, he said. The family lost a loved one. No matter what decision, it doesnt bring people back. Our dedication is to look to find ways to get better to keep officers and community members safe. Davis, president of the police union, said his organization will work with the department to review our policies and procedures to find ways to reduce tragic outcomes in the future. | Sacramento Police Chief Dan Hahn says he plans to conduct a fast internal review. The internal review will focus on whether the officers followed police department policy. The two officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark are still on the force. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article227054804.html | 0.186362 |
Will police chief fire officers who shot Stephon Clark? | Sacramento Police Chief Dan Hahn said he intends to conduct a fast internal review in the coming weeks of whether his officers failed to follow police procedures the night they chased down and shot Stephon Clark. Any outcome is possible, he said, including the officers getting fired. Speaking to The Sacramento Bee late Saturday, Hahn said he was not sure how much of the internal review he would reveal to the public, but said he planned to disclose as much as his lawyers say he can. The two officers, initially called to investigate reports of someone breaking car windows, confronted Clark, 22, in the side yard of his grandparents Meadowview home and chased him into the backyard, where they fired 20 rounds at him, mistakenly believing the cell phone in his hand was a gun. Hahn expressed regret about the shooting, saying his department is working on changes to prevent an incident like this from happening again. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee If I could turn back the hands of time, if I could bring back Stephon Clark, anybody would do that, he said. If all the things were known then that we know now, but that is not realistic in the moment. Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced on Saturday her offices investigation determined the officers were justified in the shooting and would not face criminal charges. Officers have the legal right, she said, to use deadly force if they believe at the time that their lives are in danger, even if that later turns out not to be true. Support local journalism The Bee is your go-to source for in-depth coverage of the Stephon Clark investigation. And today, we continue to bring you coverage of news that affects your life, your communities and our region coverage you cant get anywhere else. We believe in our communities. Believe in and support The Sacramento Bee, your trusted local news source. Click to subscribe Angry with the DAs decision not to prosecute, members of Black Lives Matter, the NAACP and other community leaders, including representatives of the Clark family, are demanding that the officers be fired. We need to speak to our city leaders to empower the termination of those two officers, NAACP Sacramento chapter head Betty Williams said. Both officers, Terrance Mercadal and Jared Robinet, are still on the force. Hahn said his department will launch its internal review of the officers actions once he gets the investigative report from the DA and a separate investigation report from the state Attorney General. Hahn said he expects to receive the AG report soon, but has not been told exactly when. The internal police investigation will focus on whether the officers followed police department policy. The resulting department actions can run the whole gamut, Hahn said. It could range from that they were (acting) within policy. It could be termination. Tim Davis, president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association, said the Clark shooting illustrates how complicated and dynamic a request for police service can be. The officers in this case were clearly afraid for their life, and were legally justified in their use of force, Davis said in a written statement. Stevante Clark, talks with Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn before the city council meeting on Tuesday April 10, 2018 at City Hall in Sacramento. His brother, Stephon Clark, was unarmed when he was fatally shot by Sacramento Police in the backyard of his grandparents home. Paul Kitagaki Jr. pkitagaki@sacbee.com In cases where an officer is fired, Hahn said he would make a recommendation to City Manager Howard Chan, who has the final say. Hahn declined to say how long he will take to do his review. I dont want to give a specific date, but we want to do that really quick. It wont be months down the road unless something comes up. Hahn said he will seek legal advice on how much of the review to disclose. I am committed to releasing everything we are required by law, he said. The attorneys would tell us specifically what to release, but I believe at the outset there is something that would be released. A new state law, SB 1421, requires the disclosure of internal investigations regarding police shootings, sexual misconduct and professional dishonesty. Law enforcement officials and news media have been sparring in court over the extent of the new law, and some law agencies have refused to disclose information. Hahn said the department has been working with the Attorney General and other policing experts on modifying police policies, including creating a more analytical pursuit policy. The department will be working with UC Berkeley, he said, on an ongoing implicit bias training program designed to teach officers about the subconscious biases they may carry. Hahn said the past 10 months since the shooting have been tough on the police and the community, but especially the Clark family. I cant comprehend what that family has gone through, he said. The family lost a loved one. No matter what decision, it doesnt bring people back. Our dedication is to look to find ways to get better to keep officers and community members safe. Davis, president of the police union, said his organization will work with the department to review our policies and procedures to find ways to reduce tragic outcomes in the future. | Sacramento Police Chief Dan Hahn says he plans to conduct a fast internal review. The internal review will focus on whether the officers followed police department policy. Hahn: "It could range from that they were (acting) within policy, it could be termination" The two officers who shot Stephon Clark are still on the force. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article227054804.html | 0.173262 |
Did students in MAGA gear make Perry High School unsafe? Or just uncomfortable? | Two students take a picture for Perry High School's "Party in the USA" spirit day on Friday, March 1. (Photo: Courtesy Jennifer Farris) On Friday, students at Perry High School in Gilbert were ordered to remove shirts and hats emblazoned with President Donald Trumps call to Make America Great Again. This, nearly 50 years to the day after the U.S. Supreme Court sided with students who were suspended after wearing black armbands to school, protesting the Vietnam War. On Friday, Perry school administrators demanded that students remove their MAGA shirts, hats and accessories. The kids had worn their MAGA gear because it was Party in the USA day at the Chandler Unified School District school. According to parents, everything was fine until lunch when administrators began ordering anyone displaying the MAGA logo to remove it. The students complied. But after school they again brought out their MAGA gear including a blue Trump flag -- to pose for pictures. But they werent the only ones taking pictures. The school's police resource officer began snapping photos and asking for the kids names. When one girl refused to identify herself, she was told to report to the office where she again refused to give her name. By the time her mother arrived, shed been suspended for 10 days. The mother said she was told officials considered the clothing "offensive, and that the kids were being disrespectful by wearing it'' and could face sanctions if they didn't comply. A video shows the principal calling the Trump MAGA flag disrespectful. CLOSE Watch this confrontation between Perry High School Principal Dan Serrano and the mother of a student, Jennifer Farris. Courtesy of Jennifer Farris, Arizona Republic Perry Principal Dan Serrano, in a letter about the incident, explained that students were carrying political signs that caused a disruption and created a safety concern at lunch. After school, they again brought out the signs. "When the schools resource officer asked the students to leave campus, they declined. They also refused to respond to my request to provide their names and school identification when I sought to interview them," Serrano wrote. That refusal, not their political speech, is why they were suspended, he said. In his letter, Serrano said the school must maintain a safe campus and ensure there are no disruptions to the educational environment." I can appreciate the principals concern, especially in these politically charged times with a president who goes out of his way to exploit that which divides us. Donald Trump is the master of the dog whistle, those seemingly innocuous comments that make the hearts of racists and bigots go pitty-pat. And MAGA is their rallying call. NEWSLETTERS Get the Opinions Newsletter newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Our best and latest in commentary in daily digest form. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Opinions Newsletter Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters It is offensive to many, not because of what it says Make America Great Again but because of what it really means. And how and by whom it is used. Justice Abe Fortas, in writing the Tinker decision, said administrators cant interfere with a students right to speech unless there is evidence to show that speech will interfere with the schools' work or of collision with the rights of other students to be secure and to be let alone. Note that he wrote the students have a right "to be secure and to be let alone." There's nothing there about a right to be comfortable, nothing about a right not to be offended. In the case of the kids wearing black armbands, Fortas wrote, there is no indication that the work of the schools or any class was disrupted. Outside the classrooms, a few students made hostile remarks to the children wearing armbands, but there were no threats or acts of violence on school premises. The justices rejected a lower court's reasoning that the school could shut down speech based upon their fear of a disturbance. In order for the State in the person of school officials to justify prohibition of a particular expression of opinion, it must be able to show that its action was caused by something more than a mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint, Fortas wrote. Im guessing the students, proudly decked out in their MAGA gear, made people uncomfortable. Let's be honest, that was their goal. Principal Serrano owes the Perry community a fuller explanation of the threats or acts of violence that prompted him to shut down the students speech. Either that, or he owes them an apology. Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. MORE FROM ROBERTS: Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2019/03/03/did-students-maga-gear-make-perry-high-school-unsafe/3049232002/ | Students at Perry High School in Gilbert were ordered to remove shirts and hats emblazoned with President Donald Trumps call to Make America Great Again. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2019/03/03/did-students-maga-gear-make-perry-high-school-unsafe/3049232002/ | 0.105606 |
Did students in MAGA gear make Perry High School unsafe? Or just uncomfortable? | Two students take a picture for Perry High School's "Party in the USA" spirit day on Friday, March 1. (Photo: Courtesy Jennifer Farris) On Friday, students at Perry High School in Gilbert were ordered to remove shirts and hats emblazoned with President Donald Trumps call to Make America Great Again. This, nearly 50 years to the day after the U.S. Supreme Court sided with students who were suspended after wearing black armbands to school, protesting the Vietnam War. On Friday, Perry school administrators demanded that students remove their MAGA shirts, hats and accessories. The kids had worn their MAGA gear because it was Party in the USA day at the Chandler Unified School District school. According to parents, everything was fine until lunch when administrators began ordering anyone displaying the MAGA logo to remove it. The students complied. But after school they again brought out their MAGA gear including a blue Trump flag -- to pose for pictures. But they werent the only ones taking pictures. The school's police resource officer began snapping photos and asking for the kids names. When one girl refused to identify herself, she was told to report to the office where she again refused to give her name. By the time her mother arrived, shed been suspended for 10 days. The mother said she was told officials considered the clothing "offensive, and that the kids were being disrespectful by wearing it'' and could face sanctions if they didn't comply. A video shows the principal calling the Trump MAGA flag disrespectful. CLOSE Watch this confrontation between Perry High School Principal Dan Serrano and the mother of a student, Jennifer Farris. Courtesy of Jennifer Farris, Arizona Republic Perry Principal Dan Serrano, in a letter about the incident, explained that students were carrying political signs that caused a disruption and created a safety concern at lunch. After school, they again brought out the signs. "When the schools resource officer asked the students to leave campus, they declined. They also refused to respond to my request to provide their names and school identification when I sought to interview them," Serrano wrote. That refusal, not their political speech, is why they were suspended, he said. In his letter, Serrano said the school must maintain a safe campus and ensure there are no disruptions to the educational environment." I can appreciate the principals concern, especially in these politically charged times with a president who goes out of his way to exploit that which divides us. Donald Trump is the master of the dog whistle, those seemingly innocuous comments that make the hearts of racists and bigots go pitty-pat. And MAGA is their rallying call. NEWSLETTERS Get the Opinions Newsletter newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Our best and latest in commentary in daily digest form. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-332-6733. Delivery: Mon-Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Opinions Newsletter Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters It is offensive to many, not because of what it says Make America Great Again but because of what it really means. And how and by whom it is used. Justice Abe Fortas, in writing the Tinker decision, said administrators cant interfere with a students right to speech unless there is evidence to show that speech will interfere with the schools' work or of collision with the rights of other students to be secure and to be let alone. Note that he wrote the students have a right "to be secure and to be let alone." There's nothing there about a right to be comfortable, nothing about a right not to be offended. In the case of the kids wearing black armbands, Fortas wrote, there is no indication that the work of the schools or any class was disrupted. Outside the classrooms, a few students made hostile remarks to the children wearing armbands, but there were no threats or acts of violence on school premises. The justices rejected a lower court's reasoning that the school could shut down speech based upon their fear of a disturbance. In order for the State in the person of school officials to justify prohibition of a particular expression of opinion, it must be able to show that its action was caused by something more than a mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint, Fortas wrote. Im guessing the students, proudly decked out in their MAGA gear, made people uncomfortable. Let's be honest, that was their goal. Principal Serrano owes the Perry community a fuller explanation of the threats or acts of violence that prompted him to shut down the students speech. Either that, or he owes them an apology. Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. MORE FROM ROBERTS: Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2019/03/03/did-students-maga-gear-make-perry-high-school-unsafe/3049232002/ | Students at Perry High School in Gilbert were ordered to remove shirts and hats emblazoned with President Donald Trumps call to Make America Great Again The students complied, but after school they again brought out their MAGA gear including a blue Trump flag to pose for pictures. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2019/03/03/did-students-maga-gear-make-perry-high-school-unsafe/3049232002/ | 0.200502 |
Could NBA contenders have interest in Andrew Bogut when he returns from Australia? | When last we heard from Andrew Bogut, he had gone home. After not getting much interest from NBA teams after the Lakers waived him in the middle of last season, Bogut signed to play with the Sydney Kings in his native Australias National Basketball League. There he was named league MVP, averaging 11.4 points and a league-leading 11.6 rebounds a game, he shot 56 percent on the season, and always a smart positional defender he averaged 2.7 blocks per contest. Also, he was named NBLs Best Defensive Player and to the All NBL First Team. Hes helped lead the Kings to the NBL semi-finals. From Shams Charania of The Athletic. Scroll to continue with content Ad Multiple contenders, including Golden State and Philadelphia, are expected to express interest in upcoming free agent Andrew Bogut. His season has ended in playoffs of Australias NBL, where Bogut was league MVP and DPOY, and he will take some time to decide on next team. He could have potential as a veteran reserve center who can pass, shoot from the midrange a little, and knows where to be defensively, plus he has championship experience. Story continues However, last time he was in the NBA Bogut struggled to get on the court for the Lakers last season, before the arrival of LeBron James. Bogut was the teams backup center who played against traditional bigs from other teams, a small and shrinking role in todays NBA. As recently as 2015 he was a starter for the champion Golden State Warriors (and his injury in the 2016 Finals is an under-discussed reason for the Warriors 3-1 lead collapse against the Cavaliers), but since then the game has evolved as Boguts skills have faded. Its not inconceivable a team might take a flier on adding Bogut before the postseason, but good teams like the Warriors, Sixers, and other contenders are going to wait, see what their needs are right before the postseason (something that could shift due to injuries), then decide if they need to add anyone. Maybe one of those teams will consider Bogut, but its going to be in very specific circumstances. | Andrew Bogut will be a free agent after the NBA season ends. He was named league MVP in Australia's National Basketball League. The Warriors, Sixers, and other contenders are expected to express interest. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-nba-contenders-interest-andrew-165931666.html?src=rss | 0.497262 |
Could NBA contenders have interest in Andrew Bogut when he returns from Australia? | When last we heard from Andrew Bogut, he had gone home. After not getting much interest from NBA teams after the Lakers waived him in the middle of last season, Bogut signed to play with the Sydney Kings in his native Australias National Basketball League. There he was named league MVP, averaging 11.4 points and a league-leading 11.6 rebounds a game, he shot 56 percent on the season, and always a smart positional defender he averaged 2.7 blocks per contest. Also, he was named NBLs Best Defensive Player and to the All NBL First Team. Hes helped lead the Kings to the NBL semi-finals. From Shams Charania of The Athletic. Scroll to continue with content Ad Multiple contenders, including Golden State and Philadelphia, are expected to express interest in upcoming free agent Andrew Bogut. His season has ended in playoffs of Australias NBL, where Bogut was league MVP and DPOY, and he will take some time to decide on next team. He could have potential as a veteran reserve center who can pass, shoot from the midrange a little, and knows where to be defensively, plus he has championship experience. Story continues However, last time he was in the NBA Bogut struggled to get on the court for the Lakers last season, before the arrival of LeBron James. Bogut was the teams backup center who played against traditional bigs from other teams, a small and shrinking role in todays NBA. As recently as 2015 he was a starter for the champion Golden State Warriors (and his injury in the 2016 Finals is an under-discussed reason for the Warriors 3-1 lead collapse against the Cavaliers), but since then the game has evolved as Boguts skills have faded. Its not inconceivable a team might take a flier on adding Bogut before the postseason, but good teams like the Warriors, Sixers, and other contenders are going to wait, see what their needs are right before the postseason (something that could shift due to injuries), then decide if they need to add anyone. Maybe one of those teams will consider Bogut, but its going to be in very specific circumstances. | Andrew Bogut will be a free agent after the NBA season ends. He was named league MVP in Australia's National Basketball League. The Warriors, Sixers, and other contenders are expected to express interest in Bogut, but its going to be in very specific circumstances. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://sports.yahoo.com/could-nba-contenders-interest-andrew-165931666.html?src=rss | 0.510527 |
How Will AI Help Me? | We hear a lot about how AI is progressing well these days and how it will help companies with all kinds of efforts from assisting customer pleasing experiences to implementing massive automation efforts. Well, it looks like AI will make it this time and there is a low probability that there will be another AI winter coming. So now we all have to deal with living with AI. I think the answer will vary by roles the life that we play and where AI will add value to our lives. I think AI is evolving but in a good way. Employee / Contractor Role As an employee, we are asked to do all kinds of work tasks. Some are fun, some are necessary and some are just distasteful or boring. In some job roles, the tasks can be plain dangerous. In the case of unsavory tasks, I see AI in software or physical robots stepping in and freeing us to more fun creative and fun work. Even these fun tasks will likely require great amounts of information, knowledge and even wisdom that AI can help with in the future. I see AI giving us an edge in boosting our ability to consume and leverage knowledge on a grand scale even outside of our native skillsets, culture bases, and language capabilities. This borders on super mental powers for certain kind of work tasks and outcomes. I am optimistic that we will be safer, smarter and more engaged because of AI. While AI will displace, it will also skill assist those that are displaced. I think we will have to learn how to collaborate with AI and optimize the interactions to desired outcomes. Consequently, we may have to learn how to better communicate with AI better and leverage it along the way to feeling comfortable with AI, all while optimizing our collective productivity. Consumer Role As consumers, we all want an experience that gets us to our goals in the most pleasant fashion all while being informed in a transparent fashion. While there may be many hidden complexities in dealing with organizations as a customer, we expect that our goals are being attained optimizing around our time, information needs and efforts. The reality is that organizations were initially built to optimize their outcomes and profits. With the advent of customer journeys, combined with AI, the complexities and company needs can fade in the background while customer needs are being represented within organizational systems, interfaces, and constraints. In fact, AI can help consumers with picking the right organization to work with initially by digesting large amounts of social and legal data, usually represented by textual comments and suggesting best-fit approaches to a specific consumer, prospect or existing customer. This puts the power back in the hands of the consumer before the sale. Once a consumer becomes a customer, AI can help future servicing interactions with emotion detection and emergent responses to the mood of the customer (damage control in some situations, upsell in other cases). Self Help Role Most of us are all trying to become better people and even better citizens. AI can also play a role in helping us in everyday lives. In the case of multi-cultural interactions AI can help us with language translation and to avoid subtle cultural missteps. AI can also help us with interactions with people that are in our network by giving us advice on the proper way to behave or respond in context. If I am talking to my boss or my significant other AI can help me with framing my answers in context. I imagine AI whispering into my earpiece with that perfect suggestion. Also, I could take an inventory or a set of tests for AI to suggest steps for self-improvement. For instance, if I wanted to be a better artist, AI could suggest video training based on looking at my completed art projects. In the same way, AI could suggest some better writing techniques based on ingesting a number of my blogs. AI as a personal trainer of sorts on any number of topics for which I have set some stretch goals makes sense to me. In some cases, AI will assist those that have to overcome physical or mental challenges. You see AI assisted prosthetics emerging today. The potential for self-help is high and emergent. Net; Net While there is always the possibility that AI will go wrong, particularly in the hands of evil people, but I believe AI will add value to our lives over time. I dont think so, but the reality is that the military will use it for defensive and offensive purposes. Just like any technology, it can be used for good or bad. I think AI will help us in ways we havent imagined yet. In so many ways and in some ways I dont see coming. | The answer will vary by roles the life that we play and where AI will add value to our lives. I am optimistic that we will be safer, smarter and more engaged because of AI. While AI will displace, it will also skill assist those that are displaced. We will have to learn how to collaborate with AI and optimize the interactions to desired outcomes. | bart | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/03/03/how-will-ai-help-me/ | 0.146167 |
Are jukebox musicals like The Cher Show dumbing down Broadway or just giving us what we want? | The essence of The Cher Show on Broadway isnt really the story of the famed entertainers life, as narrated by the three women who play her. Its soul is in the style, starting with the voice: that deadpan sneer, wisecracking her understated one-liners. Its the voice of a hipster chronically ditching school and then growing up to belt survival anthems with one-of-a-kind a and o vowel slurs. Leave it to Cher to rock a diphthong. Jarrod Spector, left, as Sonny Bono and Micaela Diamond as Babe, the youngest Cher, perform in The Cher Show on Broadway. ( Joan Marcus ) This jukebox musicals raison dtre, really, is in the comic nasal honk of Jarrod Spector as Sonny Bono. Its highest purpose lies in a costume collection so fabulous that eventually everything has to simply stop to make way for a parade of Bob Mackie outfits. These idiosyncratic, fashionable elements persuasively whispering Cher matter far more than whether the shows narrative framework will make Aristotle wake up and notice. On the whole, nope. Youve seen stars rise and fall the same way too many times. But more than any other genre in theatre, jukebox musicals elbow aside the usual theatrical concerns plot, character, narrative as they reach (or lunge) for a different set of showbiz goals. For bored or outraged critics, jukebox musicals are Broadways most cynical money-grabbers, mainly good for offering reviewers the chance to see who can gag the loudest. The critiques are legit. Too many jukebox projects are pale, confused imitations. Since Mamma Mia! cracked the code, the easiest thing is to say yes to a title or catalogue that has worked before. Its lazy. Article Continued Below The flops from the Earth, Wind & Fire bomb Hot Feet more than a decade ago, to the Jimmy Buffett Escape to Margaritaville last season seem to outnumber the hits, yet jukebox musicals just keep coming. Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and Alanis Morissette shows are in advanced stages of evolution (as is the hits-driven Moulin Rouge) and Broadway is just one facet of a phenomenon that saturates U.S. theatre. Baltimores Center Stage recently premiered a Bob Marley musical and Soul: The Stax Musical, about the famed Memphis recording studio. Marvin Gaye and Meat Loaf shows are on the menu at Washingtons National Theatre, and the small MetroStage in Alexandria, Va., makes a living on shows about mid-20th-century jazz and blues icons. The omnipresence suggests a cultural hunger and audiences arent wrong to sniff out the possibility of pleasure. They know that jukebox shows guarantee songs with proven muscle and, in projects such as Aint Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, they just might spawn a stage full of dancers in thrilling motion. Sampling Cher and other shows recently making the rounds Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, A Sign of the Times, Head Over Heels only the Go-Gos confection, Head Over Heels, displayed real storytelling verve. But they all tap into a nostalgia not just for old radio staples, but also for a Broadway in tune with the performer-driven essence of showbiz. Writing a bio-musical that doesnt sugar-coat the truth or resort to formulas is hard, and you can feel the pressure as both The Cher Show and Summer take an unexpected page from Edward Albees Three Tall Women, with three actresses playing the title characters at different ages. The gambit doesnt work in either case. The Cher Show has a book by Rick Elice whose Jersey Boys remains a jukebox high point because its subjects entertainingly disputed the facts yet it boils down Chers life to a Behind the Music clich. Girl gets fame, hits the skids, somehow survives its as rote as you fear. Article Continued Below Still, Stephanie J. Block, Teal Wicks and Micaela Diamond cock their hips and sneer the sneers, rocking the hip-hugging bell-bottoms, strutting and hair-tossing among the sublime shimmer of the 1960s-70s TV shows. Its a lot of sequins in your eyes and almost enough personality to give audiences a rock-star performance if only it were funnelled through one lightning performer, not divided by three. The 90-minute Summer, which closed in December after nine months on Broadway and is headed for a national tour, feels a lot like Aint Too Proud, at the Kennedy Center in the summer and opening on Broadway this spring. Behold: Summer and Aint Too Proud are both directed by Des McAnuff and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, and moulded by the same team of designers. These guys keep things moving almost too fast the Summer storys a blur, racking up major deductions for biographical reductions but they do pay attention to one of the main things we want: the sound. You recall that hypnotizing Giorgio Moroder synthesizer riff from I Feel Love and Summers voice ethereally crooning the phrase over and over (Oooh, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love ...). Now picture a stage of glossy dancers amplifying the rhythm. The recreation of discos dark power is really, really good. Standing atop an executive desk and wearing an immaculate cobalt blue suit, the actress LaChanze, as the senior Donna, belted out the anthemic She Works Hard for the Money and it was a showstopper. The giddy escapism of confetti and swirling lights to Hot Stuff and Last Dance thats why were here. But Summer fades. You wonder what kind of deliriously entertaining show might have evolved by going all in with music and the stage presence of the headliner, ignoring the false shorthand of the bio-formula, not watering Donna down into three smaller portions. Trying to glue a song catalogue to an original story, like the goofy Mamma Mia! or Twyla Tharps daring Billy Joel dance drama Movin Out, is even more fraught with formulaic pitfalls, although breakthroughs happen. With A Sign of the Times, longtime showbiz writer and former Hollywood Square Bruce Vilanch fashions a new scenario for 1960s tunes, with a story created by Richard J. Robin. Its serious-minded and overliteral, dropping a feminist awakening story atop radio hits by the likes of Petula Clark, the Monkees and Nancy Sinatra. Its a kick to hear that middle-of-the-road 1960s pop sound, with catchy rock beats rising to big brassy choruses. But introducing These Boots Are Made for Walkin with construction workers catcalling women who sass back with Nancy Sinatras snotty hit is as dull as using The Shoop Shoop Song (Its in His Kiss) for the scene about budding romance. And You Dont Own Me is too rooted in The First Wives Club to click as the emotional climax for a too-long, too-much-social-history-on-top-of-romantic-triangle-stuff saga. Far more saucy and fun is the poetic-punk Go-Gos musical Head Over Heels. The shows wonderfully weird premise grafts Sir Philip Sidneys Renaissance poem Arcadia no foolin onto tunes such as Automatic Rainy Day, when two gloomy girls sing their lovelorn hearts out, and Vision of Nowness as a gender-fluid oracle directs the action. The silhouetted lovers of Heaven Is a Place on Earth hit familiar tropes of love and woke gender politics in a fresh way. The Renaissance-1980s girl group mash-up kinetically powered, naturally, by a four-woman rock band nicely aligned in terms of wit, rebel yell and century-hopping sex appeal. The cast was gleefully activated by the mix. You cant picture your local theatres tackling the machine-tooled showbiz epics The Cher Show or Summer, but Head Over Heels is manageable and its puckish spark is appealing. Inscribed above the proscenium arch in the recently closed Broadway production were the words Habemus Percussio, a.k.a. We Got the Beat. Full points for ingenuity, for syncing up its disparate influences and walking its own walk. The critics arent wrong: We really do want that crisp, new snap. But Broadway has deep roots in vaudeville no story, just acts so audiences are right: Well always crave performances that revel in that singing, dancing beat. | The Cher Show on Broadway is a jukebox musical about the famed entertainer. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2019/02/22/are-jukebox-musicals-like-the-cher-show-dumbing-down-broadway-or-just-giving-us-what-we-want.html | 0.207128 |
Are jukebox musicals like The Cher Show dumbing down Broadway or just giving us what we want? | The essence of The Cher Show on Broadway isnt really the story of the famed entertainers life, as narrated by the three women who play her. Its soul is in the style, starting with the voice: that deadpan sneer, wisecracking her understated one-liners. Its the voice of a hipster chronically ditching school and then growing up to belt survival anthems with one-of-a-kind a and o vowel slurs. Leave it to Cher to rock a diphthong. Jarrod Spector, left, as Sonny Bono and Micaela Diamond as Babe, the youngest Cher, perform in The Cher Show on Broadway. ( Joan Marcus ) This jukebox musicals raison dtre, really, is in the comic nasal honk of Jarrod Spector as Sonny Bono. Its highest purpose lies in a costume collection so fabulous that eventually everything has to simply stop to make way for a parade of Bob Mackie outfits. These idiosyncratic, fashionable elements persuasively whispering Cher matter far more than whether the shows narrative framework will make Aristotle wake up and notice. On the whole, nope. Youve seen stars rise and fall the same way too many times. But more than any other genre in theatre, jukebox musicals elbow aside the usual theatrical concerns plot, character, narrative as they reach (or lunge) for a different set of showbiz goals. For bored or outraged critics, jukebox musicals are Broadways most cynical money-grabbers, mainly good for offering reviewers the chance to see who can gag the loudest. The critiques are legit. Too many jukebox projects are pale, confused imitations. Since Mamma Mia! cracked the code, the easiest thing is to say yes to a title or catalogue that has worked before. Its lazy. Article Continued Below The flops from the Earth, Wind & Fire bomb Hot Feet more than a decade ago, to the Jimmy Buffett Escape to Margaritaville last season seem to outnumber the hits, yet jukebox musicals just keep coming. Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and Alanis Morissette shows are in advanced stages of evolution (as is the hits-driven Moulin Rouge) and Broadway is just one facet of a phenomenon that saturates U.S. theatre. Baltimores Center Stage recently premiered a Bob Marley musical and Soul: The Stax Musical, about the famed Memphis recording studio. Marvin Gaye and Meat Loaf shows are on the menu at Washingtons National Theatre, and the small MetroStage in Alexandria, Va., makes a living on shows about mid-20th-century jazz and blues icons. The omnipresence suggests a cultural hunger and audiences arent wrong to sniff out the possibility of pleasure. They know that jukebox shows guarantee songs with proven muscle and, in projects such as Aint Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, they just might spawn a stage full of dancers in thrilling motion. Sampling Cher and other shows recently making the rounds Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, A Sign of the Times, Head Over Heels only the Go-Gos confection, Head Over Heels, displayed real storytelling verve. But they all tap into a nostalgia not just for old radio staples, but also for a Broadway in tune with the performer-driven essence of showbiz. Writing a bio-musical that doesnt sugar-coat the truth or resort to formulas is hard, and you can feel the pressure as both The Cher Show and Summer take an unexpected page from Edward Albees Three Tall Women, with three actresses playing the title characters at different ages. The gambit doesnt work in either case. The Cher Show has a book by Rick Elice whose Jersey Boys remains a jukebox high point because its subjects entertainingly disputed the facts yet it boils down Chers life to a Behind the Music clich. Girl gets fame, hits the skids, somehow survives its as rote as you fear. Article Continued Below Still, Stephanie J. Block, Teal Wicks and Micaela Diamond cock their hips and sneer the sneers, rocking the hip-hugging bell-bottoms, strutting and hair-tossing among the sublime shimmer of the 1960s-70s TV shows. Its a lot of sequins in your eyes and almost enough personality to give audiences a rock-star performance if only it were funnelled through one lightning performer, not divided by three. The 90-minute Summer, which closed in December after nine months on Broadway and is headed for a national tour, feels a lot like Aint Too Proud, at the Kennedy Center in the summer and opening on Broadway this spring. Behold: Summer and Aint Too Proud are both directed by Des McAnuff and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, and moulded by the same team of designers. These guys keep things moving almost too fast the Summer storys a blur, racking up major deductions for biographical reductions but they do pay attention to one of the main things we want: the sound. You recall that hypnotizing Giorgio Moroder synthesizer riff from I Feel Love and Summers voice ethereally crooning the phrase over and over (Oooh, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love ...). Now picture a stage of glossy dancers amplifying the rhythm. The recreation of discos dark power is really, really good. Standing atop an executive desk and wearing an immaculate cobalt blue suit, the actress LaChanze, as the senior Donna, belted out the anthemic She Works Hard for the Money and it was a showstopper. The giddy escapism of confetti and swirling lights to Hot Stuff and Last Dance thats why were here. But Summer fades. You wonder what kind of deliriously entertaining show might have evolved by going all in with music and the stage presence of the headliner, ignoring the false shorthand of the bio-formula, not watering Donna down into three smaller portions. Trying to glue a song catalogue to an original story, like the goofy Mamma Mia! or Twyla Tharps daring Billy Joel dance drama Movin Out, is even more fraught with formulaic pitfalls, although breakthroughs happen. With A Sign of the Times, longtime showbiz writer and former Hollywood Square Bruce Vilanch fashions a new scenario for 1960s tunes, with a story created by Richard J. Robin. Its serious-minded and overliteral, dropping a feminist awakening story atop radio hits by the likes of Petula Clark, the Monkees and Nancy Sinatra. Its a kick to hear that middle-of-the-road 1960s pop sound, with catchy rock beats rising to big brassy choruses. But introducing These Boots Are Made for Walkin with construction workers catcalling women who sass back with Nancy Sinatras snotty hit is as dull as using The Shoop Shoop Song (Its in His Kiss) for the scene about budding romance. And You Dont Own Me is too rooted in The First Wives Club to click as the emotional climax for a too-long, too-much-social-history-on-top-of-romantic-triangle-stuff saga. Far more saucy and fun is the poetic-punk Go-Gos musical Head Over Heels. The shows wonderfully weird premise grafts Sir Philip Sidneys Renaissance poem Arcadia no foolin onto tunes such as Automatic Rainy Day, when two gloomy girls sing their lovelorn hearts out, and Vision of Nowness as a gender-fluid oracle directs the action. The silhouetted lovers of Heaven Is a Place on Earth hit familiar tropes of love and woke gender politics in a fresh way. The Renaissance-1980s girl group mash-up kinetically powered, naturally, by a four-woman rock band nicely aligned in terms of wit, rebel yell and century-hopping sex appeal. The cast was gleefully activated by the mix. You cant picture your local theatres tackling the machine-tooled showbiz epics The Cher Show or Summer, but Head Over Heels is manageable and its puckish spark is appealing. Inscribed above the proscenium arch in the recently closed Broadway production were the words Habemus Percussio, a.k.a. We Got the Beat. Full points for ingenuity, for syncing up its disparate influences and walking its own walk. The critics arent wrong: We really do want that crisp, new snap. But Broadway has deep roots in vaudeville no story, just acts so audiences are right: Well always crave performances that revel in that singing, dancing beat. | The essence of The Cher Show on Broadway isn't really the story of the famed entertainer's life, as narrated by the three women who play her. Jukebox musicals elbow aside the usual theatrical concerns. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2019/02/22/are-jukebox-musicals-like-the-cher-show-dumbing-down-broadway-or-just-giving-us-what-we-want.html | 0.118789 |
Are jukebox musicals like The Cher Show dumbing down Broadway or just giving us what we want? | The essence of The Cher Show on Broadway isnt really the story of the famed entertainers life, as narrated by the three women who play her. Its soul is in the style, starting with the voice: that deadpan sneer, wisecracking her understated one-liners. Its the voice of a hipster chronically ditching school and then growing up to belt survival anthems with one-of-a-kind a and o vowel slurs. Leave it to Cher to rock a diphthong. Jarrod Spector, left, as Sonny Bono and Micaela Diamond as Babe, the youngest Cher, perform in The Cher Show on Broadway. ( Joan Marcus ) This jukebox musicals raison dtre, really, is in the comic nasal honk of Jarrod Spector as Sonny Bono. Its highest purpose lies in a costume collection so fabulous that eventually everything has to simply stop to make way for a parade of Bob Mackie outfits. These idiosyncratic, fashionable elements persuasively whispering Cher matter far more than whether the shows narrative framework will make Aristotle wake up and notice. On the whole, nope. Youve seen stars rise and fall the same way too many times. But more than any other genre in theatre, jukebox musicals elbow aside the usual theatrical concerns plot, character, narrative as they reach (or lunge) for a different set of showbiz goals. For bored or outraged critics, jukebox musicals are Broadways most cynical money-grabbers, mainly good for offering reviewers the chance to see who can gag the loudest. The critiques are legit. Too many jukebox projects are pale, confused imitations. Since Mamma Mia! cracked the code, the easiest thing is to say yes to a title or catalogue that has worked before. Its lazy. Article Continued Below The flops from the Earth, Wind & Fire bomb Hot Feet more than a decade ago, to the Jimmy Buffett Escape to Margaritaville last season seem to outnumber the hits, yet jukebox musicals just keep coming. Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and Alanis Morissette shows are in advanced stages of evolution (as is the hits-driven Moulin Rouge) and Broadway is just one facet of a phenomenon that saturates U.S. theatre. Baltimores Center Stage recently premiered a Bob Marley musical and Soul: The Stax Musical, about the famed Memphis recording studio. Marvin Gaye and Meat Loaf shows are on the menu at Washingtons National Theatre, and the small MetroStage in Alexandria, Va., makes a living on shows about mid-20th-century jazz and blues icons. The omnipresence suggests a cultural hunger and audiences arent wrong to sniff out the possibility of pleasure. They know that jukebox shows guarantee songs with proven muscle and, in projects such as Aint Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, they just might spawn a stage full of dancers in thrilling motion. Sampling Cher and other shows recently making the rounds Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, A Sign of the Times, Head Over Heels only the Go-Gos confection, Head Over Heels, displayed real storytelling verve. But they all tap into a nostalgia not just for old radio staples, but also for a Broadway in tune with the performer-driven essence of showbiz. Writing a bio-musical that doesnt sugar-coat the truth or resort to formulas is hard, and you can feel the pressure as both The Cher Show and Summer take an unexpected page from Edward Albees Three Tall Women, with three actresses playing the title characters at different ages. The gambit doesnt work in either case. The Cher Show has a book by Rick Elice whose Jersey Boys remains a jukebox high point because its subjects entertainingly disputed the facts yet it boils down Chers life to a Behind the Music clich. Girl gets fame, hits the skids, somehow survives its as rote as you fear. Article Continued Below Still, Stephanie J. Block, Teal Wicks and Micaela Diamond cock their hips and sneer the sneers, rocking the hip-hugging bell-bottoms, strutting and hair-tossing among the sublime shimmer of the 1960s-70s TV shows. Its a lot of sequins in your eyes and almost enough personality to give audiences a rock-star performance if only it were funnelled through one lightning performer, not divided by three. The 90-minute Summer, which closed in December after nine months on Broadway and is headed for a national tour, feels a lot like Aint Too Proud, at the Kennedy Center in the summer and opening on Broadway this spring. Behold: Summer and Aint Too Proud are both directed by Des McAnuff and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, and moulded by the same team of designers. These guys keep things moving almost too fast the Summer storys a blur, racking up major deductions for biographical reductions but they do pay attention to one of the main things we want: the sound. You recall that hypnotizing Giorgio Moroder synthesizer riff from I Feel Love and Summers voice ethereally crooning the phrase over and over (Oooh, I feel love, I feel love, I feel love ...). Now picture a stage of glossy dancers amplifying the rhythm. The recreation of discos dark power is really, really good. Standing atop an executive desk and wearing an immaculate cobalt blue suit, the actress LaChanze, as the senior Donna, belted out the anthemic She Works Hard for the Money and it was a showstopper. The giddy escapism of confetti and swirling lights to Hot Stuff and Last Dance thats why were here. But Summer fades. You wonder what kind of deliriously entertaining show might have evolved by going all in with music and the stage presence of the headliner, ignoring the false shorthand of the bio-formula, not watering Donna down into three smaller portions. Trying to glue a song catalogue to an original story, like the goofy Mamma Mia! or Twyla Tharps daring Billy Joel dance drama Movin Out, is even more fraught with formulaic pitfalls, although breakthroughs happen. With A Sign of the Times, longtime showbiz writer and former Hollywood Square Bruce Vilanch fashions a new scenario for 1960s tunes, with a story created by Richard J. Robin. Its serious-minded and overliteral, dropping a feminist awakening story atop radio hits by the likes of Petula Clark, the Monkees and Nancy Sinatra. Its a kick to hear that middle-of-the-road 1960s pop sound, with catchy rock beats rising to big brassy choruses. But introducing These Boots Are Made for Walkin with construction workers catcalling women who sass back with Nancy Sinatras snotty hit is as dull as using The Shoop Shoop Song (Its in His Kiss) for the scene about budding romance. And You Dont Own Me is too rooted in The First Wives Club to click as the emotional climax for a too-long, too-much-social-history-on-top-of-romantic-triangle-stuff saga. Far more saucy and fun is the poetic-punk Go-Gos musical Head Over Heels. The shows wonderfully weird premise grafts Sir Philip Sidneys Renaissance poem Arcadia no foolin onto tunes such as Automatic Rainy Day, when two gloomy girls sing their lovelorn hearts out, and Vision of Nowness as a gender-fluid oracle directs the action. The silhouetted lovers of Heaven Is a Place on Earth hit familiar tropes of love and woke gender politics in a fresh way. The Renaissance-1980s girl group mash-up kinetically powered, naturally, by a four-woman rock band nicely aligned in terms of wit, rebel yell and century-hopping sex appeal. The cast was gleefully activated by the mix. You cant picture your local theatres tackling the machine-tooled showbiz epics The Cher Show or Summer, but Head Over Heels is manageable and its puckish spark is appealing. Inscribed above the proscenium arch in the recently closed Broadway production were the words Habemus Percussio, a.k.a. We Got the Beat. Full points for ingenuity, for syncing up its disparate influences and walking its own walk. The critics arent wrong: We really do want that crisp, new snap. But Broadway has deep roots in vaudeville no story, just acts so audiences are right: Well always crave performances that revel in that singing, dancing beat. | The Cher Show on Broadway is a jukebox musical about the famed entertainer. Joan Marcus asks: Are jukeboxes dumbing down Broadway or just giving us what we want? Marcus: Jukebox shows are a phenomenon that saturates U.S. theatre. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2019/02/22/are-jukebox-musicals-like-the-cher-show-dumbing-down-broadway-or-just-giving-us-what-we-want.html | 0.21659 |
Is 'Keto Crotch' Really A Side Effect Of The Keto Diet? | "Keto breath" is the smelly breath that you may expect to get when on the keto diet. Apparently, there are complaints on message boards and social media about what is being dubbed "keto crotch," an unusual odor emanating from between the legs while on the keto diet. For example, here's an entry from Reddit: Hello ladies! I've been on the diet for about a month and a half now and I've noticed that my vaginal odors have gotten MUCH stronger... (It smells like a mix between urine and discharge... I'm not exactly sure how vaginas are 'supposed' to smell like. Many say 'musky' but I feel like that's too mild of a word... It's much stronger than 'musk' for me :/ ). My discharge is white in color and it doesn't smell fishy. Any input or advice would be helpful, thank you! Others on this board responded with messages such as: "Oh boy, yes. During the first few months there was some extra smell stuff happening all over - crotch and otherwise. But, the good news is that it settles down and goes away after you've been keto for awhile." "I'm glad this was posted because I just changed my underwear AGAIN today because I smelled gross. At least I know I'm in ketosis, I guess." "It is horrible. I have to keep panty liners (hate that name!) in my bag and keep changing them every couple of hours. It's a pain but saves on keep changing knickers all day!" "Keto crotch. It's very much a thing. Just wait until you workout and smell that funk. Thankfully, my shoot from the hip husband, tells me it isn't really that noticeable. Again, only when I'm drenched in sweat." As you may know, "keto diet" is short for ketogenic diet, because who has the time to say "genic." It is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb diet with approximately 80% of your calories from fat, 15% from protein, and only 5% from carbohydrates. The goal of the diet is to induce ketosis in your body. The theory is that typically your body may rely on burning the carbs that you eat rather than the fat stores in your body for energy. The thinking is that by severely restricting the amount of carbs in your diet your body may then be forced to burn your body fat instead. Breaking down this fat then results in ketones, which is not some acapella group, but instead organic compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. One type of ketone produced is acetone, which is in certain types of nail polish removers. This accumulation of ketones may result in "keto breath", which is a rotten fruit or metallic smelling bad breath that can smell a bit like, surprise, surprise, nail polish remover. The question then is whether your crotch is like your mouth. Not in general, but in the specific case of ketones. Indeed, the smell of your vagina can depend on the composition of microorganisms there. Some odors, like a strong fishy one, can be the result of an overgrowth of certain microorganisms like bacteria, which is the case in bacterial vaginosis. In theory, all of this is possible. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition did find an association between having more severe bacterial vaginosis and consuming diets higher in total fat and saturated fat. But the keto diet is still a relatively new rage, and not enough scientific studies have been done to determine whether "keto crotch" is really a risk of the keto diet. Not everyone is buying "keto crotch" as a real phenomenon. Some are claiming that it is a crotch or rather a crutch to criticize the diet. Per Dr. @BrianLenzkes follow the money trail... Tro (@DoctorTro) March 1, 2019 If you want to make some enemies very quickly, just jump on to social media and say "the keto diet stinks." Because there are certainly a number of people who swear by the keto diet. Some of them will even swear at you if you say anything bad about the diet. Supporters of the diet claim that the keto diet will help lose weight relatively quickly, clear your mind, make you feel better, and even clear up your acne, because you no longer are taking in carbohydrates that "cause inflammation." People who question the diet have raised concerns about whether maintaining such a high fat diet is effective and healthy in long run. After all, high fat diets could raise the risk of various chronic medical conditions such as heart disease and cancer. The bottom line is that there have not been enough scientific studies, especially longer term ones, to really determine all the potential risks and benefits of the keto diet. Many of the claims out there on the Internet, social media, or television in either direction are anecdotal, meaning that they are individuals telling stories about what has supposedly been their experiences. Take everything you hear that is not supported by scientific evidence with a grain of salt (but not too much salt because too much can be bad for you.) Therefore, more people experiencing "keto crotch" need to visit doctors to determine what's really happening. It could be that some of the people claiming "keto crotch" are instead detecting smells that are not related to their diets. Many different smells could emanate from your crotch, some are normal, some are not. There is still a lot unknown about the links between nutrition and your various bodily functions. You are a complex system with many unknowns. The keto crotch could be a real phenomenon, but more scientific evidence and studies are needed. Of note, it isn't yet clear whether "keto crotch" is strictly a female phenomenon or whether men are experiencing unusual smells in their crotches as well. Either way, more sniffing around is needed, in a scientific manner that is. Keep in mind that if your crotch begins to have a very unusual smell, whether or not you are on the keto diet, you may want to see your doctor. Don't just tell everyone on Reddit about how much your crotch smells. Regardless of your gender, an unusual smell could be a sign of an infection or some other condition that needs proper medical attention. Even if you don't have a medical problem, your doctor can tell you what kinds of smells are normal and not normal. In other words, he or she could lower your concerns about what's going on in the lower part of your body. | "Keto crotch" is an unusual odor emanating from between the legs while on the keto diet. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2019/03/03/is-keto-crotch-really-a-side-effect-of-the-keto-diet/ | 0.215788 |
Is 'Keto Crotch' Really A Side Effect Of The Keto Diet? | "Keto breath" is the smelly breath that you may expect to get when on the keto diet. Apparently, there are complaints on message boards and social media about what is being dubbed "keto crotch," an unusual odor emanating from between the legs while on the keto diet. For example, here's an entry from Reddit: Hello ladies! I've been on the diet for about a month and a half now and I've noticed that my vaginal odors have gotten MUCH stronger... (It smells like a mix between urine and discharge... I'm not exactly sure how vaginas are 'supposed' to smell like. Many say 'musky' but I feel like that's too mild of a word... It's much stronger than 'musk' for me :/ ). My discharge is white in color and it doesn't smell fishy. Any input or advice would be helpful, thank you! Others on this board responded with messages such as: "Oh boy, yes. During the first few months there was some extra smell stuff happening all over - crotch and otherwise. But, the good news is that it settles down and goes away after you've been keto for awhile." "I'm glad this was posted because I just changed my underwear AGAIN today because I smelled gross. At least I know I'm in ketosis, I guess." "It is horrible. I have to keep panty liners (hate that name!) in my bag and keep changing them every couple of hours. It's a pain but saves on keep changing knickers all day!" "Keto crotch. It's very much a thing. Just wait until you workout and smell that funk. Thankfully, my shoot from the hip husband, tells me it isn't really that noticeable. Again, only when I'm drenched in sweat." As you may know, "keto diet" is short for ketogenic diet, because who has the time to say "genic." It is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb diet with approximately 80% of your calories from fat, 15% from protein, and only 5% from carbohydrates. The goal of the diet is to induce ketosis in your body. The theory is that typically your body may rely on burning the carbs that you eat rather than the fat stores in your body for energy. The thinking is that by severely restricting the amount of carbs in your diet your body may then be forced to burn your body fat instead. Breaking down this fat then results in ketones, which is not some acapella group, but instead organic compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. One type of ketone produced is acetone, which is in certain types of nail polish removers. This accumulation of ketones may result in "keto breath", which is a rotten fruit or metallic smelling bad breath that can smell a bit like, surprise, surprise, nail polish remover. The question then is whether your crotch is like your mouth. Not in general, but in the specific case of ketones. Indeed, the smell of your vagina can depend on the composition of microorganisms there. Some odors, like a strong fishy one, can be the result of an overgrowth of certain microorganisms like bacteria, which is the case in bacterial vaginosis. In theory, all of this is possible. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition did find an association between having more severe bacterial vaginosis and consuming diets higher in total fat and saturated fat. But the keto diet is still a relatively new rage, and not enough scientific studies have been done to determine whether "keto crotch" is really a risk of the keto diet. Not everyone is buying "keto crotch" as a real phenomenon. Some are claiming that it is a crotch or rather a crutch to criticize the diet. Per Dr. @BrianLenzkes follow the money trail... Tro (@DoctorTro) March 1, 2019 If you want to make some enemies very quickly, just jump on to social media and say "the keto diet stinks." Because there are certainly a number of people who swear by the keto diet. Some of them will even swear at you if you say anything bad about the diet. Supporters of the diet claim that the keto diet will help lose weight relatively quickly, clear your mind, make you feel better, and even clear up your acne, because you no longer are taking in carbohydrates that "cause inflammation." People who question the diet have raised concerns about whether maintaining such a high fat diet is effective and healthy in long run. After all, high fat diets could raise the risk of various chronic medical conditions such as heart disease and cancer. The bottom line is that there have not been enough scientific studies, especially longer term ones, to really determine all the potential risks and benefits of the keto diet. Many of the claims out there on the Internet, social media, or television in either direction are anecdotal, meaning that they are individuals telling stories about what has supposedly been their experiences. Take everything you hear that is not supported by scientific evidence with a grain of salt (but not too much salt because too much can be bad for you.) Therefore, more people experiencing "keto crotch" need to visit doctors to determine what's really happening. It could be that some of the people claiming "keto crotch" are instead detecting smells that are not related to their diets. Many different smells could emanate from your crotch, some are normal, some are not. There is still a lot unknown about the links between nutrition and your various bodily functions. You are a complex system with many unknowns. The keto crotch could be a real phenomenon, but more scientific evidence and studies are needed. Of note, it isn't yet clear whether "keto crotch" is strictly a female phenomenon or whether men are experiencing unusual smells in their crotches as well. Either way, more sniffing around is needed, in a scientific manner that is. Keep in mind that if your crotch begins to have a very unusual smell, whether or not you are on the keto diet, you may want to see your doctor. Don't just tell everyone on Reddit about how much your crotch smells. Regardless of your gender, an unusual smell could be a sign of an infection or some other condition that needs proper medical attention. Even if you don't have a medical problem, your doctor can tell you what kinds of smells are normal and not normal. In other words, he or she could lower your concerns about what's going on in the lower part of your body. | "Keto crotch" is an unusual odor emanating from between the legs while on the keto diet. Keto diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb diet. | pegasus | 1 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2019/03/03/is-keto-crotch-really-a-side-effect-of-the-keto-diet/ | 0.237371 |
Is 'Keto Crotch' Really A Side Effect Of The Keto Diet? | "Keto breath" is the smelly breath that you may expect to get when on the keto diet. Apparently, there are complaints on message boards and social media about what is being dubbed "keto crotch," an unusual odor emanating from between the legs while on the keto diet. For example, here's an entry from Reddit: Hello ladies! I've been on the diet for about a month and a half now and I've noticed that my vaginal odors have gotten MUCH stronger... (It smells like a mix between urine and discharge... I'm not exactly sure how vaginas are 'supposed' to smell like. Many say 'musky' but I feel like that's too mild of a word... It's much stronger than 'musk' for me :/ ). My discharge is white in color and it doesn't smell fishy. Any input or advice would be helpful, thank you! Others on this board responded with messages such as: "Oh boy, yes. During the first few months there was some extra smell stuff happening all over - crotch and otherwise. But, the good news is that it settles down and goes away after you've been keto for awhile." "I'm glad this was posted because I just changed my underwear AGAIN today because I smelled gross. At least I know I'm in ketosis, I guess." "It is horrible. I have to keep panty liners (hate that name!) in my bag and keep changing them every couple of hours. It's a pain but saves on keep changing knickers all day!" "Keto crotch. It's very much a thing. Just wait until you workout and smell that funk. Thankfully, my shoot from the hip husband, tells me it isn't really that noticeable. Again, only when I'm drenched in sweat." As you may know, "keto diet" is short for ketogenic diet, because who has the time to say "genic." It is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb diet with approximately 80% of your calories from fat, 15% from protein, and only 5% from carbohydrates. The goal of the diet is to induce ketosis in your body. The theory is that typically your body may rely on burning the carbs that you eat rather than the fat stores in your body for energy. The thinking is that by severely restricting the amount of carbs in your diet your body may then be forced to burn your body fat instead. Breaking down this fat then results in ketones, which is not some acapella group, but instead organic compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. One type of ketone produced is acetone, which is in certain types of nail polish removers. This accumulation of ketones may result in "keto breath", which is a rotten fruit or metallic smelling bad breath that can smell a bit like, surprise, surprise, nail polish remover. The question then is whether your crotch is like your mouth. Not in general, but in the specific case of ketones. Indeed, the smell of your vagina can depend on the composition of microorganisms there. Some odors, like a strong fishy one, can be the result of an overgrowth of certain microorganisms like bacteria, which is the case in bacterial vaginosis. In theory, all of this is possible. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition did find an association between having more severe bacterial vaginosis and consuming diets higher in total fat and saturated fat. But the keto diet is still a relatively new rage, and not enough scientific studies have been done to determine whether "keto crotch" is really a risk of the keto diet. Not everyone is buying "keto crotch" as a real phenomenon. Some are claiming that it is a crotch or rather a crutch to criticize the diet. Per Dr. @BrianLenzkes follow the money trail... Tro (@DoctorTro) March 1, 2019 If you want to make some enemies very quickly, just jump on to social media and say "the keto diet stinks." Because there are certainly a number of people who swear by the keto diet. Some of them will even swear at you if you say anything bad about the diet. Supporters of the diet claim that the keto diet will help lose weight relatively quickly, clear your mind, make you feel better, and even clear up your acne, because you no longer are taking in carbohydrates that "cause inflammation." People who question the diet have raised concerns about whether maintaining such a high fat diet is effective and healthy in long run. After all, high fat diets could raise the risk of various chronic medical conditions such as heart disease and cancer. The bottom line is that there have not been enough scientific studies, especially longer term ones, to really determine all the potential risks and benefits of the keto diet. Many of the claims out there on the Internet, social media, or television in either direction are anecdotal, meaning that they are individuals telling stories about what has supposedly been their experiences. Take everything you hear that is not supported by scientific evidence with a grain of salt (but not too much salt because too much can be bad for you.) Therefore, more people experiencing "keto crotch" need to visit doctors to determine what's really happening. It could be that some of the people claiming "keto crotch" are instead detecting smells that are not related to their diets. Many different smells could emanate from your crotch, some are normal, some are not. There is still a lot unknown about the links between nutrition and your various bodily functions. You are a complex system with many unknowns. The keto crotch could be a real phenomenon, but more scientific evidence and studies are needed. Of note, it isn't yet clear whether "keto crotch" is strictly a female phenomenon or whether men are experiencing unusual smells in their crotches as well. Either way, more sniffing around is needed, in a scientific manner that is. Keep in mind that if your crotch begins to have a very unusual smell, whether or not you are on the keto diet, you may want to see your doctor. Don't just tell everyone on Reddit about how much your crotch smells. Regardless of your gender, an unusual smell could be a sign of an infection or some other condition that needs proper medical attention. Even if you don't have a medical problem, your doctor can tell you what kinds of smells are normal and not normal. In other words, he or she could lower your concerns about what's going on in the lower part of your body. | "Keto crotch" is an unusual odor emanating from between the legs while on the keto diet. Keto diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb diet. The goal of the diet is to induce ketosis in your body. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2019/03/03/is-keto-crotch-really-a-side-effect-of-the-keto-diet/ | 0.264669 |
How is Panther Island in Fort Worth, TX flood control? | Panther Island has been pitched as a flood control project that would also bring Fort Worth a vibrant riverfront neighborhood new commercial and residential space along the banks of the Trinity River along with a more than $3.7 billion boost the local economy. It would be made possible only by a $1.17 billion federally backed project to cut a channel in the river and form the island. That effort stalled after Washington skipped allocating money for Panther Island last year. That led to questions about the projects management and purpose and prompted local leaders to ask for an independent review of the project. Only one firm is willing to do the study. Backers of the endeavor say behind the renderings of river walks and apartment towers is a necessary flood control project that will pull thousands of acres of Fort Worth real estate out of a flood plain. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Star-Telegram Opponents say its simply a gleaming opportunity to re-imagine downtown Fort Worth that ignores real flooding issues. Layla Caraway, a Haltom City resident, says Panther Island steals funding and attention from other flood control projects, like one designed to mitigate Fossil Creek flooding. Her home was damaged when rising Big Fossil Creek waters swallowed nearly 50 feet of her backyard in 2007. We dont have money to fix a watershed thats been flooding for decades, but we have $1 billion to reroute the river? she said. What floods now will flood when this is complete. We need to address true flooding. Wood Frossard, an engineer with the Tarrant Regional Water District, says the project does address flooding issues. It aims to stop a projected flood that could damage multiple neighborhoods, he said. Its not some flood somebody dreamed up sitting back somewhere, he said. Fort Worths 21 miles of levees along the river can no longer protect the city adequately from a major flooding event, Frossard said. Thats largely because of the boom in development since the levees were built in the 1960s. More pavement means the ground is less able to absorb rain before it runs into the river. The project wont alleviate the urban flash flooding that has increasingly plagued Fort Worth streets. And it doesnt protect an area that regularly sees major flooding. Instead, it pulls about 2,400 acres out of the flood plain for what the Army Corps of Engineers calls a standard project flood, the most severe flood considered possible for a region. Property value was estimated to be worth more than $2 billion in that area but updated numbers werent available. That area includes the future Panther Island, a former industrial zone that would transform into about 800 acres ripe for development. Engineers believe the project would protect several neighborhoods n both forks of the Trinity River, including parts of Linwood, Crestwood, the West 7th Street district and and area west of Brookside Drive around Isbell Road. Burton Hill and River Oaks would also be protected. The Clear Fork and West Fork meet just north of downtown, where they immediately flow against the bedrock bluff the city is built on. The larger river then flows around a tight U-bend before heading downstream. In heavy rain, that confluence slows the flow of water, increasing the risk for flooding upstream, said Frossard, of the Tarrant Regional Water District. The bypass channel essentially skips the U-bend, allowing the water to flow quickly downstream during a flood stage. This means more water moving faster toward downstream cities such as Dallas. To prevent that, overflow basins are being constructed in Gateway and Riverside Park. During a flood, water will top the levees along the parks, spilling water into the basins and slowing the flow. Opponents argue this approach doesnt make sense. Theyre creating a flood situation to take a flood situation, Clyde Picht said in December. Picht, who voted in favor of the project when he was on the Fort Worth City Council, and others have argued the cost has ballooned too much and the city would have saved time and money had it gone with an overhaul of the levee system. When looking at any project, the Army Corps is required to examine alternatives. The alternative explored for the Trinity River was to raise two of the 12 levees in the city at a cost of about $10 million. Frossard said that plan was a no-go from the beginning. Raising only two levees kept the rest of the city vulnerable, and raising all the levees would have been too costly. The Corps never priced raising all 12 levees, he said. To be structurally sound, levees require three feet of base width on each side for every foot in height. In heavily-developed Fort Worth, raising the height of the levees would require obtaining more private property, largely from homeowners, than the Panther Island bypass. Fort Worth has about 21 miles of levees along the Trinity. Raising the levees also requires moving utilities and raising several bridges. Under one part of a the levee plan, a watertight gate would need to be closed manually on either side of the river, Frossard said. I dont know why we, as a governmental entity charged with protecting Fort Worth, would choose to only protect part of Fort Worth, Frossard said of the Corps alternative of raising only two levees. Levee size is an issue in urban areas, said Dave Dzombak, a water infrastructure expert and head of Carnegie Mellon Universitys civil and environmental engineering department. To be effective, all levees in the system must be brought to the same height. Dzombak pointed to New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, where a mishmash of levees built at different heights and to different standards exacerbated flooding. When not all the levees in cities can be raised at once, cities struggle to decide which land should be protected first. It becomes a battle of levee height, he said. Whos building the tallest levee to protect what neighborhood? Local advocates have long said Panther Island not only avoids raising the levees, but it also provides a a unique development rivaling San Antonios River Walk. The channel creates roughly 12 miles of riverfront property in central Fort Worth. To make that happen, significant work is needed on the future island, including new roads, sewage and storm water lines. All of that must be funded with local dollars. A special 40-year tax district was established to help fund development, but most of the districts projected revenue would be generated from development that would occur on the island. In 2018 voters passed a $250 million bond, which will pay for infrastructure on the island including some flood control. Time and money Part of the growing frustration with Panther Island is its lengthy time line and ballooning cost. Originally conceived in the early 2000s, the projects price tag in 2005 was less than $500 million. Nearly 15 years later, the cost is well over $1 billion, and no dirt has moved for the channel. Officials say completion could be another 15 years out. Lynn Lovell, a retired Fort Worth engineer who worked for the Army Corps and Halff Associates, said thats normal for major federal projects. Projects can take an extremely long time from the planning stages to full development, he said. He pointed to the flood-prone Big and Little Fossil creeks in Haltom City. He recalled working on designs for flood control in the area during his time at the Corps in the late 1960s and 70s, and said he often grew frustrated when projects were put off in favor of other priorities mandated by Washington. Funding these projects is competitive nationwide, he said. It just depends on Congress mood and how powerful the congressional delegation is. Fort Worth has had a powerful champion in Congress, Rep. Kay Granger, whose son J.D. Granger oversees the Panther Island project. She set her eyes on the Trinity as mayor of Fort Worth and helped push the project to congressional approval in 2016. It was with Congress blessing the project moved forward without a cost-benefit analysis, something nearly all Corps projects need and a major sticking point for the White House in 2018. A cost-benefit analysis would look at the economic impact of flooding in the proposed area versus the cost of the project. Frossard and Corps officials said the traditional cost-benefit analysis was skipped because the economic benefit of the island, currently undeveloped and in the floodplain, cant be measured. Even without the analysis, Lovell said based on his experience, the project likely received significant vetting. My experience with the Corps is theyre a bunch of straight arrows, he said. They may have some political pressure, but they go by the rules, federal rules. Projects like Panther Island maybe going by the wayside regardless. The time and cost of major projects has spurred a growing trend of moving away from structural projects like dams, levees and bypass channels in favor of using natural floodways and changing building codes, said Dzombak, the Carnegie Mellon professor. These big scale projects, theyre costly and complicated and difficult to design. We cant protect against every conceivable flood event, he said. We really should explore other options before investing in big infrastructure. | Panther Island has been pitched as a flood control project that would bring Fort Worth a vibrant riverfront neighborhood. | pegasus | 0 | https://www.star-telegram.com/latest-news/article226928249.html | 0.249478 |
How is Panther Island in Fort Worth, TX flood control? | Panther Island has been pitched as a flood control project that would also bring Fort Worth a vibrant riverfront neighborhood new commercial and residential space along the banks of the Trinity River along with a more than $3.7 billion boost the local economy. It would be made possible only by a $1.17 billion federally backed project to cut a channel in the river and form the island. That effort stalled after Washington skipped allocating money for Panther Island last year. That led to questions about the projects management and purpose and prompted local leaders to ask for an independent review of the project. Only one firm is willing to do the study. Backers of the endeavor say behind the renderings of river walks and apartment towers is a necessary flood control project that will pull thousands of acres of Fort Worth real estate out of a flood plain. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Star-Telegram Opponents say its simply a gleaming opportunity to re-imagine downtown Fort Worth that ignores real flooding issues. Layla Caraway, a Haltom City resident, says Panther Island steals funding and attention from other flood control projects, like one designed to mitigate Fossil Creek flooding. Her home was damaged when rising Big Fossil Creek waters swallowed nearly 50 feet of her backyard in 2007. We dont have money to fix a watershed thats been flooding for decades, but we have $1 billion to reroute the river? she said. What floods now will flood when this is complete. We need to address true flooding. Wood Frossard, an engineer with the Tarrant Regional Water District, says the project does address flooding issues. It aims to stop a projected flood that could damage multiple neighborhoods, he said. Its not some flood somebody dreamed up sitting back somewhere, he said. Fort Worths 21 miles of levees along the river can no longer protect the city adequately from a major flooding event, Frossard said. Thats largely because of the boom in development since the levees were built in the 1960s. More pavement means the ground is less able to absorb rain before it runs into the river. The project wont alleviate the urban flash flooding that has increasingly plagued Fort Worth streets. And it doesnt protect an area that regularly sees major flooding. Instead, it pulls about 2,400 acres out of the flood plain for what the Army Corps of Engineers calls a standard project flood, the most severe flood considered possible for a region. Property value was estimated to be worth more than $2 billion in that area but updated numbers werent available. That area includes the future Panther Island, a former industrial zone that would transform into about 800 acres ripe for development. Engineers believe the project would protect several neighborhoods n both forks of the Trinity River, including parts of Linwood, Crestwood, the West 7th Street district and and area west of Brookside Drive around Isbell Road. Burton Hill and River Oaks would also be protected. The Clear Fork and West Fork meet just north of downtown, where they immediately flow against the bedrock bluff the city is built on. The larger river then flows around a tight U-bend before heading downstream. In heavy rain, that confluence slows the flow of water, increasing the risk for flooding upstream, said Frossard, of the Tarrant Regional Water District. The bypass channel essentially skips the U-bend, allowing the water to flow quickly downstream during a flood stage. This means more water moving faster toward downstream cities such as Dallas. To prevent that, overflow basins are being constructed in Gateway and Riverside Park. During a flood, water will top the levees along the parks, spilling water into the basins and slowing the flow. Opponents argue this approach doesnt make sense. Theyre creating a flood situation to take a flood situation, Clyde Picht said in December. Picht, who voted in favor of the project when he was on the Fort Worth City Council, and others have argued the cost has ballooned too much and the city would have saved time and money had it gone with an overhaul of the levee system. When looking at any project, the Army Corps is required to examine alternatives. The alternative explored for the Trinity River was to raise two of the 12 levees in the city at a cost of about $10 million. Frossard said that plan was a no-go from the beginning. Raising only two levees kept the rest of the city vulnerable, and raising all the levees would have been too costly. The Corps never priced raising all 12 levees, he said. To be structurally sound, levees require three feet of base width on each side for every foot in height. In heavily-developed Fort Worth, raising the height of the levees would require obtaining more private property, largely from homeowners, than the Panther Island bypass. Fort Worth has about 21 miles of levees along the Trinity. Raising the levees also requires moving utilities and raising several bridges. Under one part of a the levee plan, a watertight gate would need to be closed manually on either side of the river, Frossard said. I dont know why we, as a governmental entity charged with protecting Fort Worth, would choose to only protect part of Fort Worth, Frossard said of the Corps alternative of raising only two levees. Levee size is an issue in urban areas, said Dave Dzombak, a water infrastructure expert and head of Carnegie Mellon Universitys civil and environmental engineering department. To be effective, all levees in the system must be brought to the same height. Dzombak pointed to New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, where a mishmash of levees built at different heights and to different standards exacerbated flooding. When not all the levees in cities can be raised at once, cities struggle to decide which land should be protected first. It becomes a battle of levee height, he said. Whos building the tallest levee to protect what neighborhood? Local advocates have long said Panther Island not only avoids raising the levees, but it also provides a a unique development rivaling San Antonios River Walk. The channel creates roughly 12 miles of riverfront property in central Fort Worth. To make that happen, significant work is needed on the future island, including new roads, sewage and storm water lines. All of that must be funded with local dollars. A special 40-year tax district was established to help fund development, but most of the districts projected revenue would be generated from development that would occur on the island. In 2018 voters passed a $250 million bond, which will pay for infrastructure on the island including some flood control. Time and money Part of the growing frustration with Panther Island is its lengthy time line and ballooning cost. Originally conceived in the early 2000s, the projects price tag in 2005 was less than $500 million. Nearly 15 years later, the cost is well over $1 billion, and no dirt has moved for the channel. Officials say completion could be another 15 years out. Lynn Lovell, a retired Fort Worth engineer who worked for the Army Corps and Halff Associates, said thats normal for major federal projects. Projects can take an extremely long time from the planning stages to full development, he said. He pointed to the flood-prone Big and Little Fossil creeks in Haltom City. He recalled working on designs for flood control in the area during his time at the Corps in the late 1960s and 70s, and said he often grew frustrated when projects were put off in favor of other priorities mandated by Washington. Funding these projects is competitive nationwide, he said. It just depends on Congress mood and how powerful the congressional delegation is. Fort Worth has had a powerful champion in Congress, Rep. Kay Granger, whose son J.D. Granger oversees the Panther Island project. She set her eyes on the Trinity as mayor of Fort Worth and helped push the project to congressional approval in 2016. It was with Congress blessing the project moved forward without a cost-benefit analysis, something nearly all Corps projects need and a major sticking point for the White House in 2018. A cost-benefit analysis would look at the economic impact of flooding in the proposed area versus the cost of the project. Frossard and Corps officials said the traditional cost-benefit analysis was skipped because the economic benefit of the island, currently undeveloped and in the floodplain, cant be measured. Even without the analysis, Lovell said based on his experience, the project likely received significant vetting. My experience with the Corps is theyre a bunch of straight arrows, he said. They may have some political pressure, but they go by the rules, federal rules. Projects like Panther Island maybe going by the wayside regardless. The time and cost of major projects has spurred a growing trend of moving away from structural projects like dams, levees and bypass channels in favor of using natural floodways and changing building codes, said Dzombak, the Carnegie Mellon professor. These big scale projects, theyre costly and complicated and difficult to design. We cant protect against every conceivable flood event, he said. We really should explore other options before investing in big infrastructure. | Opponents say Panther Island is a gleaming opportunity to re-imagine downtown Fort Worth. Backers say it is a necessary flood control project that will pull thousands of acres of Fort Worth real estate out of a flood plain. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.star-telegram.com/latest-news/article226928249.html | 0.159876 |
How is Panther Island in Fort Worth, TX flood control? | Panther Island has been pitched as a flood control project that would also bring Fort Worth a vibrant riverfront neighborhood new commercial and residential space along the banks of the Trinity River along with a more than $3.7 billion boost the local economy. It would be made possible only by a $1.17 billion federally backed project to cut a channel in the river and form the island. That effort stalled after Washington skipped allocating money for Panther Island last year. That led to questions about the projects management and purpose and prompted local leaders to ask for an independent review of the project. Only one firm is willing to do the study. Backers of the endeavor say behind the renderings of river walks and apartment towers is a necessary flood control project that will pull thousands of acres of Fort Worth real estate out of a flood plain. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Star-Telegram Opponents say its simply a gleaming opportunity to re-imagine downtown Fort Worth that ignores real flooding issues. Layla Caraway, a Haltom City resident, says Panther Island steals funding and attention from other flood control projects, like one designed to mitigate Fossil Creek flooding. Her home was damaged when rising Big Fossil Creek waters swallowed nearly 50 feet of her backyard in 2007. We dont have money to fix a watershed thats been flooding for decades, but we have $1 billion to reroute the river? she said. What floods now will flood when this is complete. We need to address true flooding. Wood Frossard, an engineer with the Tarrant Regional Water District, says the project does address flooding issues. It aims to stop a projected flood that could damage multiple neighborhoods, he said. Its not some flood somebody dreamed up sitting back somewhere, he said. Fort Worths 21 miles of levees along the river can no longer protect the city adequately from a major flooding event, Frossard said. Thats largely because of the boom in development since the levees were built in the 1960s. More pavement means the ground is less able to absorb rain before it runs into the river. The project wont alleviate the urban flash flooding that has increasingly plagued Fort Worth streets. And it doesnt protect an area that regularly sees major flooding. Instead, it pulls about 2,400 acres out of the flood plain for what the Army Corps of Engineers calls a standard project flood, the most severe flood considered possible for a region. Property value was estimated to be worth more than $2 billion in that area but updated numbers werent available. That area includes the future Panther Island, a former industrial zone that would transform into about 800 acres ripe for development. Engineers believe the project would protect several neighborhoods n both forks of the Trinity River, including parts of Linwood, Crestwood, the West 7th Street district and and area west of Brookside Drive around Isbell Road. Burton Hill and River Oaks would also be protected. The Clear Fork and West Fork meet just north of downtown, where they immediately flow against the bedrock bluff the city is built on. The larger river then flows around a tight U-bend before heading downstream. In heavy rain, that confluence slows the flow of water, increasing the risk for flooding upstream, said Frossard, of the Tarrant Regional Water District. The bypass channel essentially skips the U-bend, allowing the water to flow quickly downstream during a flood stage. This means more water moving faster toward downstream cities such as Dallas. To prevent that, overflow basins are being constructed in Gateway and Riverside Park. During a flood, water will top the levees along the parks, spilling water into the basins and slowing the flow. Opponents argue this approach doesnt make sense. Theyre creating a flood situation to take a flood situation, Clyde Picht said in December. Picht, who voted in favor of the project when he was on the Fort Worth City Council, and others have argued the cost has ballooned too much and the city would have saved time and money had it gone with an overhaul of the levee system. When looking at any project, the Army Corps is required to examine alternatives. The alternative explored for the Trinity River was to raise two of the 12 levees in the city at a cost of about $10 million. Frossard said that plan was a no-go from the beginning. Raising only two levees kept the rest of the city vulnerable, and raising all the levees would have been too costly. The Corps never priced raising all 12 levees, he said. To be structurally sound, levees require three feet of base width on each side for every foot in height. In heavily-developed Fort Worth, raising the height of the levees would require obtaining more private property, largely from homeowners, than the Panther Island bypass. Fort Worth has about 21 miles of levees along the Trinity. Raising the levees also requires moving utilities and raising several bridges. Under one part of a the levee plan, a watertight gate would need to be closed manually on either side of the river, Frossard said. I dont know why we, as a governmental entity charged with protecting Fort Worth, would choose to only protect part of Fort Worth, Frossard said of the Corps alternative of raising only two levees. Levee size is an issue in urban areas, said Dave Dzombak, a water infrastructure expert and head of Carnegie Mellon Universitys civil and environmental engineering department. To be effective, all levees in the system must be brought to the same height. Dzombak pointed to New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, where a mishmash of levees built at different heights and to different standards exacerbated flooding. When not all the levees in cities can be raised at once, cities struggle to decide which land should be protected first. It becomes a battle of levee height, he said. Whos building the tallest levee to protect what neighborhood? Local advocates have long said Panther Island not only avoids raising the levees, but it also provides a a unique development rivaling San Antonios River Walk. The channel creates roughly 12 miles of riverfront property in central Fort Worth. To make that happen, significant work is needed on the future island, including new roads, sewage and storm water lines. All of that must be funded with local dollars. A special 40-year tax district was established to help fund development, but most of the districts projected revenue would be generated from development that would occur on the island. In 2018 voters passed a $250 million bond, which will pay for infrastructure on the island including some flood control. Time and money Part of the growing frustration with Panther Island is its lengthy time line and ballooning cost. Originally conceived in the early 2000s, the projects price tag in 2005 was less than $500 million. Nearly 15 years later, the cost is well over $1 billion, and no dirt has moved for the channel. Officials say completion could be another 15 years out. Lynn Lovell, a retired Fort Worth engineer who worked for the Army Corps and Halff Associates, said thats normal for major federal projects. Projects can take an extremely long time from the planning stages to full development, he said. He pointed to the flood-prone Big and Little Fossil creeks in Haltom City. He recalled working on designs for flood control in the area during his time at the Corps in the late 1960s and 70s, and said he often grew frustrated when projects were put off in favor of other priorities mandated by Washington. Funding these projects is competitive nationwide, he said. It just depends on Congress mood and how powerful the congressional delegation is. Fort Worth has had a powerful champion in Congress, Rep. Kay Granger, whose son J.D. Granger oversees the Panther Island project. She set her eyes on the Trinity as mayor of Fort Worth and helped push the project to congressional approval in 2016. It was with Congress blessing the project moved forward without a cost-benefit analysis, something nearly all Corps projects need and a major sticking point for the White House in 2018. A cost-benefit analysis would look at the economic impact of flooding in the proposed area versus the cost of the project. Frossard and Corps officials said the traditional cost-benefit analysis was skipped because the economic benefit of the island, currently undeveloped and in the floodplain, cant be measured. Even without the analysis, Lovell said based on his experience, the project likely received significant vetting. My experience with the Corps is theyre a bunch of straight arrows, he said. They may have some political pressure, but they go by the rules, federal rules. Projects like Panther Island maybe going by the wayside regardless. The time and cost of major projects has spurred a growing trend of moving away from structural projects like dams, levees and bypass channels in favor of using natural floodways and changing building codes, said Dzombak, the Carnegie Mellon professor. These big scale projects, theyre costly and complicated and difficult to design. We cant protect against every conceivable flood event, he said. We really should explore other options before investing in big infrastructure. | Panther Island has been pitched as a flood control project that would bring Fort Worth a vibrant riverfront neighborhood. It would be made possible only by a $1.17 billion federally backed project to cut a channel in the Trinity River and form the island. | pegasus | 2 | https://www.star-telegram.com/latest-news/article226928249.html | 0.367675 |
Could avocado toast unite our different L.A.s? | After more than a year together in our East Hollywood home, I discovered that my mother, a Taiwanese immigrant, had never had avocado toast. There are probably millions of people in Los Angeles who have never tried avocado toast, but still, I was surprised. At the time we lived just three blocks north of Sqirl, a cafe considered the cradle of toast culture in Los Angeles. And avocado toast, I kept reading, is Los Angeles in a dish, the hallmark of all things Californian. As I struggled to explain in Mandarin how it was prepared (and why she should stop refrigerating my avocados), my mother just shrugged and went back to chopping garlic. It was the moment I realized that we lived in the same house, but different cities. I liked House of Pies, took visiting friends to Sqirl and shopped at Trader Joes. My mom shopped at Zion Market in Koreatown and ate at Pine and Crane or Yoshinoya Beef Bowl. I read the L.A. Times and LA Weekly, and she read World Journal or watched LA 18. I guess Los Angeles has always been like this. We live our lives in parallel with few intersections, each of us experiencing a different city with its own culinary hallmarks. But I was troubled that my mom and I didnt seem to be living in the same city. And as a journalist, I worried about all the other versions of Los Angeles I couldnt see. East Hollywood is a neighborhood of 78,000 people, two-thirds of whom were born outside of the United States. Filipino restaurants serve up chicken adobo and pig blood stew over steam trays all around us. On weekends, backyard quinceaeras blast mariachi and bachata music across gently rolling hills, the drumbeats tapping on our windows. The Korean church has uniform-height bushes and neatly spread gravel. At the Salvadoran Catholic church next door, a parking crew crams the clergys cars into a stamp-sized parking lot, a weekly display of incredible spatial reasoning and patience. Across the street from our house, theres a low concrete staircase where kids skateboard, lounge, or sit with dates. Jimmy Recinos, 28, used to be one of them. Jimmy Recinos tries to shop at businesses like Virgil Farmers Market on that remind him of what his neighborhood used to be like. Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times Born in East Hollywood, Recinos hails from the Los Angeles where a lot of people feel forgotten; where kids grow up loving art but fall into graffiti because there are no art programs; where you might take dates to a low concrete staircase because theres no park nearby. His Oaxaca-born mother, who runs a local newsstand, chose the neighborhood in the 1980s because it was affordable and seemed hospitable to immigrants. Sometimes he rides his bike around the neighborhood and thinks about how its all changing. Schoolchildren now share the sidewalk with professional dog walkers. Down the street theres a new wine bar, but it used to be Amalias, one of the most popular Guatemalan restaurants in the city. Next to it is a newly renovated million-dollar home hidden by thick wood slats. Fences arent new in this neighborhood, but at least you could wave hello through the wrought-iron bars of the old ones. Construction noise is everywhere. Shiny residential developments tower over the streets Recinos biked down as a kid. High-priced restaurants keep opening while the older, affordable places are struggling. His version of the city fades a little every day. He tries to shop at the places that keep his memories alive: hamburger meat for barbecues at Carniceria 21, pan at Virgil Farmers Market, haircuts at Quality Barber Shop. His transactions are less like lifelines and more like offerings left at an altar. Sometimes he stops for coffee at Super Pan Bakery, the last panaderia on Virgil Avenue. Elvia Perez, 58, ran this bakery with her two sons and daughter for the last two decades. She lives in the Los Angeles where churches locate in strip mall storefronts because there is nowhere else to go; where 25 cents for pan is all most can afford; where people do business with handshakes because they are family friends, or because they emigrated from the same region in Guatemala or Mexico or El Salvador. Super Pan sold discounted pastries to the many churches that line Virgil Avenue and supplied bread to area street vendors. On Thanksgiving, locals without ovens brought turkeys over for Perez to bake for a small fee. Miguel Herrera smiles toward 1-year-old Melody Martinez as she peaks through the front door of California Grill, where she was having lunch with her mother Marisol Garcia. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Barber Area Abarghoei, left, looks on as customer Justin Toledo checks out his haircut at Vinnys Barber Shop. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Pedestrians walk past the former location of Super Pan Bakery on Virgil Avenue in Los Angeles. The bakery relocated to a place in South Los Angeles in December. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Top: Miguel Herrera smiles toward 1-year-old Melody Martinez as she peaks through the front door of California Grill, where she was having lunch with her mother Marisol Garcia. Bottom left: Barber Area Abarghoei, left, looks on as customer Justin Toledo checks out his haircut at Vinny's Barber Shop. Bottom right: Barber Area Abarghoei, left, looks on as customer Justin Toledo checks out his haircut at Vinny's Barber Shop. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) For decades, Perezs landlords were mostly religious nonprofits and churches, and she never had a contract or faced eviction. But Super Pans new landlords were investors and real estate firms. One offered a contract if Perez renovated the space. Her sons, husband and nephews retiled, installed brick laminate on the walls and erected a new ceiling. It cost more than $2,000, and half of Perezs husbands index finger. He severed it slicing the brick laminate. Still, no contract. The next owner, a real estate investment firm, didnt offer them a contract either, and raised their rent by more than 200%. Activists and locals like Recinos circulated petitions and contacted attorneys and politicians. Capstone agreed to give Super Pan until December to vacate the property, forestalling an immediate eviction. But in December, Perez relocated to a place in South Los Angeles. One block south of Super Pans former location, Jessica Koslow, a native of Long Beach, opened Sqirl in 2011 because it was the only place she could afford the rent. The restaurant is located in the Los Angeles you may have heard about, the East Coasters fantasy, the one where celebrities act like normal people and normal people act like celebrities; where everyone has time to wait in line for brunch. The restaurant quickly got popular after a Jonathan Gold review. Then it got huge. TV shows put Sqirls jam in their farmers market scenes. Magazines put Koslows picture on their covers. Restaurants everywhere started putting avocados on toast, garnishing breakfast bowls with watermelon radishes and selling high-end jam. Many reveled in the apparent anonymity of the neighborhood around Sqirl it made their meals feel more adventurous. It was as if the restaurant got so big that the rest of the world couldnt see East Hollywood around it. Housing prices rose. Up the street, a whole building of families was evicted. One day, spray paint on the restaurant compared Sqirl to Trump, blaming it for displacing longtime residents. Gwenn Wedmond, left, a food runner at Sqirl, delivers food to a table during the lunch hour. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Jimmy Recinos, right, greets friend Eduardo Gonzalez, 60, near Recinos home, where he's lived his entire life. Gonzalez has lived in the neighborhood for around 25 years. Left: Gwenn Wedmond, left, a food runner at Sqirl, delivers food to a table during the lunch hour. Right: Jimmy Recinos, right, greets friend Eduardo Gonzalez, 60, near Recinos home, where he's lived his entire life. Gonzalez has lived in the neighborhood for around 25 years. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) Breakfast restaurants dont evict people, but the complaints keep Koslow up at night. She understands that venture capitalists and real estate investors have come to East Hollywood, and avocado toast had something do with that. She wishes she could talk with her critics. She patronizes local businesses and tries to treat her neighbors with respect. Sqirl staff meals are often pupusas from Salvadoran restaurants just up the street or takeout from Wahs Golden Hen across the street. Wahs owner Lena Louie lives in the Los Angeles where its common for old-school Cantonese restaurants to have largely Latino clienteles, where the celebrity regular is comedian George Lopez, where the crowds lining up outside her restaurant dress more casually. Her family opened Wahs in 1972 after fleeing the Cultural Revolution. They settled in East Hollywood because they heard it was affordable and friendly to immigrants. Louie and her husband, a Chinatown cook, took over the restaurant in 1991. Work is Louies way of life. At 63, she has narrowed her path through the city to a small triangle consisting of the restaurant, her home and Costco, where she buys supplies. She hasnt visited her homeland for three decades because she felt they couldnt afford to close. Louies stepmother, 88, walks to the restaurant every day and folds thousands of wontons. A dozen go into each wor wonton soup, along with sauteed chicken, shrimp, napa cabbage, chashu pork and snow peas the kind of affordable, generous meal that inspires intense loyalty among customers. When the business was targeted during the L.A. riots, customers and their families stood guard out front to deter looters. Louie has befriended nearly everyone in the neighborhood, including Koslow, whom she calls her favorite. But Louie had never tried the food at Sqirl. A few weeks ago, I asked if shed have brunch with me there. I arrived at Wahs at around 10 a.m. to find Louie fielding lunch orders and setting tables. It took four tries to leave the restaurant with her the phone kept ringing her back until a customer took mercy upon us and offered to take orders. We headed across the street, a short walk from Louies Los Angeles to Koslows. Louie kept glancing back at her restaurant. Shes too frugal to eat out she lived in America for a decade before she even saw the inside of a McDonalds. Sometimes she treats herself to noodles at the Yoshinoya down the street, but she always feels guilty. She asked me what Sqirls food is like. I tried to describe it, but I have no idea how to say sorrel pesto in Mandarin. Im not totally clear myself on what lacto-fermented hot sauce is. At Sqirl, Koslow and Louie greeted each other with nervous, excessive kindness. Louie assured Koslow that the food would be delicious, and Koslow laughed in a slightly terrified way. Lena Louie, left, owner of Wahs Golden Hen, hugs Jessica Koslow, owner of Sqirl, which is located across the street on Virgil Avenue. Al Seib / Los Angeles Times Koslow presented Louie with a crispy rice salad, a rice porridge and a bright orange turmeric latte. Louie sipped the latte, set it down and left it there. She regarded the salad, head cocked as if it might start talking, then ate half a spoonful. Her eyebrows jumped. Oh, this is crunchy! How did you do that? Koslow looked relieved. They launched into an animated conversation about how the rice is prepared and the struggles of running a restaurant. Louie even got up and started bussing dishes at one point, before Koslow stopped her, laughing and tearing up a bit. By the end, Louie was trying to persuade Koslow to start a restaurant together. Watching them, I thought about how things might be different if we spent more time in the same Los Angeles, the one where we try to understand our neighbors, where the parallel lives we lead intersect every once in a while. A few months ago, I took my mom to Sqirl for the first time. She said the avocado toast was OK, and she was impressed with the crispy rice salad. But she probably wont be back. Mostly, she was just glad that I had tried to show her my side of the city, even if it would never be hers. Produced by Brian Park. Additional credits: Video edited by J.R. Lizarraga | L.A.'s avocado toast is the hallmark of all things Californian, but not everyone loves it. Jimmy Recinos, 28, grew up in an East Hollywood neighborhood that's changing a lot. Recinos says avocado toast could help unite the city's different cultures. | ctrlsum | 2 | https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-avocado-toast-sqirl-los-angeles-20190304-htmlstory.html | 0.330523 |
Should EA Sports bring back Tiger Woods PGA Tour? | By Daniel Tran Its been about five years since Tiger Woods graced the cover of EA Sports PGA Tour video game and many want him (and the game) back. Woods worst years are behind him, and his recent rise to relevance would be a perfect match for the game he helped make popular. However, with The Golf Club 2019 already in production, EA has no reason to make a PGA Tour game anymore. At its peak, Tiger Woods PGA Tour was one of the most successful EA Sports video games series ever. When the PGA Tour untapped EA Sports to make its game, the series made $771 million since 1999. With Woods out of his slump and contending in PGA Tour events, many want to see the franchise come back with him as the cover athlete again. Despite his recent struggles, Woods remains one of the most recognized athletes in the world. His win at the Tour Championship in 2018 only made people more intrigued about his performances. EA Sports and the PGA Tour would be foolish not to capitalize on his popularity once again. The game always had the best courses and players with a slick graphics engine to boot. "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" needs to return! MORE: Its time for a new PGA game, EA Report: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson will bring back The Match The pay-per-view event had glitches at first, but may grow to a team competition. The PGA Tour made the right decision to hand their video game rights to HB Studios, and they should continue that relationship. "The Golf Club 2019" might not have the golfers or all of the courses EA Sports had, but the game itself can improve and will get better with time. There's no need to revert back to a game with Woods, who is past his prime with a sordid past, on the cover. People need to let "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" die in peace. MORE: PGA Tour video game to get a new look with EA Sports out as the official licensing partner 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, wed love to hear what you have to say. | Many want to see the franchise come back with Tiger Woods as the cover athlete. EA has no reason to make a PGA Tour game anymore. | ctrlsum | 0 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/03/should-ea-sports-bring-back-tiger-woods-pga-tour.html | 0.106526 |
Should EA Sports bring back Tiger Woods PGA Tour? | By Daniel Tran Its been about five years since Tiger Woods graced the cover of EA Sports PGA Tour video game and many want him (and the game) back. Woods worst years are behind him, and his recent rise to relevance would be a perfect match for the game he helped make popular. However, with The Golf Club 2019 already in production, EA has no reason to make a PGA Tour game anymore. At its peak, Tiger Woods PGA Tour was one of the most successful EA Sports video games series ever. When the PGA Tour untapped EA Sports to make its game, the series made $771 million since 1999. With Woods out of his slump and contending in PGA Tour events, many want to see the franchise come back with him as the cover athlete again. Despite his recent struggles, Woods remains one of the most recognized athletes in the world. His win at the Tour Championship in 2018 only made people more intrigued about his performances. EA Sports and the PGA Tour would be foolish not to capitalize on his popularity once again. The game always had the best courses and players with a slick graphics engine to boot. "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" needs to return! MORE: Its time for a new PGA game, EA Report: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson will bring back The Match The pay-per-view event had glitches at first, but may grow to a team competition. The PGA Tour made the right decision to hand their video game rights to HB Studios, and they should continue that relationship. "The Golf Club 2019" might not have the golfers or all of the courses EA Sports had, but the game itself can improve and will get better with time. There's no need to revert back to a game with Woods, who is past his prime with a sordid past, on the cover. People need to let "Tiger Woods PGA Tour" die in peace. MORE: PGA Tour video game to get a new look with EA Sports out as the official licensing partner 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, wed love to hear what you have to say. | Many want to see the franchise come back with Tiger Woods as the cover athlete again. EA has no reason to make a PGA Tour game anymore with "The Golf Club 2019" already in production. | ctrlsum | 1 | https://www.oregonlive.com/tylt/2019/03/should-ea-sports-bring-back-tiger-woods-pga-tour.html | 0.152981 |
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